Any advice for a chronic hives sufferer?
88128
Renew lotion is a great topical
1104546
I suffer from allergies and occasionally end up with hives.  Try Benadryl or another antihistamine and it should relieve the itchiness.
1058630
You don't indicate how long you've been getting hives, so there are several possibilities here. First, hives lasting less than 6 weeks are considered acute, and are usually due to allergies. If you have been having hive outbreaks for more than 6 weeks, then it is considered chronic, and there are several possible reasons; allergy is rarely the cause of chronic hives, though.  I really need more information to pinpoint what is going on, but I'll give it my best shot with the limited information I have.... Sorry, but this is going to be long....\n\nSome eliminations: The baby powder is probably the least likely suspect of all.  Allergies to pollens/trees/grasses usually present as hay fever, not hives.\n\nNow some possibilities based on what you've mentioned:\n\n1) Either solar urticaria or cholinergic urticaria. True solar urticaria is very rare, so not as likely as cholinergic, which is hives induced by heat. Since you are using baby powder to help with chafing, that tells me heat may be a problem where you are. If you are a young male (approx. age 15-29), that would also fit, since cholinergic urticaria most often strikes that age group, and is more common in males. If the hives go away soon after coming in out of the heat, that is also an indication. If you also experience itching and/or hiving during a hot shower, when you are embarrassed or angry, or during any other form of passive warming (eg getting into a hot car), those are all sure signs of cholinergic urticaria. Cholinergic usually presents as small wheals (hives) with intense itching. A third possibility along these lines is polymorphic light eruption, which is an itchy, bumpy rash caused by exposure to sun.  The rash usually persists for several days following sun exposure.\n\n2) Alcohol, especially wine and beer, contains chemicals (histidine) which the body converts into histamine, which causes hives. Alcohol also causes mast cell degranulation - mast cells are a special type of immune system cell which produce several chemicals. When they degranulate, they release those chemicals into your body; one of those chemicals is histamine. \n\n3) Seafood, especially shellfish, naturally contains histamine. Have you ever heard of scombroid poisoning? It's the common name for seafood poisoning, and another name for it is histamine poisoning. So if you are eating a lot of seafood, this could easily be the culprit. Also, the less fresh the seafood, the higher the histamine content will be.\n\n4) Allergies can occur at any time, and most people who first experience an allergy to something are often surprised, since it is to something they have 'always' used/consumed, and they 'never had problems with it before.' Well guess what, you have to have previous exposure to something to become allergic to it. So it only makes sense that if an allergy develops, it will be to something you already use. Since the pattern has been to begin hiving during times when you are drinking, my best guess is alcohol is the problem here. You are either having an outright allergic reaction to whatever you are drinking, or as mentioned above the levels of histamine in what you are drinking is getting to you. There is research to suggest that some people have too-low levels of something called diamine oxidase, which is produced by your body to help rid itself of histamine. Without sufficient diamine oxidase, you may experience effects from histamine (hives, possibly other symptoms as well). \n\nI suggest you try not drinking alcohol for a while, to see if your hives clear up. Or you can try changing what you are drinking, if you insist  on continuing to drink - instead of beer, try a vodka, or instead of wine try a liqueur. It also woudn't hurt to cut the seafood at the same time, you may be overwhelming your system with high levels of histamine from what you are consuming. If the problem continues, try a total elimination diet, or consult with an allergist fo
147005
Urticaria is a fairly generic term that basically means you get hives. Frustratingly, most general practitioners seem to feel satisfied at that point and do not pursue the cause of the hives. To get to the root cause you will either need to do to a dosctor specializing in allergies or do some investigating on your own.\n\nTo investigate to see if it is a food triggering your hives you will need to go on an elimination diet. To do these you need to set aside time in which you will fast for 2 days drinking only water. Then gradually introduce one ingredient foods, one per day, until a reaction occurs. When a reaction occurs you need to treat that food as suspect and later challenge yourself with the food again to see if the source is confirmed a second time. We used this method to discover that my husband reacted to wheat which later led us to a correct diagnosis of celiac. He didn't have hives. His reaction was digestive and rash related.\n\nContact reactions are a bit tougher to identify. I would try the food based method first and if that doesn't locate the source, go to have the allergy skin test with an allergist.\n\nADDED INFORMATION - Since you are so reactive to touch, your allergen is extremely likely to be a food or medication. I was exactly the same way. My skin would constantly trigger into hives at just handling anything - wood, plastic, metal. It didn't matter. All that was needed was a touch or a scratch. Many allergens are ushered by the body to be stored just under the skin. Many conditions, even in animals, are from this (hives which can be from any allergen source, Dermatisis Herpetiformis which is when the allergen is gluten/gliadin, etc.) Do try the allergy elimination diet and don't forget to include medications if can safely do so. No doctor is trying, so it is up to you. I used the allergy elimination diet and successfully discovered what my hives were being caused from. I also used it many years later and discovered that my husband and daughter were celiac (reacts to gluten/gliadin). If I had left it all up to the doctors all three of us would still be suffering.
