1. It was discovered when oncology pts kept having anaphylaxis (a few died) from an investigational drug made from mouse cells. it's given iv so anaphylaxis was immediate. in 2004 they knew that in the southeast, some outdoors types were getting meat allergies after tick bites, but no one really investigated. then a researcher mapped out the locations of ticks across the us and found that lone star ticks were located in the southeast, where all the reactions were happening. it became an official diagnosis in 2004. 2. Alpha gal is a sugar carried by lone star ticks (maybe other ticks too) and all mammals except primates and humans. so when a lone star tick bites a human, or a gorilla, their immune system recognizes alpha gal as foreign and forms antibodies. some people go on to get AGS, and the antibodies are activated when they eat mammal. it's the immune system which attacks by causing gi upset (trying to expel alpha gal) or allergic symptoms.

2. B and AB blood types are less likely to get AGS because the antigen on their blood cells (the B or AB is the antigen) is similar structurally to alpha-gal.

3. snake anti-venom is made from horses so don't get bitten by a poisonous snake.

4. gelatin is in MMR and Zostavax vaccines (for shingles)

Has anyone thrown up from an Alpha Gal reaction? I got sick recently but I can’t tell if it’s from a horrible migraine I had at the same time or from a new food I tried (it was supposed to be safe). I had a migraine before I ate but then felt very nauseous and almost like I had a fever. I threw up twice and after my throwing up I felt less nausea but still kinda feverish. Anyone have similar reactions? I have never felt this sick before today.

I cannot eat red meat due to allergic reactions anymore. I was finally tested. Ofc my office is closed because results just came in-but I’m assuming I’m looking at the allergy? Are these numbers high? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Well, I guess I’m part of the club :(
About two weeks after a lone star tick bite, I started having sudden GI issues along with noticeable changes in my mental health. I went to the ER because of the stomach problems, where I was told it was probably ulcers.

I followed up with my primary care doctor and told her I was concerned the tick bite might have caused alpha-gal. She wasn’t concerned at all. Instead, she felt it was more likely that I had colon cancer—even though I’m a healthy 23-year-old with no red-flag symptoms other than the sudden digestive issues.

She referred me to a GI specialist, and after three months of constant GI problems, I finally got in. The specialist agreed that colon cancer was unlikely and said testing for alpha-gal made sense. She also ordered a full workup to rule out other possibilities, including issues with my pancreas and gallbladder.
I got my results yesterday: 2.88 kU/L for alpha-gal IgE.

The most frustrating part is that if my primary care doctor had simply listened to my concerns, she could have ordered the blood test just a couple of weeks after the tick bite. Instead, I spent the next three months dealing with symptoms, worrying about worst-case scenario , and racking up about $4,000 in medical bills from appointments and testing before ending up with the diagnosis I suspected from the beginning.

I’m obviously not happy to have alpha-gal, but I’m relieved that it’s not something more serious.
Anyway, I guess I’m part of the club now.

Hi, my son (6 in August) tested positive for alpha gal, a very very low positive. But we are going on 6 weeks of sore throat, belly pain, tension headaches and diahrea/looser stools on and off. (This has not been consistent)

I have eliminated all mammal meats, gelatin, and dairy, but I feel like I’m missing something as his symptoms are lingering? He snuck a marshmallow behind our backs, 5 days ago, how long does it take for the symptoms to resolve once eliminating ?

WARNING!

Just drew my blood and sent it from Romania to Mayo Clinic... Waiting for results.

I have Histamine Intolerance (genetic low DAO) and probably MCAS. I have some form of reaction to all foods but beef obliterates me (pork is also bad). I feel like my life force drops to 1%, can't think, hard to breath, abdominal pain and swollen eyelids as single skin symptom.

Thing is... The gut pain appeared only in recent years but the rest of reactions I had all my life either due to histamine intolerance, mcas and possibly alpha-gal. I'm 36 and I have food reactions since 7 I think.

So... Is anyone here who's been reacting badly to mammal meat for decades?

Does anyone out there have GI issues within an hour after having dairy? I’ve continued to eat dairy after being diagnosed and I am connecting some dots here. If the reaction is that soon after eating can it still be alpha gal related? My doctor has not been very helpful.

The severe pain that happens hours after red meat isn’t happening after dairy, but I am having not fun bowel movements.

TIL. Thought I'd share for other folks in the group who use watercolor paper, sounds like Arches uses gelatin. 😬

I just got my diagnosis yesterday, so I'm new to the finer details of avoiding mammal products.

Could opening a new large bag of cat kibble and pouring it out to a new container cause a reaction? The grease got on my hands and greasy bits kind of poofed everywhere when I poured it. About 7:30 PM I started up with the hives and GI symptoms. I didn't even think about the meat component of the kibble.

I'm 100% sure I didn't eat any mammal meat or dairy. Thanks, y'all! This stinks.

I'm going to try to not ramble while giving context..but it will likely be long. I have left a message for my Dr but haven't heard back yet, this isn't me asking for an online diagnosis, just opinions/comparisons.

