I am allergic to Folic Acid, does anyone know of anything else I can take?

[itchyscratchy]

I want to start trying for a baby soon but I am allergic to Folic Acid.

I took 5mg Folic acid and had a severvely bad Histamine reaction ( itchy pin pricks sensation on my skin) and went down to 400 micrograms and these are still making me itch.

When I am pregnant I cant take my antihistamines either...

I need a safe replacement for Folic Acid and Antihistamine during pregnancy.

Thank you.

[poing]

The folic acid tablets will contain a bunch of other ingredients as fillers/binders as well as the vitamin. You might be allergic to one of those rather than the folic acid itself.

Folic acid is a synthetic substance that is converted into folate in the body. The naturally occuring version is called folate. If you really do turn out to be sensitive to the folic acid, you might not be sensitive to folate.

chriskresser.com/folate-vs-...

(I was going to say that it would be odd to be allergic to something that is essential to life, but then I remembered that folic acid isn't the naturally occuring form).

[itchyscratchy in reply to poing]

Hi , thanks for your reply

I am going to buy the solar brand folate and see what happens!

Thanks.

[pretender]

Why are you taking antihistamines?

Folic acid can be found in many green vegetables which can be part of your five a day

[itchyscratchy in reply to pretender]

Hi,

I have very high levels of Histamine in my body, I can't eat anything rich in Histamine..spinache is high in Histamine and Tomatoes and lots of other healthy food...so I have to avoid these foods otherwise I my skin gets unbearably itchy and then I have to take antihistamines which stop the itching... but cant take antihistamines during pregnancy.=(

[Henbur in reply to itchyscratchy]

I am the same itchysratchy, suffer from DH and unexplained itching (salcura itch relief spray and magi cool ITCH RELIEF spray - v v good). Be prepared I got even more itchy scratchy during pregnancy, I was under obgyn for other conditions and he prescribed chlorphenimine for the itching and I took it for the duration of both of my pregnancies, I didn't take the folic supplements as I prefer to go down the healthy eating route and so do eat lots of broccoli, asparagus, spinach - I also eat shed loads of brown rice and chick peas which I am led to believe also contain good levels and are not particularly allergenic so that might be another option.

[itchyscratchy in reply to Henbur]

Hi Henbur,

Are you on a Histamine avoidance diet at all?

I get a very bad itchy reaction if I eat Kiwi fruit!!

What foods are you avoiding? I have to avoid Alcohol especially REd Wine! =( my favorite!

Thats not good news! but facinating because I read somewhere that the itching might stop during pregnancy because the placenta produces diamine oxidase which I think lowers the Histamine in your body?!! Im so scared to take anything during my pregnancy!

I will definately get those itch relief sprays that you have recommended thanks!! creams just dont cover a large enough area quick enough!

[Henbur in reply to itchyscratchy]

Artificial sweeteners are worst offenders, but kiwi and wine do set me off especiallybif ive already had a reaction to something else e.g. Hayfever. I don't have any veggies that I have a reaction to thankfully. I think I have been lucky that my coeliac didn't cause my gut to be too leaky so I'm not too bad on the ingested side. I'm not sure about the placenta thing as all my allergic reactions inc hayfever and asthma were terrible in pregnancy! Both the sprays are safe in pregnancy!

[pretender in reply to Henbur]

Artificial sweetners such as Aspartame I have read cause Formaldehyde in the gut, I have a Formaldehyde Allergy oral because of known ingredients in medications and GF foods. Topical from pollution. Antihistamines reduce my itch/rash from 17 to 12 days if I remain in my own environment.

[MrsPepperpot]

It's good that you are thinking about your nutritional state before you get pregnant because a growing foetus makes big demands on your body. Folic acid is well documented and recommended in pregnancy but there is no reason why this should be taken in isolation. The NHS link gives some guidelines here nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy...

However, if I was coeliac and wanting to get pregnant I would hope that my gp was interested in preconceptual health and support me. Nutritional health needs to be as good as possible in early pregnancy, most people do not consider their diet etc until they are actually pregnant and passed the vital stages when important development occurs.

I wish you success.

[SpeakTruth]

MTHFR - People with MTHFR can NOT process folic acid. You can take L-5Methylfolate or metafolin. hsph.harvard.edu/nutritions...

Folic acid is DANGEROUS stuff and most people think it is folate. They are NOT the same.