Cholinergic Urticaria

Thyroid, Hypothyroid, Or Hormone Imbalance Cause Cholinergic Urticaria Hives?

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Thyroid, Hypothyroid, Or Hormone Imbalance Cause Cholinergic Urticaria Hives? Post by: itchy_man on March 11, 2009, 05:03:46 AM

Hello, I stumbled across your great website and thought I’d share my story with you.

I’m a 28 year old UK male and have had UC for about 9 years. Initially it was something that didn’t bother me much as it rarely happened, probably only once or twice a week. The attacks weren’t that severe and I didn’t really think much of it putting it down to some minor allergy

As I got older the ‘ithchy’ attacks became more frequent and more difficult to deal with, especially in public places. I would try to resist the urge to scratch in public as this would draw attention to myself which in turn seemed to make me worse. Eventually I was unable to do simple things like taking the dogs out for a walk without enduring an extremely uncomfortable spell of itchiness. I made an apt. with my doctor to try and find out what was causing the itchiness

At the apt. the Doctor thought I may have a Thyroid disorder (there is history of this in the family) as I had quite shaky hands. He said that the itchiness was probably down to a skin allergy and unrelated. I got a blood test which confirmed I had a hyperactive Thyroid disorder (Graves Disease) and I suspected the itchiness was related to the Thyroid problem.
I was sent to a Thyroid specialist to discuss my symptoms again bringing up the itchiness. He didn’t really explore if this was related. I started on anti-Thryroid medication and went for regular blood tests. After about 3 months my UC was completely gone. I got on with my life and forgot all about it. I was still taking the medication and eventually I was now told to reduce the dosage as my Thyroid levels were now in the normal range, eventually discontinuing with it altogether.

3 months after reducing the medication, I noticed my itchiness was back. I discussed this with the Thyroid specialist and he referred me to a dermatologist who diagnosed UC. I was prescribed various anti histamines. The UC was nowhere near as bad so I wasn’t overly concerned with taking the antihistamines.
About a year later and my UC had flared up to worse than it had ever been. I was getting attacks all the time. Something as simple as getting out of bed would result in an attack and the severity was worse than I had ever experienced. It was now happening with the slightest thing, lifting objects, hearing a door slam, getting dried from a shower and even waking me up whilst I was sleeping.

I arranged for a blood test to check my thyroid levels as I was also experiencing other thyroid related symptoms. Sure enough my Thyroid problem was back. Once again I started on anti-thyroid meds and once again my UC seems to be responding. It’s still here but not as bad. However I have been told the medication probably won’t be as effective this time round at treating the Thyroid so I suspect my UC won’t respond as well either.

It’s not something my doctors have really entertained when I’ve spoken to them but I’m convinced that in my case the problem is related to my Thyroid gland. I’ve searched the net and have found a few articles citing a link between the two conditions. If I can get my Thyroid problem solved I’m sure with it will cure my UC (which is by far the worst symptom).
I’ve also been looking at your article on Sun exposure and have to agree I generally have little Sun exposure. When I do which is mostly on holiday somewhere warm the UC is lessened or goes completely for the time I’m there and I can also sweat! It’s not something I’d thought about before but it does make sense.

Title: Re: Hi all Post by: HivesGuy on March 11, 2009, 08:34:45 AM

Hello Itchy_man,
Excellent post &
welcome to the forum!
I can relate with your itching in public, and how the the anxiety of having a public attack makes you worse!
I find the information you talked about with the Thyroid issue VERY INTERESTING. I have often wondered myself if perhaps I have some kind of hormone issue that could be behind cholinergic urticaria (at least, in some cases of it).
That is interesting how Cholinergic Urticaria seemed to go away when you got your thyroid treated, and then returned when your levels were out of whack again.
If my Cholinergic Urticaria is still here after this summer, I will definitely make an appointment to get lots of blood work, including thyroid testing. My wife said it is a really simple blood test that can tell if the thyroid levels are off. If anyone else on the forum has this done, please share the info of your results with us.
I also find it interesting that the times you had a lot of sun exposure, the Cholinergic Urticaria seemed to be better. I did a quick search online and it seems that they are finding in many cases of a thryroid problem (both hypo & hyper-thyroidism), there is a Vitamin D deficiency. Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D, so I wonder if lack of sun exposure could cause hormone imbalances with then lead to other problems (including Cholinergic Urticaria).
This just makes me wonder if the sun could be the one source in all of this Cholinergic Urticaria. But then again, I know many different things can cause thyroid levels to go out of whack, so I am not going to claim the sun is the “cure all.” But at the same time, I am intrigued and I can’t wait to see if steady sun exposure for a couple of months will correct this.
As I said, if the sun exposure theory I have doesn’t work this summer, by the end of the summer I will be making an appointment to do a huge test of my blood. By that time, I will know if the sun helped, and also I will have medical insurance.
Thanks again for AWESOME information, and I hope the hives get better. Please let us know if they start to get better, or if anything new happens.

