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Weight gain with antihistamines and xolair shots

Posted , 15 users are following.

jana94738
jana94738

Has anyone gained weight from antihistamines and xolair shots.. I have awful joint pain, hair loss, and a rapid weight gain.. like 7 lbs in two weeks..  But the hives are a lot less but at what cost with all these drugs.. any one out there experience this?? What did you do ??

0 likes, 39 replies

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  • lindausa
    lindausa jana94738

    Posted

    Hi jana94738,

    You need to tell your doctor immediately about your side effects. Joint pain is the only listed side effect for xolair that you are experiencing. You might be having some drug interaction side effects with the other meds you are taking.  I did not experience any side effects (other than it stopped working to control my hives after a couple months) with xolair. Everyone is different. Your side effects don’t seem “normal” for just that one medication. Rapid weight gain can be associated with steroid use. Are you taking steroids as well? Talk to your doctor. Good luck and hang in there! 

    • jana94738
      jana94738 lindausa

      Posted

      Hi Linda

      I will talk to the dr.. I have an appt dec 29 for another shot so will be speaking to the rn.. then appt with allergist on jan 10.. What are you doing to control your hives now.. I am not taking steriods unless i start to swell with angioedema in my face but that hasnt happened for a couple months..  i am trying to hang in but it is really tough as you know..

  • lindausa
    lindausa jana94738

    Posted

    Hi Jana,

    Glad you have an appointment set. I hope it goes well. Sorry, but this is a little long. I’ll try to be brief. I had CIU for 3 and a half years. I tried every antihistamine you can think of, did xolair shots, tons of steroids and finally on a medication called Dapsone for a year that  stopped working. The next step was to go immune suppressing drugs. After going to 3 doctors that basically just wanted to throw medicine at me, I decided to go off ALL medication and do a series of food sensitivities testing (not covered by insurance of course).  It tests the reaction of your white blood cells to different foods. You can do element testing as well. I found out that I am allergic to sooooo many foods that I was eating.  I have delayed response allergies(IGG and IGA)  ... which are impossible to detect thru the normal IGE tests that “normal” doctors give you.  I’ve since stopped eating what showed up on the test and have been hives free for 8 months now. I’ve tested it couple time and I still break out when I eat things I’m not supposed to. So for now, I’m basically a vegan (but I can eat chicken and some fish) and am gluten free. It was a complete lifestyle change but it’s  better than hives that never go away.  I feel like a normal person again. The scary part in all this was going off all medication to have the tests done. It took me several months to build up the courage to do that. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. The company is US Biotek. You can look at their website. My chiropractor (who does wellness and holistic type stuff) was the doctor that suggested it and took the blood samples. With hives every person is different but this was my answer. I wanted to know what was causing them not just take care of the symptoms anymore. It was a long 3+ years.  Oh... and my last “allergy and uticaria specialist” told me those tests were a bunch of BS. So... just go with your gut and do what feels right to you.  That “BS” has helped me more than he ever did and I’m not on medication that is destroying my body.  smile I wish you the best! No one that hasn’t gone thru this understands how it affects you life. I hope you find something that works for you! 

    • jana94738
      jana94738 lindausa

      Posted

      Thank you so very much you have given me much to think about .. I have gone back to trying to be gluten free again.. it seemed i didnt itch or have as many hives then. But after the allergist before this one told me i am not allergic to any food or i wouldnt die if i got anaphyaltic (SP)?? shock that i went back to eating gluten.. I have not felt well since i did that.. and i got rid of him.. but i will look into what you did and the cost of doing that.. but in the meantime I will take my next xolair shot and plan out what i need to do to be hive free to take the tests if i can.. and yes it really does affect your life and i cant stand all these drugs
    • desmond01416
      desmond01416 lindausa

      Posted

      I've been insisting for 5-years that food is a major factor. It can't be co-incidence that so many many people on here point at food. I think that are a few distinct types of Urticaria. But a large group of people seem to have hives triggered mainly by foods and food additives. With me, the worst foods are Gluten and Milk-based. Alcohol and caffeine aren't helpful either, especially if I overdo it and even more so if it's more than one day in a row. High-protein and vegetable and good oil-based diets with low-carb and low-sugar intake make my health generally better. Painkillers are bad news, especially ibuprofen, Salicylates generally possibly too. Sulphites and Benzoates trigger hives and Asthma.

