Opposite effect from anithistamines?

[KiuneCailin]

I have been suffering from swelling feeling (very little actual swelling, just an intense feeling and pain) in my tongue, nasopharyx and mouth for almost six months. IgE levels are extremely high (7%) and allergic reaction was given to me as my diagnosis, however, what the allergen is was not known. Also, no other allergic signs such as runny nose, watery eyes, itching, hives, etc have been seen. Because of the localization of the swelling, it was though to be a food allergy, but no food ever brought on the symptoms in any type of pattern. One day a banana may cause it, the next a piece of bread and then a banana never cause a reaction again. It had no rhyme or reason. I was started on antihistamines (first Claritin, then switched to Zyrtec) by an ENT and have been taking them for at least six months now with absolutely no relief. The swelling feeling would come and go without a pattern during the day, occassionally skipping days and sometimes lasting for quite a few. A few weeks ago I got frustrated with the entire pattern and stopped taking the anithistamines because they were obviously not having an effect. What I got however, was that the swelling feeling and every pain has completely gone away. For the first time in six months I feel normal again. Obviously it is not normal, but can antihistamines have this opposite effect in people? It is completely counter-intuitive for the anithistamines to cause swelling, but the only things that changed is stopping them. No foods or drinks are any different now than they were two weeks ago. I still have two more months until I am back to the ENT, so hopefully this continues!

[KiuneCailin]

Thank you for your reply. In the past few months I have had my thyroid checked (small nodule being monitored, less than 6mm; TSH/T3/T4 all normal, checked twice), fasting glucose shows no diabetes, c1 and c4 inhibitor tests are normal and all CBC (3 or 4 by now) come back normal. The only result is a very high IgE level which is why allergy was the diagnosis. However, it has no rhyme or reason, nothing triggers it and it goes away on its own with time. The swelling (or at least feeling of swelling) is in my nasopharynx. I am being treated for GERD and take Zantac 150mg twice a day. I am starting to have more good days than bad and my energy level is back up to where it used to be. I am again able to sleep through the night and feel rested and also go an entire day running around and be able to handle it. At its worst I was exhausted and could barely make it through the work day (sometimes not even that), much less do anything else that I enjoyed in the evenings. My question is: if this is an allergy, why is it so sporadic? Even if I am sitting in my home and do not go anywhere during the day, eating the same foods I may have eaten yesterday, it will come and go. Thank you.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Unexplained swelling of the tongue and nasopharynx without any predisposing disease is frequently caused by allergies. Other possibilities may be acromegaly,Crohn’s disease,cardiac or renal disorders,herpes and myxedema.It is very difficult to make a diagnosis without examination.So pls get yourself examined by a physician and the diagnosis confirmed.Also sometimes angioedema can be life threatening when it involves the larynx and airways.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.