Unusual reaction to Tesa

axlbul

axlbul

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Started week 10 of Tesa. The night before, I prepared the final vial from the kit and put it away as always in my locked drawer.

Injected at 5am, which is my usual time. Almost right away, my mouth felt dry and itchy, and then itching spread across my body along with a hot sensation. I kept my epi-pen nearby just in case, but within roughly 15 minutes things settled down, so I never used it.

I'm leaning toward throwing that vial out, but now I'm uneasy about the other kit I have from the same lot. Would it make sense to lower my dose again just to rule out a sudden allergic reaction to tesa? During weeks 1 through 9, I had no problems apart from the stinging.
 
axlbul said:

Started week 10 of Tesa. The night before, I prepared the final vial from the kit and put it away as always in my locked drawer.

Injected at 5am, which is my usual time. Almost right away, my mouth felt dry and itchy, and then itching spread across my body along with a hot sensation. I kept my epi-pen nearby just in case, but within roughly 15 minutes things settled down, so I never used it.

I'm leaning toward throwing that vial out, but now I'm uneasy about the other kit I have from the same lot. Would it make sense to lower my dose again just to rule out a sudden allergic reaction to tesa? During weeks 1 through 9, I had no problems apart from the stinging.
Click to expand...
The immune system may eventually recognize Tesa as something foreign — that's a known phenomenon. According to the clinical trials, this led to various antibody types appearing by week 26 and week 52, yet severe allergic anaphylactic reactions weren't really reported (site reactions did occur in roughly 25% of cases, though). That said, anecdotal accounts describe plenty of severe allergic or immune responses to Tesa, sometimes striking without warning or after a pause and restart. My strong suggestion: drop to a very low dose and gradually increase again. If even a faintly similar thing occurs during that test/titration, then sadly Tesa might no longer be an option for you.

Another angle: perhaps the culprit was a different component in that particular vial — an excipient from the cake — rather than Tesa itself. Strange that it wasn't present in the other vials of the kit, but how Chinese manufacturers actually fill and sort these products remains unclear.
 
I have no way of knowing how things will go on the next occasion. Based on what I've heard, Tesa is an odd and unpredictable creature. It's frequent for people to have a reaction partway through a dosing cycle.

The only thing I'm sure of is that I wouldn't take it unless the epi pen was within reach. Not just close by, but within reach.
 
faloppi said:

axlbul said:

Started week 10 of Tesa. The night before, I prepared the final vial from the kit and put it away as always in my locked drawer.

Injected at 5am, which is my usual time. Almost right away, my mouth felt dry and itchy, and then itching spread across my body along with a hot sensation. I kept my epi-pen nearby just in case, but within roughly 15 minutes things settled down, so I never used it.

I'm leaning toward throwing that vial out, but now I'm uneasy about the other kit I have from the same lot. Would it make sense to lower my dose again just to rule out a sudden allergic reaction to tesa? During weeks 1 through 9, I had no problems apart from the stinging.
Click to expand...
The immune system may eventually recognize Tesa as something foreign — that's a known phenomenon. According to the clinical trials, this led to various antibody types appearing by week 26 and week 52, yet severe allergic anaphylactic reactions weren't really reported (site reactions did occur in roughly 25% of cases, though). That said, anecdotal accounts describe plenty of severe allergic or immune responses to Tesa, sometimes striking without warning or after a pause and restart. My strong suggestion: drop to a very low dose and gradually increase again. If even a faintly similar thing occurs during that test/titration, then sadly Tesa might no longer be an option for you.

Another angle: perhaps the culprit was a different component in that particular vial — an excipient from the cake — rather than Tesa itself. Strange that it wasn't present in the other vials of the kit, but how Chinese manufacturers actually fill and sort these products remains unclear.
Click to expand...
I appreciate you sharing that. During my own research, I hadn't come across this. The vial in question has already been discarded. I'll try again with the next kit, easing back in gradually. Going through that once more is not something I want.
 
axlbul said:

faloppi said:

axlbul said:

Started week 10 of Tesa. The night before, I prepared the final vial from the kit and put it away as always in my locked drawer.

