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I am an otherwise healthy 29 year old who has dermographism and hives and I have had this annoying itch for 9 months now. I started off using Claritin, then Allegra,
and now Zyrtec. I use Zantac twice a day as well. I still have a lot of
periods throughout the day where I am severely itchy and red. I have been
tested for everything under the sun however I was found to be
healthy. Well thank god for that, but I will tell you that being itchy all the
time does not make me feel like I am healthy. I was suppose to receive a spot
test to see what allergies I have, but I cannot go off the Zyrtec. I am tired
of hearing, take Benadryl when you have an outbreak of itching or hives. I feel like a
zombie after, not to mention I am a nurse and cannot take Benadryl and then
take care of my patients. I was wondering if you have heard about any success
stories regarding phototherapy or acupuncture? Alternatively, do you know of any
medications that have worked for you? I am very frustrated due to my lack of
energy and commonly catching colds. I attempt to exercise to bring my energy
level up, but I am itchy after that as well. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Jessica – June 12, 2007
I know where all of you are coming from. I recently
broke out in hives on my arms about two months ago and didn't really think
anything of it. After I realized that the hives were getting worse, I went to
the doctor and she diagnosed me with chronic hives. She then prescribed Zyrtec
and Prednisone to me. The hives were almost gone and so was the itching. I was
sure that after the medication I would be fine, but after my prescription was
done, the hives returned.
I then went to a drug store to try and purchase an
over the counter drug other than Benadryl because that's what I tried before
going to the doctor and that didn't work. Since I couldn't decide, I went over to the pharmacy counter to try and get some recommendations on which drugs would suppress the itching because it was really really bad. I told him what doctors
prescribed to me and that they didn't work and he said that Benadryl was the
best for itching and that if it didn't work it’s probably because I was still
being exposed to the allergen. Then he asked if I had changed my soap,
detergent or perfume and I said no. Then he told me to wreck my brain and try
to think of any new food I might be eating, which I have not eaten anything new.
Then he recommended the oatmeal bath by Aveeno, which also didn't help. I've
tried every anti-itch cream in the book. They have not helped.
So
today I decided to do a search and finally learned that I have dermatographism.
If I make a mistake and hurt myself, within minutes I will get a red raised
bruise in that exact spot. Even if I make a mark anywhere on my body that same
exact mark will appear as a raised welt or hive. I would have really hated to go to
another doctor and have them tell me that I just have hives and I'm probably
eating something new, write me a prescription and send me along my merry way.
I've always heard that Noni Juice is good for the body, but have never actually
tried it, so I'm going to try that. I'd rather be cured naturally with teas and
herbs rather than medicine, because I don't want to be dependent on drugs for
the rest of my life. I'm 23 years old and I don't want to be one of those
individuals that have dealt with this condition for 10 and 15 years. If anyone
can help with some other unknown methods to treat this condition please email
me @ winnie266194@yahoo.com Trying to avoid doctors at all costs.
Hope my story helps
Winnie – June 5, 2007
I have had the itching and hives since I was a junior
in high school ( 4 years ago). About the same time my older sister moved in and
smokes. I thought I may have just been allergic to the cigarette smoke. But,
when I moved out, I still had the same symptoms of itching to death all day and
all night. I can't remember the last good night's sleep I have had. Now I am in
nursing school and we had a lecture about different skin disorders and
dermatographism was one of them. So I made an appointment with the dermatologist. I
didn't tell her I was in nursing school or that I thought it may be
dermatographism, I just told her my symptoms. She took a Q-tip and brushed it
down both of my hands. Within a few seconds I had 3 lines on both of my hands
that started itching severely. So anyway, after 4 years of not knowing, now I
have a diagnosis and I am not crazy! I am now taking Allegra every morning and
Benadryl every night. As long as I take it everyday I have no itching, just the
red spots and hives. As long as I am not itching, I can deal with the red
spots!