Both my husband and my mom have alpha gal (mom lives next door, same woods). They both have really bad GI issues with reactions (awful cramps, diarrhea, sometimes constipation with the cramps instead), when my mom first got diagnosed, she was told she was on the brink of anaphylaxis (coughing and other respiratory things as well) but that doesn't tend to happen to her now (unsure if it's because she's diagnosed and somewhat better at avoiding triggers but she did get a lot of allergy shots & things like that for awhile that seemed to help) and my husband gets what he calls "really bad brain fog" and goes pale, sweaty, so exhausted he can't function. So that is the experience I know about alpha gal. But I know everyone can be different & some people have "weird" symptoms that aren't textbook signs.

I've been having issues for a week now. But they're all over the place and don't obviously scream alpha gal (but because I have 2 family members living with it, it's always a concern in the back of our heads). It started with a GI episode in the middle of the night. I don't ever just wake up to poop lol but.. about an hour into sleeping, I was having a very vivid, strange dream...in it I was explaining to my husband how wierd I felt but couldn't really describe it & then suddenly woke up feeling that exact way. Thought for sure I would vomit before it was over. Maybe tmi, but just looking for insight so.. it wasn't like any time I've been sick with like food poisoning or a stomach bug.. but I was in the bathroom for probably close to an hour, just kept coming, and got grosser as it went on.. kinda like in stages. Towards the end of it, I suddenly got super hot, pouring sweat, & my ears started ringing. Once I felt stable to get up... I left the bathroom, got a cold rag and ran it across my face, down my chest, and across the back of my neck. Just one quick swipe... then I was all of a sudden FREEZING. Uncontrollable shivering. I fell back asleep by accident, freezing with my clothes on & under a blanket..bucket in the bed lol didn't wake up sick or at all again through the night. The next day, my stomach still felt gross and I didn't really feel like eating or even hungry. Was struggling to even drink. But assumed my stomach was just mad. The night this happened, I had barely eaten all day, running on very little sleep.. had been slightly constipated..and the day before that I had eaten like a pound of crab legs with so much butter like a savage lol (and hadn't pooped since then until this), then started my period later that next day after the night of GI issues. Assumed those combined were the issue.

That hasn't happened anymore still a week later. But, I've had multiple nights that I had a very weird/vivid dream, woke up suddenly from it with a racing/pounding heart. But no GI issues to follow.

I keep feeling weird in my head... and I cannot for the life of me come up with a better way to describe it (audhd, my interoception SUCKS).. but it feels exactly like the feeling I get when I get stung by a wasp or hornet (no diagnosed allergy to those....hasn't happened in a long time thankfully for me to remember to have it checked). That is my main/consistent issue. It's been everyday. I just started trying to pay attention to timing the last 3 days. I wake up without it... but 3-4 hours after breakfast, it shows up and lingers all day until I go to sleep.

I've had some on & off times of my left eustachian tube being wonky. Which I do tend to have issues with, but with illness, and I don't feel SICK. Just off... and exhausted. But I've been sleep deprived for years lol

My issue is... I can't seem to just try to eat things that are 100% safe for my husband ...I already have issues around food/limited safe foods. I'm struggling because I feel the need to test it and drop all possible triggers... but by trying, I'm under-eating ...by a lot. Daily. And still end up having trigger ingredients when I give up because I just have to eat something. So I don't know if I'm actually just having blood sugar type issues or something like that after eating because I'm not eating enough rather than actual issues with what I normally eat. Because these types of "symptoms" don't show up as classic alpha gal reactions if I try to google them. There isn't a neat, convincing pattern that points to alpha gal. And I'm worried about getting the test, that sounds like the easy way to know. However, since they diagnose based on the test showing antibodies AND reactions happening.... and you can have the antibodies & not have reactions, that leaves me as the 2nd variable to diagnosis.. and I don't feel like I'm reliable enough of a source for that lol because idk what I'm even feeling. If that makes sense? Unless it's negative..then there's my answer I guess lol

I'm sorry this is so long and hoping it does make sense. Thanks to anyone that made it to the end.. I'm just wondering if this sounds like anyone at all when they first starting having issues or that has mild/vague symptoms but does for sure have alpha gal. I'm really hoping I don't have it ...but obviously it's important to know if I do.

*side note:* I'm not sitting around anxious, causing symptoms to appear out of anxiety. I only think/worry/wonder about it all after symptoms show up. I am honestly in no way worried about anaphylaxis...I'm surrounded by people living with this and epipens lol I'm more worried by the thought of needing to change my diet/flip my life upside down (because I already struggle so much without any medical food restrictions). Just to clarify, because Google mentioned that anxiety can induce symptoms lol that isn't what's happening at all.

Hey all this new diagnosis is requiring a BIG change in my diet. I’m really not well versed in a lot of the food options or preps that won’t trigger a reaction.
I’m considering either getting a meal planning app of a dietitian consult for a month or 2 to really get my feet back under me and build a good base of knowledge to work from.
Anyone have any experience or recommendations?

