# What Are You Allergic To?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 26, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116 "2011-01-26T23:33:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/41 "2011-01-27T19:00:10Z")
> [@Kalypso](#):
>
> Soap (I use it anyway)
Are you serious? What happens when you use it? Are you chronically itchy?
My allergy is nickel, which is a real bitch considering so many things have nickel in them. Boo for every belt buckle in the universe containing nickel.
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### Author:  [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/42 "2011-01-27T19:38:24Z")
Ceclor and Vicodin
I’m sensitive to broccoli and salt. Broccoli in larger amounts gives me hives and I have trouble breathing, but small amounts just cause me to itch. My salt sensitivity is fairly recent, it came on after the birth of my last child (4 yrs ago). Now I can’t eat things that are high in sodium, it causes my tongue to swell. If it’s REALLY salty, I get sores in my mouth.
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### Author:  [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/43 "2011-01-27T20:22:32Z")
> [@FrancisCastle](#):
>
> Ceclor and Vicodin
>
> I’m sensitive to broccoli and salt. Broccoli in larger amounts gives me hives and I have trouble breathing, but small amounts just cause me to itch. My salt sensitivity is fairly recent, it came on after the birth of my last child (4 yrs ago). Now I can’t eat things that are high in sodium, it causes my tongue to swell. If it’s REALLY salty, I get sores in my mouth.
Maybe it’s just the iodine in iodized salt. I’m allergic to iodine, but I can still eat seafood and iodized salt. Just don’t shoot it into my veins…🙂
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### Author:  [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/44 "2011-01-27T21:35:43Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#):
>
> I’m told that I’m allergic to penicillin. I honestly have no clue if I am, just going on what I’ve been told by my mom regarding some early childhood reaction to the drug. Then again, she used to over-react to other mild sensitivities that I had, and called an “allergy” any sensitivity or reaction… so, not sure. (One of the supposed “allergies” was to erethromycin, which caused a major 12-hour vomiting/dehydration fit as a kid which landed me in the ER; a skeptical doctor a few years later asked me to try it again, and it turned out I could handle it just fine if I took the it with food and took acidophilus. Really opened my eyes to the difference between real allergies and “sensitivities.”)
Yeah, I also have a questionable allergy to amoxicillin. I broke out in hives at age 7, but it wasn’t really bad and the doctor wasn’t entirely sure it was an allergy. Nonetheless, I’ve been kept away from penicillin-class drugs since. Ironically, the sulfa allergy (which is much, much worse and definitely NOT questionable) was discovered because the doctor couldn’t give me Augmentin and had to find an alternative. That turned out well!
The frightening thing about the sulfa drugs was, before the hives appeared, I was having all kinds of weird side effects, principally palpitations, insomnia, and insanely violent nightmares. I expected occasional indigestion as a normal side effect of an antibiotic, but in hindsight those were indicators that something was seriously amiss. Extremely unpleasant.
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### Author:  [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/45 "2011-01-27T22:22:56Z")
> [@Khadaji](#):
>
> Scents often give me a rash.
Oh yes, perfumes too. Someone using a body spray in the office will cause me to run (not walk) outside for some real air. Strong aftershave does not turn me on so much as turn me purple.
I take antihistamine if I’m going to glam up with my favourite rose scented body cream - sexy _snorrrk!_
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### Author:  [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/46 "2011-01-27T22:54:18Z")
> [@Rysdad](#):
>
> Cats and marijuana. Even says so in my medical record.
Marijuana? What does it do to you?
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### Author:  [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/47 "2011-01-27T23:03:13Z")
Bee stings. I also have fairly severe hay fever, and locally-made honey will make my tongue and throat itch like crazy.
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/48 "2011-01-28T01:07:04Z")
> [@flatlined](#):
>
> Marijuana? What does it do to you?
Oh yeah, I have the marijuana allergy too. My nose and throat swell up and I feel like I have the flu. The first few times I tried, I thought I was “getting high,” and I thought, why the hell would people _want_ to feel sick?
