I think we can all agree that alcohol makes everyone’s cholinergic urticaria (heat hives) dramatically worse afterwords. It makes CU much more intense and painful. But I was wondering: has Marijuana made anyone’s hives worse similar to alcohol? I have heard some people on cholinergic urticaria forums saying it doesn’t effect their heat hives, and it calms them down also which helps deal with anxiety.
Thanks,
Gary
Prem says
Alcohol doesnt worse CU.Saying from personal experience.after drinking some amount of alcohol it helps me to sweat without doing any physical activity.i get a temporary relief
Hivesguy says
Hey, Prem. Actually, alcohol does seem to negatively affect most people with Cholinergic urticaria, according to what many people have reported here. This has been discussed many times on the forum in the past. However, every person is different, and it’s interesting that it doesn’t seem to make yours worse. What most people reported was that their hives don’t bother them while they were intoxicated, but that it makes their hives much worse the next few days.
ralph ellis says
Hello everyone I suffered wit heat hives since I turned 18 I’m am now 20 with no symptoms I work at restaurants as a line cook my first day my hives appeared for about 30 minutes until I was forced to sweat since that day of my non stop sweat I no longer have heat hives the key to getting them to disappear is getting your body to sweat I hope yours goes away as fast as mine did
Hivesguy says
Thanks for your question, Gary. About the only thing that I could ever imagine marijuana positively doing for a person with cholinergic urticaria is that it may offer them a “high” or “euphoric” feeling that could temporarily lesson the frustration or anxiety that goes along with having this condition. I don’t think it can stop hives or cure cholinergic urticaria in any way.
However, given all of the negative effects of marijuana, I don’t think the trade off is worth it. I’m personally against smoking it (for a number of reasons), but I’ve known a lot of people who do smoke it, even some in my own extended family. I’m not out to condemn any who uses it, nor do I want to debate its dangers. But I’ve seen what this drug can do to people over time, and that is a cause for concern for me. Also, it is still illegal in many parts of the U.S and world.
I wrote a 20-page research paper on this topic in college, and it certainly reinforced what I already knew, especially because as I wrote it, I could identify many of these same issues in family members who were dependent on it. While not everyone will suffer with these symptoms, marijuana has been associated with the following, especially among habitual, heavy users:
-Decreased sperm counts and damaged sperm in men, and decreased fertility in women
-increased risk of cancers (testicular, head and neck, lung, bladder, etc.)
-damage to lungs
-potential birth defects when used by pregnant women
-increased risk for stroke and hardening of the arteries
-increased risk for heart attack
-it can lead to dependency, addiction, and horrible withdrawal symptoms
-impairment in driving, almost to the level of alcohol in some cases
-memory and neurological problems, including changes in brain tissue
-it tends to dramatically worsen psych issues like schizophrenia, depression, and social anxiety
-increase in physical violence in some individuals, etc. etc.
Again, I’m not out to demonize people who smoke it, and I’m not suggesting that everyone will experience the above problems, especially if they’ve only smoked it a handful of times. But heavy use can certainly cause serious issues over time, as I’ve witnessed with my own extended family.
The bottom line is this: Marijuana is a drug, and like all drugs (whether it be antihistamines, cocaine, ibuprofen, or whatever), it can cause numerous issues with the human body, especially over time and with consistent use.
Thanks for your question and God bless,
Ben