Coping with Mint allergy/sensitivity

[tmh359]

Am I the only one who reacts badly to anything mint?  Cause I'm sure feeling lonely...

It wouldn't be so bad, except... Mint is EVERYWHERE!   I have to order expensive toothpaste because the normal stuff stings like crazy and makes me nauseous.  Cherry tastes like medicine.  And I can only tollerate cinnamon in very small doses (like what's mixed in the sugar for cinnamon toast small).  I have yet to discover a brand of mouthwash that does not contain mint in some form or other - or else the cinnamon kind makes first burns then makes my mouth go numb.  Ditto for breath mint alternatives.  (I can't even handle a Tic-Tac in my mouth for more than a few seconds, much less chew on it or swallow it.)

Face clensers with menthol stung, and also left my face feeling greasy.  But not in the haven't washed my face often enough way.

I don't know how much money I've wasted on cough drops/throat lozenges, chapstick, lotions, etc, only to discover after application that, you got, there is mint of some sort in it.  

And sadly, avoidance seems to have only made reactions worse.  Just the smell of other people's mints (breath mints, candy mints, peppermint sticks) makes me feel ill.  And the first time I consumed any in eight years, it was an accident, had half of a mint Brussells cookie, and a stomach ache for a good twenty minutes.

Anyone else here that *look* when you tell others you and mint don't get along?  Care to share your symptoms?  Your coping/mint alternatives?  

Tiffany

[itsbethg]

I have a mint allergy and also go into anaphylactic shock. Colgate puts out Watermelon tooth paste and it is the only they make without a mint product in it...I call Colgate find out if they have changed the product ingredient and then go buy 7 containers of the toothpaste...I have also had cross contamination foods getting hard ice cream cone at a restraint they use the same scoop and unless it's from an brand new container I can't get it...it ***** I'm so very nerves around Christmas because there is a lot of MINT out there.

[TranquilCs]

Im the same way. I use Dr. Bonners cinnamon toothpaste Frys has it...zero mint flavor or Toms natural toothpaste has a cinnamon that tastes like frosting...its hard to find though.

[MoxiRox]

I use Tom’s cinnamon too, but it’s only in one local grocery store where I live (and a little pricier since it’s a “natural” food store).

[Maineiiac]

HALLELUJAH I'M NOT ALONE! I'M NOT CRAZY! I first noticed it after I ate an entire box of candy canes when I was 12. (I know, that was dumb!) I've never had a reaction to toothpaste, but I have to mouthwash.When I was a smoker, I never had a reaction to menthol cigarettes. I avoid everything else minty. Even my boyfriend will not eat anything with mint when I'm around. I even get a small tightening of my throat just walking past a display of mints at the store. Christmas candy and treats are a nightmare for me! I have to ask every time if something contains mint flavoring.

[Brookesmommy89]

I have a 4 year old daughter that i havent had checked yet but will be very soon everytime she eats anything mint or even very little mint as possible she wakes up the next morning with really bad stomach aches and puking and diarrea? Im so lost on what to do do i keep her away from all mint.. will it get worse??

[LisaBor]

I've read this whole thread but haven't found anyone with what I seem to be experiencing.  At one point, I chewed gum on regular basis and developed a dryness on the inside of one cheek to the point that my dentist even commented on it after visiting her.  She referred me to my GP who thought it was a mechanical issue as I had a tooth pulled from the other side and was chewing on the "dry side" all the time.  I decided to stop chewing gum, and it went away.  Well recently, I started to eat mints, (Tic Tacs and Mentos peppermint) and the inside of my mouth is now raw and swollen, as well as really sensitive while eating.  Last night the toothpaste really burned.  This led me to this site to try to find an answer.  And like you, I am relieved that I am not crazy.  I've never had a problem before that.  I am 53 years old and not allergic to anything.  Anyone ever experience this?

[SleepyWicked]

I am so sorry to hear that. I also developed my allergy gradually. I used to actually love mint as a kid until around age of 5 but the older I got the worse it became. Every reaction just got worse and worse. Now at 22 I got to the point where I recently had a big scare and stopped breathing altogether. I got on a subway and the cart was full of people chewing mint gum. It took 5 minutes to get to the next stop but by then I lost consciousness and wasn't breathing. Sadly people really do not take the allergy seriously. Not just kids but many adults. I slowly became a recluse because of my allergy. I try not to go out too much and also work from home. It's a serious condition but sadly not at all taken seriously :( My advice would be the following: make sure that there isn't any mint products at home. These often include cosmetics, toothpaste, food with vague ingredient: Flavoring, seasonings, heating pads, all kinds of medical cough remedies and warming remedies. Painkillers often have mint as well. Then try to limit who your daughter comes in contact with. Teach her early on that each person who doesn't respect the fact that she has a serious medical condition is in fact an enemy. They can kill her with ignorance. It's not a joke. I wish I was homeschooled but my parent's didn't take my allergy too seriously until it got so bad that I developed allergic asthma and I started fainting often. That only happened once I was in first year of high school and by then I already got used to dealing with people and them disrespecting my allergies so I had all kinds of avoidance techniques. But it would have saved me many years of grieve before that and my allergies might not have gotten as bad if I wasn't in constant contact with my allergen. To this day I wish I had never attended public school and met many people who just wanted to see what would happen. I had a few times when I almost didn't graduate due to low attendance from 7-8th grade because there were kids who thought it was funny to hide minty things in my school lunch and drop some in my bookbag and breath minty breath into my face. After those days I would be sluggish, sick and have my whole body ache so badly I couldn't lift my head off my bed and would sleep for 16-18 hours day for 2-3 days. Being sluggish even when awake. I think that's when my parents faced that I really do have an allergy but they didn't take it seriously like "She can actually die from this" until high school. Anyway. There is plenty of activities to do outside of school for an active child even if she is homeschooled. You can find multitude of clubs and such things for her to participate in. So don't worry about her not being near people her age if she is homeschooled. And the big plus you can always take her out of any club or group if you find them to be disrespectful and harmful. No commitment required unlike school clubs.

[SleepyWicked]

5 minute whitening gel from plus white has no menthol at all.