Sunday, September 09, 2007
Just wondering if anyone out there is allergic to eating catfish?
I have never been before and all of a sudden am, I think. Has anyone else experienced this and what are your symptoms.
Thanks
Deb
catfish reaction
3/ 5/08 1:45pm
Finally!!! I thought I was the only one that this happened to.I use to eat it all the time also. But now ,if I eat catfish or anything else that has been cooked in it's oil I start throwing up and going to the bathroom. It started about 10 years ago when we were camping ,and I ate some fish that we caught in the river.I thought it had something to do with that.But now we have a pond that we raise catfish in that we feed catfish food. So one day I finaly got the nerve up to try eating it.It was wonderful.But about one hour later it started again.Thank's for letting me know I wasn't the only one. Peggy
3/ 5/08 10:06pm
Hi Peggy,
Yep, I finally figured it out also. I thought I was crazy. Couldn't figure out for the longest what in the world was causing it. My favorite catfish place. I want to try it again so bad. This place opens back up late spring and I have to make myself stop.
I ask them one day if they had changed their oil or something, and they thought I was apparently going to do something so they said no. I just wanted some answers..I told them I loved their food but just wanted to find out why all of a sudden everything changed, but they wouldn't even help me understand. I tried eating it somewhere else and it did the same. So this thick head of mine finally understood. Just glad I am not the only one to figure it out.
Debby
4/24/08 12:03am
I am a 61 y.o. woman and I have a catfish Allergy. I am fortunate my allergy is gastro-intestinal only. By the time the catfish is in my stomach the storm begins. Stomach cramps that get much worse as time passes (you can trace the path of the fish by where the cramps are). By the time the diarrhea begins so does the nausea & vomittimg with profuse sweating and lightheadedness, I once came close to fainting out. All of this happens in about a 90 minute - 2 hr span.
I have not eaten catfish since the last episode and I have not had those symptons from any other fish.
5/31/09 10:36pm
Catfish allergy fits my symptoms. I cannot believe it. I have never had allergies of any other kind. And have been eating catfish for many years. I recently ate catfish on two occasions and had the symptoms like you have described. Then last night I went to the same restaurant and ordered chicken, thinking that it wouldn't make me sick, I guess the chicken was prepared in the same grease, and 30 minutes later the storm hit. It all makes sense now after reading the post on catfish allergies. I wonder what makes it happen?
8/14/08 3:34pm
i experienced a violent reaction this last weekend. at a catfish farm i was wading inthe water and washed my hands then agressively rubbed my eyes as they had dust inthem. I immediately felt an asthmatic attack come on but inaddition simultaneously felt my eye lids start to swell up my throat start to tighten and my face get red and swollen....also my friend noticed my torso was starting to get hives which looked like bites but they appeared as we were watching them ( they werenot itchy)I took a couple of hits off my rescue inhaler and took 4 beneadryl. within 30 my symptoms had subsided and i was back to normal except my eyelids took about 24 hours to not look so puffy. I have never had any allergies and never any reactionlike this. I don't recall ever eating catfish though. so even though i didn't ingest them I think i had a reaction to the water they were in. although i must add that i have swam inthese ponds before and i had spent the better part of an hour in the water.
5/30/09 9:50pm
Thank you all so much. It was helpful to figure out what was going on with me. I work in the restaurant business for years and I never had any allergy or trubble with food. Now, just last week I got sick after eating my lunch. I could not figure out why - same symptoms like all of you. Today, I was doing again tasting of our menu to make sure we serve good food and I had a little piece of catfish. It happened again. I decided to research and now I know I am not going to try it again.
6/15/09 7:28pm
Hi, Debbie. I have the same problem as you. I'am going to be 79 next month. ate cat fish all my life. recently. I ate catfish on a Sunday at a local cafe. thought maybe it had been on the buffet to long, as an hour or two late. I threw up until nothing was left.
A month later, went out to supper with a friend, had catfish. did the same thing. so I knew it was a reaction.
I'am going to check with my family Dr. want a test run for zinc. copper and mercury in my blood work. the check out the Rx I'am on. there has to be an answer. for this to happen all of a sudden. I'am in Texas so doubt if they get their catfish from the same place. the other lady should have the water tested, to see why she had such a reaction.
just an input. thanks for having this report.
Blessings
Barbara
6/15/09 9:05pm
Hi, please let me know when you get your results. I would be interested in them.
Thanks for responding to my comment. I haven't ate any catfish since the post long ago and haven't had any problems. I haven't ask my doctor why but should. I just don't go much to even think of asking. I have wondered if it was any medication that I am taking that would maybe have something to do with it. I should ask I guess.
