Chronic Hives..driving me nuts!!

[woody21]

I'm a 29 y.o female who has had hives 9 months.  When I first saw my doctor he gave me a course of steroids, that didn't help at all.  I have tried all sorts of antihistamines... Zyrtec, Claritin and now i'm trying Chlor-Trimeton. All of them not helping much anymore.  I have read article after article about hives and the more I read the more down I feel about it.. not being able to find a cause.
I have had an allergy test and I have high allergy to dust mites.  How can you totally free your home of dust mites!  I have used Tea Tree oil in my washing machine for my towels, bed sheets and clothes.  I have had a blood test, which was pointless.  I'm not sure what else to do.. you forget what it was like to be itch-free!  My hives started on my back.. extreme fiery red itch.  But recently it hasn't been on my back at all.. its now my arms and my legs, occasionally my chest and tummy.  Extremely itchy, very warm and alot of welts.  Its driving me nuts!! People say "it will take its course", well i can say for myself and i bet alot of others, its not that easy.. it is EXTREMELY uncomfortable.. extremely!
I have read about Quercetin, a natural antihistamine.  Has anyone tried this at all and has helped relieve there hives?  I have also read Mint helps and also Sandalwood oil helps too.  I prefer natural remedies personally but I will do whatever for them to go away for good.  
Has anyone had relief from doing a Total Detoxification program at all? A remember reading a gentleman's log and he had gone to India for AYURVEDA treatment.. i can't seem to find his log anymore though.  He left a website http://www.ayurveda.org/

I would appreciate any help or information that anyone can give me. I know how you all feel out there!  It's not fun. Best of Luck everyone.
Thanks again.

[woody21]

And I'm back again!  I have to agree.. Chlor-Trimeton has been working wonders for me!  I only need to take one every 2-3 days.  I also ended up buying a bottle of Sarna lotion, over the counter.. with no cortisone!!!  I find it very helpful with the itchy rashes.  As soon as i feel myself getting itchy i apply it to the area.  Its excellent.  I forgot to write in my post first off that i tried Singulair too... but that was hopeless!  It ended up being 100 times worse, getting rashes under my arms and down my forearms.. it was awful.  Plus they cost a fortune!!  A waste of money!!

I have to agree with you dabomb... the itching just drives me crazy some days!  I've forgotten what it was like not having hives!
I really want to try Quercetin.. natural antihistamine.  I have read a little about it, but i haven't heard any reviews about it yet.  If it actually helps or not.
Thanks for all the responses everyone.  Any other questions or recommendations let me know.. I'm open to ALL ideas and thoughts.

[Deeds]

I too had a bad reaction with Singulair. They are thinking the Candid (systemic infection) is the cause of the allergies/itch/hives... so many doctors put off diagnosing it but, it is really something you can look into. A place called Genova Labs (I think in South Carolina) has a stool sample test that you can send in on your own ($46 with no insurance) the test takes 2 weeks but, the results are worth it!!!!!!!!!  Candid is SO overlooked! I think $46 is worth it....

[woody21]

Thanks for your help Deeds!

Did you send in your own or did your doctor do the testing?  Do I just look up there address and send in my own, or give them a call.
I just want to get to the bottom of this!  Did you have any other symptoms other than the chronic hives??  

Thanks again :)

[Deeds]

I received the test kit from my allergist that came from Genova labs...
I am thinking you can call Genova and ask them for a kit to be sent to you or your doctors office - you then take the kit home and follow the enclosed instructions...they have you then call DHL courier for pickup (they provide shipping matierals  and they pay shipping costs too) I stuck my check/payment inside as instructed and waited two weeks.  I not only got a call from my allerigst with the results but, Genova sent me a report too...
and yes, I did have more symptoms then just hives & itch...I had a bad case of tonsilitis followed by a severe case of bronchitis...on top of developing huge allergies to peanuts, mushroom, chocolate (I had never had before)... I always thought I had IBS (Irritable Bowel) but, I think it was my food allergies...now possibly more Candida related then a true allergy...this entire ailment was kicked off spending Thanksgiving Day weekend in the e/r the Blood Pressure med I was taking triggered anaphalixsis...I was then allergic to every thing they've tried on me since...My allergist did Candida testing on my arm and it showed a HUGE allergy to Candida - the nurse kept asking me if I was just on antibiotics (which triggers growth of candida) but, I hadn't... I had not been on ANY antibiotic for months (probably a year) that was the one clue ((to me)) that never fit right and I kept going back and questioning that reading...
turns out - my questionig lead hopefully to an answer  

[woody21]

Thanks for the information on the testing.  I will definitely have to give them a call.
Now the extra symptoms i have noticed for some time now are :  Thinning of the hair, not balding, but i have noticed quite a change in the thickness of my hair and the loss of hair when i wash it.
On and off headaches.. sometimes really sharp.  A few months back i had severe abdominal/tummy pain for weeks and alot of gas but that has now gone, thank goodness!
I used to have alot of anxiety.. which seems to have subsided as well. (fingers cross that never comes back!!)  However i do think that stems from other things.

Seasonal asthma too... whenever i get the flu or a cold it goes straight to my chest, awful bronchitis/asthma.  Recently it took 3 weeks to get over!
Now does hives bring your immune system down? I was just wondering if should i be taking a supplement to keep my immune system strong.  The last thing i want is another cold/flu which leads to chest problems!

Thanks again Deeds

[Lillysmom1025]

Hi Im 25 and i just started getting hives 2 months ago. The Dr put me on 400mg cyclosporine and I just had a huge flare up so i was given steroids 40mg of prednisone. I can't really take antihistamines because they make me so drowsy. Zrtec included Alegra doesn't do the job on its own. This is really a pain because I am now having to take meds to cover up the symptoms of the Cyclosporine and Steroids. Has anyone taken this drug? Any luck? My dr says that the next step would be drugs for rheumatoid arthritis or anti malarial(used to treat malaria) drugs. Help!!!!