Chronic hives

[bwb]

I have had hives for almost three years now. Every antihistimine and stomach pill (that has a histimine blocker) has been tried. The only relief I have gotten was when I went on Cyclosporine for six moths. This is an antirejection drug. I do not want to stay on this, but have been off of it for five months now, and hives are starting to return. Sometimes they are red splotches on my skin, other times they are thick welts, both itch unreal. My eyes, lips and feet swell also. My eyes and lips swell till I look like someone has beat me...Any sugestions???

[star queen]

It sounds like you have done a lot to control or get rid of the hives, but I don't hear anything about finding the cause of the hives.  Hives are generally caused by something you are eating.  You can see an allergist to get tested, or you can remove one food or food group out of the diet for at least 2 weeks and see if that helps get rid of the hives.  A food group in this instance means "wheat", "rice" or "oats" products.  Products with "splenda", "aspartame", or any other sugar substitutes. Products with common additives, etc.  I am not refering to the food pyramids.  HIves can also be caused from contact with an allergen.  Check out pets, makeup, skin products, soaps, detergents, cleaners, etc.  It may take a long time at one product at a time, but something to try.

[baby1234]

I have chronic hives also. I have had them everyday since May 2005. I am similar to you in that the severity may fluctuate, but the itching stays the same. I get them on my palms, tops and bottoms of my feet, stomach, face, neck, arms, legs, and even on my scalp.

The strangest thing is that I am trying to get pregnant (with little success) so I started clomid and gonal f. I tell you that I didn't have a single hive the entire time I was on them (14 days). It was wonderful. Can't tell me that these things are "stress" when I didn't get them during one of the most stressful times I've had.

Then I went on progesterone, and lo and behold, hives. They aren't quite as bad, and they go away within 10-20 minutes instead of staying for 1-3 days. I brought it up to my doctor and he seems to think that I may be sensitive to hormones or that my levels are out of balance (which also may be why I can't get prego.). Of course he says that he hasn't seen the hives because of this before, but he said that doesn't mean that it can't happen.

My point is that maybe you should check your hormone balance. Three years is a long time to suffer...I totally feel for you. I hope you can beat this soon!

[nurse practitioner]

i recently began to break out in hives nightly  when i evaluated all of my foods i thought i was allergic to fish/shellfish  eliminated those and finally realized that I was allergic to the blue dye in my thyroid medication levoxyl  i changed meds and my m.d. put me on allegra and i haven't had hives since  check the labels on all of your medications and food to see if food dyes are a possible culprit.

[boninclyde]

Have had hives for almost four years now (November). Had ever test imaginable. Nothing. I always believed it was hormone related because they were worst 5/8 days before period and 5/8 days after period. Doctors said my hormone level was fine though. Some doctors said hives were caused by the very thing they were using to treat me with, predinisone.  Had shot in foot for some pain I was having. Broke out that night. I was also on celebrex. Its been 9 months since I have had any prednisone. Still have some hives but a lot less. Doctors said it takes about 10/12 months to get all prednisone out of the body. Waiting to see what happens next. By the way I was also told stress but I baried my father, father n law and brother n law with no hives.

[lazydog]

Hi.  Hives can be a symptom of thyroid dysfunction.  My son had chronic hives and I at first thought he was allergic to something...but turns out it hypothyroid related.
...J

[eirrod]

I have had chronic hives since 1992. I have tried EVERYTHING!!
I have totally stopped eating to see if that would help...no.
I tried cutting out and differentthings such as flowers,soap, laundry soap,shampoos,pets,sheets,only wear cotton. NOTHING works. I HAVE been to an allergist, she did soooo many tests I thought I was a human pin cushion. The ONLY time I get any relief is with a very strong dose of prednisone. ( Other steriods don't always work ) I have tried everything. I take 6 benedryl everyday. At least it helps witht he itching a little.
I swell to the point that I look abnormal. it could be my hands feet legs back head eyes mouth tongue, and they get into my throat. I cannot count how many times I have been taken to the ER because I cannot breathe. THey even get into my internal organs, ( I can feel them inside my stomache and chest ) I often get chest pains because my insides are swollen. What else can I do? I have gained almost 60 pounds from being on steroids.
I feel horrible! I also suffer from Fibro, spinal disk disease,migraines, etc. But it not the meds I take because I have not taken these meds the whole time, only since 2004. I am out of answers and so are my doctors. My hives not only itch but when I swell I swell to the point of severe pain. It feels like my skin is ripping open! Please help me!

