huge increase in sensitivity and allergies due to jellyfish sting?

[monilu891]

I have always had slight dust allergies, ie: itchy throat esp at night, getting colds and bronchitis more often than most, etc. but then a couple years ago I was stung (a very tiny sting on the leg) by a jellyfish and had a very bad allergic reaction that led to being on Zirtec for a month. Since then it seems my "regular" allergies have gotten much worse and I can't seem to get off the Zirtec! Is this normal? Can a strong allergic reaction trigger an increase in general sensitivity to allergens? Or am I just going through Zirtec withdrawl and should I try to get off  of it?

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

The jelly fish sting could be another allergen, more potent one. However, cross reactions may not occur between the sting and the dust mite allergy. I would suggest you obtain a referral to an allergist or an ENT who does allergy testing.  That is the only way to reliably know what is causing your allergic reaction.  Some allergies can be life-threatening as they can precipitate anaphylactic shock in which the swelling can be so severe that it impairs the ability to breathe.  Therefore, I would suggest you see someone as soon as possible.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[monilu891]

Thank you for the response! The thing is, every time I stop the antihistamines, I start getting incredible itching in the back of my throat, which then leads to a feeling of swollen tounge, itchy (especially hands), sneezing... etc. (would not mind sneezing but the itchy throat and feeling of not getting "air" is difficult to bear for long.
I have always had some sort of mild dust mite allergy (I resulty positive for this) but the jellyfish sting made them way worse? Is this possible? I don't like taking these antihistamines each day and I can't really do decent allergy tests because I can't stop taking the medication long enough to get clear results... help!

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

If there are no allergic symptoms at present, you could stop the anti histamines. On exposure to the allergen, an Immunologic (IgE) or a non-immunologic reaction is set in process, which ultimately releases histamine, which acts at the peripheral receptors, resulting in allergic reactions and rashes. So, if there are no allergic triggers, antihistamines are not needed.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.