allergies/sensitivities to fragrances

[sammi2]

Are any of you sensitive to perfumes, pesticides & other chemicals? If so,
have you found anything that lessens the reaction to these things? I get migraines & seizures from these things & it is impossible to stay completely clear of these things. Thanks.

[sneezydiva]

Ever since I was prescribed Astelin nosespray, I am much more tolerant of perfume, strong cleaning products, even smoke if it is a fairly well ventilated place. I still don't spray pesticides in the house though.

[elmhar]

Hi Sammi,

I've had multiple chem sensitivity for decades, before it had a label. I get migraines & vomitting from exposure to a number of substances, sometimes am sick for days dep. on level of exposure.

I'm also very sensitive to meds. My kids & I have had a number of adverse drug reactions; it's obvious there's some sort of genetic metabolic glitch going on. Whenever we are Rxd meds, I just do a partial fill, 2 days worth, to see what's gonna happen. Nine out of ten times, the med isn't tolerated.

My life has improved some since getting my thyroid levels 'tweaked.' Even borderline low thyroid slows down the body's ability to deal with toxic substances. I still can't use cleaning chemicals, etc., but I can now tolerate a few min. in a dept store, or walking past someone wearing perfume.

I've also got minor adrenal malfunction that supposedly contributes to the MCS, however, I haven't been able to tolerate the meds to fix that.

Are you on antiepileptic drugs for your seizures? That sounds pretty serious.

I do know people who are pretty much housebound due to MCS, who have made their homes clean, "green" havens just to survive.

Best wishes.

[sammi2]

MCS is a miserable thing to live with. I was house bound for years, got some better but now have relapsed to the bottom again. I used Neurontin for seizures for years which was also supposed to help with the fragrance issue but it didn't. I can never find a med or even simple vit/min supplements that I don't have reaction to. I'm glad you told me about the thyroid because I have had hypo for the last few years and again I could not take the med so it is left untreated. My home is safe as long as I can keep people out that wear perfumes.

The Astelin nasal spray sounds promising also.

Thanks for your replies. Good luck!

[elmhar]

Sammi,

You MUST visit the thyroid healthboard! I've had trouble tolerating T meds as well, but there are ways around that, don't know how many options you tried. Untreated hypoT is the pits!

Do you know what type of hypoT you have? If it is an autoimmune (thyroid antibodies, 3 tests) type? Hashi's + seizures --> check for celiac disease. I've met people with this combo who've gotten control by eliminating gluten from diet. Permeability of both gut & blood-brain-barrier can be adversely affected by gluten, making one extra sensitive to many things, even those that are airborne.

Best wishes.