Title: Thyroid, Hypothyroid, Or Hormone Imbalance Cause Cholinergic Urticaria Hives? Post by: jga on April 06, 2009, 04:23:09 PM

I was looking up info on what could cause a lack of sweating and found some stuff about thyroids (a problem with thyroids = problem with sweating). I was curious if there was a relationship between thyroids and hives, and there is:
“Have you ever seen a patient suffering from acute urticaria (hives) and acute angioedema (swelling) that did not respond to treatment (by antihistamine and by steroid), lasted in excess of one year, and no physician was able to diagnose thyroid disease until ten years elapsed and a second bout occurred more intense than the first? Is this a common problem among those suffering from Hashimoto’s disease? ”
sounds kinda like us

Title: Re: thyroids Post by: jga on April 06, 2009, 04:32:34 PM

“When chronic hives (uticaria) is experienced and is an unusual occurrence not easily explained by an allergen or another obvious cause, a patient should see their doctor and request thyroid antibodies and thyroid function tests to be ordered. These tests can rule out thyroid autoimmunity or help confirm it as being the cause of this condition.”

Title: Re: thyroids Post by: HivesGuy on April 06, 2009, 06:10:25 PM

Hello JGA,
Thanks for providing those links. I agree that the thyroid is definitely a possibility, and I still have thyroid on my checklist of things to try for sure. At least one person on here has said that they did have a thyroid issue, and when treated the first time for the thyroid condition (graves disease), they Cholinergic Urticaria cleared. Here is the thread: But I agree, the thyroid is definitely a possibility (at least in some cases) in cholinergic urticaria. Hopefully time will tell.

Title: Re: thyroids Post by: Honkymagoo on April 22, 2009, 09:31:59 PM

How are thyroid tests done? I may have them done if it isn’t something painful ;D
I don’t know much about thyroid problems (going to do some research now) but I believe low energy is part of it? I find that I’m tired most of the time I’m awake. I know it doesn’t help that I don’t exercise much (due to the UC) and that I very rarely get a full night of sleep but I’m tired all the time regardless.

Title: Re: thyroids Post by: HivesGuy on April 23, 2009, 06:47:37 AM

How are thyroid tests done? I may have them done if it isn’t something painful ;D
I don’t know much about thyroid problems (going to do some research now) but I believe low energy is part of it? I find that I’m tired most of the time I’m awake. I know it doesn’t help that I don’t exercise much (due to the UC) and that I very rarely get a full night of sleep but I’m tired all the time regardless.

My wife told me it is just a simple blood test. I suppose they take blood, and then check your thyroid levels. A couple of people have been on thyroid synthetic hormones, however, and it hasn’t helped their Cholinergic Urticaria as of yet. But it wouldn’t hurt to rule out thyroid.

Title: Re: thyroids Post by: BiaHasHives on April 23, 2009, 06:39:41 PM

im on synthroid right now to see if it helps my Cholinergic Urticaria..its been about 2 1/2 weeks, and i dont think ive seen a difference as of yet, but in a journal i saw that was written about Cholinergic Urticaria and synthroid it took about a month to show results..so im still hoping. so def try get it checked. it was a simple blood test. 🙂

Title: Re: thyroids Post by: jga on June 01, 2009, 08:46:55 PM

im on synthroid right now to see if it helps my Cholinergic Urticaria..its been about 2 1/2 weeks, and i dont think ive seen a difference as of yet, but in a journal i saw that was written about Cholinergic Urticaria and synthroid it took about a month to show results..so im still hoping. so def try get it checked. it was a simple blood test. 🙂

has it helped so far?
I’m looking more into thyroids cause hormones have such a huge influence on the body, I should have had them tested in my last doctor visit but my doctor kept insisting my hives were “just heat rash”. ::)

Title: Re: thyroids Post by: pinkleopard on June 08, 2009, 12:20:38 PM

i have been struggling with chronic urticaria and Cholinergic Urticaria for over a year and have seen every doctor up and down the country! (ok, not that many.) but my thyroid levels were tested at some point and shown to be slightly sluggish, but nothing off the charts. that’s just me though.

Title: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: antihives on November 01, 2009, 05:36:03 AM

Update: Just read an interesting paragraph from the book: Living Well With Hypothyroidism by Mary J Shomon:
Urticaria is particularly common in thyroid patients. Studies have found that a significant percentage of patients with urticaria also have high levels of antithyroid antibodies, even though they may not have clinical thyroid disease. Interestingly, in one study, ten patients with chronic urticaria had normal thyroid blood test levels–but seven of the ten had elevated antithyroid antibodies and three controls had no antithyroid antibodies. After being treated with levothyroxine, the seven patients with antibodies reported their urticaria symptoms went away within four weeks. The three controls did not respond. In five patients, symptoms recurred after treatment was stopped; these symptoms again resolved after treatment was restarted.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Get yourself tested folks!
I made a post awhile ago that eliminating Dust-mites had been the cure for my hives. That was “kind-of” it. They would still sometimes come and go, but less frequently. Then I started doing some research about different OTC medicines. One interesting article was about how there are different “Histamine” blockers. Zyteric — blocks one type, and Zantac — blocks the other. I have found that if I take one Zyrtec in the morning along with one Zantac 150, it will keep my hives away for the full day (sorry didn’t mean to rhyme there). If i miss it, then they can arise that very day. Its definitely working for me. One other interesting thing, I can take generic Zyrtec, but have to use namebrand Zantac 150 — otherwise it doesn’t work.
So conclusion #1–See if this OTC combo works for you. (BTW—I can lift weights, and run etc. no hives with the med, without them, walking to a car they can come back).
Also–just wanted to let everyone know about something interesting. I had some blood work done, it looks like I have sub-clinical Hypothyroidism. With some google searching I found a very strong link with Urticaria and Hypothyroidism. I haven’t started any medicine for it yet, but some of the studies out there show that with treatment hives will go away.
Conclusion #2 –See if you can be tested for Hypothyroidism (get your T-3, T-4, and TSH tested). My T-3 and T-4 normal, but TSH was high.
If i start medicine for this, I will experiment and try to stop taking Zyrtec and Zantac to see if it was the cause of my hives. Dr. said it may take about 4-6 months to see results, so I will post then.
Has anyone been tested for Hypothyroidism? My allergy doc didn’t test for it, and its not a part of normal blood work; but its easy for them to add it to the test. My new family doc tested for it because “when you told me about the Uticaria, it made me think your immune system is acting funky, and one major cause of a lot of immune system wackyness is the Thyroid”.
If anyone has any questions for me; ask away.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and hives; also my OTC solution Post by: HivesGuy on January 05, 2010, 06:50:59 PM

