Brief Answer: Food allergy vs medication side effect Detailed Answer: Dear XXXXXXX Thanks for the query. I concur, that the symptoms appear to have been that of a mucosal allergic reaction, and since it happened while eating, then it may be related to something you ingested. Shortness of breath, severe tongue swelling, noisy breathing, inability to swallow, etc should all prompt an emergency visit. Now, the other possibility that I would like to talk to you and have you discuss with your prescribing provider is that of angioedema, a side effect of some blood pressure medications called ACE inhibitors, that can happen even if you have been taking the medication for years. Benazepril is one of those medications, so you may want to discuss this episode with your prescribing doctor in case that he wants to switch it to an alternative to be safer. Hope this helps, wish you the best, Dr Brenes-Salazar MD Mayo Clinic MN Cardiology

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