  • Meemaw29
    Meemaw29 jana94738

    Posted

    Hi Jana;  I didn't think about the xolair shots causing rapid weight gain, I attributed it to the prednisone...but I have gained 30 pounds rapidly through this Hives journey.  But, after 3 series of shots, I am really having a lot of just overall aches and soreness and was wondering if anyone else has.  Your comment about "awful joint pain" and hair loss makes me wonder......because my hair is also falling out constantly.  I am also having a lot of headaches....my feet go numb easily and feel like needles in them in the morning when I first get out of bed.  My hands also go numb easily.  My doctor wants me to be hive free for 6 months before we test the waters to see if I can live w/o the injections but I am really considering NOT taking my injections next month.  If all of these side effects are truly from the Xolair, then I'm seriously thinking that it is not worth it.  How many injections have you received?  

     

    • jana94738
      jana94738 Meemaw29

      Posted

      HI Meemaw,

      I will be getting my fourth shot the 29 of dec.. I was going to skip it but decided not to as the aches and pains just went away so maybe it is a side effect that does go away.. The hair loss and weight gain can also be from the many antihistamines i was taking and hydrodrozine causes hair loss and weight gain I just found out.. anyway i was hive free for four days and felt wonderful but i was also not eating gluten , then christmas came and i ate gluten again and here come the hives again.. so i will start going gluten free again and test that out. I just kinda have a feeling gluten may be my problem or at least part of it.. But it has been so wonderful to be hive free that I decided to take another shot then speak to my allergist .. I have an appt on jan 4 and if i am doing gluten free and have no hives i am going to try taking a shot every other month or so .. Just when i think maybe i have this all figured out I realize i dont..  I need to be hive free for three weeks with no meds either to see if can take a few allergy tests.. I feel so bad for all of us that have these , and what works for one person wont work for the other... Good luck and keep me posted on what you are doing and what your doctor says..

    • desmond01416
      desmond01416 jana94738

      Posted

      I think the weight gain is way more likely to be the hydrozyzine. A lot of those types of drugs made me pile on weight. Some of them are even used to make people gain weight (periactin, I think). The joint pain could easily be from weight gain too. I got ITB injuries in both my knees after being on Doxepin and gaining two stone rapidly. My muscles /joints weren't used to the extra weight, and I kept running and was struggling with a new baby and carrying them around.

      Same with me and the gluten and/or milk. Pizza, lasagne and beer over Christmas and the hives came raging back. Alcohol is bad news for me and my hives. Had some really angry ones on my upper hips yesterday, looked like burn blisters they were so big and angry.

    • jana94738
      jana94738 desmond01416

      Posted

      Hi I think i will cut down on the hydroxyzine.. it sure does work for itching but i just got my forth xolair shot yesterday so hoping i can cut down on all this soon and working on a gluten free diet again.. Made pasta tonight but using gluten free penne you really cant tell the difference.. got a udi pizza the other day gluten free and it is ok but help my taste for pizza.. I hate the hives on my face as they usually end up being angioedema and i am in the er unless i take 20 mg of prednisone right away when i feel them.. my lip was swollen up yesterday before my xolair shot but went down afterwards..yes i am sure the sore are from the weight gain as when i pick up the amt of weight i have gained i cant carry it very far at all.. I need to get with it and lose this.. easier said than done..I hope you are feeling better today and the hives are gone..
    • Meemaw29
      Meemaw29 jana94738

      Posted

      Hi Jana94738;

      I'm glad you are doing somewhat better.  I'm curious if you are taking just one injection a month or two of Xolair?  I have always been given two, but since I am having so many side effects now, I am hoping that if I go to just one injection, the side effects will be minimized or go away.  