Thanks for the great update antihives!
That is very interesting about the thyroid testing and results. Please keep us updated as to how this helps (if at all) the hives. Good luck and be safe,
Hivesguy

Title: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on February 15, 2010, 10:41:24 PM

Whats sup guys, just like many of you I suffer from Cholinergic Urticaria, I have had it for almost 2 years now. I get a rash on my face and shoulders every time I take a shower and I also get rashes when I run, or do any type of heavy exercise. I also have a sweating problem, I could run a mile in the Florida heat and my skin will only get moist and before my problems starting occurring I use to sweat like crazy no problem with that at all. When I run, about a couple minutes in I feel this prickly sensation all over my body, mainly in my scalp and then the rash comes.
So far I have taken a number of tests. Hormone and other various tests including saliva tests to check stuff from yeast/metal/bacteria/vitamin deficiency etc. So far I have found out that I have a Thyroid problem, Low Testosterone problem, Really high pregnenlone, High DHEA, High cortisone, Vitamin D deficiency, elevated yeast growth, adrenal problems, and other hormonal problems.
I believe most people with Cholinergic Urticaria have hormonal imbalances like me, unfortunately most people don’t know because most doctors wont do an extensive blood work and most likely they will only check your basic levels which wont prove anything. I also believe that once I balance my hormones back to normal rages that my Cholinergic Urticaria will go away.
My next test will be, Metabolic Analysis Profile 24 hour urine test, which I will do tomorrow and then the next test will be, Essential & Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis: This test evaluates the level of red cell membrane fatty acids, imbalances of which significantly affect inflammatory and other disorders. By knowing the various fatty acid levels, one can re-establish a balance using nutritional intervention.
I believe those two tests will be crucial to finding out whats going on with my body along with getting my other hormone problems in control.
Once all these tests are complete I will put together a plan to hopefully balance my body out nutritionally and hormonally.
I will keep posting my results.
In the mean time, has anyone else gone through extensive testing? Have you guys tested ALL your hormone levels?…I’m not talking about your basic hormone blood test, I’m talking about an extensive blood work. Also has anyone done the two tests I mentioned above? Results? Curious to see how far people have gone into finding a cause.

Title: Re: My quest…. Post by: HivesGuy on February 16, 2010, 06:40:19 PM

Hey Cheezit,
First of all, welcome to the forum.
That was an AWESOME post, and full of very useful information.
I agree that something definitely changed or went “off” in our bodies to cause this. It could very well be some hormonal issue. That is very interesting about the specific and detailed testing you are having done.
In terms of your question: I have never had any sophisticated hormone tests done. I hope others from the forum see this and reply about their experience in more detail.
I know many have been vitamin d tested, and were low. They were then put on supplements, but as of their last post, it was only helping a bit (they still had hives).
In terms of hormone tests, I know of a few posts where people have talked about low thyroid levels, and things like that. I don’t know the extent of their testing, but at least some tried this and it didn’t help.
I definitely am interested to see what results you have. It sounds like you have really taken initiative and apparently have a great doctor(s).
Please keep us updated if you find anything out. That would be nice if it were something correctable (ie, hormone imbalance).
Thanks again for the great post,
Hivesguy

Title: Re: My quest…. Post by: thecheezit on February 16, 2010, 09:34:00 PM

Just finished my 24 hour urine test and saliva cortisol test today, will be sending those off tomorrow and hopefully will get those results next week. Then I will have one more test to take and I am confident with all these test complete I will know exactly whats going on in my body and how to fix it.
Yes, fortunately I have found two great doctors who are willing to work together and putting in the time it takes to get me back to normal again.
In about a month/month and a half I should have all tests done, still waiting to do that one test I mentioned because its expensive but my doctor says its key to finding out whats wrong so I guess I will pay for it.
This can be cured, there is a reason why this comes and goes in people, either it be environmental or hormonal, obviously they key is finding the cause which is why extensive testing needs to be done. Unfortunately there will probably never be a cure to this because I believe the core problem is different in just about everyone, one person may lack one hormone while the next person lacks a different hormone. Our hormone system is like a sea-saw, when one hormone is out of balance is causes a whole string of other hormones to become out of balance. The only solution is to take things in your hands and get tested like me, I can almost guarantee most people on here have some sort of hormonal imbalance and don’t know it.
Don’t let your doctors control your lives, take things into your own hands, get all the tests you want, if your doctor doesn’t want to do it, then it’s time you find a new doctor.
Hopefully when all my tests are done I can take all the stuff I need to to balance my body and then the rash should go away and my body return back to normal like I was before my body got out of balance.
Like I said I will keep you guys updated and if I see improvement I will list all the tests that need to be done.

Title: Re: My quest…. Post by: thecheezit on February 16, 2010, 09:47:37 PM

I know many have been vitamin d tested, and were low. They were then put on supplements, but as of their last post, it was only helping a bit (they still had hives).

