Hello everyone. Like many of you, I was struggling with this and decreased quality of life (and bordering temporary madness at times when it was at its worst on busy trains). exercise did it. Stress did it. I’d almost feel the sensation just attack my back, and I’d know soon the nerves would flare up and the little red dots would be coming.
Antihistamines didn’t seem to help much, UNTIL in 2018 my doctor recommended Bilastine (Blexten). This has been a game-changer for me. I just installed my daughter’s car seat and the stress and exercise of it would have not it on brutally.
Instead I was able to feel small amounts of sweat and barely any itch. I checked my skin and no hives! I haven’t tested it for running or anything too intensive yet but so far so good.
This drug is specially made for urticaria, and it’s new. I felt I owed it to all suffering to share this and ask their doctors about it. It’s different than the other stuff.
-Mike
Mike says
I should share that because this drug is new it is not yet FDA approved in America. It did go through extensive testing in Europe and is becoming more popular for treatment this year there as well as in Canada. I do not live in America but wanted to share regardless. Taken once per day it has dramatically reduced my flare ups during situations that normally would lead to lengthy hives. My next test will be extended excercise sessions but for now this is helping me on a day-to-day basis for everyday tasks and my regular walk to the office.
Debby Clements says
Can you tell us what dosage you are taking? how much and how many times a day? I am at the point that I will try anything. Thanks
Mike says
20mg. Once a day for me. Though the medical literature I read suggested higher doses were possible. Acidic liquids including grape fruit juice apparently reduce the impact by 30% in the tests they did with over 2000 people so don’t take juice near it. Pop probably also not a good idea near consumption for maximum effectiveness. It’s recommended to be taken an hour or more after eating too. For what it’s worth I’m 6’1 and 195lbs. I don’t know if that is worth knowing for dose or not but figured I’d share in case it is.
Mike says
Here is some more info online about it and one of the best parts I forgot. It’s non-sedative!
This review set out to examine published papers detailing the efficacy of bilastine in skin models and urticaria to assess whether it meets the optimal profile for updosing in urticaria, that is, strong clinical efficacy and freedom from unwanted side effects, particularly sedation. Bilastine is a highly effective H1‐antihistamine even when used at the basic dose of 20 mg daily. Its facilitated uptake after oral dosage gives it a rapid onset and long duration of action. In both wheal and flare studies and in urticaria updosing fourfold showed increased effectiveness. With respect to somnolence, bilastine is a substrate for P‐glycoprotein, a membrane pump which prevents it crossing the blood–brain barrier. Consequently, bilastine is a practically ‘non‐sedating’ H1‐antihistamine. In conclusion, the excellent profile of bilastine in both efficacy and safety make it the ideal H1‐antihistamine for updosing the daily dose fourfold in difficult‐to‐treat urticaria as recommended by the EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/WAO guideline for the management of urticaria.
Michael tan says
Hi there, I was looking up prices and thr drug itself seems rather expensive. Do you think it is worth it?
Also, keep us posted on the results!
Mike says
Early results are as good as my first post suggested.
I just walked 20 minutes to my office and sweated normally with no reaction!
For the past 3 months I’ve been in agony in the transition from the walk and then the blast of heat from inside the office and my hives outbreak had been consistent and similar to the images here all over my torso and arms. This would last a good 10-15 minute period and it felt like fire ants were biting me all over and made it hard to concentrate and be at work normally. I often needed time to let the symptoms pass before. I’d drop off my jacket and bag and immediately go back outside or to the bathroom stall. It was embarrassing if someone needed to talk to me about something in this mindset.
My previous doses of antihistamines were all the big 4 that everyone else has likely tried. They didn’t do much. I have only been on Bilastine for 4 days now but the walk, and playing with my infant son, and dancing with my toddler and putting her car seat in would have all lead to hives in the past. At most, during the car seat installation, through a combination of stress from getting aspects wrong and also working hard and pulling the straps tight, I had that sensation of stress release hit my back as it tends to in a situation like that. I began to feel flush and what would follow after that normally would have been the itchiness and the hives reaction with the pain but instead my body somehow blocked those later responses and I found myself with only seconds of itch and no pain that faded fast. I also had some BBQ food last night that had some kick to it and no issues there either. Same kind of cycle. I felt the sweat in my scalp but and a tiny itch but it didn’t go to the next level reaction after that.
But the big breakthrough for me was this walk today. Sounds gross but my arm pits sweat more again and my lower back and chest perspired more as they used to and it felt great and a huge relief. In fact, I still have some sweat in my arm pits and I can’t remember the last time that happened naturally from this walk. It seems to work better just taking it consistently in a row which makes sense because that was my experience in the past with claratin for my itchy eyes in the fall from rag weed. Day 4 has so far been the most normal overall like my old self.
Still early but so far so good. I have a good drug plan that covers most of this where I live (Canada).
Mike says
New update: Excercise!
Disappointed to report that a 20mg dose taken 12 hours prior to dramatically raising my body temperature for a 15 minute jog in sunny +20 degree Celsius weather did not keep the hives at bay fully they way that dose has for other activities of less stress or physical exertion. 🙁
However, it DID dramatically reduce the impact both in sensation, pain, recovery speed and the amount of hives visible. The best way I can describe it is that the rush of heat that tends to start before the hives started for me into my jog along with the initial sensation of itch on my back and chest. Previously, this had still occurred but nothing had been following it.
This time that wasn’t the case and my first feeling of the dreaded needles occurred since starting this which greatly disappointed me but interestingly this sensation did not persist anywhere near as long as it would normally would in this situation and the pain passed in less than a few minutes overall instead of my typical 20-35 minutes that would normally occur for intense activity like this in weather like this. This leads me to beleive that if I was looking to do excercise in hot weather a 40mg dose might be best based on the medical report that stated that stacking didn’t seem to have negative impacts and that it did seem to help more for those who didn’t respond to the 20mg dose. I also sweat pretty heavily which did feel good. I hope it’s not too much info but I probably sweat new places that I haven’t in months from this so maybe that was part of why this happened? Anyway, that’s the latest update!
Mike says
May update:
Did two intense days of gardening this past weekend. Dug up a ton of sod. Lifted out rocks. Used a wheel barrel and was out in the sun.
I learned my lesson from my run. I decided to take 3 x 20mg pills at once due to the medical paper that said there were no side effects noticed and that it worked for the group who didn’t find 20mg effective (my daily dose). I didn’t feel anything either day and I sweat more than I have in months. No side effects noticed either.
This is so far working wonders for me.
Anonymous says
I also tried Bilastine, it was the first drug that my doctor gave me, (Opexa). But it didn’t do shit for me.