Chronic hives (uticaria)

Welcome to Connect, @willow5. Chronic itching is so miserable! I experienced that issue for several months while undergoing treatments for an illness I had. It was almost unbearable and I swear, worse than pain! I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this condition of chronic hives. While you’re waiting for other members with urticaria to join the conversation with their suggestions for relief from itching, I did find quite a few discussions in the forum that might be helpful.

Chronic Hives: Any cure?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-hives-and-any-cure/
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>Hypothyroidism and Hives
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hypothyroidism-hives/
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>Another similar discussion of hives with thyroid issues.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hashimoto/
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I also found a couple of articles that discuss Chronic Hives and the possible involvement of eosinophils. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that fight infections and allergic reactions.
https://www.healthline.com/health/eosinophil-count-absolute#What-is-an-eosinophil-count?
The role of eosinophils in chronic spontaneous urticaria
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32224275/#:~:text=Chronic%20spontaneous%20urticaria%20%28CSU%29%20is%20considered%20to%20be,eosinophil%20granules%2C%20indicative%20of%20activation%2C%20in%20CSU%20lesions.
Have you had blood work to test for thyroid issues, autoimmune diseases, or allergies?

Lab tests and diet trials are always a good idea. Usually dermatologists and allergists sometimes involved. Have you had bloodwork for allergies and autoimmune tests? Did you try special diets and have medications been
ruled out. Cause is found in a lesser percentage of patients.
Anti thyroid antibodies are part of the search. Do you have asthma or atopic
conditions that would qualify you for Dupixent?

Thanks for all the links! I will check them out

My hypothyroidism definitely palys a part, though it has been controlled for 25 years. Looking forward to see if anyone has something specific to share on controlling the itch when I have outbreaks - though ice packs to help

Thank you for the info. Lab tests for?

I see my allergist every six months for the uticaria. The dermatologist is who took a biopsy and diagnosed the chronic uticaria.

Lab work now doesn’t work to test for allergies because of the Xolair injections and what it does to my immune system

I am really looking to see if anyone has found something that helps the itch, beyond prednisone, allegra and zyrtec and ice packs.

Hi friend, yes, I have chronic skin rashes and hives. Mine are from chemical and pollen allergies. I use prescription steroid creams daily and take Gaba Penton at night to calm them down; although there is no known evidence that Gaba Penton helps with itching, but it helps me. My main defense is education and avoidance. Once I got the names of the chemicals I am allergic to from my allergy patch test, I did research for about 6 months to find out the hundreds of things these chemicals are in. Now I work hard to avoid them everyday. I know this isn't a silver bullet and requires a lot of work, but there are no cures for chemical allergies. Have you been tested? If not, I would start there.

Are you using topical prescription steroid creams? They work wonders for me, even though they are messy. Each one has an advantage over the other. You can mix them to avoid drying. I also wear a cotton neck guard from Cottonique when I apply the creams at the top of my exposed neck. This keeps the cream from getting in my hair. Good luck!

1. Clobetasol ointment - Works best for me. Messy, moisturizing, and non-drying.
2. Clobetasol cream - Works second best for me. Not as messy as the ointment, dries faster than ointment, but can be drying with too much use.
3. Triamcinolone Acetonide - Available in a jar that lasts much longer than tubes. Dries faster than above creams, dries the skin with chronic use.

i neglected to say the uticaria is ideopathic. no known cause. xolair injections mostly control with occasional outbreaks. there is nothing to test for because -, it's idiopathic 2, the xolair injections would prohibit anything from showing up if there were a cause.

since i wrote i've discovered ice packs are great and pepcid helps the hives ( not a rash) clear up quicker. yes on steroid creams, the colbesetol, misspelled, but surpri fly doesn't help the itch that much. allegra twice a day and zyrtec at night when they r bad. funny about gabapentin working. that's fortunate! just wondered if there anything new and great out there my allergist hadn't discovered

Currently the only thing that is helping my hives and skin rashes due to medication allergies are 20mg and sometimes more of prednisone daily. Unfortunately I have not found a replacement for the diuretic that I need to take for my heart failure. Tried many different diuretics and I am allergic to every one. I have tried the ice packs, steroid creams, OTC allergy relief ie: Allegra with only temporary relief. I am praying for a injectable diuretic in the near future. That would be the answer for me.

Anyone have any experience with injectable diuretics or clinical trials with them? Please share.

Beware any pain killers with the active ingredient ibuprofen.
They all (Vioxx, Celebrex, Advil, Motrin) give me hives. While Mayo Clinic.org lists hives as a “rare” side effect of taking ibuprofen, you may be among those who suffer hives from taking this painkiller. It’s worth a try to take Tylenol instead for a while to see if your hives go away.
You might also suspect any other drugs you take regularly. Read carefully the paper inserts that come with any Rx you take, and read the ingredient lists of OTC meds.