My skin has turned against me

[QuickSilver]

I have HIVES! Horrible, itchy hives. I am going crazy.

I only get them every five years or so, and I thought I had a very mild allergy to ragweed, because they would always come in late summer. This is the only time I've ever gotten them in the winter.

I'm totally at a loss as to what caused them. I haven't been eating anything special.

scratch-scratch-scratch-scratch-scratchAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE.

[107barney]

I get hives all the time. Cortisone 10 and benadryl are the only things that work for me. I got rid of anything with elastic in it (including underwear) and that helped. I was getting hives from elastics! I still get them. Even thinking about it I'm getting itchy.

[ChibiLuv]

I like alavert because benadryl makes me sleepy. I started getting hives a few years ago and eventually found out I was allergic to Body Soap, something I had used for more than twenty years, suddenly allergic. It's weird what things you can become allergic to. Make sure your detergent and dryer sheets are allergen free, those cause lots of allergies too.

[QuickSilver]

Okay, I'm going to ask the obvious question... what kind of underwear is elastic-free?

My hives are also worse anywhere my skin is rubbed, so yeah, bra strap etc. I got some on the palm of my hand, on my scalp, and I'm pretty sure inside my ears, because they feel really weird.

I've given up all pretense of self control and am scratching like crazy. There is nothing better than that milisecond of relief that comes from a good hard scratch.

[QuickSilver]

I've never heard of alavert. Can you get it over the counter? Anti-histamines knock me out cold.

[alaskayorkie]

Hmm, my Mom used to say a bump on the tongue meant you told a lie. I wonder if that's it...

[QuickSilver]

No, that's herpes. Thanks for trying to help, though.

[Luvdogs2]

I went to Australia right after 9/11 and right before I went, I was pretty sure that the detergent I was using or something was irritating my skin and I had become allergic to something. I itched a lot and my clothing became very irritating to me. I continually got worse over the month I was down in Brisbane and the east coast and when I got home, if I lightly scratched my arm or any part of my body, I would welt up in that scratched area and after about 30 minutes the welting would fade away...but that 30 minutes was horrible. It itched so bad it was driving me nuts. When I got out of the shower and dried off, it looked like I was in one of those UFC fights and I got my butt kicked.

It was kind of fun when I would write somebodies name on my arm and go stand there talking to them and my arm slowly starts welting up and they notice before their eyes my skin welting their name. What was pretty funny too was writing "Help me, I'm trapped inside this body" or something like that...I scared a few people with that one.

I went to the dermatologist and they said take Benadryl, which I tried and it made me loopy and drowsy. This wasn't good because I worked as a machinist and I've seen people get seriously hurt. I lived with it about another 2 weeks and I'm not sure how I did. I went to another dermatologist and they did a look at me and figured out what it was. I have Dermatographic Urticaria. Dermatographic urticaria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia From what I have been told, this can come and go, get stuck on for life, or last a few years and go away. Unfortunately, I have not been able to shake it just yet. I have gone a week without taking any pills before, but it comes right back.

I was prescribed Zyrtec as the antihistamine, and it was still new on the market so I was forced to buy the name brand - which wasn't covered on my insurance and it cost me 95 bucks for 30 pills. It was the ONLY antihistamine that would do the job without any side effects.

Now, Zyrtec is available over the counter and is semi cheap. I used to have really bad spring allergies and bean dust on the farm would about put me into an asthmatic attack, but since I have been taking the Zyrtec for my condition, I don't have a problem with anything.

I have been told that some people get drowsy with the med, but the majority of people can take it will all benefit and no side effect. No dependency for long term use, no long term health risks from what has been researched.

Give it a try, it might help you.

[Mardelin]

I don't know if something is in the air, my skin is been wierd to....Hives, dry skin, itchy, etc.

[jencar98]

I feel your itch Hope you're all better soon!

I've had hives twice in my life and both times I was taking medicine for colds/sore throats. First time doc thought it was due to those Hall's Mentholyptus cough drops. The eucalyptus oil used in them is supposed to be highly allergenic. I was prescribed Benadryl and after a day the hives and itching were much better.

The second time I didn't go to the doc because by that time Benadryl could be bought over the counter (1st time Bendaryl was still a prescription drug). But being that I was taking cold meds again assumed it must be an ingredient used with many cold meds not just cough drops.

[Cirlonde]

I usually get hives if I've been stung by something and once I got stung by a bunch of ants on one foot and it doubled in size. Hives are just about the most awful thing in the world! My brother once had them for a solid six months and they never did figure out what was causing them...finally just went away one day. My mom thinks it was caused by stress.

Anyway, my only real helpful advice is to recommend that you buy some Aveeno oatmeal stuff. I can't recall the technical name but you can get it in Walmart like where the lotions and stuff are. They also have an Equate brand which works just as well. It's this powder that you mix into your bath water. Lay there and soak for a while; it really really helps the itching. Doesn't always make it go away, but will give you some relief at least.
-C

[ritapatt]

I get fine hives from eating the red pepper that they color foods with(I watch for it but sometimes I miss the ingredients -you would think it was natural but..), a 1/4 tsp of baking soda in a glass of water every hour seems to neutralize it and cool me off a bit.

[boopster]

I have always disliked any type of seafood, and discovered when I was thirty that I'm allergic to shellfish. Tried not to be fussy, had a sip of shrimp soup broth and broke out in hives. A few years ago a person who didn't believe me put a small amount of tuna in some potato salad without telling me - for my own good. Took one bite, didn't like it, and 20 minutes later was wheezing and itching. Now I'm so sensitive I can't even eat party mix because of the teny amount of anchovies in the Worcestershire sauce.

So it could be something you're eating in very small amounts and have become increasingly sensitive to.

Now I itch all over just thinking about it. Hope you can find out the cause and get relief soon.

[joann1166]

I know how you feel. I have eaten shrimp all my life until last year. I ate them and started itching (my hands and feet were the worse), throat closing up, broke out in hives.... I got stupid and tried them again and it was even worse. I took quick acting benedryl strips which helped but knocked me out for 4 hours. I was worthless so now I stay away from any kind of shellfish.

[boopster]

On the plus side, it's so much easier to turn down seafood because I'm allergic -- especially when the person serving it might be hurt if you turn it down for other (such as ewwwwww yuck!) reasons.