Hi everyone!  I have been pretty stable lately!!!  I have been altering my recipes and trying to cook all my meals.  I am very salicylate sensitive so I can not eat a lot of fruits and veggies.  I do eat a lot of beef and chicken, potatoes, green beans and pears.  I do love cookies and desserts but have been making everything from scratch.  So my eating habits have not really changed but my weight has.  I take ketotifen, which says can cause weight gain.  I also take cromolyn...does this cause weight gain?  I just read that atarax causes weight gain as well.  Yikes I take atatrax too.
Just wondering if anyone has experienced this as well...I guess I need to cut out my desserts...its just so hard on such a limited diet to have to give up something else.
I told my husband that I don't like getting fat but at least I'M alive.
Thanks for any advice, thoughts, ideas or recipes for delicious desserts!!
Pam

Pam;
Do not "cold turkey" it ! Did you ask your Dr. ? I would suggest at the very least, try 1 a day and see how that goes- if you are feeling stable. As Ive said in the past; Ketotifen's effectiveness is often gauged by how you feel when you arent taking it, meaning your gut will tell you you "forgot" to take it. I know that sweet tooth is hard to ignore too!
good luck girl,
lori

Hi Pam,

  Sometimes I feel really deprived, too!  When I cheat, I feel worse, but sometimes I just can't help myself!  It's gotten easier, though, over the years, especially if I have something I really want to do the next day and don't want to feel bad.

  I've found that Gastrocrom reduces my appetite.  I don't know if it suppresses it or if I was mistaking mast cell irritation in my stomach for hunger.  Whatever the case, I lost my sweet tooth when I started it (well, except for chocolate) and don't get hungry as often during the day.  I could be the only one or it could be coincidence, but don't think so.

  Can you increase your exercise, even walking a little further each day?  That might help to compensate for the extra food intake.

I spoke with the pharmacy in Washington that compounds the Ketotifen.  He is a big fan of the Ketotifen!  He told me he has taken it a few years.  I told him about my weight gain and he confirmed and explained the scientific reason behind it....the mast cell gets blocked the other thing does this...the cortizone does that and the result is hunger...then you eat alot and gain weight (brain fog version)  He told me I need to eat a more plant based diet and I told him I can not due to a sensitivity to salicylates...I included the strawberry I ate over the weekend that immediately cause my throat to swell slightly.  He said wow that is a rough spot to be.  He told me I could safely stop it (no tapering) Now if I have a bad reaction I will be taking it!  Better be overweight and alive!
I will keep you all updated!
Pam

I would like to let everyone know that I have not been Betty Crocker in several days.  I have not baked anything delish ( I have two homemade cookies left from last week!!)
Make that one homemade cookie left! shhhhhhhh!
Pam

Lori, yes that's what I meant!!  He was talking fast and I have slept since then and have taken lots of histamines and cant remember!!!!
I feel like Im in a drugged stuppor most of the time!
Our cats got used to it pretty quickly!
I can't spell even if I am not foggy! hehehe
Pam

PJ;
I am finding that some dr.s just dont want to be bothered with us masto patient, some are frustrated by us, and some just dont know- but are willing to learn. THOSE are the ones I'm sticking with. It's not even a matter of wether we're "allergic to everything;
it's that we are so allergic to many things !!! Maybe someday they will figure it out, but for now they have to figure that out for themselves- unless they are masto specialists or at least willing to learn about it. So hang in there sweetie- for we are the new pioneers, and in a way we are teaching Them. Geez I hope they're quick learners !
Hang in there, it's gonna be a bumpy ride
lori

Grils:
I'm on ketotifen as well. Had to change from zrytec to allegra, as
slowed metobolism too much, but is working a lot better than gastrocrom & a lot cheaper. Mark, the pharmacist in washington state, is great & his product is 100% pure compared to zaditan, which has
cornstarch as a filler & according to what I've found are high in sulfites
which also can cause problems & did with me. Dr Theo also put gastrcrom at the bottom of his list of mast cell inhibitors. His product that Tex is trying at the top, but ketotifen close to it. Do have to watch what I eat to not gain weight. Shabrans, I thought it was just me but especially late in afternoon when my stomach is totally empty, symptoms get worst & feel better after I eat dinner of course my gastro symptoms are nothing like my skin sensitivity.
MikeV