I wouldnt expect them to get rid of their hives, vitamin D deficiency is likely 1 of several problems going on in their body, so treating one of the problems may help but it no means would they be “cured”.

Quote
In terms of hormone tests, I know of a few posts where people have talked about low thyroid levels, and things like that. I don’t know the extent of their testing, but at least some tried this and it didn’t help.

Again, thyroid problem is more than likely a sign of other problems going on in your body. Like me for example, I have a thyroid problem, low t3 and high t4, whats going on is a conversion problem. My doctor firmly believes that because my adrenals and other hormone problems are out of range that it has caused the thyroid and the rash, he also believes that once I “reset” my body through medication and nutrients that my body will once be working like a normal person and my thyroid problem will go away.
He believes I will no longer have to take thyroid medication, which would be awesome.
Also most people go undiagnosed with a thyroid problem, doctors dont usually test your full thyroid, tsh doesnt matter, its all about t3 and t4.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and hives; also my OTC solution Post by: thecheezit on February 16, 2010, 11:42:06 PM

Interesting, I have also read this somewhere. There does seem to be a high correlation between high thyroid antibody’s and Cholinergic Urticaria. I myself have high thyroid antibody’s, double the high end of normal range. I am currently on Levothyroxin (sp?) and have been for over a year and my thyroid antibodys have only gone up and my rash has also gotten worse. This is something I am going to start researching and discussing with my smart doctors ;D. I wish I could say more on this topic but I know nothing about thyroid antibody’s and what they actually are and what causes them to fluctuate.
This site is very interesting, with the few threads I have read it seems a lot of people all have similar problems, vit d/thyroid etc. This is a good starting point, but more tests need to be done.
Now time to go do some researching!

Title: Re: My quest…. Post by: HivesGuy on February 17, 2010, 06:49:45 AM

Wow, that is very exciting and I can’t wait to find out what the test results show, and if any treatments start to help.
I agree that it is probably a very complex issue with our hormones, vitamins, etc. Like you said, one thing may lead to another, and a whole lot of things get out of whack.
I also agree about the “cure”. Cure really isn’t the best word any way. “Treat and recover” is probably a better term. If we can at least find what the issues is (ie. what hormone/enzyme/vitamin) may be most to blame, then perhaps that could be a common thread in Cholinergic Urticaria that we all share.
About the adrenal thing—I also find it interesting how people’s Cholinergic Urticaria comes and goes (which definitely leads me to believe it is more of an internal thing (vitamin/hormone, etc.). Also, keep in mind that Cholinergic Urticaria often comes after a period of very high stress, and we know how stress can really play a huge role in adrenal gland production.
Anyway, this is what gets me excited about this forum: People like you and all of the others who contribute excellent information and share that with the whole community. I think we will learn so much about Cholinergic Urticaria over the next few years, and possibly even figure out this puzzle because of the hundreds of people working together.
Thanks again for the very interesting posts, and for sharing all of this with us all. I will definitely keep an eye out to see how you progress in your journey.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on February 25, 2010, 09:27:46 PM

Test results are in, picking them up tomorrow, will post results for my metabolic panel and cortisol test to see what my adrenals are doing.
I don’t know if I want these test to come back normal or not :- lol, hoping something shows up wrong and that its fixable ;D.
Uhh hate waiting for tests to come in ::)

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: thecheezit on February 25, 2010, 09:34:19 PM

Read up on antibody’s, from my understanding if you have elevated TPO than that means that your antibody’s are attacking your thyroid and that you do in fact have a thyroid problem or is a sign that you are close to have a thyroid problem and medication should be considered. So definitely make sure you get your tpo checked along with tsh t4 t3 etc.
Also, to the original poster, do you have the case study on the relation to elevated thyroid antibody’s to Cholinergic Urticaria? Can’t find the actual case study on it…

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: HivesGuy on February 26, 2010, 05:40:35 AM

Quote
I don’t know if I want these test to come back normal or not lol, hoping something shows up wrong and that its fixable.

I know exactly what you mean. So many times I have just wished that I could find SOMETHING wrong, just so I could know what was going on. On the flip side, I have also always hoped that whatever is wrong is fixable. It would be almost worse to find out something BAD is wrong, or that it isn’t fixable. That is exactly what I have always thought.
But good luck tomorrow. I hope something is wrong with you (that’s fixable). If it is not fixable, then I hope you are perfectly healthy 😉 (minus the hives of course).
Thanks again for sharing all of this with us.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on February 27, 2010, 03:32:36 PM

Results back, have really low cortisol which is causing my adrenals to not being working properly.
Plan is to go on cortef to bring my adrenals back to life, apparently this will take about 3-4 months.
Once my adrenals get back to normal the rest of my imbalances will be fixed.
So its good news for me, originally suspected by one of my doctors was that I was missing an enzyme and those test proved I wasn’t so thats good, just need to fix my adrenals and them I’m confident my Cholinergic Urticaria will be gone.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: HivesGuy on February 27, 2010, 03:43:24 PM

VERY VERY interesting! I can’t wait to hear if this works. That is good news (that it is at least treatable). Congrats on that part.
Are you starting treatment immediately?
Please keep us updated every so often about this. It would be incredible if this is what is causing all of our symptoms. If this treatment works, I will probably get tested myself.
I’m hoping for the best, and congrats again.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on February 27, 2010, 06:14:29 PM

Yes, starting treatment asap. Got a doc appointment Tuesday so I will get my meds then.
Will get tested again in 6-8 weeks to see how my levels are going. Fortunately I know whats wrong, unfortunately its not an over the night fix and will take about 3 months to wake my adrenals back up and for it to start working normally.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: Motion on March 08, 2010, 11:46:18 PM

I believe most people with Cholinergic Urticaria have hormonal imbalances like me, unfortunately most people don’t know because most doctors wont do an extensive blood work and most likely they will only check your basic levels which wont prove anything.

