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

[Maxie217]

Hi, Tiffany, No, you are not alone.  I could be your twin.  I can't do lozenges, cherry medicines, cinammon, peppermint/wintergreen chewing gum, peppermint candy, or tic-tacs. I am having trouble finding the right kind of toothpaste, and I can't stand mouthwashes.   The only minty things I can tolerate and enjoy are spearmint gum, Clorets gum (discontinued unfortunately for me), mint ice cream, Andes candies, and Xmas peppermint Kisses (which taste more like spearmint to me). I like the smell of Mentholatum, but not Vicks. I do like the taste of mint leaves in food. And I love the taste of the polishing paste my dental hygenist uses after a cleaning.  You are right, mint is everywhere, and depending on the type, it can be a source of fresh delight or a trigger mechanism for the gag reflex.

[Sarahnewmons]

Hi guys Ive had this issue as long as I can remember Ive passed out in pharmacies waiting behind people who had vapor rub on. Any mention of menthol is to much to handle . I have ehlers danlos type 3 which is a muscle syndrome and it causes my muscles to not retract or loosen as they should and I regularly dislocate my joints knees elbows wrist anywhere I bend. All medication for this issue contain menthol or mint. If anyone has any ideas please email me ***@**** or Sarah newmons on facebook anything could be worth a try. Good luck with your endeavors!

[Openearja]

I have the same problem. I cannot even stand to be in the toothpaste aisle or chewing gum stands for more than a few seconds. The scent is overwhelming. I have to use Crest original, or citrus flavoured toothpaste. I also ban anyone coming into my office chewing gum. Doublemint Wrigley's used to give me a raging headache, and these modern gums like Orbit make me want to throw up. I've always put it down to olfactory hyper-responsiveness. I've never known anyone to share my aversion to mint. People think I'm weird.    

[Openearja]

I have the same problem. I can't even stand to be in the toothpaste aisle or chewing gum stands for more than a few seconds. The scent is overwhelming. I have to use Crest original, or citrus flavoured toothpaste. I also ban anyone coming into my office chewing gum. Doublemint Wrigleys's used to guide be a reading headache, and these modern funds like Orbit make me want to throw up. I've always put it down to olfactory hyper-responsiveness. I've never known anyone to share my aversion to mint. People think in weird.    

[Mintfree]

What the hell right?! If I go anywhere near mint my mouth and tongue start swelling and my throat starts closing!!! Actual pieces of mint are fine but it's just the fake flavouring. I need a new toothpaste. Any advice?! I'm so scared to try a new one!!!!

[phronsa]

I have to use the kids fruity flavored Colgate toothpaste.  It was recommended by my dentist.

[btr63]

I realize this is somewhat of an old post started years ago, but it never occurred to me to search the internet because I thought, like many of you did, that I was alone in this.  Every doctor I ever spoke too never heard of anyone being allergic to mint - even all the dentists I've seen over the years who try to give me free mint toothpaste or want me to rinse with mint mouthwash or use mint flavored fluoride during the cleaning never heard of it either.  As we all know, mint/menthol is in just about every oral care product out there - even floss!   And like some of you, it took me years to figure out what was causing my episodes of swelling/itchiness/pain.  One doctor even thought it was because of a heart condition (because my hands kept swelling up) and you wouldn't believe the amount of time and money wasted on scans and tests only to find out my heart and circulation were just fine.   Eventually, after years of suffering, I finally made the connection that I was only swelling up after I ate something with mint  - which for me, use to be fairly often - mint chocolate chip ice cream was my favorite ice cream, York Peppermint Patties was my favorite candy, and Keebler Grasshopper mint cookies was my favorite cookie - so yes, I suffered a lot.  But then one day it all clicked - I realized I only suffered on those days when I ate mint!  So I put my theory to the test by avoiding mint, no swelling, and then one day I ate mint on purpose, bang - I ballooned up like I use to.  And then something one of my dentists told me suddenly made sense because he looked in my mouth one day and said something was wrong because my gums and tissue are all red and swollen as if I was having an allergic reaction.  At that time I switched from regular Listerine (which has a very tiny amount of menthol in it) to mint flavored Listerine (which as more in it).  So it seems that I can tolerate small quantities as found in Listerine Regular flavor and Citrus flavor.  Anyway, the toothpaste I use is Crest regular flavor - I have no idea if there's mint in it, but I don't seem to suffer from it and my new dentist hasn't commented on my gums and tissue being red and swollen.  I also use Walmart's Equate brand Citrus flavor mouthwash - which DOES contain a small amount of menthol in it - but I don't use it often.   I mainly use Crest ACT cinnamon fluoride mouthwash as recommended by my dentist.  I was able to find non-mint floss picks at the dollar store (not Walmart - they only had mint floss).  I realize this isn't much help for those of you who cannot tolerate even the smallest amount of mint, but I thought I would share my experience for those of you who can tolerate a tiny amount as I can.  I don't know if it's true, but I've since heard that sometimes allergies that come on later in life as mine did (when I was in my late 30's), they sometimes go away as well.  I haven't swollen up in many years now (I'm 53 now) and I'm getting to the point where I'm considering testing it just to see what happens.  Oh, and one more thing, I'm not allergic to artificial mint, only real mint/menthol.  I found that out once at a Christmas party when I ate a cookie that didn't appear to be mint and had no obvious mint smell to it, but once I ate it, it sure tasted like it had mint in it so I quickly found the person who brought them and asked about it and at first she said yes, it had mint in it but then she added she had used imitation mint flavor - and after a few hours had passed with no reaction, I realized imitation mint was okay.