Reaction to Elemental Formulas - Absorb Plus / Alpha PMX

[pun_Krawk]

Hello all,

My question is: is there anything in the ingredients list of Absorb Plus or Alpha PMX that would cause a reaction?

Background:

I have been suffering from health problems for most of my life. For the past four years, I put myself on different types of restricted diets to try and find a solution. Unfortunately, I am still without an answer. What I do know is that everything stems from digestive issues and reacting to food (i.e. food intolerances and/or allergies).

Recently, I attempted to try elemental formulas to see if I could go on a "food vacation", and give my body a chance to heal. I tried both Absorb Plus and Alpha PMX at different times. I reacted to both quite severely, with Absorb Plus being the worse of the two. Specifically, my digestive system locked up and bloated, my nose became congested, and I became very tired and foggy-headed. It caused a huge amount of mucus to be created in my colon as well, as it was present in my stools for some time after (sometimes it was only mucus coming out). After stopping the intake of the formulas, my body eventually returned to my "normal."

What in these formulas might cause this? I don't want to influence ideas, but I have suspected for some time that I have issues with sulfur (intolerance/sensitivity). Of course, I also suspect salicylates, oxalates, and mast cell, so...I am not positive about anything.

Link to Absorb Plus Ingredients and Nutrition Label:
http://www.absorbplus.com/diet/ingredients/chart4.php

Link to Alpha PMX:
Ingredients - http://www.nutramed.com/alphaPMX/ingredients.htm
Nutrition Values - http://www.nutramed.com/alphaPMX/pmxvalues.htm

Thanks for any help and input. It's frustrating to react to something that should be as basic of a nutrition supplement as one can buy.

 

[Gingergrrl]

If you suspect a mast cell disorder, then the ingredients in the formulas can be as triggering or allergenic as actual foods. I tried this briefly last summer (not via feeding tube, just drinking one of the most elemental formulas we could find) but was still allergic to it at that time. Am much better now but if you suspect MCAS, then the formulas can be just as triggering and many people do not realize this.

 

[pun_Krawk]

If you suspect a mast cell disorder, then the ingredients in the formulas can be as triggering or allergenic as actual foods. I tried this briefly last summer (not via feeding tube, just drinking one of the most elemental formulas we could find) but was still allergic to it at that time. Am much better now but if you suspect MCAS, then the formulas can be just as triggering and many people do not realize this.

I guess the question is, what in the formulas could trigger MCAS symptoms? For example, in Alpha PMX the only ingredients that are not a mineral, vitamin, or amino acid are: maltodextrin, microcellulose, glucose, and fructose. I only drank one serving a day of this while testing.

I suspect MCAS, but I also suspect everything. I react to foods that shouldn't be MCAS triggers.

 

[Gingergrrl]

I wish I knew! At my worst I was reactive to everything but water! Does it have any colorings or preservatives in it? Everyone is so unique in what they react to. Are you taking a mast cell stabilizer or H1 blocker if you suspect this is the problem? Best wishes in figuring it out, it is very challenging.

 

[pun_Krawk]

I wish I knew! At my worst I was reactive to everything but water! Does it have any colorings or preservatives in it? Everyone is so unique in what they react to. Are you taking a mast cell stabilizer or H1 blocker if you suspect this is the problem? Best wishes in figuring it out, it is very challenging.

Hmm, interesting. There's no colorings or preservatives. That said, my body has been in a state of reaction for months now, and I can't seem to calm it down. That's why I wanted to try the elemental formulas. Perhaps anything will put it over the edge, including extra vitamins.

I actually was diagnosed with MCASin the past, but the only lab work that was out of range was my plasma prostaglandin levels. As a result, I'm on a regimen of stabilizers and histamine blockers, but, they don't seem to be helping at all. That, plus my reaction to "safe" MCAS foods makes me doubt the diagnosis

 

[alicec]

With those formulas, salicylates and oxalates are unlikely to be an issue.

With absorb plus, suspect the whey protein. Even though it is digested and highly purified, I had a terrible reaction to just such a product in isolation. I think it was the glutamates which are present in considerable amounts.

With the alpha PMX maybe the maltodextrin and/or fructose are a problem. The specific carbohydrate diet or GAPS diet tries to eliminate things that break down into disaccharides and is very helpful for people with severe digestive problems. The maltodextrin could be a problem in this respect.

With the fructose it could be a fructose malabsorption problem. The issue here is really one of dysbiosis. Fructose reaches the bowel and is fermented by gut bacteria. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but with a bad bacterial balance it can cause intolerable symptoms. The temporary solution at least is to limit fructose, but the ultimate solution is fixing the dysbiosis.

There could be several different things going on.

A long time ago I had a lot of food sensitivities, though not MCAS, which could be a major issue for you.

The best things I found were addressing digestion - high doses pancreatic enzymes, betaine HCL for a while, probiotics, various gut soothing preparations such as DGL.

With MCAS these may be problematic - sorry I don't know much about that.

 

[pun_Krawk]

I really appreciate the feedback so far. In the past, I haven't received a lot of in depth responses, so it's very helpful for me as I think about my problems.

With those formulas, salicylates and oxalates are unlikely to be an issue.

With absorb plus, suspect the whey protein. Even though it is digested and highly purified, I had a terrible reaction to just such a product in isolation. I think it was the glutamates which are present in considerable amounts.

With the alpha PMX maybe the maltodextrin and/or fructose are a problem. The specific carbohydrate diet or GAPS diet tries to eliminate things that break down into disaccharides and is very helpful for people with severe digestive problems. The maltodextrin could be a problem in this respect.

With the fructose it could be a fructose malabsorption problem. The issue here is really one of dysbiosis. Fructose reaches the bowel and is fermented by gut bacteria. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but with a bad bacterial balance it can cause intolerable symptoms. The temporary solution at least is to limit fructose, but the ultimate solution is fixing the dysbiosis.

There could be several different things going on.

A long time ago I had a lot of food sensitivities, though not MCAS, which could be a major issue for you.

The best things I found were addressing digestion - high doses pancreatic enzymes, betaine HCL for a while, probiotics, various gut soothing preparations such as DGL.

With MCAS these may be problematic - sorry I don't know much about that.

My diet right now is extremely limited, and essentially follows most restricted guidelines. The only thing I can't eliminate is rice, as it's the one staple food I don't react to. I do know that I have a bacterial overgrown in the large intestines, but I've been tested negative for SIBO. Supposedly, these formulas are supposed to be absorbed by that time.

I am also on a prescription of Creon as a digestive enzyme, which hasn't helped much either. I have to be very careful with probiotics, as these generally cause MCAS symptoms, so, just in case, I've been avoiding them for the most part.

All this said, these responses about MCAS have got me thinking. There may be things that trigger mast cell degranulation that I wasn't even considering. For example, a diet with too many oxalates (driven by brown rice) could trigger symptoms over time. Last night, I read that the vitamin Thiamine also degranulates mast cells. Even though this is found in very low amounts in Alpha PMX, perhaps there are other items as well?

I will dig in to this more.