As far as Cholinergic Urticaria possibly being related to hormonal imbalances. Have you found any research either in the U.S or abroad that connects this to hormonal problems? I’ve been trying to find the results of Cholinergic Urticaria studies that have been done in various countries.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on March 09, 2010, 11:12:04 AM

Quote
As far as Cholinergic Urticaria possibly being related to hormonal imbalances. Have you found any research either in the U.S or abroad that connects this to hormonal problems? I’ve been trying to find the results of Cholinergic Urticaria studies that have been done in various countries.

Only study I have found is the one study where it showed a correlation with people who have Cholinergic Urticaria and elevated thyroid antibodies. But I mean there is like 0 actual studies done on Cholinergic Urticaria, right now there is only a bunch of theories.
But so far it’s been about a week since I started my new meds and I feel a lot better energy wise and I have been actually sweating with no effort which is a huge improvement, laid outside in the sun and had a decent amount of sweat. Still have not tested running yet, which will determine if I have gotten better or not. I might try to go for a run today, or I might wait a couple more weeks to test it out.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on March 09, 2010, 03:59:50 PM

Update: Ran about a half mile and broke a little sweat, ran at 5:30 pm so sun is down and kinda cold so wouldn’t expect to sweat that much anyways. Did not once feel over heated, prickly etc, felt cool the whole time. Although I did not run very far because I kinda had chest pains and my heart felt like it was beating extremely fast, so to be on the safe side I stopped and walked back. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t ran much in the past two years ::) or if it was the pre-workout supp I took before hand ???.
But I know that before I would had broke out in a rash in the first couple minutes of running, so, so far I seem to be getting better but I’m not going to say I’m perfect yet, I still need to run a mile during mid day to see if I break out in a rash.
I can definitely say I feel a lot better though between the vitamin supplements and the other meds I am taking, definitely heading in the right direction.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on April 19, 2010, 07:46:45 PM

Just a little update….
My main goal over the last months was to get all my hormone levels in rage, its been a slow process, been fixing one thing at a time. Right now I have pretty much dialed in all of my hormones. Everything seems to be in range, still may take a little longer till I have all my levels where I want them to be. Just worked out for the first time today, took about a month off, and my body was sweating perfectly normal again which is allowing my body to cool down preventing a rash to form.
Will repost soon, just thought I would give a quick update.
and again if you can afford it or if you insurance will cover it please get your hormones checked out, if you want I can give you a full list of what you need just ask.
Also does anyone else have other problems unrelated like fatigue, low energy, tiredness etc?

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: HivesGuy on April 21, 2010, 03:48:13 AM

Cheezit,
Thanks for the update. That is excellent news and I am glad you were able to go directly into sweating!
So are you not having any Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms at all?
Again, thanks for the update and please continue to let us know how this treatment works out for you.

Title: I think I found the root of the problem Post by: cyruschn on May 21, 2010, 05:21:24 PM

HEy guys I fond this realy interesting article about the function of our thyroid. Well they reported that if the thyroid is irregular or unbalanced it can cause skin problems like urticaria. The website said The high incidence of thyroid disfunction may be due to our heavily processed diet, heavy metal buildup, exposure to x-rays or other electromagnetic radiation, or emotional challenges – but the thyroid, sometimes called our “master gland,” is one of the most common weaknesses of the human body today. [/b] Read more at Suite101: Your Thyroid Gland: Improve energy levels, skin, metabolism & weight – via your throat –this makes sense because i got this condition when i became a teenager and lots of hormonal changes happen when you get older.
tell me what you guys think
I think the problem is an underactive thyroid look it up on google for suggestions to regulate it
How to Improve an Underactive Thyroid Step 1Eat two eggs and 1.5 cups of yogurt every day to make sure you’re getting enough iodine. (Iodine is a necessary nutrient our bodies need for our thyroid to function properly). Adding salt-water fish, garlic and asparagus in your diet would also improve your iodine intake. (Do not increase iodine intake if you’ve been diagnosed with an auto-immune form of hypothyroidism—Hashimoto’s or Graves disease.)
Step 2Take a brisk 30-minute walk every day to help improve thyroid function. Exercise is very important in treating an underactive thyroid.
Step 3Take a daily high-potency vitamin and mineral supplement that contains vitamin A, B2, B3, B6, C, E, tyrosine, zinc, and selenium all which are necessary for the thyroid to function properly.
Step 4Stay away from fluoride. Studies have shown that fluoride can inhibit the function of the thyroid gland and can contribute to the likelihood of developing an underactive thyroid.
Step 5Avoid cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, turnips, soy and peanuts. These foods are rich in goitergens and can interfere with thyroid function

Title: Re: I think I found the root of the problem Post by: HivesGuy on May 21, 2010, 06:52:14 PM

