Getting rid of hives when I am allergic to antihistamines

SP mom of 3 · Newbie Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 6

Hi. I am a 38 year old female that is struggling with hives. Long story as short as possible--In 2000, I came down with hives for no known reason, so naturally I went to the doctor. He prescribed Benadryl, which made things 100 times worse. Over the next few months, I was referred to numerous allergists who were puzzled that antihistamines did not work, and even made the hives worse. I tried all of the medications commonly prescribed--Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec, Singulair, and even combinations of these meds with Tagamet, Zantac, etc. So after spending countless hours in the doctor's offices, trying all sorts of medicines that actually compounded the hives, not to mention, being drained both emotionally and financially, I was at my wit's end! Finally, one doctor, after numerous blood tests, scratch tests, and expensive doctor's visits determined that I was indeed allergic to antihistamines. So, he started me on a regimen of prednisone where I would take one tablet on one day and two the next day, etc. That helped me cope, but did not get rid of the hives completely. And, as you know, the side effects of prednisone are not good, and prednisone cannot be taken indefinitely. But, the prednisone was helping. Then, a couple of years later, my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first child! Throughout the pregnancy, I did not have any outbreaks of hives. It was wonderful. Everything went great during the pregnancy, delivery, and after delivery, the hives did not return. (This led me to believe that the hives were affected by hormones.) Then, in 2006, we had a set of twins! Again during this pregnancy, no hives. We thought we had seen our last case of hives. But, just last month, they returned. We are so devastated. The only thing that seemed to get rid of them were my pregnancies, but that is not an option any longer since my husband have taken surgical steps to prevent any other pregnancies. (We are blessed with 3 healthy children and that is enough!) And, the doctor that prescribed the prednisone treatment is no longer practicing medicine, and our family doctor has retired. Therefore, I do not have a family physician. Is there any one out there who can help? Like I stated earlier, antihistamines are not an option because I have been diagnosed with an allergy to them.
I am at the point of desperation. I teach elementary school, so the stress aggravates the hives, not to mention the embarrassment of them! Could someone please help me to get rid of these hives, once and for all, without antihistamines??? Thanks.

Sara Fox · Newbie Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 1 Location: London

I have been suffering from hives for 11 years. There are months, somtimes as long as a year when the condition does not appear. However when it returns it will last for months. I have had blood and Ige tests to determine whether it is food related, however all these tests have come back negative. On many occasions I have been prescibed antihistamines and each time they made the hives worse. One of the common ingredients were E171 and other colourings. I then was prescibed an antihistamines that did not contain any colourings but I still reacted to them badly. I was given a course of Prenisone and that particular bout cleared up. Four months ago I took asprin by error as I knew I had to avoid both asprin and ibuprofen. (They were paracetamol plus which contained asprin). The hives returned. I have just seen the skin specialist again and she has given me another course of Prenisone. Obviously this cannot be the only way to treat this condition? I am now awaiting for a breath test to determine whether I have the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori as this has been proposed as a possible cause of chronic urticaria. If this is the cause a certain type of antibiotic can be taken to treat this bacteria. I have always said to doctors and skin specialists that when the urticaria first appaers I get a very warm feeling in my stomach. The physical signs are not the only sympton. I have also had urinary tract infections which are another symptom of this bacteria. It is just so frustrating as I have never really had all the tests possible to eradicate this annoying (to say the least) allergy. It has taken lots of time, patience and money to get this far. However I am still none the wiser. Thanks

SP mom of 3 · Newbie Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 6

Hi. Trust me--I know how frustrating, annoying, and especially disappointing to think that you have finally pin-pointed the cause of hives, only to have them return or get worse. I am very interested in hearing how your breath test turns out. Maybe that could be the cause of my symptoms, too???? Like you, I also have "feelings" in my stomach when I have a particularly bad outbreak. Istead of feeling warm, however, I have a sick, nauseous feeling. All of the doctors I have seen have just surmised that it is because of the allergic reactions that my body is having. Please keep us posted on how the test results turn out. Maybe that is something that others of us need to pursue. Good luck!