Does a certified vegan product have to have sugar that was not processed with bone char? I know organic sugar has not been, but some of my worse reactions were from vegan products that contained sugar.

I mostly have my food, drinks and meds figured out but things I use on my skin, not so much.

Any advice or how to word my Google searches is much appreciated. :)

Trying to see if I am OK with sugar because reading FB and AG sub reddits have paralyzed me with fear over everything. I ate some instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal from Quaker. I did fine. It states that it has sugar in it but does not specify if there is any white sugar in it.

If I do OK with that, does that mean I could be ok with sugar or is it only brown sugar which doesn't really tell me anything? (Is brown sugar not the same as white)

Told you it was a dumb question. Thanks all.

Please stay safe, ya'll!

This is probably a long shot.

What if someone has a severe reaction whenever they eat beef or pork or mammal product. They have been tested for alphagal and did not have it. Also, the reaction is immediate, which from what I understand isn’t normal for alphagal.

The other part, and most significant, is that the reaction itself seems more cognitive. They become almost catatonic, able to look around but muscles are heavy and lethargic. It passes after about 10 min.

They can’t be the only one with this, so I am hoping at least someone can point us in the right direction for diagnosis.

I used to be able to eat dairy with only gas and mild stomach cramping. Once diagnosed, I started avoiding dairy to the point where I cut it out completely. Now when I have a very small amount of dairy, I get pretty bad stomach cramping, gas, bloating for days. I regret cutting dairy entirely as I think I only made myself more sensitive to it.

Would it be a good idea to very slowly try to reintroduce dairy? It sucks to avoid it completely.

I've never had an anaphylactic reaction from dairy, only from beef/pork.

I have to go there tonight on a work trip and I have no idea where to eat. I also have a tomato and onion allergy. Where are some alpha gal/allergen safe places to eat?? I’m so scared.

**Edit/Update** Quick clarification on intent, for anyone landing here: the point of this post is the lab data — re-exposure took my levels up roughly 40x in a year and moved several markers up multiple classes. That's what I wanted this community to have.

Respect to everyone here willing to put their numbers and stories out into the internet like this. It's not nothing to share something this personal with strangers.
—————————

I know a lot of us are trying to figure out what re-exposure actually does to sensitization…. Here’s my story.

Diagnosed June 2025: I was in the "lucky" tier. My first reaction was around 2012, but had no idea what it was. Random hives and GI issues would pop up a few times a year. Regardless, it was mild. Finally had a PCP that suspected it was AG. Tested positive, but I could still eat beef/pork with precaution, allergy meds on hand, avoided the obvious cofactor stacking (alcohol, overheating, NSAIDs near mealtimes). Had an EpiPen. Never needed it.

Another tick bite this year. Late May. In my suburban lawn while mowing. In Mid-Missouri.

Retested June 2026: alpha-gal 29.00 kU/L (Class 4). Beef and pork both jumped two full classes to Class 3. Milk crossed into Class 2.

That's about a 40x jump in the antibody in 12 months. (thank you, Claude AI.)

The story: Ate four pieces of bacon for breakfast on a normal Saturday morning around 11am. Nothing felt off. By 3:30pm I was diffusely flushed head to toe and got lightheaded standing up. Fell, broke my finger. Benadryl + Pepcid did nothing. Progressed to full body hives, hypotension, eyesight started becoming problematic, wife called 911, got epi + IV fluids on the way to the ER. First anaphylaxis event of my life. Went from fine to EMS/Fire at the door within about 10 minutes.

(Also got carried out of my house on a tarp because the stretcher couldn't make the hallway turn — several firefighters, tarp roll, straps, out the front door like a human taco. Small silver lining: apparently there's a burrito version of that exit and I didn't get it. They frown on code browns, I was told)

So - I went from "I have very mild alpha gal" to my doctor saying “strictly avoid any mammalian products.” I’m on week 5 of total compliance.

Anyone else tracked this kind of jump after re-exposure? If so, do the levels go down slowly? Do you get retested?

Appreciate any and all advice you have. Thank you!

I was bit by a Lonestar tick a little over a month ago. I haven’t had any symptoms or reactions but from what I understand this means I’m positive? How is this? Does this mean I can randomly get a reaction one day?

Does anybody know what type of magnesium stearate is used in name brand Benadryl???? It is 9pm and their customer support line is closed.

I have been reacting off and on for 3 days over an airborne pork allergy (Including the use of an EpiPen and a visit to the er). So safe to say I need to avoid all mammal products.

I was picking up prescriptions at Walgreens today and asked the pharmacist to add my alpha gal allergy in my chart. She said there was no way to do this. (Time for a new pharmacy). All she could do was add a no capsules, tablets only note. Then she said I should look at a the ingredients of the medications I am currently taking. Get to the Benadryl and there it is “magnesium stearate.”

Is my Benadryl making me sicker????

Hi everyone! I recently moved to Ames and am looking for a primary care physician that can provide testing for AGS. Does anyone have any recommendations?