Hey cyruschn,
Thanks for the great post and welcome to the forum. Since you posted the same message twice, I merged them into one to avoid confusion.
About the thyroid, I do appreciate that information. Some people on the forum have had thyroid tests & treatment, and it did help their Cholinergic Urticaria (but hopefully they will give another update soon on their current health). On the other hand, some have also had extensive testing and even treatment on thyroid, and it didn’t improve their Cholinergic Urticaria.
If anyone suspects a thyroid issue, they can certainly try those tips or see a doctor to test to be certain. It is very possible that Cholinergic Urticaria could be a complex hormonal issue, which may involve the thyroid. On the flip side, we can’t say with 100% certainty that everyone with Cholinergic Urticaria has a thryoid or hormonal issue since some evidence suggests otherwise.
Also, keep in mind that suite101.com is just a user-submitted article site, and the information is not always accurate. That was a good article, and most of the information seemed to be true at first glance. Just be careful because on sites like that the articles aren’t always 100% accurate (or any website for that matter).
But again, welcome to the forum and great post. I value your post, and I agree that it is certainly possible that-at least in some cases-Cholinergic Urticaria could be connected with a gland or hormonal issue.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: thecheezit on May 31, 2010, 09:14:40 AM

Cheezit,
Thanks for the update. That is excellent news and I am glad you were able to go directly into sweating!
So are you not having any Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms at all?
Again, thanks for the update and please continue to let us know how this treatment works out for you.

Been awhile sine I last posted, and no I have not gotten any symptoms for awhile now. I am finally back running with out a problem, sweating like a pig. Even when I lay outside now I don’t get that itchy/prickly feeling like I always did.
The thing that did it for me was restoring my testosterone levels, since I started I have had 0 symptoms.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: HivesGuy on June 10, 2010, 02:32:24 AM

Thanks for the update cheezit.
That is great that your hives have been better since your therapy. I hope it continues to do well for you.
Please let us know if they come back, or if anything changes.

Title: Re: I think I found the root of the problem Post by: Irishhivegirl on August 12, 2010, 08:01:49 AM

Oh my God!! I really wish I had read the above post before I posted my message on hormonal changes. Although I did get my thyroid tested some years ago and it was fine…Mmmm might not be fine now! Also I do eat a lot of turnip and cabbage and broccoli especially turnip though. I eat it nearly everyday!! Bloody hell I never new that those veggies could interfere with your thyroid like that. Unreal!! Praise the Lord you posted your message!!

Title: My Experience with Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: Jk518 on September 24, 2010, 05:45:42 PM

Hello my name is Joe. I will be going on completing my 1st year having Cholinergic Urticaria. As a teenager this is really hard for me since I use to workout, and play sports I am no longer able to do that. The odd thing about me it started int he fall of it last year, but once my basketball season started, I did not experience the effects of it. Being on varsity I had physical activity five times a week. But know if I even lift/move stuff that causes stress I have an itch attack. Once basketball season ended I began to have itches again. This really interferes with my work as well since my work requires me to move a lot stuff. After meeting with a dermatologist they diagnosed me with Cholinergic Urticaria, I was prescribed two daily doses of Cimetidine and Fexofenadine. This medication worked for about four months until mid summer when I took a trip to subtropic country that is very humid, during my one week stay there I did not take my medicine at all and did not experience any symptoms of Cholinergic Urticaria. Upon my return to the USA I began my medicine again, except it does not work anymore. I contacted my dermatologist and they changed my adjusted my dosage to make it work. Unfortunately the medicine dosage change didn’t help what so ever. I once again contacted my dermatologist and they have scheduled a Complete Blood Count Test, Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Test, Antinuclear Antibody Test, Hepatitis C Test, and A Hepatitis B Test. in one of my appointments my doctor mentioned something about the possibility of a thyroid condition or something like that. I hope that these upcoming tests will be able to clear things up because I’m not sure how I will be able to work when my job starts up again in February.

Title: Re: My Experience with Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: HivesGuy on September 25, 2010, 03:01:39 PM

Hello Joe,
Excellent post and welcome to the forum =).
So sorry to hear that you have battled this for the past year. That is indeed odd how it disappeared for your basketball season. But sometimes Cholinergic Urticaria can be really odd in that way. It can flare up, and sometimes flare back down.
That is strange how your body suddenly stopped reacting to the antihistamine, and the hives came out after your trip. For some reason, my body tends to adapt to antihistamines really quickly as well. And most of them do nothing, unless I take high doses, and I don’t like to do that just in case it isn’t safe over time to do so.
I think all of those tests are VERY interesting, and I hope you let us know how those tests turn out. It would be interesting if anything does show up, and you can treat it or find out what the cause may be. So please keep us posted when you find out.
I hope you are able to get the hives under control soon. Mine have been crazy for the past few months, and I am so glad cooler weather is here. Good luck with the test results, and thanks for the great post.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: Cass58 on October 10, 2010, 09:57:31 PM

Well, my dad’s side of the family has a history of thyroid problems… and my doctor has encouraged me to get blood tested for it, but I haven’t yet. I’ve been suffering with cholinergic urticaria for a couple years now. This post definitely makes me want to get tested ASAP! If treating thyroid problems can eliminate the hives, I will be ecstatic! Thanks for posting.

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: Cass58 on October 10, 2010, 10:13:33 PM

Awesome, just read this post! I am going to definitely try and get tested this week, or as soon as possible! I will post my results as well. Thanks for all the info!

