Our four year old Autistic son is very sensitive to citric acid. Is there anyone else out there with this allergy/sensitivity? I'd love to hear more information about it....what it is in...reactions you may have had from it....etc.

Hi,
2 of my 4 children have an allergy to citric acid. Most people, (including Drs.) do not know anything about this problem. I was fortunate enough to have discovered the allergy on my own and had a wonderful PA at my Drs. office who worked with me - she said she never underestimates a mother's intuition.
Anyhow, if you need advice on how to cope with this, let me know. It is present in so many things - as you probably already know. It is even used in prescription medications as a preservative. I was able to find a pharmacist who knows how to compound the medications for me when my children needed antibiotics for various childhood infections. One of my children has built a resistance to the allergy. She is able to have small amounts without much of a negative reaction. This happens when going to birthday parties or places where I am unable to read the labels of all the things she consumes. My other child still gets severe eczema and heartburn from even the smallest amounts, however the vomiting doesn't seem to be as bad as it used to be.
I have to be really careful about the lotions and shampoos and everything, not just foods or drinks!
One of my othere children is even doing a report on it (in a round about way) for his science report at school.
Take care and good luck. E-mail me if you need any advice.

[ please carefully review the posting rules - no emails ]

For the longest time, I've been trying to figure out what I was eating that could possibly cause me to break out constantly and have heartburn to beat the band. I'm only 20 years old, and I've been sensitive to/had an allergy to citric acid for probably only the past 6-7 years. In my even younger years, I could consume half a carton of orange juice without batting an eye and not have a problem. (Some family history, my mother is allergic to it as well, oranges and tomatoes make her break out. So my guess is that the allergy/sensitivity can be inherited)

It took MONTHS of recording what I ate and narrowing down to figure out what it could possibly be, and once I found out that a likely candidate (never have gotten a definite diagnosis, this is my personal feeling and charted possibility) was citric acid, my heart sank. I love tomatoes, tomato soup, orange juice, gatorade even.....and they all give me heartburn like nothing else, and the next day I'd be breaking out like crazy. It's been really difficult, especially at my age, to find things to eat and drink (with flavor, water has since become my best friend).

If you could post your information of your suggestions of what can be done/what to watch/monitor, I would be one very grateful person.

The best advice I can give you is to READ, READ, READ those ingredient labels. I have learned that different brands of the same type of item may use something other than citric acid, ie; tomato sauce - I don't buy Hunts, I buy a Kroger brand instead. My girls don't seem to have problems with tomato's other than the ones packaged w/citric acid. They can eat fresh ones without any problem. (I saw a great recipe online for homemade tomato soup once, using fresh tomatos.) I can't use Kraft maccaroni and cheese, instead I read the labels and buy the store brands - or I buy Stouffers frozen. Make sure you read the labels on store bought baked goods! Another culprit to watch out for is Sodium Citrate. Check out the ingredient lists on sour cream, buttermilk, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. Remember that just because it may be in one brand doesn't mean that it is in all brands of the same items. Check out A&W Rootbeer. It is one of the few sodas that my girls can have. Check out the ingredients on ice creams. Some have it, some don't. Zantac seems to relieve the heartburn for my girls when they accidently get some citric acid or sodium citrate in their systems. Theirs is in the liquid form, I'm not sure about the pill kind. Other antacids may contain calcium citrate - which can also be a problem. I have a hard time finding multi vitamins for them. All of the kids chewables have one form or the other in it. Hope this helps you!

I've recently discovered that my 23 month old has an allergy to citric acid. This was done on my own by keeping a food diary.

Are there any unusual foods that I should keep an eye out for that could cause a reaction? My daughter is at daycare and the provider is doing a great job of keeping an eye out for foods that cause a reaction. We're aware of tomato based products, juice, popsicles, iced tea, taco seasoning etc.

Thanks so much!
Becca

Hi Becca,
Pineapple seems to bother one of my daughters, but not the other. Make sure to read any treats such as candy or cookies. One local bakery uses citric acid in their cookies, donuts, breas, etc as a dough stabilizer another bakery down the street does not ... (another thing to keep an eye out for is sodium citrate and calcium citrate.)
Check out sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurts. Not all brands will have it so you have to become "brand familiar" Also watch out for most medicines and vitamins. The No name brand acetomenaphine does not have it but the Tylenol brand does.
I also have to be very careful with shampoo, soap, conditioner and lotions with one of my daughters or she breaks out with eczema and in worst case scenarios -hives!
Good luck!
starmommy

Citric acid, the preservative, is made from Aspergillus fermentation, which of course is a mold and should be avoided by all who have mold allergies. (Unless your positive you don't have any inflammation from it.) Check out the Mold-Free diet online. It will help with avoiding a lot of foods that may not cause a direct reaction, but for those sensitive to mold, may continue to cause an inflammatory process that will make you more susceptible to things that you overreact to regularly.

I do agree with all that posted, read every label!

I'm surprised to find that people are mentioning citric acid. But I had quietly been thinking that I might not be great with citrus. I seem to produce a lot of mucus after eating oranges all of a sudden, and my glands become tender. It could be coincidence - I'm so new to all this and haven't even had test for it. I, too, could really do with some information!

Best of luck.
Leon.