Cannabis allergy or normal irritation?

[EverythingsHazy]

I think it's more the plant particulates in herb vapor. The flowers I use never see pollen.

If you use a tissue to inhale through it's evident. Try it sometime. Place the tissue between you and the vape and inhale through it.

Exhaling through a tissue can be revealing as well. The difference between an inhale and exhale is apparently in your lungs. A simple unscientific example but still.

That's why I use a little bit of degummed hemp fiber between my Volcano mouthpieces and the bags. They don't catch everything obvously, as they are a mesh, but they must catch a decent amount because I can vape a few resin hits from them. after several bags.

When it comes to Oral Pollen Allergy, though, it isn't actual pollen in the food which causes a reaction. It's just similar proteins in the food and pollen. Depending on which pollen sets off a reaction for you, different foods may also be triggers. Therefore, Cannabis never needs to actually be in contact with pollen to have similar proteins. That's last part is just an idea of mine.

 

[EverythingsHazy]

It's interesting to see that 8/18 voters in this poll have some form of allergic/irritating response to Cannabis. Of course, that number is likely skewed, given the type of people who would click on this thread in the first place, but it's still interesting.

 

[Okla68]

Been using Cannabis (pretty much daily) since March 1970. Have had a Topical allergic reaction from the beginning. If I bust up a Bud and rub my fingers on my bare stomach/chest, I break out with stinging/burning Hives wherever Ive touched. Nothing severe, but, definitely a reaction. Its Not just Street Cannabis, but, also Cannabis Ive grown myself in my Indoor tent. And by the amount of phlegm produced from Vaping or Combustion I would say there is Irritation from Both.
Seems as tho the older I get, the more severe the reaction, especially when it comes to sensitive skin areas....i.e. I Make Sure I wash my hands after breaking down a bud Before I handle my Junk to use the toilet !!! OUCH, a stinging burning penis isnt very pleasant, nor is stinging burning eyes !!!

 

[Sparkpug]

I've been handling raw material and have started using the e-pick from the E-Nano to grate my bud, and I notice no irritation. I've brushed against live plants and no reaction anywhere either.

Vaporizing has killed my asthma/small lung issues. I used to carry a Ventolin inhaler like a safety blanket and as of 7 years ago I've stopped using all asthma meds. I had a crooked septum that required surgery 21 years ago and have always had excess phlegm stuck in my narrow facial bone structure.

 

[howie105]

It would have been interesting to see peoples response to a choice like: Only contact with raw cannabis causes irritation, but combusting is fine, just to see if there is a difference.

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[CurryLeafTreehugger]

Any substance can be an allergen or an irritant. Cannabis is no different in this regard.

I have an allergy to raw mango. I LOVE RAW MANGO. As long as I cut it up very carefully and use a fork to eat the bits, I can eat one and only one raw mango, if I am VERY CAREFUL not to allow it to drip on or touch my lips. If that happens, my lips break out in raw sores. If I eat more than one raw mango - I WILL get sores in my mouth.

However I can have all the cooked or canned mango that I want.

I'm highly allergic to coconut. No amount of cooking it will change that. I am so allergic to coconut that I broke out in hives all over my face after wiping my face with a paper towel that had a coconut-derived substance in it intended to increase absorption. Since paper products do not have to list their ingredients, I am at constant risk from paper products - INCLUDING TOILET PAPER. Coconut derived substances are in EVERYTHING, including all shampoos and all but one conditioner that I can find and afford (and that one has peppermint in it, which sets my scalp on fire). All coconut free shampoos that I have found are essentially just rinses made from the same herbal ingredients I already use to make my hair cleansers plus they cost 100x as much as just making it myself.

Anyway, point being -

1. Anything can be an allergen
2. Sometimes something you are allergic to when it is raw is fine if it has been cooked/processed
3. Sometimes something you are allergic to when it is raw is still an allergen regardless of how thoroughly it has been cooked/processed

 

[EverythingsHazy]

Any substance can be an allergen or an irritant. Cannabis is no different in this regard.

I have an allergy to raw mango. I LOVE RAW MANGO. As long as I cut it up very carefully and use a fork to eat the bits, I can eat one and only one raw mango, if I am VERY CAREFUL not to allow it to drip on or touch my lips. If that happens, my lips break out in raw sores. If I eat more than one raw mango - I WILL get sores in my mouth.

However I can have all the cooked or canned mango that I want.