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: HivesGuy on October 11, 2010, 03:29:44 AM

Hey cass58,
Good luck, and I hope you find something out. Just try not to get too much of your hopes up, because some people with Cholinergic Urticaria on here have had thyroid tests and they were normal. So it may or may not be the cause of yours.
But best of luck and let us know how it turns out.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: shindayume on November 13, 2010, 10:59:38 AM

Hello all,
Thanks for sharing these information. It gets me to think perhaps I may have some sort of thyroid problem but never dectected anything until this skin condition showed up. I just wanted to ask, how does one get their thyroid tested? It’s not a part of the normal blood test right? I never tested for anything else besides your regular doctor routine of blood test. For cholestrol and stuff like that.
Someone I know had his Thyroid checked but he said he had to take a pill and they had to stick a camera inside to check the thyroid function. I definitely don’t have the money for that so I’m not sure if there is a quick and sufficient way to check if it’s abnormal or not.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: HivesGuy on November 13, 2010, 11:42:27 AM

Yeah, to test thyroid it is usually just a blood test as far as I know.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: itchygirl on November 15, 2010, 10:35:59 AM

I had my thyroid tested along with a slew of other blood tests through my allergy doctor. My thyroid is normal. This was one of the first tests I had done when my hives first started as he thought it was a thyroid problem but it wasn’t. But don’t get discouraged, it could very well be the case for others!

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: HivesBGone on March 07, 2011, 02:01:03 PM

I’ve had Cholinergic Urticaria 3 times now, the first 2 times lasted about 4 years each. It just resurfaced this winter ( I mainly only get symptoms in the winter). I was hyperthyroid right around the last time I had cholinergic Urticaria. I never put 2 and 2 together that they might be related. I took some meds for my thyroid and got my levels under control, but I failed to keep up with the blood tests to keep monitoring my levels. My Urticaria also went into remission about this time. Now that my Cholinergic Urticaria has come back, I wanted to be proactive about it and get a bunch of tests done. I did a full battery of allergy tests and I was not allergic to anything. Antihistamines do nothing for me. However, my blood work showed that I was very slightly hypothyroid. Not only that, but my thyroid antibodies were off the chart. So , if you guys get tested for thyroid levels, make sure you are not only getting tested for thyroid hormone levels, but also for thyroid antibodies. This can be an autoimmune disease known as hoshimoto’s disease. I got started on a small dosage of levothyroxyzine (sp?) to attempt to get my thyroid levels back in normal ranges. Hopefully this helps out with my hives.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: ken8lk on March 08, 2011, 09:33:02 PM

Were you the one who got rid of the old couch that had dust mites in it?
That combination sounds good, although I had no success with Zyrtec (in fact, it made mine worse o_0)

Title: Re: My quest with Cholinergic Urticaria…. Post by: ken8lk on March 20, 2011, 09:14:24 PM

What are all the tests that you had? I had extensive blood work as well, but nothing was off, except my vitamin D levels.
Maybe I should ask too…did you get any medication for it?

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: username on April 09, 2011, 11:59:39 AM

I have what im almost certain is cholinergic urticaria as well as solar urticaria and I also have hypothyroidism. I have been on medication (levothyroxin) for my thyroid condition for close to a year now and it has not helped the urticaria, if any thing it has worsened it unfortunately. I hope to find a treatment that works very soon, this is something nobody should have to live with.

Title: Re: Hypothyroid and Cholinergic Urticaria (hives); also my OTC solution Post by: Darkhorse on April 09, 2011, 03:23:34 PM

Imteresting….
I’m gonna play around with some atomidine/T3 over the summer

Title: A new hormonal treatment Post by: ken8lk on May 02, 2011, 11:11:08 AM

I started a new hormonal treatment thing today that was recommended by a homeopathic doctor. He reckons that my Chu was caused by either too much salt in my diet or a hormonal imbalance, or both (which is more likely). I now take medicine that is supposed to restore my hormone levels. This makes sense since I’m 17 years old. I’ll post the medicine that I’m taking later today, regardless of whether it works or not.
We’ll see how it goes.

Title: A new hormonal treatment Post by: nowash on May 02, 2011, 02:19:15 PM

Do you want to stunt your growth? What medicine did he give you?

Title: A new hormonal treatment Post by: Duper on May 02, 2011, 07:45:09 PM

Do you want to stunt your growth? What medicine did he give you?

I wonder what stunting your growth has to do with anything. He didn’t even mention the hormone.
I would not be surprised at all if hormones played a big role with ChU since ChU develops more commonly among teenage males more than any other demographic.

