Cholinergic Urticaria

Urticaria Sufferer (cholinergic urticaria)

by

I first want to say what a help this site has been. I am not alone. I suffer terribly from Cholinergic Urticaria, which started about 7 months ago. I did not know what was going on. It started slow, and ended up completely changing my life.

I couldn’t do anything that loved doing. I started using organic soap & Zyrtec and thought I had finally found my “cure”. I could play with my dogs, nieces & nephews, run, dance, take hot showers…I thought I was getting my life back. But unfortunately the Zyrtec quit working, and the hives are even worse.

Now my skin is so sensitive that I can’t hardly bear anything to touch my skin, and I itch all the time, especially my arms and legs. I did notice because of this site, that I do not sweat, and that I have severe allergies. I am slowing working through all the ideas that have been posted.

-Meg

Comments

  1. Thanks for your post, Meg. Sorry to hear of your sufferings. It sounds like you’ve been reading a lot on this forum already and plan to try a few things. The only thing I’d add is that people often adapt to antihistamines after a while. One strategy for the short term (as you try other things like possibly diet modification) is to try other antihistamines. Some people will use one for a few weeks and then switch to another. Allegra (fexofenadine) is another popular one, and there are a lot of prescription-based ones as well. Always check with a doctor first to be safe. I hope you feel better soon.

    • I tried Alegra-D, It did not work at all, i also tried flonase, but It gave me massive headaches. lol

      • Have you tried anti-inflammatory medications? Ben I’m curious if you’ve seem work for people with CU. antihistamines didn’t seem to work for me whereas Anti-inflammatories like Advil have.

        • I can’t recall anyone saying that Advil has helped their hives, but if it seems to be working for you, that’s great.

  2. Meg,
    I have been very successful combating itchy skin problems by taking a herbal tablet called Quercetain.

    It contains quercetin and bromelains and distributed by BioCeuticals Ltd in Australia but something similar should be available overseas.

    Depending on expected physical activities and forecast weather conditions, I manage now to only take these tablets on a needs basis.

    This may be of some assistance for you.

  3. Forgive me if I sound hopeless, but this experience makes you feel that way! It doesn’t really matter what you take, this is something that has to run its course. Everyone on here, except for an elite few, have similar stories. We take several different medicines, try various attempts at making this go away, to no avail. The hives go away, come back and go away again, only to realize that you are no closer to figuring out what the cause may be. I’ve tried everything. The doctors never figured it out, from Allergists to dermatologist, to my family doctor, no success, but hundreds in medical bills. My allergist told me to go to Sam’s club and by Zyrtec in bulk. So if our bodies become “used to” antihistamines, than why would he tell me to buy so many? If it were up to me, the doctors wouldn’t get paid unless they were successful, to some degree. I’ve tried steam baths, saunas, working out, diet change, nothing! My suggestion would be to keep going in life, regardless of how you feel, and it will run its course. Maybe they won’t come back and you will be one of the lucky ones. My opinion as I’ve been going through this off and on for some time now.