Jump to content

Cholinergic Urticaria-- Random Hives


mkoven

Recommended Posts

for the past year, i've had this. usually kicks in in the week before my period. i'll feel my head itch, then i'll get very itchy/stingy red splotches all over my arms and then legs. Lasts a little over an hour, if I pop two benadryl and slather my arms with cortisone cream. really annoying,as I have to be still till it passes, as any movement, heat, friction (even clothes against skin) exacerbates. I already take allegra. anyone else have this? i'm otherwise allergy prone, but this seems internally/hormonally generated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

I am having a random hives issue right now. They are on my chest. My doctor doesn't know what is causing them but they are sooooo itchy. It's like they are itchy, then sometimes not so bad. I wish they would go away! I take Zyrtec every day. A hormonal issues sounds interesting. How do you investigate this?

Angela

Link to comment
Share on other sites

like all things, they get worse or come on as I get closer to my period. my doc believes me but what are we to do, as i refuse the bcp. i just keep benadryl, cortisone cream, and my epipen nearby. sigh. i guess weird dilation/constriction of vessels doesn't help, as i hear mine is brouhgt on by mast cells reacting to temp changes that trigger blood vessel changes that trigger reaction???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm still trying to figure this one out.

Lately when I go to work on this one unit I start itching everywhere and my lips feel puffy.

I never had a problem there before, I don't know if it's something in the room I sit in or the window was open whether it was a plant outside but then it starts making me feel crappy.

I mean really crappy like heart racing stuff and feeling as if I'll pass out.

Now that you mention it I was having my period that day and it happened two days in a row.

So I do know that it is some type of histamine response and that's all I know at this point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've really only had consistently symptomatic POTS since 2006, and bad allergy stuff since then. But I've had allergies and probably some CU since I was little. I remember when I was little that my legs used to itch like crazy when I'd walk fast, and a couple other totally random turn bright red/itch all over episodes in my teens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's what I experienced! For 8 months I suffered from random, unexplained itchiness on the back of my legs near my butt. During an "attack" though if I scratched my skin at all, a new hive would form there. It would spread all over my body. None of my doctors had any idea, so I just went on suffering with it for a long time.

Fast forward a few months. The attacks weren't as frequent, but still quite frustrating when they'd come on. I decided I'd try eliminating certain foods from my diet that came back positive on a IgG test. Since I've cut out the foods with the highest reactions, I haven't had a single "attack" since (UNLESS I goof up and accidentally eat one of the foods). No hives or unexplained itchiness. I haven't had to take a zyrtec for about 8 months which is simply amazing considering I HAD to take it every day or I'd be miserable. This is something to think about! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

for the past year, i've had this. usually kicks in in the week before my period. i'll feel my head itch, then i'll get very itchy/stingy red splotches all over my arms and then legs. Lasts a little over an hour, if I pop two benadryl and slather my arms with cortisone cream. really annoying,as I have to be still till it passes, as any movement, heat, friction (even clothes against skin) exacerbates. I already take allegra. anyone else have this? i'm otherwise allergy prone, but this seems internally/hormonally generated.

Yes, been there too. My menstrual cycle definitely worsened all of my MCAD symptoms. When I was covered in hives and ready to jump in front of a car :lol: , my allergist prescribed atarax to be taken at night. It helped so much. It makes some folks sleepy- for me, a little maybe, but it really helped stabilize all of my MCAD symptoms- hives, swollen throat, tight chest, tachy, low BP... For some reason, benadryl does little to help with this. Zyrtec seems to do more. My allergist lets me take several zyrtec during the day if I need them. Take note: 25 mg atarax is the equivalent of 2.5 10mg zyrtec .

Hope it stops itching soon. I KNOW how miserable that can be :)

Hugs-

Julie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

I am having a random hives issue right now. They are on my chest. My doctor doesn't know what is causing them but they are sooooo itchy. It's like they are itchy, then sometimes not so bad. I wish they would go away! I take Zyrtec every day. A hormonal issues sounds interesting. How do you investigate this?

Angela

Hi Angelika-

Please read my reply to mkoven. I think it may apply to you too :lol: . The hives combined with the pain upon breathing in (chest tightness) is further evidence that you would benefit from a leuketreine, like singulair. I suffered with what you describe for years before I figured it out. Singulair brings almost instant relief to the chest tightness.

Zyrtec duirng the day is good. Consider talking with your doc about trying atarax at night. Out of curiosity, are you taking zantac or ranitidine?

All the best-

Julie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Julie, I am taking Protonix... Why do you ask this? Should I be afraid? :lol:

No, No, No! I was just thinking in terms of calming your mast cells down. Zantac or ranitidine is an H-2 blocker. Protonix is not, it's a PPI. PPI's generally work better at controlling acid. Some patients (like my son) add a zantac to their PPI to calm down mast cells, especially when combined with an H-1, like zyrtec.

