Urticharia daily for 11 years. Any advice???

Hi

I'm in a similar boat to you in that we want to get pregnant again (have a 1yr old and 4yr old already) but I have chronic idiopathic urticaria as of July this year. 

I would not get pregnant while taking any medication as there are just not enough studies to determine the effects on the baby - so I have to try to slowly decrease medication and see how I go.

At the moment I am on 2-4 loratidine daily and promethazine or antem at night - if you are struggling to sleep as I was these really help, the promethazine especially I find help stop the itch and knock me out...I take 2x25mg before bed.

I have also recently gone gluten free and don't drink milk (soy and almond milk instead which I always liked anyway). 

I also have 2c nettle tea per day and 2xACV shots a day which I've read can help with chronic hives.

Definitely have improved with this medication and the dietary changes but which has helped it I don't know.

Can I ask - were you on any medication when you conceived your baby? Did the doctors advise that this was safe? As everything I've read and been told suggest that even loratidine hasn't proven to be safe in pregnancy..

Hope some of that helps you a bit!

By the way, interestingly I was on 4x cetririzine at first but they didn't help so switched to the loratidine which seem to be a lot better for me...

Hi Lindzey

I had the same, for nearly 20 years until i discovered I was coeliac.  I stopped eating gluten and it finally dissapeared.  Stop eating Gluten.  Get your thyroid checked too, it is linked with autoimmune disorders.  However just this year it came back again, (after 20 years free of it) so now I am researching low histamine foods.  So far this is good and it has stopped happening.  Cutting out certain foods is much better than medicating in my opinion.  Good luck with it.  K

Yes they are right, I was on cyclosporine which is a nasty drug which is given to people who have had an organ transplant to prevent rejection, it is an immune suppressant. I was on 100mgs for 6 months and was lucky the only side effect I had was headaches. There is also prednisone steroids but again these only work for short term and the hives come back worse in some people and they have nasty side effects.  I would suggest you look up 'Leaky Gut Syndrome' and 'low histamine foods'.  Leaky Gut Syndrome is a US investigation and when my doctors dismissed this as nonsense I paid a nutrionalist a friend put me onto and she was really good and put me forward for a test. It came back positive and I went on a special regime along with the medication I am now in remission or as I call it my hives are hibernating. They are still there if I wear a bra too long or something is chafing or if I itch with vigor (which I don't).  Your body is fighting something that it doesn't like and its a devil finding out what.  Oestrogen fluctuations, illnesses, stress can all be triggers so it can be different for everyone. Alot of people on this blog cannot take anti-histamines they have a reaction to them, some its only the tablets because they have lactose in them so they have a liquid anti-histamine. I advise you to spend time on the internet there are alot of studies out there, some may help you. Good luck

Some doctors told me my hives were from a hormone imbalance, some told me it was my anxiety, some said it was food allergies. I've tried my share of medicines!

Then a month or so ago I found this discussion group. I was also at my wits end. No sleep, unbearable itching. Two of the ladies suggested dietary changes. No GLUTEN. It took me a few days but then I started it. What did I have to lose. I did it wasy. I didn't go out and buy a bunch of stuff at first. My stomach was a mess so I could barely eat anyway. I lived on egss, rice, corn grits (I've read some people can't tolerate corn but I'm fine with it), chicken, apples, pears,etc. Whole foods as much as possible. It's much easier than you think. Water, certain herbal teas, lemon water. I am super new at this. There are "seasoned vets" on here that can help off advice. My hives are gone! I'm down to 1 Zyrtec &1 benadryl at bedtime & I take 1 Claritin in the morning. Even though my hives are gone, I still feel if I stop eating this way and stop the meds, they will be back so I am not taking any chances.

A low-histamine diet was helpful for me, done as a rotation diet to see what works/doesn't work is best.

Menthol cream in high-strength form is good

Also avoid unnecessary food additives, preservatives and colourings like benzoates, sulphites, glutamates, food colourings

Eat natura unprocessed l foods as much as possible (little or no added ingredients)

Go on a good quality pro-biotic (VSL3 is good) and combine with plenty of prebiotics (raw onion, and raw leek salads)

Get tested for stomach problems like H. Pylori, Blastocystis, D. Fragilis. If present, ideally get that treated before getting pregnant.

Avoid NSAIDs (especially aspirin) and paracetamol

Reduce stress and tiredness, more rest, yoga/meditation and don't focus on the hives (distraction tactics e.g. read or watch tv if it gets bad, don't lie in bed itching - that makes it worse)

Thanks to everyone for all the replies.

It definitely seems that a change of diet is the way to go.

I actually feel like there may be a light at the end of the tunnel now, I should have found this forum a long time ago.

Thank you all for helping me feel more positive about being able to beat this.

Xx

Coeliac disease is associated with a specific itchy rash, usually on the arms and called dermatitis herpetiformis. Cutting out gluten is easier said than done because wheat is used in soups and all sorts of foods. Have you had the blood test done? 

The immune system is like an extremely complicated orchestra and all parts of it have to work properly if one is to enjoy good health. The immune system requires lots of different trace elements and vitamins if it is to work properly. 

I would start tart by looking at your current diet, how well balanced is it? Do you expose yourself to the summer sun so that you make vitamin D, which is usually thought of as a bone vitamin but plays a key role in the immune system. It is difficult to get enough vitamin D in the UK diet but some countries fortify milk and some other foods. Google NHS and vitamin D, look at the advice.

Selenium is essential for the immune system, farmers know all about this and cows are given supplements but many doctors are not aware of this vital element. Bread used to be a key source of selenium when it was made with Canadian wheat because their soils are selenium rich, now we have European wheat with less selenium and what happens if you avoid bread, again the NHS website is one source of information. Zinc is another mineral essential for good health and healing.

Don't be tempted to buy lots of supplements, not only are they expensive but you may end up taking combinations of minerals that compete for absorption, e.g. Take selenium and it will compete with copper. We were designed to get our requirements from leaves etc with slow release by the digestive system, not for chemical bomblets. Take time to learn about nutrition and immunity, get it right and you will benefit as will your planned child. Good luck