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

[OhioWoman]

I am sensitive to mint. Even the next day after using tooth whitening gel with mint I feel an irritation in my windpipe and throat and lungs.
I brush with plain baking soda, which works great.
I tried Wen shampoo but it stung my scalp so much hours after the shampoo, that I had to wash my hair again to get it off my scalp. It has menthol in it.
I can't tolerate mint lip balm so I use locally made lip balm made with organic coconut oil, organic unrefined beeswax & organic castor oil that I purchase from Whole Foods.

[SleepyWicked]

I am personally allergic specifically to menthol and mine are severe allergic reactions. I can't breath at all. My throat just swells and I start choking and gasping for breath. The reactions is pretty fast and I get allergic reaction from mint presence even in the air around me. If I touch it, there is an angry burn there where I touched and then I would become unable to breath at all. If I ingest then my throat and stomach burns and then I can't breath. If I breath it in, I can't breath. Sometimes I would get an allergic reaction and I wouldn't even be smelling mint. And then after being led out into open air and given benadryl someone would find out that there was mint somewhere in that room or in some product or even just leftovers from when they had mint on them (like they had mint gum in their purse and then it ended but enough mint scent was left over and then they open their purse and I am done). I couldn't ride subway or walk outside and my mom and sister love mint too much to say no to it completely so I would have to wait for them to clean out bathroom before I could use it every single time.  (you'd think they would find that too much work but they love mint too much) I had to get small doses of antihistamine nasal spray everyday 2x now because mint is unavoidable for me (my reaction is too severe and there is too much of it everywhere). Anyway it's pretty rough and it's true that many people look at me like I am crazy when I tell them I am allergic to mint. Sometimes they only believe after they personally had to epi-pen me after I had a close call.  It ***** how so many products have mint in them (especially food) and companies aren't obligated to put it in list of ingredients and can just write them as flavoring. As for toothpaste: I used to use baking soda but then I contacted multiple toothpaste companies and just made sure to ask them for full list of toothpastes that contained no mint(menthol) and was surprised by how many companies replied that they had none. In fact most cinnamon and even kids strawberry and banana and even grape ones contain mint anyway even if they don't taste or smell like they do (and I don't have to taste or smell it to get an allergic reaction. Any contact of it with my body and I am a gasping heap on the floor). Tom's of Maine though had a nice list of 7 (!!!) different flavors of toothpaste that contained absolutely no mint and 3 of those were adult toothpastes. I liked fennel one and also cinnamon clove and also kid's orange mango. BTW their kid's and adult toothpaste doesn't have much difference in ingredients at all. In fact I think just the packaging is a bit different and kid's have more fruity flavors. Anyway I couldn't find any mouthwash that contained no mint. No one makes one. And since I get reaction even from a tiny amount I really can't come into contact with menthol no matter how little. Then there is mint gum chewing epidemic (and I live in NEW YORK CITY) millions of people everywhere who chew gum. It's like one giant death-trap. Then there is obsessions with things like too much axe all over and other products that contain mint, fragrances, soaps and overall if you notice just how much mint is out there... people are obsessed with it and they don't know it. And I don't have an opportunity to move at all. I had to break-up with multiple boyfriends before because they couldn't understand that "allergic to mint" IS a thing and it IS dangerous. I also had to go to hospital and just overall loose consciousness (too little air) way too often. It's a very rough allergy to have and I think so many people are just insensitive to it. I can't eat outside anywhere and I cook for myself with carefully picked ingridients. I can barely handle public transportation. I had to run out of building without explanation multiple times when there was mint around. I remember back in high school I would just stand up and run out of the classroom in the middle of the lesson if someone opened their bag and there was mint in it or someone sprayed minty something on themselves or was chewing gum or having mint cookies or candies or anything mint. I even got a detention a few times and had to explain extensively to all my teachers why it's unfair and why I ran out (I was even asked to bring a doctor's note to prove it was a condition that did exist because most teachers thought I was being dramatic and just disliked the smell). There was 2 important exams I had to run out on. And once I ran out during an SAT and had to pay to take it again next time it was around. Not like they can stop exam and some nice person was sharing his new pack of gum with everyone who wanted which might as well have been the whole room. Problem with mint allergies is that they usually get worse the more you have them. Like at first it's only 1 type of mint, then another then all of them, then you start reacting to smaller and smaller amounts, then other plants related to mint family and before you know it: the world is one giant deathtrap.

[embissily]

I have been using kids tooth paste for years because of my mint allergy. I have finally found an adult toothpaste  that does not contain mint. its called Peelu natural toothpaste. It doesn't taste good..but it easy to get used to. But it makes your mouth feel clean!!
Here is the Amazon link. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00016R41G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I hope that helps….Best wishes on the most annoying allergy in the world.

[embissily]

For years my bottom lip would swell up to the size of Angelina Jolie's lips and then my bottom lip would split like I had gotten punched in the mouth. My top lip would get numb and to me have a plastic feeling. I would also sometimes get hives starting usually on the back of hand or on my leg and spread. All of this was very uncomfortable.

After getting sent from a regular doctor to a dermatologist who cauterized my lip sever times with silver nitrate, my family and I ended up at a allergist. I was stumping my allergist with the whole lip thing all the allergy test came back negative. He decided to try the products I was using at the time. The indicator was some mint soap I had. Then after getting tested for all the ingredients in that soap…Mint came out the winner. And I wasn't just allergic to mint. Its mint, spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen, and menthol. I also have to be careful around lavender, basil, rosemary, and catnip (I have a cat). because they are also in the same family of plant that mint belongs to.

I have tried to be Mint Free for 6 years now. Accidents occur, especially around the holidays. And it is a big headache to find tooth paste, soap, lotion, gum, shaving cream, and even medicine without some form of mint or mint related byproduct. I carry around an Epi Pen as well as Allegra and Benadryl with me everywhere. I can get a skin allergic reaction by shaking someone's hand who had just put on mint lotion.

So I guess what I am trying to say, is if you have a sensitively, go get allergy tested.

[Over_50_years_suffering]

What a relief to know I am not the only sufferer especially with an unsympathetic family!  I have suffered for 50+ years, and they still don't get it!  I use baking soda with which to brush.  However, because of root sensitivity, my dentist (who orders in non-mint products specially because of me), wants me to start using a de-sensitizing toothpaste.  Except I have not yet found one which is non-mint.  Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Karrielee]

My 14 year old daugher has a severe reaction to any form of mint. She can just smell it and it over.  I just don't now what to do.   When she smells mint she will loses feeling in her limbs, gets very dizzy, sometimes she will go blind.  Her tongue will go numb, her face wll drawal to one side.  She will get a migraine and throw up uncontrollable.  She is still going to public school, but it is becoming more and more challenging to keep her there.  Her team of teachers and principal have been amazing.  The students on the other hand, just don't get it! They think she is faking.  Some students try to blow mint in her face just see what will happen.  I honestly just don't know what more to do.  My husband and I are considering home schooling her.  She is a very active teen, softball, dance choir, volleyball, fellowship of christian athletes.   We need help.  Every reaction seems to have longer and more signifcate reactions. Is there anything out there that you have found that helps the onset of a reaction?  I so afraid the next reaction, might be her last.  Any thoughts