[Music, Music, Music]

I battled chronic hives for a couple of years so I would love to help someone overcome it.  I had great results taking green tea tablets.  I don't feel that it was a coincidence, but I have scarcely had a single hive since I discovered this herbal remedy.  I have taken them now for two weeks with a good outcome.  Good luck, everyone!

[parabec]

I have to agree with the last post. since i started drinking green tea..3 cups a day..my hives had dissapeared...but since i stopped taking green tea due to trying to concieve it has returned....so i think its more than a coincidence!
try it

[bluesgirl]

I am allergic to blue dye. Food, drug, cosmetics blue (FD&C). My allergist has never heard of it and I don't really know if she believes me. I used to break out in hives when I was exposed to blue dye topically. Then blue dye in foods and drugs started to bother me.  Now I get all of the classic anaphalactic symptoms; closing of the throat, gasping for air, swollen tongue, lips, etc. I have narrowed down the culprit myself by comparing ingredients of the things that give me the reaction, but I can't find another person locally that has the same problem.

[lou30]

I have had hives for 7 months now.  I have taken every anithistimine possible in conjunctions with other meds, I have been on steroids, seen allergist, had complete blood work up  with allergist and dermitoligist, had my hives biopsied.  Nothing has worked and the only test that came back slightly abnormal was an ANA test.  I have tried acupuncture and the herbal teas. Nothing.  My doctors are telling me that I need to find a way to just live with this, that at this point they will probably not go away.  They said possibly at the year make they may.  Does anyone have any suggestions for me?  They are constant. They do get better in the middle of the day, but then my meds wear off and they are big sometimes 3-4 inches around and I get the edema bad as well.  I also have hypothyroidism, but I am within range for that so they say there is no coorilation.

[harthame]

If you have chronic hives, you just may have a thyroid condition hyper or hypo thyroidism.  This can caus chronic hives.  I know I've lived with this. Control with antihistimines, get help for the thyroid, for example getting the proper amount of iodine in your diet might cure you, but keep in mind too much iodine can give you the same problems, even cause hyperthyroidism.  Eating wheat products/gluten can aggrevatate the condition.  The is a thyorid auto-immune connections to wheat/gluten problems.  Start with reading up on the web about iodine, which is in certain foods like shellfish and milk.  If you don't eat much of these you may be deficient, so eat these, and take bee pollen and multi-vitamins with iodine.  Start by removing wheat from diet and see if you have improvements.  For example I'm still taking anti histimines but fewer on days I dont eat wheat.  Search the net for wheat allergy/ thyroid together.  You will find more info.  Good luck and God bless

Kim

[Itchy]

I had my first battle with hives at 12 years old. Allergy testing didn't find the cause. After some time on steroids, they went away. The next bad episode was at 19. Same reaction, same results. Which brings me to now. I have broken out every day for the last 2 years. I tried changing soaps, detergents, changing my diet, monitoring my stress level with break outs. You name it; I tried it. And to make things worse, I can't be allergy tested until I stay off all allergy medications for a week. I've rescheduled twice already. The longest I've made it without meds was 3 days. PLEASE HELP! The steriods helped but only for a few days. Any sugestions?

[Vickik]

I have been getting these for a year and a half and they have progressively gotten worse. I been on on every med and off my regular. No relief. I started taking Green Tea Saturday. Hoe long should you give this to know if it will help?

[A friend who cares]

Hi!  Wow, I found so many comments about chronic hives.  I thought I was alone.  I have suffered with hives, usually starting in the evening and through the night for 7 years now.  I would like to share that I have used "Aller-chlor", a liquid antihistamine, on a nightly basis, only 2 teaspoons full and that will usually get me through the night.  On a bad night, I will have to take 2 more teaspoons, which is okay every 4 hours.  I have just found a place on-line that sells this "magic potion".  It is Alleon Pharmacy.  It is just over $2.25 per bottle (4 oz.).  Another thing that helps me is to submerge the "itchy" part of my body in very cold water.  I have definitely noticed my hives are worse before my monthly cycle.  My OBGYN confirmed that "everything" is worse before that time of the month.  I hope this information helps.

[boninclyde]

I haven't posted in a while but still watching this board to see if anyone comes up with something. November will be 5 years of hives for me. Daily.