Tzena May 31, 2007
After many outbreaks and creams, my doctor finally saw a breakout of hives.
I work as a nurse at a hospital and usually when I have a breakout it is
mostly gone by the time I reach my doctor’s office. However, this time the
doctor was able to see what I was describing to him. He diagnosed it as
dermatographism hives.
Finally! I am not nuts, but this condition is so itchy and it drives me
nuts. Unfortunately, for me, the hives appear on my face, neck, and back,
and so it is hard to deal with because patients do not like the look of it.
It scares them sometimes. I always joke with them by saying it’s only
contagious if they give me a hard time and this usually breaks the ice.
Finally, I can research this dermatographism or hives problem and learn
about it.
Betty-Lou – May 31, 2007
I am not sure what this is. It started about 3 weeks ago as white bumps and when I scratched them they spread causing larger wheals. The pollen count is very heavy and I am hoping this is causing these hives.
I went to my doctor and she prescribed me Zertec. It has been working with the
itching, but I now notice that if I scratch myself red streaks appear. I am hoping
this does not last very long and it is only allergies. Someone please help! I
never suffered from hives before. It is making me nuts. Will this ever go away on
its own?
Cindy – May 28, 2007
I first realized I had dermatographism or raised hives in March 1997.
Today is May 27th, 2007, and yes, I still have dermatographism. The company I
was with at the time in '97 had a week long training class in Green Bay, their
HQ at the time. Probably the second day after our class finished, we all went
back to the hotel to change our clothes before heading out for dinner. The
first thing I took off were my socks. The minute my bare feet hit the air, I
began to itch like crazy, so I sat on the edge of my bed continually scratching
my feet all over, top and bottom. Once I felt that I had at least temporarily
relieved this, I took off the rest of my clothes, and the "itch attack" as I
began to call it, went over my entire body with the exception of the area just
below my belly button. It was unbelievable. I remember laying down on my bed,
and I could not stop scratching all over.I don't know how long this first one
lasted, but it seemed like 15 minutes straight of nothing by scratching one
area to the next.
When I got back home, I was telling my girlfriend (now my
wife) and her mom about these new found itch attacks I had that night and the
remainder of the week. Her mom suggested I get some Benadryl to see if that
would work. It did work, but only after I took 3 or 4 pills. My first visit
to the doctor produced a 30-day prescription of Zyrtec. After I took that
first pill, I was on cloud 9 - no more itching, but if I did scratch myself
somewhere, my skin would still welt up or raised hives would form where the friction occurred. Nonetheless, I was thinking I had beaten this thing whatever it was. The
doctor did not diagnose it as dermatographism; in fact he could not say what it
was exactly.
Probably the second day after I took the last pill of my first
30-day prescription, my itch attacks were back. I called the doctor
immediately and told him I needed another prescription. He asked me to come in
to see him again before issuing another prescription. When he came into the
room, he was carrying a large medical book. He sat it down on the table with a
specific page opened up. Before he said anything about it, he asked me to take
my shirt off. He took the stick of a long cotton swab, and drew the lines for
tic-tac-toe on my back. He then asked me to look in the mirror at my back. At
first, I thought, this is a pretty sad way to amuse yourself doctor, and then I
thought, what in the world is wrong with me?! That's when he had me take a
look at the page he had opened up to. He said, you have a condition called
dermatographism, and explained that there are no known causes, but it is
believed to be caused by stress primarily.
At that point in time, I had not
too long before this, started a new job; a week or two after my trip to Green
Bay, I got engaged, and to top it all off, my fiancé and I moved in together
and were looking at buying our first house. So naturally, I figured, get past
these stresses in my life, and I'm back to normal. I did ask though, how long
can I expect to have the hives. His answer was weeks, months, or years -
it could last the rest of your life. He then gave me a 3-month prescription
for Zyrtec, which once the 3-month supply was gone, he started giving me a year
at a time. Somewhere in that first year, I complained to him about being a lot
more fatigued than usual. He switched me to Claritin, which was strictly
prescription then. In 2000 or 2001, I moved to Clarinex. During the summer of
2005, I began buying over the counter Claritin from Costco since it became so
much more expensive to purchase it through my company's medical insurance plan.