513600
I have horrific allergies too, and I got a tip recently that is supposed to work.  Apperently if you try eating local raw honey (i.e. the unprocessed stuff from the area in which you live), you can kick a lot of the effects of allergies.  There are trace amounts of all of the things in the air that you are allergic to, and therefore your body is able to develop a resistance to the small quantities in the raw honey.  It works best when you take it at the beginning of the allergy season, but I have been taking it recently and it seems to help a bit.  Good luck!
799241
allergy medicines might help...and though painful, trying to get the stingers out might help a lot if you can get them. try not to hurt your face though.
52470
Yes, they can be stress-related. They are usually a response to a food or medication, but can also be caused by direct skin contact with something or exposure to cold or heat. Emotional upsets can be the primary trigger of hives. Mind-body techniques like hypnotherapy may be helpful in preventing chronic hives. Antihistamines will often relieve acute episodes but are less successful with chronic hives and, because they are a suppressive treatment, may contribute to persistence of the disorder. \n\nTry using quercetin instead. It works by stabilizing the membranes of cells that release histamine. This brings inflammatory and allergic reactions under control. You can buy quercetin products in health-food stores. The best form is a coated 400 mg tablet, taken twice a day between meals. It can take six to eight weeks of continuous use for quercetin to build up to therapeutic levels in the body. \n\nTo soothe the itching of hives, try cornstarch or colloidal oatmeal added to bath water.\n\n http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA114846/\n\nhttp://www.drweil.com/u/Article/A133/
992515
I had the same condition, and it was treated with Claritin.\n\nI had become just hyper allergic for a period of 4 months, or so, so much that i was actually allergic to my own skin (if one leg touched the other, etc) \nMy MD told me that stress can activate this condition.
694401
Hi Superbad\n\nHere are some ideas on how to better your condition.\n\nCauses\nIBS can be caused by a variety of factors, including poor diet and nutrition, food allergies, imbalanced levels of hydrochloric acid, impaired immunity, infections, lack of exercise, pharmaceutical drugs, and stress.\n\n\nQuick Action Plan for IBS\n\n1. Avoid all sugars, refined flour products, and carbohydrates, milk and dairy products, processed foods that contain preservatives and artificial sweeteners, alcohol, hydrogenated and trans-fatty oils, as well as foods that are common allergens. \n\n2. Emphasize organic, fresh vegetables and non-citrus fruits, organic grains, as well as organic, free-range meats and poultry and wild-caught fish. \n\n3. Drink plenty of pure, filtered water throughout the day. \nCleansing and Detoxification therapy such as short fasts, elimination diets, and colonics. DO a Colon Cleanse.\n\n4. Enteric-coated peppermint oil and aloe vera juice. \n\n5. Soothing baths two to five nights a week, as well as alternating hot and cold water packs placed over the abdomen. \n\n6. Use Probiotics and soil-based organisms. \n\n7. Therapeutic juices include wheatgrass juice; cabbage, papaya, and carrot juice. \n\n8. Stress reduction techniques, such as biofeedback, hypnosis, and meditation. \n\n9. If you are a smoker, stop and refrain from taking aspirin or other NSAIDs. \n\n10. Examine the possibility of withheld emotions as the cause of your symptoms and get support through emotional and physical expression, especially movement therapies such as NIA, Qi gong, Yoga or Total Integration Therapy to name a few options. \n\nBest of health to you\n\nCheers
770576
I have not eliminated allergies this way, but have managed them effectively with some alternative strategies. I've used homeopathic remedies (with some success) and I've also used high dosages of Vitamin C. \n\nI'm looking into NAET (an allergy elimination technique) that I have heard good things about. We will be doing this for my son and I, as our allergies are the most severe. I have heard stories from others, indicating that they have been able to completely clear up allergies using NAET.
1037463
Zyrtec will work. If it doesnt Allegra will. I had hives like that no apparent cause, nothing OTC worked. Benedryl didnt even touch it. I went to the doc he said that there isnt a gurantee that i will ever know what caused them. He put me on Zyrtec, and I havent had them since.
