genster: I suffer from the hives you describe. It's been at leat 2 years. It is not anything I am allergic to. One doctor says it's stress. Anther said it could have something to do with my immune system. I have taken every drug there is, Zyrtec, Claritin, Clarinex, Singulair, Hydroxyzine, Steroids, antidepressants and the list goes on. I have been to 4 different doctors. They each say that they do not know the cure or cause. It is driving me crazy. I have pressure hives, dermographics, angioedema, and just plain old hives. I have had trouble swallowing, and had them in my mouth. I have scratched the skin off of my feet and gotten carpet burns from scratching. I get deep muscle pain in my arms, shoulders, neck and mouth. If you ever find relief or more information, please post here. [ removed ] I'll post here if I find anything. I have taken to doing my own research on the web to try to figure it out, but nothing yet. To say I am miserable is an understatement.
Hairdoer - bummer getting the hives again. I actually was hive free for a few months once. I thought they had gone away. When they came back it was at full force. I would just like to find a doctor that is willing to do more testing. I have been to several, and after they have thrown about a dozen meds at me they say that my hives at idiopathic (they don't know what is causing them) and that's like the end of the road. I take Hydroxyzine at night, it doesn't really stop the itching but if I take enough it knocks me out so I can at least get some good sleep. But, I feel like a zombie most of the time. At least it sounds like your doctor is willing to try some things that may be unconventional.
:confused: Angel Monkey - I totally understand your frustration. I live in a big city and have gone to MD's and allergists and still no help. My doctor has me taking Doxepin, Lexapro (because his theory is that my hives are from anxiety) and Hydroxyzine (sometimes I take an extra Hydroxyzine if I'm really itchy and it puts me to sleep! Oh well, at least I'm not scratching.). This combo made me a zombie for about a month. But, once my body was used to all of it, I feel better now. However, my hives are not gone. But, I haven't had any major breakouts. I usually have hives on a part of my body everyday. Today it's my thighs and stomach. Sometimes it is my forearms or upper body. Sometimes I get them deep in my muscles and it hurts to even move. Occasionally I get them on my lips, inside my mouth and throat. My doctor is somewhat sympathetic, but doesn't seem to want to investigate further. He said eat better and do some more exersize. I think they say that for every ailment. I have started walking 3 times a week. It has not helped. The allergist says that the hives may have something to do with the body's immune system fighting itself. I think the real problem, rather than doctors saying there are too many causes to figure it out, is that no one is doing any research on cases like me and you. There are doctors or scientists who could help us. Not sure how to research dollars to help us though. I visit this site at least once a month or so. I'll check on you later. Good luck.
Hey all! I haven't visited for a while. Busy summer. My hives have been in check for a while. While I still have some every day, I have not had the deep muscle pain for a while. I still get welts on my hands and feet, but the body hives seem to have left for a while. I still get pressure hives from sitting, standing, etc. And, I have dermagraphics, so when the dog or cat scratches me it turns into a big welt. But, I haven't had full blown hives for a while. I was taking Doxepin, Hydroxyzine and Lexapro every night for about 4 months before this period of less hive activity. The Doxepin makes me a zomby, so a few weeks ago I weened off of it and I am only taking the Hydroxyzine when I am really itchy. So, I have actually had some mornings when I woke up feeling refreshed! This may be the best I can ever hope for. Good luck to you all. Hairdoer and Angel Monkey - how is your summer going?
Lilboo99 - Glad you found us. I didn't know there were other people like me until I found this forum. I wish I could give you sound advice, but nothing has completely worked for any of us. If you have insurance and it doesn't cost you alot, I would try some different doctors. I have found that a drug combo might help for a while, then I am back to square one. I agree with Hairdoer that we are not suffering from an allergy or reaction from food/environment. This has to do with the body doing battle with itself, we just haven't found the trigger. Steroids worked the best for me, but you can only take them for a week. However, it's good when you have a major-full blown set. Hydroxyzine temporarily takes away the itching for me, but also makes me tired. So, I take it at night but it wears off halfway through the day. Do a lot of reading on the Internet. I have been doing my own research for about a year now. I even wrote to our local university hospital to see if anyone was doing hive studies. I couldn't find any local studies that I could participate in. Good luck, I hope you find some relief. You are not a rare case!
I am a 28yr old male, chronic urticaria with pressure urticaria sufferer for 5 years.
I have tried every combination of drugs and I believe I have finally found a combo that actually works!!
Here it is.
10mg Zyrtec Daily
150mg Zantac Daily
25mg of Elavil Daily.
If you have any questions let me know, I hope I can help for I know how it is to have this dreaded condition.
Wow! That is great news for some of us sufferers, thanks for sharing. How long have you been hive free? I have had hives and pressure hives for about 4 years as well. A few times I have gone into a "remission", where I am currently. I have not had full blown hives for a while now, nor have I woke up broken out lately (for about 3-4 months). However, I do still get pressure hives just about every day and my feet itch at night when I take my shoes off, sometimes so badly that I scratch the skin off in spots or get rug burns from scratching. I take Hydroxyzine, it has always been the only thing that would ever take away some, not all, of the itching. But, it makes me a zombie. Like you, I have spent tons of money trying every drug and anti-itch cream on the market. I have tried the Zyrtec/Zantac and I understand that some people have gotten relief with that combo. I will do some more research on Elavil, that's a new one to me.
2smiles - not to sound rude or anything, but if you read back on some of this board you will see that many of us long-time sufferers believe that the chronic urticaria is not caused by any allergy. There are many people with food and dye allergies, but I do not believe allergies to be the cause of chronic urticaria based on my own and others research.
