Anyone Else With Allodynia Flareups?

[flowntheloop]

I have some form of tactile allodynia, and I was wondering if anyone else here has a similar experience.

I've talked to my GP about it on multiple occasions, and he has just shrugged it off (like many of my other symptoms, unfortunately). It usually starts as a small, highly sensitive patch of skin on my face or arm and spreads across the majority of my body;  it feels like a sunburn that is bone deep. It hurts on its own, but it can be absolutely excruciating if I am touched by my clothing, etc. This symptom usually indicates the beginning of a "flare" for me. It precedes extreme fatigue, muscle/joint pain, difficulty lifting my limbs/moving, exacerbation of my tachycardia, and difficulty with my grip and dexterity. These flares typically last 2-3 days. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[Rexie]

I usually always have hyperesthesia and quite too often allodynia. I use Himalaya ashwagandha root herb and passion flower herb which both help increase GABA to make life tolerable. Tames this stuff right down. If a patch of sudden itch turns painful Benadryl works for me on top of the herbs.

Now if I could only look more fashionable in loose clothing I’d be styling!

[flowntheloop]

12 hours ago, Rexie said:

I usually always have hyperesthesia and quite too often allodynia. I use Himalaya ashwagandha root herb and passion flower herb which both help increase GABA to make life tolerable. Tames this stuff right down. If a patch of sudden itch turns painful Benadryl works for me on top of the herbs.

Now if I could only look more fashionable in loose clothing I’d be styling!

I'm pretty sensitive to herbs, so I'd be nervous to try those. I think I may have had passion flower with no effect in the past, however. I cannot take Benadryl (unless I'm dying) as it causes severe GI symptoms (I have motility issues). I think I'm more concerned about what follows my allodynia episodes than the actual allodynia? I use cool (not fully frozen) ice packs on really bad spots when it flares, but nothing else really helps that part. Do you have any symptoms following your allodynia flares?

[Rexie]

You asked: "Do you have any symptoms following your allodynia flares?" 

With me, the extreme hyperesthesia (too sensitive to touch, sounds too loud, light too bright, etc.) and allodynia are exaggerated by too much movement and/or stress. They are part of a flare of everything (muscle pain and spasms, stiffness, low blood pressure from CRPS) when I am over-done. Like last night after a very busy day where I was not able to self-pace effectively due to work and meeting new people. After a busy period sometimes I just need to sit quietly in low light and not move. I'll usually read, edit photos, or play phone games as a mental get-away or just crash for a bit until better. Then I'm good to go again. Cannabis products are nice for hyperesthesia, turning these errant sensations into more fun sensations or allowing one to get above the fray. In general, cannabis is well tolerated and safe. Alternately, chamomile tea is a nice relaxant as well as being a good tummy soother. Chamomile’s anti-anxiety and mild sedative effects are attributed to its constituent apigenin, a flavonoid that binds to benzodiazepine receptors and potentiates the activity at GABA-A receptors. I sometimes drink chamomile at night - it helps the hyperesthesia and allodynia and makes for longer, more restful sleep with no morning after drag. 

Frankincense is a nice essential oil (20% in jojoba carrier oil) with analgesic, tranquilizing, and anti-bacterial effects. It is used for the treatment of rheumatic and other inflammatory diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In the digestive system frankincense is a stimulant, gas repellent and a catalyst for the appetite; it has been found to increase the flow of digestive juices, thus leading to improvement in digestion and absorption. I just started using frankincense as an excellent winter skin emollient (with an bit of an over-all energizing effect), and because I was always curious about how it smells - sort of spicy with an undertone of pine (the aroma dissipates rapidly). You might like it for your GI issues, depending on what challenges you are having. 

You would not catch me with ice on my body. I don't even make ice cubes here. I like warmth and a purring Devon Rex kitty snuggled close under my neck. 

Cheers!

Apigenin, a Component of Matricaria recutita Flowers, is a Central Benzodiazepine Receptors-Ligand with Anxiolytic Effects, H. Viola, C. Wasowski, M. Levi de Stein, C. Wolfman, R. Silveira, F. Dajas, J. H. Medina, A. C. Paladini, Planta Med, Vol 61(3), pp. 213-216; 1995

Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future, Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S., Mol Med Rep., Vol. 3(6), pp. 895-901; 2010
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/ 

The Therapeutic Potential of Apigenin, Salehi B, Venditti A, Sharifi-Rad M, et al, Int J Mol Sci., Vol. 20(6), p. 1305; 2019
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6472148/ 

Frankincense - therapeutic properties, Al-Yasiry, Ali & Kiczorowska, Bożena, Postępy Higieny i Medycyny Doświadczalnej, Advances in Hygiene and Experimental Medicine, Vol. 70; 2016: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292140720_Frankincense_-_therapeutic_properties 

Volatile composition and antimicrobial activity of twenty commercial frankincense essential oil samples, S.F. Van Vuuren, G.P.P. Kamatou, A.M. Viljoen, South African Journal of Botany, Vol. 76, Issue 4, pp. 686-691; 2010: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254629910001705#bib42