395563
prednol cortisone cream is what i'd use if i started getting itchy..but being cortisone, there is only so much you can use of it so often.  you should seek an allergy specialist that you can afford, do some research online on health sites and archives-most importantly, join an allergy yahoogroup to reach a wider audience of people suffering from allergies who'd be experienced enough to guide you in different ways.  make sure you drink lots of water, do some relaxation techniques if possible-find out about EFT-and know that you're not alone.  I've been on zyrtec for almost four years and I'm having trouble getting off it too-although mine come in the form of headaches and constant sleep need along with hives.  GOOD LUCK!!!  ps It's also DEFINETLY worthwhile for you to keep a food and activity diary to try and pinpoint any new allergens that may have come up in your life.
56530
I am still working on this one myself- aveno oat meal baths, reguarly use a healing mosturizer (I like curel ultra healing extra strength skin hydrator) the key is to put it on before the itching starts- Ive been told not to use cortizone too much because it thins the skin- benadryl gel can be helpful- store it in the fridge so that its cold when it goes on- sarna anti-itch cream SOMETIMES helps- I also find it helpful sometimes to either apply an ice pack or wrap it in an ace bandage- Ive also been told to "pat dry" when getting out of shower/bath- avoid scratching at all costs- BELIEVE ME I KNOW HOW DIFFICULT THIS IS!!
43154
I suffer from the same thing.\n\nIt's hives.  \n\nIt can be an allergic reaction - if you're having other symptoms of allergies like watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, then it could just be an extension of whatever you're allergic to.\n\nBut hives can be brought on by heat without an allergic reaction.  Nobody knows for sure why it happens in the absence of other allergies.  But heat brings blood to the surface of the skin and allows hives to develop.\n\nIf you scratch them, they will spread.  Sometimes mine itch when they're just flat red wheals, and sometimes they don't... but if I so much as touch a wheal before it swells, POOF! Not only does it swell and itch a lot worse, but it tells all its friends and neighbors, and it spreads like wildfire.\n\nI have had chronic hives for 6 months now - due to allergies.  I take a Claritin and a Singulair every day, and it still doesn't completely get rid of them.  I am undergoing allergy shots.\n\nOne other thing you can do is to get some Ivarest. You can find it at Walgreens. I've tried everything else on the market, and only Ivarest keeps the hives down for longer than an hour or so.  It's a little more expensive, but a tube will last me several weeks, instead of just a day or two like a tube of Benadryl cream.\n\nYou can also take Benadryl before a shower to help keep the hives down to a minimum.\n\nIf you don't get relief of them within about six weeks, go to the doctor and get tested for allergies.
568640
Some people with chronic hives have found that using Omega 3 helps somewhat. It works as an anti-inflammatory.
392561
Assuming he has seasonal allergies, he could try a supplement with proanthrocyanins and quercitin, like products "allerquell" or "grape seed extract".  Most importantly he should AVOID triggers and pro-inflammatories such as dairy products, citrus juices (orange, grapefruit, etc.), high histamine fruits like strawberries, red meat, processed sugars and processed white breads.  Encourage more intake of fresh non-fried fish, lime or lemon water, fruits like peaches, pears, banana, blueberries, cranberries.  Consider an EFA (essential fatty acid) supplement containing omego 3-6-9 if his fish intake is low (less than 2 serving per week).  \n\nObviously, he should get lots of rest, as staying up long nights depletes his energy.\n\nHis main living areas (bedroom, living room) should be allergen reduced by keeping windows entering into these spaces closed; no pets or people's dirty clothes carrying dander and pollens allowed into these areas; dry clothing in a dryer (not clothesline).  Ensure he washes before going to bed to reduce pollen and dander exposure to him overnight.\n\nGive this a month and see if it helps.  Good luck.
1001825
Dear Itchy,\nYou've certainly brought your medical concerns to the right place! The Y!A community members are fully aware of and do appreciate the intimate conditions involving your prognosis.\nMost recognized doctors in the field of medicine would employ a holistic approach to your ailment. Itchy, please begin your day with a well balanced breakfast to include an ample portion of fruits and grains. After your morning routines are finished, enjoy a brisk walk around the block. If you happen to meet any stray dogs along the way, it would be a good idea to antagonize the creatures in order to add some vigor to your workout.\nNow Itchy, the remaining portions of your day should be filled with interesting activities and new studies to keep your mind active and in balance, complimentary to what you have done with the physical side of yourself.\nAfter loitering around at the public library all afternoon with a bunch of smelly hobos, you can appreciate a warm bath and time to be good to yourself. Begin to collect an archive of various music genres that you can resolve one day to enjoy after you get the rest of your chores done.\nItchy, if after following my advice, simply take two aspirin and forget we ever had this little discussion.\nThank you, Itchy. Have a great day!\n-Dylan