Does anybody suffer from urticaria?

tinkle

Hello

I am not looking for medical advice. In recent months I have found that I suffer from urticaria, skin rash, bumps etc...very, very itchy. Have visited the GP about 4 times and each time just get given anti histamines. I do not know what is causing this. Does anybody else suffer from this and know any 'natural' things to relieve it? Do not want to keep on taking anti histamine every day.

Thanks in advance.

angelil

My dad used to. Like you, he and my mum did not know what was causing it as it just seemed to flare up completely at random.

They only worked out what was causing it when he went for an expensive allergy test (think it was a couple of hundred quid) that literally tested him for an allergy to every food and additive under the sun. His results were just the oddest assortment you could think of: allergy to carrots, aspartame, raw egg, almonds, apricots, additive E102, and a couple of other things.

So he just cut out foods and drinks containing these substances. Some were quite easy for him, while others were more difficult (try buying a shop-bought sandwich that doesn't contain mayonnaise, for instance!). BUT it did stop the urticaria instantly and he hasn't had an outbreak in years (and it used to be dreadful - I don't know how bad yours is but his entire face, or sometimes just his lips, would swell up to enormous sizes, to the point that he could only drink using a straw during an attack).

So depending on how badly you want the urticaria to stop then such a test can be very good value for money. If you like I can ask my parents the name of the company they went through to get this done.

LL30

Sorry Angelil, don't want to sound negative about your post as it's obviously worked for your Dad, but do not pay for allergy testing. The only accurate way to test allergies is by a blood test to look at your IgE scores. Even the pin !!!!! skin testing that they do isn't 100% accurate. Unfortunately there are 101 allergy tests which you can buy and most of the time they will tell you that you are allergic to a whole host of things - and be completely incorrect in their diagnosis.

I have multiple allergies, urticaria, psoriasis (that's my latest, plus psoriatic arthritis) and the odd bout of eczema just for fun. I'm under an immulogist but haven't been for years as they can't do a lot at all, my immune system is melodramatic, that's just the way it is! They gave me a whole plethora a daft ideas, which were practically impossible to follow through with (outdoor clothes to be removed in a separate room and change into indoor clothes to stop cross contamination...amongst others) I take a bunch of anti histamine a day, and have a restricted diet which I've been on for 10 years now, it's not so bad. You could push your GP for a referral, but I know from personal experience that it's not easy! Have you been given anything topical to put on it? Sorry, I wish I had answers too x

tinkle

Hello

Thanks for your replies. LL30, I have been 4 times and they did mention once about getting allergy testing... But to be honest I don't have time to keep on going back to the DR to get no where. I have an appointment next week and I'm going to ask if they will refer me for testing, this is driving me mad. I've been given 2 different types of anti histamine, by topical do you mean a cream? The DR said a cream wouldn't do much good....:( I have read up online (which probably shouldn't do!) but seems to be suggestions that urticaria not always an allergy to something, could be immune systems....

angelil

LL30 wrote: »

Sorry Angelil, don't want to sound negative about your post as it's obviously worked for your Dad, but do not pay for allergy testing. The only accurate way to test allergies is by a blood test to look at your IgE scores. Even the pin !!!!! skin testing that they do isn't 100% accurate. Unfortunately there are 101 allergy tests which you can buy and most of the time they will tell you that you are allergic to a whole host of things - and be completely incorrect in their diagnosis.

I have multiple allergies, urticaria, psoriasis (that's my latest, plus psoriatic arthritis) and the odd bout of eczema just for fun. I'm under an immulogist but haven't been for years as they can't do a lot at all, my immune system is melodramatic, that's just the way it is! They gave me a whole plethora a daft ideas, which were practically impossible to follow through with (outdoor clothes to be removed in a separate room and change into indoor clothes to stop cross contamination...amongst others) I take a bunch of anti histamine a day, and have a restricted diet which I've been on for 10 years now, it's not so bad. You could push your GP for a referral, but I know from personal experience that it's not easy! Have you been given anything topical to put on it? Sorry, I wish I had answers too x

No problem; I appreciate why you posted as I know there will be scam type companies promising a solution where there is none. (FWIW, I do know that the company my parents used was one that they found through an allergy fair in London, so is perhaps more likely to be legit than, say, one you just find online at random.) I'm also well aware that there will be people who suffer with urticaria, eczema etc and just have to put up with it as there is no particular reason causing it. However, if people did want to see if specific foodstuffs were causing it, I was under the impression that standard NHS tests could not do this beyond identifying more common allergens such as nuts and dairy: my parents, iirc, went down this route initially of course and were sadly not satisfied with not being able to find a solution this way.

It is true as well what you say tinkle; you may well find that it is immune-system related, in which case of course an allergy test (free or not) would not be of assistance.

elsien

My mother gets urticaria and has no idea why.
She's stopped going to the doctor now she knows what it is and buys the over the counter antihistamines as and when she needs them. Creams don't seem to make much odds, but she's started to notice the symptoms right at the start so it's easier to control without it turning into a full blown attack. Then once it's calmed down she stops taking antihistamines until the next time.
She does tend to find that physical triggers such as heat will set off an attack, so it can be worse in the summer.
Have a read of this, which looks like a fair summary.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/in_depth/allergies/allergicconditions_urticaria.shtml#causes_of_urticaria

Frogletina

tinkle

If you are on facebook, there is a group you could join called Hives, Urticaria & Angioedema which has a group of members who are sharing their experiences

https://www.facebook.com/groups/17646508283/

Humphrey10

I get it sometimes. I have no idea why, there is no obvious trigger. It can be years between episodes.
When it does start to appear, heat, temperature changes, and pressure make it spread, but none of these things seem to be what trigger it.
It starts on my elbows then spreads to my wrists and ankles, then hands and feet, then arms and legs, then almost everywhere (not my face though), very odd.
Antihistamines (tablets not cream) work but not immediately - I have to take them for a day or so before they start working.

LL30

Yes, it's a nightmare constantly having to go back and forth to the docs! I've given up, I'm so used to itching that it's just part of who I am. There's the Allergy UK forum which could be of use. I did find my consultant useful for finding a better combination of anti-hs, they can prescribe a much higher dose than the docs. NHS tested me for all sorts of allergenics over a period of time, both pin !!!!! and blood, my IgE score was off the scale unfortunately. Because I have so many allergies, I can't be desensitised

Yes, sorry, topical = creams, and not just for when you have a break out. Emollients in the shower and cream for after helps to keep the skin moisturised. My doctor used to prescribed a cream too for when I had a bad breakout, but I think that was steroid based because my body was on one! Hope you get some answers x

Itismehonest

If it's Pressure Urticaria it won't make any difference what you eat, drink or use etc.
It's your immune system turning on itself when anything rubs, scratches or aggravates the skin. When the swelling goes down you can be left with a sort of arthritic ache in the nearest joint.

tinkle

Thank you for all your replies. I have no clue as to what type it is, and the dr doesn't seem all that interested, they just send you off with some anithistamines and hope to never see you again!