[Ladykm]

I have had hives for four months now. It all started when i put some sun tan lotion on and went out in the sun. I thought i had sunburn on my thighs because my thigs got all red and swollen. WEll the next morning I woke up and had hives all over. I went to the doctor and they told me to take some bendryl. Well, that didnt work and finally in August I went to see the doctor again and she referred me to a allergist. The allergist gave me prednisone(steroids), Allegra, Doxepin for the hives, and a acid reducer. None of this has worked and nobody can figure out why i have these hives. I get them all over the place..my scalp, face, arms, legs, feet, ack, chest. My feet and hands get swollen too. Also, somedays when I wake up my lips are swollen. The itching gets worse at night. I do notice the Allegra does help with the itching a little. Does anyone have any other remedies? I have yet to take a allergy test though because I was told by the allergist the medicine needs to be out of my system for a week and i need to be hive-free. Well how can this happen when i have them everyday!? I give up. This is really horrible. Then they say try to decrease your stress levels. Well how can I do this when the itching causes me so much stress and anxiety. Some days I can't even concentrate at work.

[Odi]

I haven't heard anyone talk about the danger in taking steroids.  Prednisone in particular, seems like this is commonly prescribed.  I am in my third bout with hives; first 10 years ago, second 3 years and now.  As usuale I was prescribed steroids.  They go away and come back after the regiment is done..daa! And sometimes worse than they were to begin with.  When I returned to my doctor after breaking out (the steroids were done) she prescribed another dose, gave me a shot and also told me I was diabetic.  Just had to do more blood work and sent me home.  I had no meds for being diabetic because she wanted to see the results of the A1C test.  I got a glucose meter and started testing myself immediately.  I had taken 3 does of the steroids at this time...when I did my blood sugar it was 268!  It should be around 110.  I freaked and suddenly remebered that my grandson (who is type 1 diabetic) can't take steroids.  I pulled out the advise sheet from the prednisone and sure enought, there it was, do not take if you are diabetic.  Now what was I to do.  Called the doc immediately and the nurse would not verify that steroids make the blood sugar go high.  I told her I was going to blow up between high blood sugar if I kept taking the prescribed dose.  My blood sugar stayed high until the next day when the doctor finally prescribe Medforin.  When I took that the blood sugar went down but when I took the steroid it went up.  So I decided to take them together and started redusing the steroids at my own rate.  Just couldn't take them for 3 weeks.  Wound down in a week and my blood sugar levels were normal.  The the hives came back with a rampage.  I starter Zertec and Hydroxizine but they hives got progressily worse and of course at night time; "why" in the H... do they come back so bad at night? Then I started oding on Zertec and Hydroxizine.  Woke up like a zomby with high blood sugar again.  This time I had an appointment with the dermotolgist (probably the 100th derm dr I have seen since this all started way back when...even went to Duke Univerysity Hospital, no help there either.  The dermotologist told me she doesn't prescribe steroids...just to hard on the body.  My treatment should continue on antihistimines and Hydroxizine.  She changed me to Alegra twice a day along with the Hroxizone.  Since then, one week ago, I have seen the Endrocrynolgist and was told that I might have steroid induced diagetes.  Yikes!  Why did my internist give me steroids and tell me I was diabetic all in the same visit?  Please look up steroids on the web and see all the things that can happen when taking this terrible drug.  Best of luck to all of you and I will be reading the comments as they come in.  Best to all...Odi

[campermom]

I have battled hives since February 07, so 5 months now.  I have tried everything, seen doctors, tried not eating certain foods, changed all soaps and lotions I come in contact with even switched makeup.  Nothing works.  Allegra worked for awhile but I think I'm immune to it now... I read online that Splenda or Sucralose can be the culprit.  I'm going to try to cut it out of my diet so we'll see.  
Im also going to try the green tea, I'll try anythign at this point!!  Thanks for the info.  It helps knowing that I'm not the only one experiencing these nasty things!  I can't imagine how bad I'll look in a bathing suit this summer!  

[Katnel]

I am soo glad that I am not the only one who has these HORRIBLE things. I have been getting them about 2-3 times a year ever since 2005. But they last for weeks!!! It's funny to me that there are soo many people who have this but none of the 500 doctors I've been to have a clue!!! I get mine all over my body EVERYWHERE! They calm down during the day but as it gets closer to bed time they get worse and worse......I don't know what to do anymore!!!