Aud · Newbie Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Posts: 1

I too, suffer with chronic hives. I am also very interested in hearing about this breath test. I have hives constantly for 7 years growing up. They disappeared for 4.5 years and I thought I "outgrew" them as many doctors and website states can happen. Well, three weeks ago they returned and I've had hives every day for almost a month now. My eyes swell shut, my lips get huge, my arms, legs...every inch of my body is covered. I have seen LOTS of allergists, tried zyrtec, clariton, benadryl and even get two allergy shots per week. Nothing rids them. It gets so aggrevating which in turn gets depressing. I hate that I can be out enjoying myself and turn into the elephant man within seconds. It's unbelievable that there is no cure for something that is so disruptive to every day life.

mrmc5549 · Newbie Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 2

Hi, everyone - I am glad to find your posts simply to know that I am not alone in this misery called hives. I've had them for almost 3 months now, and have tried a myriad of antihistamines and nothing works (a sampling of what I've tried: clarinex, singular, doxepin, xyzal, atarax). Sometimes I think the meds are making things worse because they elevate my stress and anxiety levels. I have a friend who also suffers from hives but went off the meds because they were driving her to the point of being non-functioning (and she has four young children). There are days when I can't function and feel so blurry and out of it, so I've questioned going off the medications too. Has anyone gone cold turkey and just decided to see what happens? My hives are the worst when I wake up, and it takes all my might not to scratch them all day. My lips swell on average 2x a week. I'm really tired of being tired. I have three kids (ages 5, 7, 9), and they need me, but in the state I'm in, I can't be there for them. I've never had hives before this. The only skin thing I've had is eczema during my third pregnancy. That resolved itself after I had the baby. I called my OB/GYN to see if I could have my hormone levels tested, but I was told that the hives couldn't be related to hormones and to just keep seeing my dermatologist. I've wondered if I should go on the Pill to see if that helps with hormones, mood, etc, but I'm exhausted at the thought of trying something new. I appreciate this forum for me to vent my frustrations! Hope we all get relief soon!

SP mom of 3 · Newbie Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 6

Hi. Me again. This is in response to mrmc5549's post. Like you, I felt "out of it" when taking all of those antihistamines, not a good thing with twin babies and a 3 year old! Plus, like I stated in my first post, the antihistamines actually made the hives worse. One day, I just woke up and decided that I had had enough of the tiredness, the "cloudy headed" feelings, and the high costs of antihistamines which were not helping anyway. Honestly, the hives did not get any worse when I stopped taking them. They were still there, but I could not tell that they got any worse. (Like I said in my original post, one allergist had confirmed that I was indeed allergic to antihistamines. But, looking back on it, I just wonder if he had exhausted all treatment options and did not know of anything else to try for me????) Even though the hives were still there, I did feel more alert and more in control of my environment after stopping the antihistamines. Although I am not a doctor and would not want to offer anyone any unsolicited advice, I will just say that, for me, stopping the antihistamines was a good decision for me. Good luck to mrmc5549. I understand completely what you are going through. If you have not experienced this awful condition, you really cannot understand how bothersome and frustrating they are. Trust me--I know all too well and I feel for anyone else that is fighting this same battle!

