About Kathleen MacNaughton Expertise As a registered nurse and health educator, as well as a person living with nasal allergies, eczema, allergic asthma, and eye allergies, I can answer questions related to allergy symptoms, triggers, diagnosis, and treatment.
Experience I have lived with severe nasal, eye, and skin allergies all of my life. I also have allergic asthma. In addition, I have been an RN for more than 30 years and have spent the last 10 years as a consumer health educator, both offline and online, specializing in the areas of allergies and asthma.
Publications About.com (asthma), HealthCentral.com (asthma and allergy networks), RhinocortAqua.com, EverydayKidz.com
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Syracuse University.
Question Can lactose intolerance cause an immediate reaction? I get a very nauseous stomach after drinking milk. i feel like i have to vomit, however i have had a skin prick test and RAST blood test for milk allergies and all have always come back negative. It seems i can eat cheese, but it is like when the milk hits my stomach I get sick and feel like I have to throw up immediately after having it. With yogurt it takes a few more minutes for the reaction. docs say it is lactose intolerance, but can Lactose intolerance cause immediate reaction?
Answer Hi Gina,
It's important to understand the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. The skin tests you've had were to test for an allergy, which you found out you don't have. That's good, because food allergies can be dangerous.
Food intolerances, however, are rarely life-threatening, though they can be quite bothersome. You can definitely have an immediate reaction when you eat an offending food. And lactose intolerance can be very discriminating. My daughter is intolerant only to parmesan cheese, while mozzarella bothers her not a bit, nor does yogurt or ice cream, at least in small quantities.
So what you're experiencing sounds as though it could be lactose intolerance. You'll need to make changes in your eating habits if you want to stay healthy.