    • jana94738
      jana94738 Meemaw29

      Posted

      Hi Meemaw29 

      I am getting two shots a month 300 mg total.. I will be going to my allergist the 10 of jan and i am going to ask her about all this.. I did meet a woman yesterday who is taking these shots as well and she has had no side effects so i really dont know if i am or it is all the other antihistamines and stuff i am still taking ..

  • Julz4951
    Julz4951 jana94738

    Posted

    Hi. I am so glad I found this site. I, like most people tested for everything. I developed dermographism and then hives. Coming up on a year I am on my 4th Xolair shot. I can honestly say it has changed my life. The hives have been at bay. The thing is though I have gained 32 pounds since August (started the shot in Sept). I was also taking hydroxyzine ... my arm in the shot area is extremely sore and my legs arms fingers are all in pain. My hands are so sore and tingle every morning. Most days I can’t bend them. Reading these forums make me feel like I have an answer. The mental anguish I felt from the hives ..... I don’t think can be compared..... I would recommend Xolair to anyone especially with the $5.00 copay. Working on losing the weight now.... stopped hydroxyzine ... we shall see! Any other thoughts ? Has anyone reached out to the drug company itself? 
    • Meemaw29
      Meemaw29 Julz4951

      Posted

      I so appreciate your post this morning.  My journey is very similar.  In a quest for answers, I have recently been experimenting with my other medications.  I was still taking 2 Doxepins (25mg ea) every night for sleep and to keep the hives at bay during the night hours.  I have gradually stopped that medication and my muscle/hands/legs/feet pain have greatly diminished.  I am taking very few antihistamines either.  I guess I will continue with the Xolair shots for 2 more months and at the 6 month point, my doctor wants to check me to see if I am finally rid of the hives.  The weight gain is tough for me, but I am coping and considering 2017 also included my husband having a brain tumor and major surgery for that, weight gain is not my greatest concern.  I keep the faith, trust our big God....and pray that 2018 is a year of healing.  Thank you again Julz for sharing... 
    • Julz4951
      Julz4951 Meemaw29

      Posted

      Morning!  I was just thinking this morning that my shot is on Monday and which is the lesser of two evils. For since Monday the hives are rearing their ugly heads and my lip has been swollen overnight for two days.. (goes away by morning) I also noticed a KNOT on my forehead.  I freaked out but realized it was a hive.  I can tell the difference if I do not take the cetrizine.  But have completely stopped the hydroxyzine..... Terrible med..... But for almost a whole month the hives are gone and that is better all around for my mind and body.

      I hope that you and your husband get through this time.  Totally a year of healing for sure!

  • desmond01416
    desmond01416 jana94738

    Posted

    My consultant told me that a good percentage of people can actually go into remission after a number of Xolair shots (6-8). So even if the weight gain is related to Xolair (I think Hydroxyzine is more likely), temporary weight gain has to be balanced against the possibility of remission. I think I might be trying Xolair next year, so will post on whether joint and weight gain is a problem for me.
    • jana94738
      jana94738 desmond01416

      Posted

      I have tried to cut way down on the hydroxyzine and only take it now when i am so itchy nothing else helps.. I have been doing my gluten free diet again and the itching has subsided as well as the hives but i am taking xolair shots so maybe they are kicking in more than i thought.. the joints and aches have gone way down as well.. so that is good.. thank you so much and yes keep me posted on how you are doing.. 
    • desmond01416
      desmond01416 jana94738

      Posted

      That's good, hydroxyzine and other sedating antihistamines like it can affect your appetite but also disrupt high quality sleep and make you groggy which makes you less likely to move around. It can feel like you sleep better, but it is sedation rather than good REM and NREM sleep which is what your brain and body needs to recover and to sort itself out, regulate your appetite etc... So you are better off without those unless you absolutely need them. 

    • Julz4951
      Julz4951 desmond01416

      Posted

      Agreed the hydroxyzine I do not like at all.  I too think that the weight gain is secondary to taking the shot.  Let's get through this!!!

    • jana94738
      jana94738 Julz4951

      Posted

      You all have been so helpful to me.. I am grateful we have this site to talk about all this and that i am not alone... thank you all
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