About once every 3 months, I stop taking my daily Claritin pill to see how
long I can go before the itching and hives begin again. I can only make it about 30-36
hours before I have to take one. After about a full 24+ hours, the palms of my
hands begin to itch, but it's not consistent. The itching then starts to
spread to my limbs. That's when I know the condition is still with me. It's
extremely frustrating, and I don't believe the "non-drowsy" claim on the
outside of the Claritin box as I still am amazed at how tired I get every day,
and I'm not a couch potato. I exercise at least 3 times a week and eat healthy
the majority of the time. I was happy to hear about the Noni Juice
alternative. I'll be buying some today, and will use this time as my attempt
to see if I can go without my Claritin again. I will say that it's not
difficult swallowing a tiny pill everyday to manage my dermatographism, but at
the same time, I certainly don't want to have to deal with this condition the
rest of my life.
Corey – May 27, 2007
Eight years ago my husband and I went to Peru to visit
for a week. The next to last night we were there, I was getting ready to take a
shower and my thighs started itching. I kept scratching and they continued to
itch. Finally, I just quit scratching and had to endure the itching for a little
bit and then it quit. I forgot all about it until the next night the exact same
thing happened. I have been itching ever since. The itching started with my
legs and has spread to my whole body. The itching was always worse in the
evening.
Finally, after 4 months, I went to a doctor. She just gave me Claritin
to take. That helped as long as I would take it. I still take it every three to
four days when the itching is bugging me enough. As long as I take it, I forget
about the itching. It doesn't help with the red welts or hives that occur, if I
accidentally scratch myself or scratch myself with my ring or something else. I
have learned to keep my hands from my face and neck area when I am in public, so I
don't create red marks or welts. The lady that cuts my hair says that my skin
turns red when she touches places on the back of my neck with a comb or
scissors when she is trimming it. I have been to an allergist, dermatologist,
internist, and any other doctor I have been to, I mention the symptoms to them.
They just seem to want to treat the symptom and not to try and find the cause.
One doctor told me it was in my head and that when I start itching to just
train my brain to think of something else. When the Claritin is starting to
wear off I can tell I am starting to itch again. I can get up in the morning
and run a comb through my hair and instantly my scalp starts to itch. Of course
my skin makes the big red welts or hives if I scratch. I have shown the doctors all I
have to do is scratch my skin and the redness and welts start and it takes 15
minutes at least before it goes away. I am not even itching when I show them
what my skin will do. It is just the contact on my skin that does that. The
dermatologist gave me a cortisone shot once and he said it would be in my
system for 10 days. Well for 10 days I didn't itch, but when it wore off I
started itching again.
Recently I went to a man that does acupuncture and
Chinese medicine and he did acupuncture and gave me herbs to make a tea out
of. I went to him for about 6 weeks and the whole time I was going to him I
quit itching and the welts or hives didn't seem to be as bad. I didn't even have to take
a Claritin the whole time I was going to him. I quit going to him because it
was at least an hour drive to where I had to go plus it was about $80+ dollars
every week. I have found another acupuncture & Chinese medicine doctor that is
about 30 minutes away. I guess it is just cheaper to take the generic Claritin
for now. I have a sister-in-law that does medical transcribing and I was asking
her about a liver doctor because I have read that itching of the skin might be
a liver problem. I am not a person that is big on going to doctors, but I have
tried in the last 8 years to find what is causing this condition. Well anyway,
my sister-in-law said that it sounds like dermatographism. That was just today,
May 23rd, so I looked it up on the Internet and that is exactly what my
condition sounds like. It has taken over 8 years to figure it out. Also, I have
been tested for parasites twice and they can't find any. Anyway, that is my
story.