Title: A new hormonal treatment Post by: nowash on May 03, 2011, 01:01:40 AM

Yeah, you’re right Duper, technically a hormone can be any chemical messenger in the body, but assuming the homeopath is a not a very literal biologist I doubt that’s what he means. I don’t want ken to think he needs to take an androgen blocker because he got ChU at 17. Maybe the medicine something related to the mineralcorticoids, since the homeopath thinks it’s salt. Maybe it’s an anti-anxiety medicine and he is trying to reduce stress, who knows. It’s a homeopath; it’s probably just a vial of sugar water, and I don’t know why I worry.
I was going to say something about a possible relation between the age of onset and the proposed pathophysiologies of ChU earlier, but didn’t have time. Since you brought it up Duper I thought I might as well say something.
If ChU was related to something that happened in the adolescent years, it might have something to do with hyperkeratinization of the sweat gland duct. Similar to acne, androgens and IGF1 could have an upregulating effect on keratinization, which could block the sweat glands and cause hypohidrosis. The average duration of the condition, 7 years, could be explained this way as well. Why exercise, a hot bath, and summertime seems to desensitize some ChU patients has already been theorized by researchers as working by sweat clearing the duct, preventing it from leaking into the dermis. Why sweat could cause an allergic reaction is less known, but it is not unheard of. In atopic dermatitis there are cases of IgE to inhalant allergens in sweat, specifically birch pollen and house dust mite (Jung et al. 1996). There is also an IgE specific to sweat antigen in atopic dermatitis, which one ChU study related to. This study found that incubation of basophils with semi-purified sweat caused histamine release.
Many people on this forum claim dust mite and pollen allergies. I have read a case where dust mite immunotherapy caused urticaria at the injection site after exercise, which the authors speculate could be ChU (Choi IS et al. 2004), and similarly in an acute case with pollen immunotherapy (which I can’t find the article for, sorry). Whether this could be the trigger in ChU is unknown.
So if this speculation panned out, a low glycemic diet would help. Also retinoids would help (dangerous though). Keratolytics, assuming they reach the plugs, would help. Zinc, maybe(?). Immunotherapy might help as well; although it caused it in a couple patients, it has been used in atopic dermatitis and recently chronic urticaria (Kasperska-Zajac A et al. 2009, Kasperska-Zajac A 2011.
I have had ChU all my life, but mine could be related to hyperkeratinization since I have had milia underneath my eyes and supposedly fast-growing nails all my life. Vinegar and salicylic acid seems to help me sweat, or rather make it less feel like a blister popping and more like a syringe when I sweat, but only for a short period of time. Some people at the Keratosis Pilaris Community take MSM as a regimen to help clear their skin; I’ve tried MSM and it’s helped me, but I have to take a lot of it.
However, I don’t know if this theory is that correct. I follow a low-glycemic diet for acne that has no effect on my symptoms. Cod liver oil also seems to have little to no effect, although I am unsure about the higher doses I’ve tried. No one on the forums has made any connection thus far with hyperkeratinization. One person on this forum even speculated if Accutane had caused his/her symptoms. Hives Guy did wonder if his keratosis pilaris had anything to do with ChU, but I don’t think that turned up anything. He tried an anti-dandruff shampoo (pyrithione zinc? ketoconazole? Idk.) and vinegar; both didn’t work.
So I don’t know, maybe. This is assuming growth or insulin resistance or w/e is the cause of keratosis in some ChU. If you have the type of ChU that gets better in summer or with exercise, it wouldn’t hurt to try some of these things.

Title: A new hormonal treatment Post by: ken8lk on May 04, 2011, 05:48:47 PM

Update:
For the past 3 days, I kept taking the medicine 3 times everyday. So far I actually see some improvement. Since my reactions always had no visible symptoms, I had to rely on the itchiness to tell me whether or not it’s getting better. It seems to be working. It might be from the sudden increase in hot weather in my area, though. I’m going to take a bath today to find out for sure.

Title: Can my thyroid problems cause Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: LuisAguilar on July 06, 2011, 12:37:41 PM

Went to the doctor yesterday and they took some blood samples to see what was causing my Cholinergic Urticaria. The doctor told me if any relative of mine had thyroid problems and I said no because I didn’t know. Then after I got home my uncle told me that my grandma has thyroid problems. Could i have thyroid problems too which cause Cholinergic Urticaria?

Title: Re: Can my thyroid problems cause Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: nowash on July 06, 2011, 07:27:27 PM

People with chronic urticaria have a higher incidence of thyroid antibodies or thyroid disease, but in all the articles I’ve read on cholinergic urticaria there has never been any mention of thyroid antibodies. Either your doctor is getting these two conditions confused or is testing to see if there is any correlation in ChU.
I think a lot of diseases have a high correlation of anti-thyroid antibodies, and I guess that’s used as a marker of how susceptible to autoimmune disease you are. Not too sure.

Title: Re: Can my thyroid problems cause Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: LuisAguilar on July 07, 2011, 11:15:26 AM

Thanks n the first place, so right now for telling me, I’m just hoping they can find the reason for why i get Cholinergic Urticaria in the first place, so im praying right now that they find out 🙂

Title: Re: Can my thyroid problems cause Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: HivesBGone on July 07, 2011, 02:15:21 PM

I have been hyperthyroid in the past and I am currenty hypo-thyroid. I have low thryoid hormone levels and I have high amounts of thyroid anti-bodies in my blood. I have been told that my Cholinergic Urticaria can possibly be related to my thyroid issue, but it is all speculation at this point. I am currently taking meds to increase my thryoid hormone level, but my Cholinergic Urticaria has not gotten any better, so it is still questionable whether the two conditions are related or not for me.

Title: My Cholinergic Urticaria hives story Post by: JK on January 24, 2012, 01:49:47 PM

I have had problems with rashes since birth, I am now nearly 46!
What others describe on this forum I have had since I was around 18. I come out in a rash when I go from hot to cold, have a shower, exercise, especially swimming, experience any type of stress, eat certain foods – though this last one is very unpredictable.
The condition became very extreme about 5 years ago, I was blotching, itchy and covered in lumps several times a day. I was also experiencing more a permanent skin condition (it turned out to be an allergy to painkillers, which I had taken for a cold/headache etc.) and was prescribed anti-histimines to help it.
The anti-histimines did help with the Cholinergic Urticaria, it only happened in very extreme circumstances e.g. rain and wind.
However, I also have an under-active thyroid, diagnosed 7 years ago. I recently read that anti-histimines affect the medication I take for my thyroid condition. As I constantly felt tired despite a high dose of thyroxine I decided to stop taking the anti-histimines.
I now feel I have more energy but I am now blotching and itchy again!
Any help or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks