Allergies Community

Stress definitely has an effect on a person's immune system, and in general, allergic disease worsens when a person is under stress, so I wouldn't be quick to rule out stress as a factor. (You probably know that "idiopathic" means "of unknown cause.") From what I have read on CIU, an autoimmune origin is suspected, which would certainly make sense in your case with your accompanying vitiligo. I have also read that CIU is generally not associated with atopy -- i.e., CIU is not actually an allergic disease and, hence, CIU is not caused by histamine released in an allergic reaction. If the antihistamines aren't helping you any, then it seems possible that your CIU is not allergic in origin.

In addition to antihistamines, I have read that additional medications can be helpful, such as H2 antihistamines (typically used for acid reflux), doxepin (an antidepressant), and Singulair (a leukotriene antagonist). If you can afford an office visit with a physician, it might be worthwhile to ask whether you can try samples of any of these medications, alone or in combination with an antihistamine. (Several of the H2 antihistamines are OTC, so would be cheaper than prescription.) Also, discuss whether a larger dose of antihistamine might work better alone or in combination with any of those other meds -- I have read that physicians do sometimes prescribe larger doses of antihistamines in hives cases.

Something to try that doesn't involve medication would be a stress reducing technique such as meditation or biofeedback.

Hopefully these thoughts help somewhat, and hopefully someone with hives or CIU will chime in with their direct experience. Take care. Judy

About 4 or 5 years ago, I too, suffered with a bad bout of hives. Sent me to the ER twice in anaphylactic shock! I was finally hospitalized for 5 days with IV Benadryl, Prenisone and other meds that I forget what they were. I was told this could possibly be a cancer somewhere in my body? So far, no cancer. Thank God! It was a very scary time in my life. I suffered with the hives for about 4 months. Finally my allergist re-grouped and looked over ALL my meds. She made a few changes and FINALLY things calmed down. I remember being on the Doxepin. I was also on Zantac & Zyrtec. I was able to wean off most of the meds. Now, I take one Zyrtec a day and that keeps the hives at bay. Allergist said I would never be able to be tested for allergies, because I can't come off the Zyrtec long enough for them to administer the tests! If I go without the Zyrtec for even one day, the hives start.

I posted just recently on this board about my hives returning & if I should give my allergist a call. I finally did on Friday and she started me back on the Zantac twice a day. She upped my Zyrtec to twice a day, too. If after a week and this doesn't help, they want to see me. The allergist thinks that because of the surgery I had back on Feb 7th, my system is out of whack, so to speak. I had a reaction to the Dermabond used to close my incisions and I had a reaction to the Lortab used to control the pain. I have an allergy to Codeine. I had a problem with an antibiotic used and developed an ulcer from that. So, yes, my system sure is out of whack! I'm hoping this round of meds will help and that I won't have to go back on the Prednisone.

I know the frustration of hives! As soon as one little bump appears, I'm panicking! It brings me back to that trip to the ER 4 or 5 years ago in anaphylactic shock! That was so scary!

Unfortunately, you probably have no choice but to get in to your doctor's office. You can't fight this alone. They may have to change your meds around to see what will work. What works on one patient, doesn't work on another....just remember that.

Ya know, I just wanted to run something by you. I go to see my allergist once a year. Last June at my appt, she mentioned that she would be interested in seeing what happens to my hives once I go menopause. I'm 47 yrs old. She said she had a patient that had the severe hives like myself and this patient had a hysterectomy (not related to the hive issue). Once she had the hysterectomy, her hives were completely gone. What the allergist was getting at is that maybe the hives are hormone related. Made me think....

Juse a few thoughts for you here...

Jean

Sorry to hear about your condition. I too currently suffer from chronic idiopathic urticaria. I have been dealing with this for about 18 months off and on. I understand your concerns about prednisone. Its really a Catch 22, because prednisone works the best at alleviating the symptoms, but in no way could it be considered a long term solution. I have been to 3 different allergists/immunologists, 3 different dermatologists, a rheumatologist (to see if there were any auto immune diseases), and even a cardiologist to see if there was a cardiac underlying cause. Everything came back good. I am now scheduled to visit a GI next week as my allergist has said it could possibly be caused by a reflux disorder.

My case of CIU is severe. That being the case, my Allergist put me on low dose cyclosporine therapy in lieu of taking prednisone too often. Cyclosporine is also not the safest thing around either and I am working to get off of that. Currently I am taking fexofenadine (Allegra) 180 mg, Singulair, Aciphex, and just got put on a new drug specifically targeted for chronic urticaria (Xyzal).

In any case, as far as your condition is concerned, I doubt your hives (urticaria) are the effects of stress. However, I do believe that stress can worsen your outbreaks and maybe even contribute to them, but stress alone is most likely not the culprit of your hives.

