weird allergic reaction to detox supplements ( herx ?)

[Tsukareta]

Hello everyone, yesterday I started taking these two supplements because my stomach function seems poor and I sometimes have reactions to some foods which I suspect is caused by leaky gut, sometimes at random I start to experience burning face flushing / neck flushing and fatigue / muscle inflammation or stomach sensations after eating the food, then after that point that particular food seems to remain a trigger for the same sort of reaction, to me this seems like its probably caused by leaky gut causing an acquired immune response to that food, I've noticed that this typically happens after I overexert physically and strain my muscles ( legs ) to the point where they become sore, or maybe I didn't exercise but for unknown reasons I feel like i'm having a CFS 'crash', these episodes also would alternatively trigger my MCS to progress, but that hasn't been much of an issue recently.

My stomach is very slow, I go to the toilet about once per week, and I read somewhere that this particular supplement can help ( Enzymedica ), and L-Glutamine I heard is the best thing for leaky gut, but I worry about glutamine excitotoxicity (? )
So yesterday I started taking Enzymedica, Gut Motility, Digestive Transport Support and Lindens L-Glutamine 500mg Capsules, and I experienced no reactions or change to my stomach function etc, but I did have some insomnia last night, which may have been because I ate a lot just before bed.

My health hasn't improved as quickly as I hoped after leaving the house ( I suspect mold sensitivity / CIRS ) so I want to try and cover all bases and remove any 'colonization' of mold, and correct SIBO which I suspect I have, especially since my digestion is so slow ( though it was ok as recenty as feb ). Theres a bunch of supps and things in this protocol I found online, but the ones I just started today were Niacin 500mg by Now Foods, and NAC with moly + selenium by Now foods. I also took the two from yesterday, the prodigest formula and one pill of l-glutamine. This isn't the first time I have taken NAC, I take it regularly, but not this brand with those added minerals. I do take vitamin B complex which does contain the equivalent vitamin of Niacin, but I think its in a different form, and less dosage ( perhaps 5x less ). Also for the first time I took Thorne Zinc Picolinate 30mg.

I took all those pills then 10 to 15 mins later I started to eat unsmoked bacon which is one of the foods thats been ok for a while now, reaction wise ( chicken and white fish have become avoided due to reactions ). A few minutes in / halfway through the bacon, which wasn't a large amount, I started having a severe allergic reaction, what was different this time was although I felt it at my cheeks / face initially, this time it spread to most of my skin, my veins seemed to enlarge and I felt itchy or a burning sensation on my forearms, thankfully no breathing issues, the reaction seemed to last about an hour to 90 minutes, which is a bit longer than usual for my food reactions.

Any idea what could be happening ? I wonder if the supplements caused a sudden 'die off' and toxic release in my stomach that caused an allergic reaction, or instantly caused a significant increase in leaky gut. Usually I would test supplements carefully before I took the full dose, but I have a lot of new ones that I am trying to start on and I guess I just didn't expect any reactions from the ones I started on today... I did try the enzymedica one carefully yesterday by pouring some into a cup, because I don't get on with some herbs. Or did I simply have a regular allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in one of these supplements ? I didn't do any exercise or activities beyond my average for the past few weeks recently. So I would not normally expect food reactions to occur today ( its semi predictable ).

 

[Viala]

A few minutes in / halfway through the bacon, which wasn't a large amount, I started having a severe allergic reaction, what was different this time was although I felt it at my cheeks / face initially, this time it spread to most of my skin, my veins seemed to enlarge and I felt itchy or a burning sensation on my forearms, thankfully no breathing issues, the reaction seemed to last about an hour to 90 minutes, which is a bit longer than usual for my food reactions.

It could be niacin flush, it is basically harmless and goes away after a while, but it is better to reduce the dose so that you do not flush, until you get adjusted to it and could take more. I get beetroot red within minutes when I take too much and that can happen even with lower doses, it is a bit uncomfortable and a bit funny, I feel as if I were sunbathing for 'tad' too long. It's best to give each supplement at least a couple of days to know how you are reacting and to what.

