Cholinergic Urticaria

I Want to Get Rid of the Itching

by

I’m 16 years old, and I’ve had Cholinergic Urticaria for a few months (most of this school year). Every day I go to school and step into the classroom (which is very hot) I start itching, and when I have sports, especially now when I have exams and get a little nervous before exams.

My teachers and my best friend know about this ( and of course my family). My doctor told me to take Prednisolone (steroids) for 10 days. It got better, and on the 10th day I had sports class (and after school, I went to the gym, too) and felt no itching. Then I stopped taking Prednisolone, and the itching came back.

Then my doctor put me again on Prednisolone for 10 days, but during the 3rd or 4th day I became depressed because of a Chemistry test, and I don’t know anything in Chemistry. The day after (4th or 5th day), I got suicidal thoughts and told my mom and doctor. Now I can never take steroids again, and I just have to try different medications until I find something that works. So if you think having Cholinergic Urticaria is hell, we have something in common, especially because I played basketball and quit, got urticaria, and now I can’t even jog for 3 minutes without itching all over the body.

I just wanted to share my thoughts.
Thank you for your time,

I.K.J.

Comments

  1. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience, and I’m really sorry to hear of your struggles. We’ve all been there, and we can relate with you. First, corticosteroids (prednisolone) aren’t a good option for treating this disorder, especially long term. I’m glad they took you off of them.

    I’ve created a video series addressing some of the common issues and questions people face, and you may want to check that out (cholinergic urticaria videos). There are a lot of ways to beat this condition, so hang in there. I know you’re probably frustrated right now, but your life is going to get better.

    For the short term, you can try to work with your doctor and try different types of antihistamines (many such as Zyrtec and Allegra are over the counter). They may help a little or a lot, depending on how your body responds. If nothing else, it may take a bit of the sting out. Experimenting with diet changes (allergy elimination diets), sweat therapy (talk to a doctor first and use caution) can also help. I cover much of these things in my book, on this site, and in the videos.

    I’m glad you found this website, because now you know you aren’t alone, and you’ll be able to learn how other people have managed or beat this condition.

    God bless,
    Ben

  2. IKJ, don’t give up but hang in there like the rest of us. Keep looking for what helps to alleviate this for you by heeding some of the suggestions of us older folks. No test or problem of any sort is worth your precious life. Put it in God’s hands. Remember, He is the designer if chemistry.

  3. My heart goes out to you. I have been dealing with UC for over 10 years. I realize when I force myself to exercise ( example working out on the elliptical ) I must mentally push myself pass at least 5 minutes of itching. I tell myself, (this itching feels great. Sometimes I am just angry and this causes me to keep going. Then all of a sudden, the itching stops. Then I will start sweating. This is what my body wants to do. This UC is connected with not being able to sweat. After a few weeks, I feel set free from this dreadful itching. Then I will get lazy and stop working out and I am back to itching when I get anxiety, rush or experience a lot of heat. Sometimes setting in a sauna can help, because it forces your body to sweat. I don’t like going on vacations because i will break out in a itch. My family and friends are nice, but they don’t really get it. Sometimes they will say, “use an umbrella”. This is when I know they truly don’t understand. Sometimes I wish they could go through this for a day. I know that sounds mean, but I can just get so frustrated. Then I calm down and just try to adjust my life. Thanks for reading.

    • When I workout I always start by running on the elliptical for 3-4 minutes or just until I fell itching. Then I run for 1-2 minutes with the itching and stop, sit down until the itch goes away. But then when I start running again or lift weights I won’t feel any itching.

  4. EXACTLY WHAT CHINA SAID!

    By the way, I am 23 years old (its my birthday today 😀 ) “Food Nutrition and Health” student and have had this weird condition for over 4 years now and you know what? If i could chose for it to completely go away, i would not! You might find this crazy what i just said, but listen to me now, young blood and you will understand why i am glad to have this condition. As China already mentioned, all I had to do is force myself to exercise and mentally push myself through all the itching until I start sweating, then the itching will suddenly stop. I am not gonna lie, the first time I tried this, it was really difficult, like a nightmare. HOWEVER, it gets easier with every exercise! After doing that several times (i would say at least 3-7 times in 1-2 weeks period) I found myself exercising without any itchiness at all!

    BUT you can`t let yourself to get lazy and stop working out or itchiness will come back after some time and you gonna have to go through all of this once again. So ya.. once the itchiness goes away, all you gonna need to is force yourself to sweat at least 3 times a week (that is not difficult at all, especially if you enjoy sports, like i do – its actually a pleasure). That`s why i said, I LOVE to have this condition, it forces me to exercise at least 2-3 times a week, cause i know if i will not – the itchiness will come back. Its like my body tells me “Go exercise or i will punish you with itchiness/hives)! Is is basically the same as food allergy: Suspect food treated as an invader, body goes into attack, defends itself by producing antibodies, antibodies trigger cells to release inflammatory substances such as histamine which ends up in hives.

    All in all, forget all anti-histamines, steroids and all that kind of stuff, all of them are useless, your body gets used to them fast and it stops working. Both waste of money and health. Exercise therapy is the best, in my opinion. As i`ve already mentioned, it is gonna get easier with every exercise until it completely stops and you will be free of itches (until you get lazy again of course!).

    If you or anyone else have questions, i would be glad to answer. Feel free to email me! 🙂

    Have a good day! 🙂

    [Editor’s note: exercise therapy is not safe and effective for everyone with cholinergic urticaria, so talk to a doctor before trying it].

    • Just wondering what you wear for exercise? is it better to cover up or wear shorts etc. Also, how quickly after do you shower? do you allow yourself to cool down? and do you have a cold or hot shower. Im currently on day 3 of ‘sweating it out’ and want to make sure im approaching this is in the right way!

      many thanks

      • Sorry, just saw your post. I wear whatever now, just regular stuff. However, when i used to exercise at those really difficult stages of hives, i just remember i used to wear a hat and as many layers of clothes as possible. This make you sweat easier and faster since the scalp of your head regulates the temperature of your body and by wearing a hat, you just basically make it easier. I don`t think it matters what water you use in a shower. Both cold and warm worked for me. How are you doing now, by the way? 🙂

  5. Hey. I get hives whenever I excersize as well… but I love to dance at concerts (which are very hot), I have found if you can power through the initial flare up, meaning ignore the burn and the unsightly redness, then the burn fades away to a dull roar and you can excersize as you please. It would be nice if it stopped, but I’ve just learned to accept it’s a thing and I’ve given up on fighting it and now I hike, bike, dance, run through it.