Injected at 5am, which is my usual time. Almost right away, my mouth felt dry and itchy, and then itching spread across my body along with a hot sensation. I kept my epi-pen nearby just in case, but within roughly 15 minutes things settled down, so I never used it.

I'm leaning toward throwing that vial out, but now I'm uneasy about the other kit I have from the same lot. Would it make sense to lower my dose again just to rule out a sudden allergic reaction to tesa? During weeks 1 through 9, I had no problems apart from the stinging.
Click to expand...
The immune system may eventually recognize Tesa as something foreign — that's a known phenomenon. According to the clinical trials, this led to various antibody types appearing by week 26 and week 52, yet severe allergic anaphylactic reactions weren't really reported (site reactions did occur in roughly 25% of cases, though). That said, anecdotal accounts describe plenty of severe allergic or immune responses to Tesa, sometimes striking without warning or after a pause and restart. My strong suggestion: drop to a very low dose and gradually increase again. If even a faintly similar thing occurs during that test/titration, then sadly Tesa might no longer be an option for you.

Another angle: perhaps the culprit was a different component in that particular vial — an excipient from the cake — rather than Tesa itself. Strange that it wasn't present in the other vials of the kit, but how Chinese manufacturers actually fill and sort these products remains unclear.
Click to expand...
I appreciate you sharing that. During my own research, I hadn't come across this. The vial in question has already been discarded. I'll try again with the next kit, easing back in gradually. Going through that once more is not something I want.
Click to expand...
Stay safe, and don't forget to update us! Every single experience shared helps the rest of us stay better informed.
 
Apparently my brain is running in slow mode. Should you give it another go, taking 1 Benadryl 30 minutes before could be helpful.

Actually, I figure that if I ever begin Tesa, I'll be the person who takes a Benadryl every time, purely as a precaution.
 
I raised my Tesa dose from 1mg to 2mg, and by the 3rd week at that 2mg level, every injection left me with absurdly itchy welts the size of golf balls beneath my skin. After pinning, I'd feel the usual tesa "pulse," but then the area would begin to swell and itch. Right now I'm taking a 2 week pause, and my plan is to start again at very low doses. It's possible I won't even work back up to 2mg.
 
Could try the upper glutes using a 29G. Every one of my spicy Peps goes into my Ass cheeks. Wow, that came out weird.
 
What you went through doesn't come across as a clear-cut case of anaphylaxis, yet it does look like a broader allergic response of the milder sort, one that wasn't confined to the skin alone. Since you keep an epipen on hand, it follows that something has triggered anaphylaxis in you before, and that background raises the odds that another substance could do the same. This doesn't resemble a vasovagal reaction from the injection itself.

My take is that another attempt carries too much risk. Even a roughly 1 percent chance of a serious reaction isn't a gamble worth accepting for a compound that isn't strictly necessary, especially when other options exist. Typically, repeated exposure makes allergies intensify instead of easing up. Choosing caution over regret seems wise. Although reactions to BAC or impurities do occur, the peptides themselves account for the majority of allergic cases.
 
lessthanhalf said:

What you went through doesn't come across as a clear-cut case of anaphylaxis, yet it does look like a broader allergic response of the milder sort, one that wasn't confined to the skin alone. Since you keep an epipen on hand, it follows that something has triggered anaphylaxis in you before, and that background raises the odds that another substance could do the same. This doesn't resemble a vasovagal reaction from the injection itself.

My take is that another attempt carries too much risk. Even a roughly 1 percent chance of a serious reaction isn't a gamble worth accepting for a compound that isn't strictly necessary, especially when other options exist. Typically, repeated exposure makes allergies intensify instead of easing up. Choosing caution over regret seems wise. Although reactions to BAC or impurities do occur, the peptides themselves account for the majority of allergic cases.
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Mollusks are something I'm allergic to. Clams, oysters and the like have landed me in the hospital, though most other shellfish don't cause problems. When I was tested, Mollusks set off a strong reaction.
 
Just A Cat said:

Apparently my brain is running in slow mode. Should you give it another go, taking 1 Benadryl 30 minutes before could be helpful.