In light of your new symptoms, you really should pop in to see your doc. Let us know what he/she says.

Hugs-

Julie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still get them randomly sometimes and it's not really tied to the same thing. I'll eat something, get hives, eat it again and not have hives from the next few times eating. I get them if I'm hot. Or from the shower.

Also - I had a bad 'cry' the other day (I know, I know...it was one of those days, really)...and when I went in the bathroom I was covered with bright red hives all over my chest area. Then I laughed. And tried not to itch.

I've been to a couple allergists and take a Zyrtec and Zantac daily, and a Benadryl if things totally get out of control. Still no idea why these happen. So I can feel for everyone. :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get random hives, but not so much now that I'm on the combo of benedryl, zyrtec, and singulair. But, I do still get them, in fact TODAY, so your post was timely! Got them on my forearms which tend to be one my starting places.

Nina

Link to comment
Share on other sites

then i'll get very itchy/stingy red splotches all over my arms and then legs. Lasts a little over an hour, if I pop two benadryl and slather my arms with cortisone cream. really annoying,as I have to be still till it passes, as any movement, heat, friction (even clothes against skin) exacerbates. I already take allegra. anyone else have this? i'm otherwise allergy prone, but this seems internally/hormonally generated.

When my daughter was in the most acute stages of her POTS she had a lot of trouble with outbreaks of hives. Her back would sometimes be nearly completely covered, and they would come for no apparent reason. One time before the POTS diagnosis when we were desperately searching for answers for all of her symptoms, we actually went to a hotel for the weekend, thinking that perhaps something in our house was causing her wide array of strange symptoms. When we tried to get her in the pool, she just stood in the water for a few minutes and when she got out, she was covered in hives everywhere the water had touched her. Later that night she broke out again, seeming to be precipitated by the bedspread in the hotel. When she was diagnosed with POTS a few weeks later, the doctor said that this was all part of the POTS and he gave her hydroxyzine to take with outbreaks. She only had these particular symptoms when she was at the most severe stages. During this time she also had severe hot flashes that would come in waves, usually late afternoon and evening. Our son has only occasionally had a single hive, never the outbreaks like this, but he has the hot flashes on a regular basis, usually in the evening.

A malfunctioning ANS can do lots of strange things!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Mkoven,

My allergist/immunologist (I'm plagued with hives) is the doctor that recommended I go see the specialist who finally diagnosed me with POTS. I've also had anapylactic reactions, anaphylactoid reactions, and also have red burning skin skin sensations which make my skin very sensitive to clothing, touch etc. It can hurt, at times and I get miserable. I also have three very small hives on between my right eye and temple. At times they grow into definate hive appearance and most other times they are just three really small bumps -- I can hardly feel them.

With the worst hive reactions I need to take a course of prednisone and zyrtec (H1) as well as ranitidine (H2). Periactin (an older generation antihistmine) was very helpful and I used to take it daily (it used to also help my migraines) but it stopped helping my migraines and wreaks havoc on my already chronically constipated state.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When my daughter was in the most acute stages of her POTS she had a lot of trouble with outbreaks of hives. Her back would sometimes be nearly completely covered, and they would come for no apparent reason. One time before the POTS diagnosis when we were desperately searching for answers for all of her symptoms, we actually went to a hotel for the weekend, thinking that perhaps something in our house was causing her wide array of strange symptoms. When we tried to get her in the pool, she just stood in the water for a few minutes and when she got out, she was covered in hives everywhere the water had touched her. Later that night she broke out again, seeming to be precipitated by the bedspread in the hotel. When she was diagnosed with POTS a few weeks later, the doctor said that this was all part of the POTS and he gave her hydroxyzine to take with outbreaks. She only had these particular symptoms when she was at the most severe stages. During this time she also had severe hot flashes that would come in waves, usually late afternoon and evening. Our son has only occasionally had a single hive, never the outbreaks like this, but he has the hot flashes on a regular basis, usually in the evening.

A malfunctioning ANS can do lots of strange things!

Out of curiosity, does your daughter have any allergies that you know of? Has she had traditional allergy testing- skin or RAST? Is her IgE elevated? Forgive so many questions, but her symptoms sound similar to mine. I'm DXed with Mast Cell Activation Disorder/MCAD. It is a cause of POTS.

Julie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you kidding me?

I have this problem as well and never know why. I get small bumps everywhere on my body and it itches liek crazy, especially when it touches anything. I usually have them at nights. So I have to shed clothing and itch all over. One of my worst episodes of breakout happened last night. I get splotches of red but with notable flea-bite looking bumps.

I never knew these kinds of things could be related to dysautonomia or POTS.

I am amazed. :\

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...