Marcia – May 23, 2007
I have had this condition since May 1984...day in...day
out. I have noticed the hives are worse when I am upset. I have had doctors
not agree with that.
Debbie – May 21, 2007
I was diagnosed many years ago when my dermatologist
lightly sketched a tic-tac-toe game design on my arm with a Popsicle stick!
It's normally very mild; just a few red lines or spots if I touched my skin too
hard when putting on makeup, etc. My more serious occurrences are definitely
linked to allergies and stress. I have bad tree and grass pollen allergies and
those pollens are very high where I live right now. After I took a lunchtime
walk at work the itching started. Today I have hives everywhere clothing straps
touched, including my waistband and lower back. I'm on daily Allegra for my
allergies but it doesn't seem like enough, so I may have to add some Benadryl.
I'm also very stressed with an upcoming move and job change. The last time I
had it this bad was also after taking a walk outside when the pollen levels
were high and I was stressed about an upcoming meeting. Just my two cents.
Susan - May 19, 2007
I have been very uncomfortable. I have gone to a
dermatologist and have been put on Allega and on medication for the itch. I can
not pin point how I got this, but I did go to a tanning booth for a month and
used their lotions and I also took an Aloe Vera cleanser which has a lot of
different herbs. I am very active and love the sun. I am hoping that this summer
the sun will not bother me. I itch most of the time. I can write on myself and
red hives appear. I hate it and wish I knew what caused it and how to get rid of it. Any info would be great. Thank You
Johanna – May 15, 2007
My symptoms started when I was about 11 years old.
They are so severe I feel like I want to jump out of my skin when I have what I
call an itchy attack. The only thing that has ever given me any relief is
antihistamines. If I don't take them regularly, I have extreme flare ups that
are so intense that they are unbearable. I am now 27 years old, and have been
on antihistamines nearly everyday for 16 years. I wish that there could be
some other way to treat it or cure it. Am doing my body damage taking
antihistamines like this?
Leanne - May 15, 2007
Well, I was diagnosed today by my general practitioner. When I get tired
in the evenings I get very itchy, but also if something happens to rub against by skin. It never really bothered me until people kept saying "What happened to your face?!" or
"What’s that on your arm?" I would just say - don’t worry the hives will go down in a few minutes - which they would unless I kept scratching. Anyway it all started when
I was pregnant with my son two years ago and so I suppose its just the hormone
changes that triggered it. It can be bothersome, but it doesn't affect my
ability to do anything so I will try these cetirizine hydrochloride tablets and
hope it will disappear one day.
Charlie – April 10, 2007
Last October 15, almost 6 months ago I broke out with hives all
over and was itching unmercifully. After three dermatologists and one
allergist, and two biopsies, I was diagnosed with dermagraphism and Grovers
Disease, a rare disease that there is no cure or treatment for and it is
chronic and itches beyond belief. I am wondering if I should see an infectious
disease doctor. I am baffled as to why I am suffering so much and where this
came from and when it is leaving. I am a healthy, energetic 62 year old!! Oh my
God, did I really write that number? Anyway, I own my own business, very
active, many hobbies, a grandmother and a wonderful husband and three great
adult daughters. I cannot take much more of this. Antihistamines barely take the
edge off, steroid creams were thinning my skin and prednisone suppresses what I
have, but I don’t care to be on it because of its side affects. It starts mostly
around 6 PM, weird and doesn’t let up until I go to sleep. Can anyone out there
offer any advice? The only other thing I can think of is that I am on
medication for heart arrhythmia - Atenolol and Rythmol 325 SR and maybe I am
allergic. Thank you.
Leslie – April 9, 2007
I had a premature baby (c-section) at 24 weeks. A week later my leg became itchy with hives. It has been two years and I now have to avoid certain foods and I have put on lots of weight. Everywhere is swelling and itchy and I can itch for days. No one else in my family has this and I don't know what to do.
Alison – April 9, 2007
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