Exercise Induced Urticaria....help me!

[amber10]

I have been diagnosed with exercise induced urticaria.  I am a college student who developed my symptoms only 3 months ago. I get this itchy red rash when i sweat, and I get hives when i sweat in the water.  Claritin does not help, and I refused to take Prednisone from my doctor (for many reasons).  Ive traveled to a lot of tropical places, so i took a natural anti-parasite medication, but it did not help.  Is there a correlation between urticaria and a yeast overload?  Also, where should i go next to try and relieve this problem? Thanks!

[Lornalieberman]

Take the medication at least 8 hours prior to working out.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
In exercise induced urticaria, most symptoms can be controlled by taking antihistaminics like benadryl or Claritin or zyrtec. Slow down or stop your exercise as soon as symptoms start. You should always exercise with a partner who knows about your condition.

In some people, eating certain foods before exercise may make allergic symptoms more likely to occur. Keep track of what you eat before exercising for a few weeks. If you notice a pattern to your symptoms that seems related to a certain food, stop eating it for a while and see if the hives stop.Also, do not exercise for 4 to 6 hours after you eat.

You should stop exercising as soon as you notice the hives. If the hives don't go away in 5 to 10 minutes, or if you have other symptoms, call your doctor right away. It can be Exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

Also wear medical alert jewelry or ID tags describing the condition and sensitive substances and always carry a self-injectable epinephrine kit (Epi pen).

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.