I'm highly allergic to coconut. No amount of cooking it will change that. I am so allergic to coconut that I broke out in hives all over my face after wiping my face with a paper towel that had a coconut-derived substance in it intended to increase absorption. Since paper products do not have to list their ingredients, I am at constant risk from paper products - INCLUDING TOILET PAPER. Coconut derived substances are in EVERYTHING, including all shampoos and all but one conditioner that I can find and afford (and that one has peppermint in it, which sets my scalp on fire). All coconut free shampoos that I have found are essentially just rinses made from the same herbal ingredients I already use to make my hair cleansers plus they cost 100x as much as just making it myself.

Anyway, point being -

1. Anything can be an allergen
2. Sometimes something you are allergic to when it is raw is fine if it has been cooked/processed
3. Sometimes something you are allergic to when it is raw is still an allergen regardless of how thoroughly it has been cooked/processed

Are you allergic to pollen? If so, have you heard of Oral Allergy Syndrome?

With OAS, cooking fruits can eliminate the issue, but with a regular food allergy, cooking does absolutely nothing. That's why some people can apple/peach/cherry pie, but get mouth itching from eating those fruits raw. People who are allergic to peanuts or fish cannot eat those foods, regardless of how they are prepared.

That coconut allergy sounds like a real pain in the ass. I think all of the more common allergens should have to be listed on any product. Does your allergy affect contact with others (handshakes, hugs, kisses, etc.)? Can you ever eat in restaurants or other people's homes?

I have a few allergies, and I would be stressed if I was around people who washed themselves with the allergens. Eating in restaurants is a pain in the ass, for me.

 

[chris 71]

Dont confuse the stickiness off the oil in your eyes with an allergic reaction . I have touched my eyes while triming and it was a bit bothersome but I attribute that to sticky oil in my eye . Luckily I have never had allergies to anything cannabis included thank goodness

 

[CurryLeafTreehugger]

@EverythingsHazy

Nope, no pollen allergies. I'm allergic to coconut and all things derived therefrom, wasps, poison oak/ivy/sumac, and raw mango.

The mango is a relative of poison ivy. So is the cashew tree, you never ever see cashews in the shell because they contain urushiol. Pistachios, also a poison ivy relative. Fortunately urushiol breaks down in the heat of cooking.

The coconut allergy has been developing over the past 20 years. I only (fairly) recently figured out what it is that I'm allergic to, like in the last couple of years. And the allergy continues to worsen. Some things that I could tolerate at first have become problems, such as those paper towels. I'd been using them for months without incident and then, suddenly not ok any more. So while I haven't reacted to it on other people so far, there is no guarantee that will continue to be the case. Hand lotion, for instance - 100% guaranteed to contain multiple coconut derived ingredients.

On the other hand, I've not been out of the house at all since July so its not like there's a lot of opportunity here lately for contact dermatitis due to actual contact with other people, LOL!

 

[lovit]

This is a really interesting thread because I am going through a battle with this myself. I use Cannabis medically ( I like it recreationally too) and I'm pretty sure I have become allergic. I keep having allergic issues with many prescription drugs.

So Cannabis was working so well for me, I have IBD and I can't handle the other prescription drugs for that and I have chronic grueling horrible migraines that just suck the life out of me. I just don't get migraines when on Cannabis It also drops my BP so I don't need BP meds. . So it's replacing a whole bunch of drugs for me most of which I cannot tolerate anyway.

Now when I vape I am getting some mild itching, stiff shoulders and sometimes a kind of buzzing in my chest, sometimes a weird asthma attack.
I stop for a while I get sick again and think I'll do anything to stop this so I go back to Cannabis and have the allergy issues again.

I know the general advice is to stop, but for me that means big problems. How dangerous is it to continue ? I can handle the symptons.

I've been to see my doctor and he has given me a bunch of allergy blood tests ... havn't got the results back yet. He suggested maybe its stress but I don't think so.

Thing is I was smoking recreational sourced pot before I got it medically and legally and I didn't have these issues then. I think sometimes I would touch the bud and then touch my head it would get itchy so I would try and wash my hands after touching it, but now with the medical stuff the allergies are worse. It SUX !

Oh and I get the same reaction from oils.

 

[MoeOnTheMoon]

I have SUPER allergic skin. I can't wear certain fabrics, I can't touch most shampoos and soaps without getting hands that itch for up to a week or more, I get red blotches on my back for no apparent reason!...
And yet I have never felt an allergic reaction to trimming buds or otherwise handling marijuana, nor to vaping or smoking or eating it.
(However I quit eating it due to getting so high I cannot function! LOL.)

 

[EverythingsHazy]

This is a really interesting thread because I am going through a battle with this myself. I use Cannabis medically ( I like it recreationally too) and I'm pretty sure I have become allergic. I keep having allergic issues with many prescription drugs.