To answer your questions as best I can.:

1. To see if the CIU was due to a food disorder, my doctor put me on a 2 week diet of nothing but chicken (boiled or baked...with NO seasonings) along with white rice and water. It was very tough to do it, but I did. If your hives do not re-appear, start reintroducing foods one by one to see if you have an outbreak. That way you can pinpoint the offending food, if you have a food allergy.

2. My allergist traditionally prescribes prednisone at 20-40 mg per day for no more than 7 days as a regimen. He said that should be given no more than 4 times in a year.

3. I was told that medicines needed to treat hives require a higher dosage than what is needed to treat nasal and respiratory allergies. You may want to ask your doctor how safe it is to increase the dose of your over the counter antihistamines. I was on Allegra 180 mg twice a day (double the daily dosage) and Singulair 10 mg twice a day for quite some time to treat my urticaria. I definitely noticed the added benefit.

4. Not familiar with Vitiligo, but if its an auto immune disorder, then your hives could very well have an auto immune basis.

I know you stated you currently have no health insurance, but if you want to get help you really should find a way to the doctor. Did a rheumatologist diagnose your vitiligo? If so, I would call his office and ask if CIU could be a result of it.

I am now really looking into alternative medicine to help my urticaria. One thing I am focused on is trying to alkalize my blood and eating less acid type foods. You can google alkaline foods and you'll find a wealth of info on the topic. I am also doing a liver cleanse/detox that I have heard people have much success with in actually curing chronic urticaria. I have also found a home rememdy that really works well for treating the hives topically; I apply apple cider vinegar directly to the hive (and it really takes away the itching, redness and swelling). Pls let us know how you're doing with this going forward. Unfortunately CIU is a very frustrating condition as you well know.

Thank God! I think that I finally have the answer. I hope that this helps someone else. My HIVES are HORMONE related. I have long suspected this because my first bout with them (that lasted 1 1/2 yrs) ended immediately when I stopped taking birth control. This last bout (4 months so far) started after my second child was born. So many others on here talked about related symptoms--dark patches on skin, thyroid-like symptoms, pain in chest, fatigue, feeling cold, occasional hair loss, and HIVES so severe that even with taking 13 prescribed anti-histamines and acid reducers a day, my entire body was covered every night until mid-morning. Thinking that it was my diet or bedding, I changed where I slept and went on semi-fasts. I kept a food/drug journal to note trends. I was miserable, and they were starting to control my life. Prayer changes things. Someone on here mentioned hormone cream; I had my thyroid checked with an Endochronologist, talked to my Dermatologist and Gynocologist, but they all said that I was completely healthy, and they did not think that it was hormone related. Then I read Dr. Lee's book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause" (really more of a general guide to hormone balance). IT HAS WORKED! You really ought to read it, but here is what I have been doing based on the book:

1) Use a Natural Progesterone Cream morning and night 2 )Drink more water 3) Take anti-oxidants such as green tea tabs & 8000-1000mg of Vit C 4) 400 IUs of Vit E twice a day 5) 500 mg Flaxseed oil twice a day 6) Take a Multivitamin 7) Take 500mg of Quercetin with Bromelain twice a day. Take Vitex morning and night 9) Take 1000mg of Magnesium at bedtime 10) eliminated MILK from my diet--my worst episodes were always after I drank a glass of it or ate ice cream; I can still have cheese, yogurt, and sour cream. Dr. Lee explains in his book that an inflamed and aggravated system will allergically react to milk.

It took a few weeks, but my hives are practically gone. I only take one chlorotab and one Loratidine at night to keep the lingering ones at bay.

Another tip: You can get Natural Progesterone Cream at most health food stores.The cheapest that I have found is the 4oz Lifeflo brand at $20.00 on the Swanson's website (they also have Vitex for $2.99 a bottle).Get the type of Progesterone Cream in a pump as the type in a jar deteriorates in the presence of oxygen. Use the cream (not oral tabs) that contains around 500mg per ounce. Good Luck to everyone. I have felt so sorry for so many of you because I also suffered so greatly. Don't let anyone tell you that there is not an answer or to wait it out. What I am doing may not help you, but there is an answer. God Bless.

I need to edit what I wrote about taking the magnesium. I only take 500mg a day. 1000mg would be far too much. Also, I take a b-complex vitamin

I am also a sufferer of urticaria...i am only twenty and really frustrated,,,i have tried everything,,,recently quit my job because of this...

any advice???

Try Histame (nutritional supplement). Just ok'd for USA (available only mail-order). Will help quite a bit but not 100%. Each pill costs 75 cents to $1.00. It make the enzyme that your system needs to get rid of histimine.

Have you thought about an environmental cause? You mentioned "lived in the lab" the first year it happened. Then you mentioned, "I went on an out-of-state trip with my friend for the weekend and my hives completely disappeared and I didn't take any medicine for them. A couple days after coming home, the hives started up again."

