Betaine causes hives

I have Hashimotos with MTFR gene. Felt full too long after eating salmon so next day tried HCl with pepcin 650mg when I had chicken. Did not feel different so took a second one after meal. Had gas, heart burn so I know I should only take one.

On waking this morning I have hives, brain fog, and fingers feel swollen. After morning honey, vinegar all feel better, but not normal yet.

Is this a normal reaction to too much Betaine or just me?

[shaws Administrator]

Did you take Betaine before, during or after the meal? Mine says I can only take after meals 3 times a day but I know some other brands say you can take more if required.

You could be allergic to something in the ones you have. That's the only explanation I can give.

[humanbean]

Perhaps you took too large a dose, or took it at the wrong time in relation to eating your meal, or perhaps you just took a brand which didn't agree with you?

I've been taking Solgar Betaine HCL + Pepsin tablets, which contains 325mg of betaine HCL and 59mg of pepsin per tablet. For a small meal I take one tablet, for a large meal I take two. I take the tablets during the time I am eating rather than before or after. In the case of a large meal I take one tablet about 1/3rd of the way through the meal and the other tablet about 2/3rds of the way through. It works like a charm for me.

I've also tried Biocare Betaine HCL + Pepsin capsules, which are the same dose as the ones you took. And for some reason I don't get any benefit from them at all, in fact I feel quite bad after taking them. I don't know if the fact that one is a tablet and one is a capsule makes any difference.

[Hidden]

Tried SOLARAY HCL (650 mg) with Pepsin (162mg). Will try another brand with a smaller dose. Definitely an allergic reaction then and not some kind of die off? Thank you

[humanbean in reply to Hidden]

Since you've had one bad reaction, I would suggest being cautious with any further experiments.

iherb is a good website for finding out fillers and other ingredients for supplements. It seems to be much more complete in its information than Amazon is for instance. It could be useful in helping you track down any ingredients that might be causing you problems before you spend money.