Serious hives for a week after extreme workout

[stradev]

I'm in my early 40s and have been dealing with recurring hives since high school. I've finally found what appears to be the cause, but I'm not sure what to do next. When I heavily use muscles that haven't really been exercised in a few weeks or more, I get very sharp pain in those muscles the next day or two. That's when I know the hives are going to come. Unlike most exercise-induced hives I've read about, the hives don't come when I exercise, but a day or two later - always after the sharp muscle pain. The first few times I got them they got so bad I ended up in the emergency room where they gave me epinephrin, etc. and they went away. The strange thing though, is that they came back again and again over the course of a week to a week and a half. Now that I can recognize them coming right away, I usually knock them out right away with a double dose of Benadryl, which I then have to take every 4 hours - tapering the dosage off over the course of the week. They still come back over the week, but they never get out of hand if I keep up with the antihistamine. So I can live with it if I have to, but the Benadryl does make me less productive and I'd really like to figure out how to eliminate them for good. I went to an allergist several years back and he wasn't particularly helpful. So for now, my best solution seems to be to exercise regularly enough to avoid the "new exercise program" pain that always seems to trigger the hives and then to have a good supply of Benadryl ready when they do come. I experience this week-long bout maybe 2-3 times a year now. Any ideas?

[stradev]

Hi,

As you see in all the previous posts, you're not alone. I have been dealing with the same problem you describe for many years without a complete solution. However, I do have a couple strategies: 1) Ease into exercise when you haven't done it for weeks/months. Slowly work up to a full, tough workout over the course of a few weeks so no single workout is such a shock to your body that the hives come. 2) Be prepared to knock them out immediately. Depending on the severity, I take anything from a Loratadine to several Benadryls right away when I see them starting (super-fast - don't wait). Then continue taking the antihistamine on a regular basis (1-2 per day with the Loratadine or every 4 hours with the Benadryl) for anywhere from a couple days to a week and a half, tapering off the dosage until stopping. For me, the dosage and time is really dependent upon the severity of the outbreak and how quickly I started the antihistamine. It took me a while to be able to figure out how bad a reaction was and how aggressively to treat it - with the degree of soreness and overall feeling in my body being the primary indicators. The first approach is much better since #2 can seriously impact your life. But when the hives do come, the second answer is the only way I've found to keep them under control and prevent them from getting really bad. Hope that helps. Let us know if you discover anything else.

-V

[Rustychuck]

Hi there

I am new to this forum but I can believe I have found similar people who have exactly the same symptoms as me.  Like you if I exercise regularly then I don't have an onset of hives, however, if I exercise and work hard with weights then my muscles really hurt and hives appear a few hours later.  I did a new weight workout two days ago and I'm still suffering today.  When I go to bed the hives don't appear but as soon as I get up again they re-appear.  The hives are definitely not brought on by heat and I really wish people would stop saying that they are.  We know our bodies and when the hives come on - I think doctors are sometimes so quick to give a quick answer without finding out the facts first.
Iam treating my hives at the moment with loratadine which is ok but Asia can only take one 10mg tablet a day, I find the hives come back a little during the day and go again.  I know that the hives will probably persist until the soreness goes away which will hopefully be soon!  
Does anyone have any answers please??

[Hook84]

Hello,
I havn't been on here for some time so I apologise for that. To give you a little update, I have had various blood tests for auto immune problems, I've had blood counts done etc and they can't find any problems with them systems. The lactic acid thing mentioned earlier is quite intriguing. I have been told though that lactic acid is not the cause for delayed onset muscle soreness, because that is caused my microscopic tears in the muscle fibres. I have stayed pretty much away from any exercise apart from a little bit of football which hasn't caused me much problem to be fair, however I havnt played to my full potential and given it my all because I am conscious of the hives coming up. I am still prescribed an epi-pen in the event of a severe reaction. I am taking a 10mg cetrizine tablet a day but I don't think that is doing anything I think me not exercising is preventing anything happening. I have recently taken up boxing and today I have had my first reaction for a while, I have had muscle fatigue since Friday but today the fatigue had more or less gone but I still got the swelling. It started on my nose face area and I could feel it pulsating, I don't know if you get this feeling. I am going to be speaking to my consultant again to see if I can get stronger tablets because I just can't not exercise. One doctor said to me we may never find the reason why it is happening but when you die a post mortem may show something up! I could not believe that some how I think it may be to late then.
Hope to hear from you soon

[stradev]

Thanks for the reminder. I did get a response from my doctor and here's what he said:

"Interesting.  I cannot find this reference when I search the scientific medical lit, but that doesn't mean it is isn't possible.  You'll need to discuss with whomever manages your hives.  But because this is outside our usual wheelhouse, I suggest that before that visit you find out from the responder what was tested and / or whether they just did a trial of high dose vitamins B6 and 12.  Let me know if it makes a difference or if you find any scientific literature on the topic."

I have been exercising regularly for some time now and have not had to deal with the hives as a result. And as we often do, when it's not a pressing concern, I put it on the back burner.

So the real story is that I've gotten a bit lazy on trying to get to the bottom of this and have instead made sure to keep exercising and avoid the problem altogether. So long as I avoid a sudden change in exercise where a part of my body has severe muscle repair and the associated pain, I avoid the hives. I know there will come a time though when I skip exercising for a while and it will happen again. Have you learned anything about it that might help us? If nothing else, It's good to talk with others that have the same issue.

[pequenaana]

Hi Stratedv,

Just wondering if you have any updates since you  forwarded mike4872 to your doctor. Like yourselves I have been suffering with the exact same symptoms for years and every time I tell the doctors about the hives and mytheory they look at me amazed saying that they never heard of it, so annoying!!! I just wish I knew how to prevent it from happening...

[stradev]

Thanks so much for the response. I've forwarded the information you shared to my doctor and am now awaiting his response.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again,
Vance