 

[Tsukareta]

It could be niacin flush, it is basically harmless and goes away after a while, but it is better to reduce the dose so that you do not flush, until you get adjusted to it and could take more. I get beetroot red within minutes when I take too much and that can happen even with lower doses, it is a bit uncomfortable and a bit funny, I feel as if I were sunbathing for 'tad' too long. It's best to give each supplement at least a couple of days to know how you are reacting and to what.

I have just been reading about that on my phone, I heard of it and that it was common but I thought it would be way more mild, like an alcohol flush that some people get when they drink ? this felt extreme and came on pretty fast, from my googling though the reaction typically starts within 15 to 30 mins and it is from the type of Niacin I took, the acid form. Its complicated by the fact that I ate the bacon at that exact time window, and unpredictable allergy like reactions to food are a thing for me, but especially if something were to provoke leaky gut or endotoxin release I might expect it to be more likely. I also took a powerful form of Zinc for the first time and the internet sources say that taking Niacin with Zinc at the same time can compound the flushing reaction.

Maybe thats just what it was.. because my health felt otherwise ok today, and im not feeling the prolonged discomfort I would typically experience in my stomach when I spontaneously develop these issues after eating a certain food and have a strong reaction. I should also be feeling more fatigued and inflammed all over if I had a reaction like that ( because the food particles float around the body and cause immune response in various areas like the muscles ), but I don't.

 

[Viala]

I have just been reading about that on my phone, I heard of it and that it was common but I thought it would be way more mild, like an alcohol flush that some people get when they drink ? this felt extreme and came on pretty fast, from my googling though the reaction typically starts within 15 to 30 mins and it is from the type of Niacin I took, the acid form. Its complicated by the fact that I ate the bacon at that exact time window, and unpredictable allergy like reactions to food are a thing for me, but especially if something were to provoke leaky gut or endotoxin release I might expect it to be more likely. I also took a powerful form of Zinc for the first time and the internet sources say that taking Niacin with Zinc at the same time can compound the flushing reaction.

Maybe thats just what it was.. because my health felt otherwise ok today, and im not feeling the prolonged discomfort I would typically experience in my stomach when I spontaneously develop these issues after eating a certain food and have a strong reaction. I should also be feeling more fatigued and inflammed all over if I had a reaction like that ( because the food particles float around the body and cause immune response in various areas like the muscles ), but I don't.

I imagine, if it was caused by niacin, 500mg can be quite intense. It's a lot. I get strong flush with much lower doses, I am not sure what would happen with 500mg lol. Some people can tolerate higher doses of niacin but not everybody and some can gradually build up to higher doses. There is non flush niacin available as well, though I remember comments that the flushing one was better. You will know for sure what it was when you'll take it again separately, and maybe trying a lower dose just to be cautious.

Interesting about taking zinc and niacin at the same time, it could be the reason why I flushed like this, I took these always with my meal and at the same time. I kinda like this feeling but when it is too much it is too much.

 

[LINE]

Glutamine could be a problem, the best thing to do is isolation testing as you know. Ruling things out is one of my biggest helps.

The microbiome is sometimes tricky, it is possible that the Enzymedica may be altering the microbiome. The liver/gallbladder plays a role in motility, I use a milk thistle w/ dandelion supplement for that. It is also quite possible that some digestive enzymes could be missing.

 

[Tsukareta]

Had no issues eating other foods after about 6 hours of no food, which suggests that it was the niacin not a food reaction, do you happen to know if glutamine commonly causes issues ( toxicity ? ) for people with CFS ? the protocol I am trying to follow suggest 5 grams per day which would be 10 of the pills I have, so far I only took 2 or 3 max in one day, I have also been consuming collagen powder for my stomach ( mixed with water ) but its hard to dissolve and tastes bad even if I use 1/4 of the size of the scoop ( I think these supps are aimed at bodybuilders ).