Ketosis urticaria Antihistamines weight loss Atkins Cambridg

Emma178 · Newbie Joined: 11 Mar 2007 Posts: 2

Hi

I have been diagnosed with Urticaria now for several months and been put on high doses of H1 and H2 blockers to stop the rash.

When I first had the initial rash signs I was about 3 weeks into the Atkins diet. Due to the stress of the rash which eventually spread all over me I gave up the diet. Eventually (and we thought due to the medication) the rash left but I tried to stop taking the antihistamines and it would creep back (all of this while on a normal diet).

I have now turned to another ketosis state diet with pre-made shakes and 1 week in my Urticaria rash is back. From the last three days it has gone to 1-2 areas of break out to 10-15 areas.

It seems to me that there is somewhat of an 'accelerated' reaction when I do the dieting however I cannot find anyone on these types of diet that has been effected by a Chronic Urticaria because of the food they are chosing to eat.

So just wondering if anyone knew of ketosis making your body give you an allegy rash?

imie · Newbie Joined: 06 Apr 2007 Posts: 2

Hi. I can't believe that I came across your post about urticaria & weight loss. I have been searching for such a posting for years. I have been going through a very similar experience for the last 7 years on and off, any time I try to lose weight. It initially started out with the Atkins diet, but now, it occurs whenever I hit a 2 lb. weight loss by any means. That includes intentional or unintentional weight loss.

I have seen 11 dermitologists and two allergists, to no avail. It's as if my body freaks out at the prospect of losing weight or is allergic to a byproduct of fat breakdown. It has been an extremely frustrating experience. I have had full blood workups done and have been told that my levels are "ideal" across the board. I would love to hear if anything worked for you.

All the best.
-Imie

Guest · Guest

Wow! I can't believe what I am reading. My wife started Nutrysystem few months and maybe about two weeks later she developed urticaria. I never conected both together until I noticed the rash was not getting better. In fact I think it was getting worse. Now that I know there is people like my wife, now I believe there is a connection. I do not know which is the patho-physiology of it, but I think it has to do with the Ketogenic state that you get when you diet stickly. I don't know?!! Anyway, I hope everybody gets better. Thanks!

KafkaMichael1 · Newbie Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 3

I had this same issue. Every time I would lose more than five pounds I would develop a painful rash. If I kept losing weight, it would worsen into angioedema -- badly swollen hands, feet, lips, eyelids, tongue, and throat. Eventually, it would get bad enough that I'd wind up in the ER, with IV steroids and antihistamines. The only way to fix it was to gain the weight again. I just kept getting fatter and fatter. I took Claritin, Benadryl, and Zantac to somewhat control it. However, I only fixed the problem when I supplemented that with fairly large doses of spirulina. Since I started that, I haven't had any problems, and I've dropped 18 pounds so far. Let me know if this helps.

KafkaMichael1 · Newbie Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 3

Spirulina apparently has some effect on mast-cell degranulation. I'm not sure how much research there's been on this, but I think when you break down fat, there's mast cell degranulation that releases histamines, triggering uticaria and angioedema. When I read about that, I figured it was at least worth a try. I'm not much of a fan of alternative medicine, but it's hard to argue with success. After four years of dealing with this problem, it seems to be gone.

Guest · Guest

Not sure if I had the same rash as you all , but i developed one while on Atkins. Everywhere!!! The rash turned out to be an allergy to the sweetener I was using " Splenda" I switched to a different type & all cleared up. It took a while to figure that out, but 30lbs later still no rash! Good lucK.

Looking4Answers · Newbie Joined: 08 Dec 2007 Posts: 1

Hello all,
I too was glad to come across these posts. I started Atkins 2 weeks ago, went into ketosis quickly and have lost 10 lbs in the past two weeks. I've never had a rash before and now I do (started a few days ago) - red, itchy rased bumps/hives under both arms. I've decide to cut out all splenda, vinegar, mushrooms, eggs, cheeses and hope it will help. If not, its time to consider anti-yeast supplements/meds. Hopefully, these steps will help.

Guest · Guest

Holy crap! Me too! I mean, I developed a strange rash during the Atkings diet too. Everyone seems to think it must be a food allergy but I'm not so sure. I've tried this diet three times in the past 12 years and each time I develop the same rash.

First time I thought it was an allergy to some sort of soap or lotion, so I stopped using it. Years later I tried the diet again, developed same rash, thought I was allergic to salmon so I stopped eating it. Years later again, I tried the diet and have been in it for about 7 days and the rash is back again.

All three times the rash has attacked by abdomen area up to my breasts. The rash is itchy as hell and if I'm not careful, I'll scratch myself raw. I keep reading that maybe its the Splenda, but the first time I tried the diet in 1996 Splenda was not available and I used Equal, ironically, I got the rash of doom equally.

Guest · Guest

I too have this rash on the upper torso that started after I began a low-carb diet with lots of vitamin supplements. I had this same rash 3 years ago when I first started Atkins. My dermatologist thought it might be new clothes, soaps or lotions. It eventually went away on its own. I just started back on a low-carb diet and have began taking vitamin supplements again and the rash is back. I'm convinced it's related to the low-carb detoxing/ketosis process now. Interestingly, the rash seems to match closely to my sports bra and is in my armpits, so I think I'm sweating out toxins on this diet that are irritating my skin. Hopefully the rash will go away on its own like last time.

Guest · Guest

Yes, I've experienced this too - for years. I am not overweight, but I was 20 pounds over years ago. I still don't eat many grain carbs and I do not eat processed foods - just out of taste preference. But if I have a day that I skip a meal because of circumstance (traveling or something), I get the beginning of the rash. All iI have to do is eat some grains - like cooked Kashi or even a few Finn rye crackers - for a couple of days and the rash recedes. You DO NOT have to gain weight back to reduce the rash! Nor do you need to halt your dieting efforts - just be balanced about it.

Ketosis urticaria Antihistamines weight loss Atkins Cambridg

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