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### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/49 "2011-01-28T01:11:30Z")
Ignorant people.
Glad I’m in the right place for my ailment 🙂
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### Author:  [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/50 "2011-01-28T01:34:47Z")
An older pulmonary contrast dye for CT-scans ( plugged my sinuses up solid about 2.5 seconds after injection ). But I don’t think they use that one anymore.
I get intermittent hay fever which didn’t start until I was 19 or 20. The first year was the worst, since then it has been highly variable from year to year, but only rarely troublesome. I haven’t bothered getting it narrowed down since it is usually mild, but anecdotally Cypress definitely seems to be a trigger.
Thankfully I have no other allergies I can think of.
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/51 "2011-01-28T01:38:24Z")
When I was a kid I was allergic to
grass seed
dog dander
cat dander
perfume
feathers (as in feather pillows.)
Allergies have some benefits. As a kid I never mowed the lawn because doing so made my nose stop right up, and since being married I’ve saved thousands of dollars on perfume for my wife.
Over the years I’ve lost the dog hair allergy (I have some and been around a lot with no problems) and the grass seed allergy (rats.) I definitely am still allergic to perfume, probably cats, and possibly feathers.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/52 "2011-01-28T04:29:02Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#):
>
> Are you serious? What happens when you use it? Are you chronically itchy?
>
> My allergy is nickel, which is a real bitch considering so many things have nickel in them. Boo for every belt buckle in the universe containing nickel.
It took me forever to find a belt with coated buckle. I finally asked at a little kiosk at my local mall that just sold belts. They had a whole section..every color! Yay for non-allergic belts!
-D/a
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### Author:  [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/53 "2011-01-28T05:34:01Z")
Seafood, penicillin and nickel. I can tell within a couple minutes of putting in earrings if they’re honestly nickel-free or not.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/54 "2011-01-28T05:51:29Z")
It occurs to me that I may be allergic to any number of things I’ve never encountered, which could be including many of the things listed in this thread.
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### Author:  [@ramel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ramel)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/55 "2011-01-28T07:02:14Z")
Absolutely nothing! Mwahahahahaaaa
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### Author:  [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/56 "2011-01-28T10:58:27Z")
Dust Mites. I just get a bit wheezy, as it’s an asthma trigger for me. Nothing serious, though.
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### Author:  [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/57 "2011-01-28T17:53:17Z")
A mild allergy to bee stings.
I’m sensitive to the white paste used for mending in some schools & libraries over here. Brings me out in welts. I had the same reaction to Fa shampoos many years ago.
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/58 "2011-01-29T00:45:55Z")
Sulfa’s all I’m aware of.
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### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/59 "2012-07-12T14:55:09Z")
I’m fortunate to not have any food / contact allergies that I know of. One _sensitivity_: to foods preserved with sulfites. They used to use this stuff on salads etc. in restaurants - didn’t preserve the lettuce, just made it look nicer and prevented it from turning brown.
It turns out that some asthmatics are VERY sensitive to this stuff, which led to a couple of very frightening reactions when I was in my late teens / early 20s (my asthma was largely in remission then, so no inhalers handy). I found out what was going on through sheer dumb luck a year or so later (60 Minutes did a show on the stuff; I never watched that show but happened to have it on that day).
So when I was in hellish induced labor and wanted painkillers, and their first choice had sulfites, I made them look for an alternative. “What will it do to you?” “I’m not sure, but I don’t think THIS is the time to find out!!”.
I haven’t had a restaurant reaction in 30 years, so I assume it’s not used as much (maybe not at all). If I eat dried apricots, sometimes I’ll feel a little tight.
For the OP: isn’t baby oil basically fragranced mineral oil? If so, might you get by with plain mineral oil?
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### Author:  [@Bass\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bass_Chick)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-allergic-to/569116/60 "2012-07-12T15:28:39Z")
Tobramycin
Bacitracin
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