[itchme]

WOW! I am a new comer to the whole hives epidemic!  suffering everyday now for the past 6 weeks.  I had no idea this was so common!  I have all the common symptoms such as hives / welts on my legs, butt, arms, stomach, back, neck, shoulders, face, feet, hands (even my palms and bottoms of my feet) and scalp. I get severe chest pains, severe swelling of my feet and face (lips, eyes, throat, tongue etc.) and soreness in the joints.  I find it particularly suspicious that these things come at night and, for me, are worst first thing in the morning when I wake up and get out of bed.  Within minutes of getting out of bed in the morning the severe itching begins.  The body goes from restful state to an active state and blood circulation begins to pick up and the hives / welts get most puffy, itchy and uncomfortable in the first few hours of activeness.  Like many posts have described the itchy irritation eases up by midday but returns as usual by night time.  I believe heat is a catalyst for the reaction and that there is a definite connection between the breakouts and sleep.  One doctor told me that your body undergoes over a hundred different chemical reactions exclusively at night when your body is sleeping. However my experience with doctors so far is that they focus on treating the symptoms first and THEN try to figure out what the cause is.  But as is my case it sounds like the doctors can't even figure out how to treat the sypmtoms and may very well never get around to figuring out the cause. We are all on our own in that pursuit and we must continue to communicate our findings and failures to each other.  I am starting a journal today and will record things on a daily basis such as what foods I eat, what liquids I drink, exposure to sunlight, menstrual cycle info, sleep cycle info etc.  One thing that may be of interest though is that I started drinking diet pop for the first time in my life only a few months ago so this will be one of the first things that I eliminate from my diet.  Also, I started taking vitamins regularly for the first time in my life about 6 months ago.  The doc's told me to terminate the use of all vitamins as they sometimes contain "fillers" (substances that hold the tablets together) and that some people are allergic to these fillers.  I stopped taking vitamins 2 weeks ago.  Well wish me luck!  If I make any miraculous discoveries / medical break throughs I will certainly keep you all posted.
Trina

[jlwwoollffee]

I had hives, chronic hives, 15 years ago to the month.  The drs could never figure out what was wrong then, I have them again, not nearly as bad, but if I would have let them go and didnt see a dr or take anything, they would have gotten out of control.  I have a feeling this is going to be a long road again this time.  I am under a great deal of stress, without any real break from it, but Im also going to look at everything I eat.  Its no fun at all.  I have been on steroids now for 4 days and for the most part they have cleared up, come back at night, but I take my antihistamine and then they colm down again. Hope fully I can find the right combination for these!!!

[Born Free]

I believe I have Chronic Hives.  I don't get them every day, however somtimed I'll get them everyday and sometimes I'll go a couple weeks.  When I do get hives I get them ONLY on my torso,chest , arms, hands and sometimes the tops of my feet.   (Knock on wood) I have never gotten them on my face. Once, right when I started geting hives (2002-present) I did go into a anaphalaxis state, where my throat started to closed up I wnet to the ER and got epinepherin shot.  It's more of a nusaince then anything!  I seem to get them when I am hot, cold, anxious, angry, sweaty or stressed.  Like I said, I can't really pin point it to any one particular trigger.  It lasts for a couple of hours and with Benadryl (they have these new quick disollving strips that work great!  mmm Vanilla Mint) will subside.  I am checking with my doctor for blood tests and thyroid count.  The weirdest thing is I NEVER experienced hives during the whole 9 months of pregnancy!  So for 5 years I have had occasional, but increasingly frequent, hive breakouts with the only exception being the 9  months I was pregnant!! What's up with that?  Is this still safe to classify as Chronic Hives?
Thanks,
Born Free

[baby_blu]

When I read your comment, it totally hit home.  Although with me, I didn't start getting the hives until after I gave birth.  I was in perfect health, then, BAM!  Hives!  Everyday, since November of '04.  I also use benedryl to calm the itching, but I may end up taking 8 - 10 of those a day.  Might I recommend "Claritin For Hives" which is also sold over- the - counter.   I found that just one of those every 8 hours or so will do the trick.  Also, try a cup of green tea in the morning.  These are just a few things that have worked for me.

[Itchy eyelids]

I am new to this situation. I have been suffering from hives that occur ONLY on my eyelids. Finally experienced difficulty breathing and went to ER where they gave me an IV with prednizone. Cleared up immediatley. Now what? Am seeing an allergist Wednesday. They have discovered that nail polish exacerbates the problem. So is anyone seeing relief from Allegra?