If its a possible food allergy, some people recommend a food elimination diet. It might be easier to start with where you live. Try changing your laundry detergent and fabric softener to one with no fragrances and dyes. I like Seventh Generation, but other companies make something similar. Try changing your soap to something like Cetaphil or Dove for sensitive skin. Bear in mind that you can develop an allergy to something you were never allergic to before. Just because things haven't changed, doesn't mean they are not the problem, or a contributing factor.

Try staying away from cigarette smoke, perfumes, candles, incense, and anything that would be considered an irritant.

Allergists also recommend being vigilint with lotion- something like Eucerin or Cetaphil. Apparently the micro-cracks in dry skin can can more irritation by allergens.

I've had chronic hives for over 30 years. Right now, my allergist has me taking Zyrtec (up to 2 tablets twice daily), and Famotidine (2 tablets twice daily). This combination of meds and the environmental changes above seem to help. Of course, it doesn't prevent all break-outs, but it helps.

Hope you feel better.

I'm 23 years old and suddenly having flareups of hives also. I had one back in july and figured it was just a vitamin i took that caused it. it went away with benadryl and i didnt think anything of it. In november i suddenly had 2 extremely bad flareups 3 days apart. i went to the doctor the first time and had s booster shot of steroids, and he also placed me on methylprednisilone. it went away but i saw an allergist that week anyway. the day after i saw the allergist i broke out again and needed to be put on prednisone, allegra, zyrtec, and hydroxyzine. it was fine until last night, when the itching started and now i am having another flareup. i was tested for thyroid problems, and other allergies and came up negative. my coworker told me that she also has the same thing and tested positive for a condition where her skin attacks itself for no reason, and it lasts weeks. i would like to ask my allergist about it, does anyone out there know possibly what this is called, or have it? im going crazy because according to the allergist im in great health except for high cholesterol and there is no reason for me to be getting hives this often or at all. she was also stumped as to why the last flareup left marks on my skin, spots of discoloration in the exact places the hives were.

came up with the same idea, i realized today that there seems to be a link between the start of my period and the hives flareups. i am going to try and map it out in the journal my allergist told me to keep on my flareups and see if it continues month to month. good luck.

I suffered from chronic hives for 14 years. I was told I would never know the cause. I have been hive free for 5 months with the exception of 2 days. I discovered that hives were my body's reaction to spikes in blood sugar. I eliminated the spikes by eliminating almost all refined carbs. I only eat fruit and limited refined carbs along with whole fat foods. The best fats to pair with carbs are olives, olive oil, coconut (and coconut butter or oil), nuts and nut products and avacado. Limited amounts of dairy and meat. My 2 outbreaks were after binging on candy and after drinking alcohal. It might sound like a tough diet but it has made a world of difference in my life. Not only am I hive free but all aspects of my health have improved. I hope that my story will help many of you looking for relief.

Please try to see a dietician to see if the cause is your bodies way of dealing with spikes in blood sugar. After 14 years of chronic hives, I found that to be my solution.

Sorry to hear about your symptoms from hives. Hives can be a very frustating condition leading to discomfort and difficulty with sleep. When hives occur most days of the week for greater than 6 weeks, they are considered chronic hives. The vast majority of chronic hives are not caused by external triggers such as food or pollen allergy. Rarely, other medical conditions such as thyroid problems can lead to hives and your doctor can look into these. However, most patients with chronic hives do not have allergic triggers or an underlying other disease process that causes the hives. In this case, the hives are considered to be idiopathic (unknown cause). The majority of patients with chronic hives have this idiopathic form. The goal for idiopathic urticaria is to induce remission through medications. The medications that are required to control the hives are different for each person. Daily suppressive antihistamines are the treatment of choice. For many, this controls the hives. If patients are refractory to antihistamines, your doctor may consider other drugs such as Leukotriene blockers or immunomodulatory drugs such as plaquenil or cyclosporine. These drugs have side effects that need to be closely monitored. In my experience, avoiding histamine containing foods has not been helpful for patients. Also, chronic prednisone use can lead to other unwanted side-effects and it does not induce remission. About half of patients with chronic hives have measurable autoantibodies against the IgE receptor on mast cells. It is not known if these autoantibodies cause the disease; it is more likely they are just a marker of either an autoimmune propensity or proclivity to hive formation.

I know this was 2 years ago but I have autoimmune hives now and all that works for now is prednisone. I know i cannot use this long term but what combination of antihistamines would you suggest? I have tried Clarinex (2xday) atarax at night,zantac (2x a day) and I have tried Xyzal once a day, zantac 2 times a day and atarax at night. Neither of those worked....What antihistamines would you suggest and will this go into remission with any of them?
SIncerely
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