I’m 28 years old, and I just started being affected by cholinergic urticaria about a month ago. This is killing me and I haven’t even hit the warm temperatures of Spring and summer yet.
I’ve tried Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and Zyrtec (Cetirizine) both with very limited success.
Has anyone tried Chlorpheniramine yet? It seems to be the common thread in treatment listed in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
NB: Don’t take this or any other drug without talking to your doctor first. I’m not advocating its usage, mostly just trying to get more info
I honestly don’t know how I’m going to be able to survive the summer. Giving up hiking and sports would be bad enough, but if it can trigger simply by being in non air conditioned climate? This is going to be rough.
Unrelated question, but does anyone know how long I can expect this to last? Months? Years? Trying not to stress out, as it won’t help and might just make things worse…but at the moment I’m wondering if this will make me put my entire life on hold for a decade. Not a prospect I’m looking forward to.
-Paolo
Zac says
No, I haven’t tried that antihistamine. With antihistamines, you really have to try a lot of different kinds to see what works best for you. Allegra seems to work well for a lot of people, especially if Zyrtec didn’t help you much.
A lot of people’s hives improve during summer, so it may not be as bad as you think. You may be able to sweat and break through an attack.
Hivesguy says
I’ve never tried that antihistamine, and I’m a bit skeptical that it would be much more effective than most of the others, but it’s always worth a shot. What the article does suggest is that H1 and H2 antihistamines were very effective, which I found to be true. However, it’s not something I did often. Taking and H1 and H2 antihistamine long-term is bound to cause some health issue (in my opinion). I only reserved it for extreme cases when I was suffering badly.
As far as how long your cholinergic urticaria will last, it’s anyone’s guess. Some people have had it over 30 years. Others have had it far less. I wouldn’t focus on that; I’d focus on trying various ways to manage it more effectively.
Nevertheless, don’t give up hope. Keep trying to find ways to manage it, and you may get some relief during warmer weather.
Paolo says
Thanks for your responses.
This is driving me nuts, and I know I’ve (comparatively) just started. It’s nice to know that I might still be able to do normal activities in the summer. Time will tell. It’s reassuring to hear from other people who are surviving through this.
I’ve ordered some of the chlorpheniramine (H1 antagonist) and cimetidine (H2 antagonist) and will report back if it helps. They *seem* safe enough, both are quasi widely used and understood. My only real concern is that the cimetidine may lead to additional acid reflux down the road, but one thing at a time. That said, I am not a doctor, and so please ask your own before following a similar course.
Does anyone else have good peer reviewed double blind studies about CU? Specifically ones with at least 50 participants. I’ll keep looking over pubmed for more useful ones, but any other rational data would help. And this was the best study I have found thus far concerning treatment modalities. Only fault in their methodology that I can see (I’m not a med student) is the lack of placebo. But with a condition this problematic I can’t really see there being more than a max of 30% placebo…so even a 50% chance of serious improvement is something I’ll happily explore.
I’ll be getting the medication in in about a week and a half. I’ll report back in a few weeks to a month concerning what I’ve found.
ryan geraghty says
Hi mate im 19 and had this for 3 years now i read that it usually lasts 7 years but then i read something on here about a guy who has had it for 11 years!? the best cure is to RUN sweat every single day and after a few weeks your body is used to it and instead of itching you will sweat
ALSO i read it can be linked to candida which is a yeast infection which i think i have some people were completely fine after getting that sorted! hope i have helped if you need anything email me mate i’ve lived with this for three years every day is a hell and now its sunny again i cant stand living
Ali says
Hey.. I am 20 years old and I’ve been having this for 3 years now. I am surprised that you’ve been having it for only a month and you’re already here.. At first I thought my condition wasn’t a big deal and I didn’t care about it until last year. I saw a doc and he gave me the Zyrtec and I remember that I kissed the pill bottle because I thought it was going to work I was so happy.. but in the end it didn’t work. I am still having them and I am hoping that this website will help me get pass this.