mrmc5549 · Newbie Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 2

SP mom, I appreciate your feedback. It's true that if you haven't dealt with hives, you'd have no idea how awful it can be. My allergist told me an interesting tidbit: in a study to detect stress levels of patients, a researcher found that people who have chronic hives have the same amount of stress as people getting ready for bypass surgery. While knowing that doesn't do much for me, I did feel like my doctor "got it" when I told him how I'd been feeling. I'm feeling way better today after taking just a half dose of my usual nighttime antihistamine. My hives are still here and bothersome, but being in a better state of mind helps me get through the day much easier. I'm thinking I'm going to taper off of everything and just see how it all goes. If I can stay mentally "with it," that will be an improvement! I'll keep you posted as to how things go in the next week or so. SP, hang in there, especially with the kids. My boys are older and don't need quite the same amount of me physically (diapers, baths, etc), but they still require Mom to keep their day going as normal. One more thing: my allergist labeled me "antihistamine resistant" and suggested I try Dapsone, a drug developed for malaria and leprosy. I'm very reluctant to try that at this point as you have to have your blood tested at 2 weeks and then monthly intervals (it can cause your blood count to go down). I'm an otherwise healthy 38 year old, and I just don't want to take something so strong. If I get desperate, I guess that's an option, but right now I'd much rather do yoga, acupuncture and eat healthy (and this is coming from someone who usually isn't so health conscious!) then try a big drug like that.

Guest · Guest

I am 42, male. I got hives about a month ago. No apparent cause. But it all stared after my surgery in which I was given KEFLEX and Prednisone. It started about 12 days after the surgery. I tried every thing. Antihistamine etc. make it worse. They get worse at night. Prednisone work but ofcourse I can't take it for long time. Only other thing that work is homeopathic medicine. I am not cured totally but it help. I am using Hyland's Hives and Nettle/Quercetin from Eclectic Institute.
Good luck folks.

Guest · Guest

I have had the same problems as you and after 5 years of hives am ready to pull my hair out as well .... On and off for so long and the only relief is Prednisone. Not good, since they too give you issues, like moon face, weight gain, and sometimes hair growth... just added issues to me. I heard about a natural histamine blocker called Quercetin which is a natural vitamin supplement made with pigment that is found in leafy green vegetables. I am going to try it, maybe you should since you have the allergy to the medicine version.. I will let you know if I get any results. You can find it at GNC. It is suggested taking 500 mg twice a day.

trixo123 · Newbie Joined: 06 Aug 2008 Posts: 1

Wow! I am so sorry and relieved to hear all of your stories.
I thought I was the only freak out there. I can not believe all of our stories are so similar and the doctors all took the same steps- Which in turn all made us more miserable.

Today, I woke up and decided I had had enough. I didn't want to take all of those prescriptions anymore!(singulair, allegra, tagament-are my morning cocktail followed by singulair and tagament in the afternoon too.) this cocktail did work for about 6 months, but not any more.
Then I found this blog. You all haven't given me answers, but you have given me hope.
I am wondering what it is that is similar between all of us? There must be something we all do or have? Right?

My story:

I was always an allergic kid. I remember going with my mom to get allergy shots once a week from about 3rd grade on. I grew up and still live in southern California.

I came down with my first set of hives about 4 years ago. They were mainly on my face. So swollen and sore. The doctors never figured it out. They went away after a week or so.
The next year I got them on my chest and torso and lasted about 2 months.
And Last year was all over my body and they never went completeley away. They were very Concentrated on my legs and arms though. I would itch some much at night I would make myself bleed and have to change the sheets. My husband can't even sleep in the same bed with me itching all night.
My hives are much worse in the afternoon. My legs get very swollen and painful.
Anti itch creams make it worse. Showers are painful and I have to be very careful of the products I use in the shower. I have found that oils make it worse. (?)
The first doctors prescribed Predisone to me as well with a cortisone cream. Which help a little, not completely. I got cortisone shots, which seemed to help. ( I was so freaked out about the other complications though.)
I have had allergy tests and gone on the "Elimination Diet" too.
Nothing seems to really work.

Today I decided enough is enough. I do not like having all this "stuff" in my body. I am so tired of being of taking all this stuff.

And then I remembered.

Last month I remembered I was very sick with a cold and took some Mucinex instead of my prescribed cocktail. I felt much better and NO HIVES!!!
I think I am going to try that for a few days. I will let you know how it works for me.

Has anyone had any luck with any soaps or moisturizers???

I would love to know.

Good Luck Everybody.

We will find a way to fix this.

Best,

Trix

Getting rid of hives when I am allergic to antihistamines

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