can allergies cause stomach problems?

Hi I was hoping someone could help me out with some issues Ive had pretty much my whole life.

I wake up in the morning and often have very bad stomach pains. I usually have to rush to the bathroom a few times. Its not only just the morning...it will also happen after some sort of physical activity and even during other times of the day.

I have gone to doctors and one seemed to think it was caused by allergies and post nasal drip. This makes sense because it gets worse at times of the year where allergies are bad. Ive tried taking allergy medicine and even got shots, but it hasnt really helped.

I was wondering if anyone has the same experience...or if you just know if its possible that this is allergies cauing my stomach problems. Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Shelley,

Thanks for your reply. I havent been tested for much else...just allergies. The doctors have always thought if they get the allergies corrected the stomach problems would be too. But that hasnt been the case. What is gluten intolerance? What are some of the symptoms? Thank you for your help

My 9yr old son suffers from the very same symptoms (just as you described) and has for a while. His stomach hurts all the time, especially when his allergies are acting up. He was tested for allergies and everything indoors bother him, in the summer he's not as bad because he's outside most of the time and is not bothered by outside allergies. He wakes up crying in the morning, heads to the bathroom several times during the day thinking that will help (has his teachers worried). He takes allergy pills and a nasal spray but we haven't tried the shots yet. I suffered from allergies and asthma my whole life, did the shots as a kid, but my stomach never hurt like that. We've seen 3 different doctors and they all say "it's allergies" but they don't give us a cure to make his poor stomach stop hurting. We've changed his diet thinking that might help but it's still the same. I'm at a loss.

We recently moved to Florida from Minnesota. My now 11 year old son (5th grade) has always been healthy. Since moving here he's broken out in hives, been diagnosed w/ asthma, and has tested positive for allergies to certain grass & mold that is highly prevalent in Florida, dogs and hamsters. He's been complaining of horrible pain in his stomach, along the belly button and on his left side. He also fluctuates between constipation & diarrhea. He's had multiple blood work done, undergone an endoscopy & a colonoscopy, had CT scans and some sort of scan that tests the function of his liver & gallbladder. They've found antibodies for Crohn's disease, but yet the colonoscopy came back negative. They tested his stool samples for bacteria, which came back negative, but during the colonoscopy came back positive. He was on a strong antibiotic for 2 weeks, but the pain never got any better. Suddenly the pain went away in November. Now, in the past month, the pain is back. He had horrible diarrhea for about a week, but since several family members also had it for a day or two, I wasn't too concerned until it continued, so I took him to a general doctor. He thought it may be bacterial and allergy related, so he's on another antibiotic right now. He also told me to put him back on his asthma/allergy meds. I've put him on his asthma inhaler daily, his allergy nasal inhaler daily, and switched from Claritin to Claritin D as of yesterday. (the Claritin D is what has been recommended). I'm hoping that the pain gets under control. I'm more and more convinced that the pain & other symptoms are allergy related. I just don't know what I can do to help it. If anyone else has anything that works, I'd love to hear it. I'm relieved in reading other's symptoms above, knowing that I'm not alone in this. I've felt so helpless.

I should also mention he's tested negative for gluten allergy, but we tried for 2 weeks to be gluten & dairy free just to be certain, but he got worse.  We did switch him to lactose free products, however. 

Post Edited (bkhast) : 4/22/2010 7:53:22 AM (GMT-6)

He was tested for every allergy after he broke out in hives. The skin test had come back negative, so they actually drew blood to check more thoroughly. His gastroenterologist also tested for allergies and celiac disease. The only sensitivity was dairy. He's been on Claritin D for about 3 days now, and he says his stomach is hurting a little less now. He's still on the antibiotic too. What do you mean by his body is in overdrive?

bkhuast,
I mean it sounds like he's having a cascade effect: one thing is setting off another and it is setting off the next...and so on.

I've had something like that happen to me before. It's hard to get it under control. Keep taking the medicine it will help over time.

Joy

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the replies. It has now been a couple of years since I posted and I'm doing a little bit better so let me update you on what I've gone through so maybe some of you and your loved ones can find some relief as well.

- I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy done and nothing turned up.

- I saw a gastroenterologist and they tried several different things ( medication for heartburn, irritable bowel, testing for gluten and other food allergies, etc.) and still no solution.

- Finally I saw a new general practice MD that I had heard good things about. He said that the problems could definitely be caused by allergies as well as stress. He put me on Lexapo and it has helped a great deal! It has made a HUGE difference.

- When my allergies get bad I still have some bad days. I am now seeing an allergist to get that part resolved.

But what I learned that might be able to help a lot of you is that stomach issues can be caused by a number of stresses, including allergies, foods, work and school, stress, etc. To the person whose child recently moved to a new location....this could very well be triggered by the stress of starting over at a new place. My symptoms started when I was in 5th grade and had just moved.

Slowly I am getting things back on track. I am learning what foods not to eat. The Lexapro is helping with my stress. It also helps keep me calm when an episode occurs. The allergist (who agrees the allergies can indeed trigger the stomach issues) is working with me to help in that area.

Thanks again everyone!! 

bkhast

I live in MN and my 11 year old started having stomach issues in 3rd grade. I have been to the Gastero dr several times. Had her tested for celiac, h pylohri, had her scoped and the diagnosis has gone from stomach acid being off to reflux to gerd. I am currently waiting for blood work for food allergies to come back. I feel like I am about to lose my mind! Did the claritin d help?? My last resort is to put her on an anti-depressant because she has anxiety from having this issue for the last 2 1/2 years. I do NOT want to go that route but am losing hope.

Please be careful with that problem my aunt developed a severe case of that and died from it.
Are you taking probiotics? It will help get you back in balance.

I did not see the recent message posted with the diagnosis before posting my response. I am glad you got a diagnosis and hope you feel better soon.

I recently learned the difference between an allergy and an intolerance and I thought I'd share...this is a pretty general resource but I found it helpful...hopefully someone on here will too - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/27/earlyshow/saturday/main602681.shtml

xXGamerXx

I have a 9 year old who has lots of stomach pain.  We avoid anything with red dye and it seems to help. 

I read something about that last night in a book called "No More Digestive Problems". The writer explained that when one is exposed to allergens, they can increase the activity and output of proton acid pumps of the stomach and that may be the cause of some pain in the stomach.

She recommended the use of the acid blockers such as Zantrac, Pepcid, Tagamet, Axid, or Prilosec.

Prilosec is now available in full strength over the counter and is a more potent acid-blocker that lasts for 24 hours. Prilosec is a proton pump inhibitor and is safe to use indefinitely, according to Dr. Cynthia Yoshida, the author of "No More Digestive Problems". If symptoms continue beyond the use of this medication, she recommends that you need to see a doctor.

 (My internist says that Prilosec has no effect on the hydrochloric acid of the stomach, so Prilosec isn't going to reduce hydrochloric acid there.)

It has helped me, and I hope it will help you, but always consult with your practitioner before making big changes in the way you manage your condition, because we aren't doctors and can tell you only that which has worked for us.

It's Genetic

Post Edited (It's Genetic) : 4/28/2012 2:54:51 PM (GMT-6)