Actually, I figure that if I ever begin Tesa, I'll be the person who takes a Benadryl every time, purely as a precaution.
Click to expand...
Heads up: an anaphylactic reaction won't be halted by Benadryl.
 
CandyCap said:

Just A Cat said:

Apparently my brain is running in slow mode. Should you give it another go, taking 1 Benadryl 30 minutes before could be helpful.

Actually, I figure that if I ever begin Tesa, I'll be the person who takes a Benadryl every time, purely as a precaution.
Click to expand...
Heads up: an anaphylactic reaction won't be halted by Benadryl.
Click to expand...
Worth clarifying so nobody takes that the wrong way.

Benadryl does help with allergic reactions, but relying on it to halt anaphylaxis is not something I would ever do. What I meant by pre-loading was only about lowering the odds of a mild reaction.

Expecting a single benadryl to halt anaphylaxis is like expecting a single 5 gallon bucket of water to extinguish a house that is fully ablaze. Those 5 gallons may handle the candle that just dropped onto the carpet, but an entire building on fire is beyond it.
 
axlbul said:

Started week 10 of Tesa. The night before, I prepared the final vial from the kit and put it away as always in my locked drawer.

Injected at 5am, which is my usual time. Almost right away, my mouth felt dry and itchy, and then itching spread across my body along with a hot sensation. I kept my epi-pen nearby just in case, but within roughly 15 minutes things settled down, so I never used it.

I'm leaning toward throwing that vial out, but now I'm uneasy about the other kit I have from the same lot. Would it make sense to lower my dose again just to rule out a sudden allergic reaction to tesa? During weeks 1 through 9, I had no problems apart from the stinging.
Click to expand...
The thought of beginning tesa has me worried for this exact reason. I truly want to be able to tolerate it, since the idea of a kit going unused after spending that much money is awful to me. At the very least, I plan to take a benadryl before dosing in case hives show up.
 
This spicy pep is a moody little thing. 🙃

Personally I can go weeks with 0 issues, then boom — hives and itchy skin out of nowhere.

Or the other way round: I'll get a welt at the jab site, and the other spots where I've recently used other peps flare up too!

Still love what Tess does for me though 😁
 
I managed to find a moment to dig into this matter more thoroughly and wanted to break it down further.

According to medical guidelines, Benadryl should NOT be administered in this situation. But what's the reason?

When Tesa triggers anaphylaxis, it's due to an anti-body reaction. Because Benadryl has no impact on your immune response, it is ineffective against an anti-body anaphylactic reaction.

Should you experience a severe reaction to Tesa, that Epi-Pen will be necessary.
 
axlbul said:

Started week 10 of Tesa. The night before, I prepared the final vial from the kit and put it away as always in my locked drawer.

Injected at 5am, which is my usual time. Almost right away, my mouth felt dry and itchy, and then itching spread across my body along with a hot sensation. I kept my epi-pen nearby just in case, but within roughly 15 minutes things settled down, so I never used it.

I'm leaning toward throwing that vial out, but now I'm uneasy about the other kit I have from the same lot. Would it make sense to lower my dose again just to rule out a sudden allergic reaction to tesa? During weeks 1 through 9, I had no problems apart from the stinging.
Click to expand...
Have an epi pen within reach for as long as 3 hours following your injection. For the next one, you could consider using the thigh or upper arm.
 
Here's where things stand now.

I dropped my dose back to .5mg. The 1st injection went into my stomach like always. There wasn't any reaction right away, though it stung and a lump formed. The following day I used my glute, and the same sting and lump showed up. I saw that the spot from the 1st shot had a larger lump, and my stomach itched pretty frequently. The glute behaved the same way the next day, with both areas turning quite red around where I injected.

I tried 1 more in my stomach, the other side, and got the identical result. Plenty of redness plus itching. I'm writing off this 10-week run as a loss. Whether I'll give it another go in a few months or simply leave Tesa behind, I haven't decided.

Having an epi-pen on hand is something I really appreciate; needing to actually use it is something I really don't. So I hope what I've shared is useful to somebody else.

Results were excellent and my stomach got smaller, but as I see it, the danger outweighs the benefit for me.
 
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