But, please let me know if you don't care. I never threw up, just swelled up like you can't imagine. I would really love to eat catfish since I love it so. But, I really don't want to take the chance of my throat swelling shut either.
Good luck.
Debby
9/ 9/09 2:16am
Hi,
I became suddenly allergic to catfish, fresh pineapple (canned is ok) and all things grassy at the age of 28, after eating and being around them my entire life.
The cafish allergy makes me sick to my stomach and I'll throw up pretty much twice for every ounce of it I eat. (*ugh*)
Hay fever is hay fever- Claritin takes care of that.
For the pineapple however, I had to get an EpiPen. Every time my lips touch a trace of pineapple juice, my throat swells up, my ears itch and my breathing is hiundered severely. It feels like I have razor blades in my throat.
My doctor explained that for some unknown reason, my body had decided it had enough of these substances and that each new exposure will cause more sever results.
Needless to say I take my Claritin and stay miles away from any fresh pineapple or catfish. It's just not worth the risk!
9/28/10 6:57pm
I have a relatively mild reaction to catfish compared to most of you. No vomiting or swelling, I just feel woozy and have to lie down for awhile. But I bought some "SWAI" fillets at the store, and discovered on wikipedia that "Swai" is imported catfish! They won't let it be called catfish in order to protect the domestic catfish farming industry. Well, how about protecting the allergy-prone with honest labeling?
By Debby— Last Modified: 10/26/11, First Published: 09/09/07
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Fish allergies are one of the most common allergies in adults. As a start be sure to check out the Food Allergies background information. Dr. Paula J. Busse also has an article on Food Allergies in Adults and discusses the kinds of fish that are more likely to cause reactions. Most people tend to associate fish allergies with shellfish, but finned fish, which would include catfish, are another common source of allergic reaction. As Dr. Busse notes in her article, some symptoms of food allergy develop within 15 to 30 minutes of eating. So if your symptoms developed more than 1-2 hours after eating the food you may have an intolerance to it but not an allergy. According to Dr. Busse, the usual symptoms of a food allergy include hives, itching, nausea, vomiting, feeling lightheaded, abdominal pain, swelling of the lips/tongue and in some cases difficulty breathing.
Dr. Busse notes that If you experience any swelling of the lips and/or tongue and notice that you can not breathe or your voice changes, you should immediately go to the emergency room as this reaction may be life threatening.
In addition to reading Dr. Busse's posts, you might want to check out some of the past community discussions regarding shellfish allergies. A number of comments mention fish allergies.
Patricia Theiler
Community manager
Hi Susan,
Thanks for responding. I truly can't believe that I started being allergic to catfish. I am 49 years old and have eaten all my life then 2 years ago "bam". Just thought for the longest that it had to be something else..We didn't get fish that often, or it was some other kind. But, after several times, eating it at different places with the same result, I figured it had to be it. I just wonder and haven't found why something would just start like that. And, I bet you were right, it was probably the oil they cooked it in. Did you swell up just as bad? I looked like I had had botox injections or something in my lips, and my throat just killed me.
I suddenly devoloped a sever allergy to catfish in my 50's along with bee stings.
Just one tiny piece of catfish and 2 hrs later I become voilently sick to my stomach as if I had been poisoned. Will throw up until there is nothing left but bile.
This is the 3rd (and last ) time it has happened so I am sure of what caused the illness.
I have "suspected" that I was allergic to catfish for about 20 years. I have experienced about 6 bouts of violent vomiting over the past 20 years that happens within an hour of ingesting catfish. I will vomit for several hours until only bile is coming up. It's horrible-like I have ingested poison! Once I ate crab cakes at a restaurant & didn't realize they also had catfish in them until we called the restaurant.
Lastnite we ate at a Thai restaurant & my husband had a dish that had Basa fish in it. I took one small bite of the fish & within the hour I was vomiting & had diahrea. My husband googled Basa & it is a type of CATFISH!!!!! I haven't ever heard of anyone else experiencing a reactioh to Catfish until reading your comment. My advice is to never eat fish in restaurants-especially Asian-unless you ask what kind of fish it is!
I have definitely learned that it isn't worth the misery!
Finally! It's bittersweet knowing I'm not alone in this. I've eaten catfish 3 times in my life. I am 30 now. Each time I became violently ill to my stomach. Vomited for hours and ended up with dry heaves. I am also an avid fisherman (woman) and if I even touch the fish to de-hook and release, the nausea and vomiting starts in about 30 min to an hour. I just learned after it all, to STAY AWAY from catfish and when I go to a seafood restaurant I always make them aware of my allergy. I usually eat sushi or grilled fish. Never fried, due to not wanting to risk a cross (contamination). Note: I wouldn't tell any one untrustworthy of your allergy to catfish!