So Cannabis was working so well for me, I have IBD and I can't handle the other prescription drugs for that and I have chronic grueling horrible migraines that just suck the life out of me. I just don't get migraines when on Cannabis It also drops my BP so I don't need BP meds. . So it's replacing a whole bunch of drugs for me most of which I cannot tolerate anyway.

Now when I vape I am getting some mild itching, stiff shoulders and sometimes a kind of buzzing in my chest, sometimes a weird asthma attack.
I stop for a while I get sick again and think I'll do anything to stop this so I go back to Cannabis and have the allergy issues again.

I know the general advice is to stop, but for me that means big problems. How dangerous is it to continue ? I can handle the symptons.

I've been to see my doctor and he has given me a bunch of allergy blood tests ... havn't got the results back yet. He suggested maybe its stress but I don't think so.

Thing is I was smoking recreational sourced pot before I got it medically and legally and I didn't have these issues then. I think sometimes I would touch the bud and then touch my head it would get itchy so I would try and wash my hands after touching it, but now with the medical stuff the allergies are worse. It SUX !

Oh and I get the same reaction from oils.

Didi you ever get any results on this with your blood tests?

 

[EverythingsHazy]

Hey, bringing this back to see if anyone new has any experience with this, and/or if anyone old has any new experiences.

*Note* I am NOT suggesting or recommending that anyone experiment with any of the following actions to answer the question. I am just curious, if you have any prior experience.

If you guys rub a Cannabis bud on the underside of your forearm, do you get any sort of reaction?
If so, do you also get a reaction if you eat Cannabis?
What about smoking/vaping it?

 

[Okla68]

Hey, bringing this back to see if anyone new has any experience with this, and/or if anyone old has any new experiences.

*Note* I am NOT suggesting or recommending that anyone experiment with any of the following actions to answer the question. I am just curious, if you have any prior experience.

If you guys rub a Cannabis bud on the underside of your forearm, do you get any sort of reaction?
If so, do you also get a reaction if you eat Cannabis?
What about smoking/vaping it?

Havent noticed it recently, but, years back in the days of Mexican Brick I would get a allergic type reaction after sitting in the livingroom breaking down a brick with my shirt off, I would get itchy, stingy whelps on my stomach and chest after touching/ rubbing it with contaminated fingers. I could take a bud and rub it on my bare stomach and within 15 minutes it would whelp up, sting and burn. Only lasted for a short duration, approximately 10/15 minutes. Sorta figured it was some Mexican Allergy Invasion, lol !
As stated, haven't noticed it the past few years, whether from Medical weed or what I grow myself.

 

[Okla68]

Havent noticed it recently, but, years back in the days of Mexican Brick I would get a allergic type reaction after sitting in the livingroom breaking down a brick with my shirt off, I would get itchy, stingy whelps on my stomach and chest after touching/ rubbing it with contaminated fingers. I could take a bud and rub it on my bare stomach and within 15 minutes it would whelp up, sting and burn. Only lasted for a short duration, approximately 10/15 minutes. Sorta figured it was some Mexican Allergy Invasion, lol !
As stated, haven't noticed it the past few years, whether from Medical weed or what I grow myself.

Realized why i haven't been bothered by it as much...been wearing rubber gloves these past cpl years when harvesting or preparing.

 

[EverythingsHazy]

Havent noticed it recently, but, years back in the days of Mexican Brick I would get a allergic type reaction after sitting in the livingroom breaking down a brick with my shirt off, I would get itchy, stingy whelps on my stomach and chest after touching/ rubbing it with contaminated fingers. I could take a bud and rub it on my bare stomach and within 15 minutes it would whelp up, sting and burn. Only lasted for a short duration, approximately 10/15 minutes. Sorta figured it was some Mexican Allergy Invasion, lol !
As stated, haven't noticed it the past few years, whether from Medical weed or what I grow myself.

Any reaction on your fingers/palms? For some reason, that area seems to be a bit more resistant, which is odd.
Also, any reaction from smoking/vaping/eating it?

 

[Okla68]

Any reaction on your fingers/palms? For some reason, that area seems to be a bit more resistant, which is odd.
Also, any reaction from smoking/vaping/eating it?

None on my hands, ever, nor from vaping or smoking.

 

[GoldenBud]

Like some people got itching from the fragrances in "Deodorant" products, some people will have itching from Cannabis' terpenes. very individual.

 

[EverythingsHazy]

Bump...

Anyone else experience hives from rubbing cannabis buds on their skin (mainly the arms or legs, not the hands for some reason), but not experience any symptoms from vaping/smoking/eating cannabis?