Benzene & benzyl alcohol

Allow me the luxury to ramble on this one.  Any comments are welcome.  Allergies to benzene & benzyl alcohol are rare.  My ongoing battle with not being able to take OTC Tylenol but tolerating Percocet (which has Tylenol in it), lead me to some label reading.  Hmmmm....now I've always attributed my migraine sensitivities to car exhaust, certain perfumes and processed/smoked meats to be just that, a migraine trigger.  Well lo and behold I pulled Tylenol products off the shelf and started reading.  Interesting stuff.  Depending on which type of Tylenol product you purchase can give you a whole host of inactive ingredients.  You guessed it...the ones with benzyl alcohol were the ones causing me all the trouble.  There is another whole host of synonyms for benzene & benzyl alcohol which I will spare you at this time unless you need it.  My whole point is this.  Benzyl alcohol is also used as a preservative in injectables.  Specifically B12.  No, it's not in Humira.  Also it can be found in saline washes for IV lines such as they do prior to and after a Remicaide infusion.  Now, I had mild hives everytime I went for the Remecaid infusions which they claim was the Remecaid.  Let's see it's also in preparation H ointment and occurs naturally in cloves, raspberries, tea, cocoa, honey, mushrooms, snap peas, grapes and wine.  Oh yeah....benzene is found in car exhaust, perfumes and processed meats or smoked meats.  So.....now I have this rash which I can't get rid of the Derm says psorasis, the GI says fungal and wants the Derm to do a fungal scrape (whatever the heck that is) and Broomhilda suspects fungal or a drug reaction because of the benzyl alcohol.  The saga continues....

I once had oral thrush on my tongue that I treated for 3 days with fresh crushed garlic applied once a day for a nano second.  It burns.  However, it has antifungal properties.  So tonight I'm trying the garlic on the rash....husband says I have to sleep alone and I smell worse than the dog!  If it works, it's fungal.  If it doesn't I'll try some benedryl and see what happens.  See the GP next week and will share all of this with him.  The final note....benzene is a know irratant for people with CD.  Just though I'd share...thanks for listening!

Zanne- What type of CD meds are you on? I know I have to take my Imuran at night because it gives me migraines as well aside from all the triggers above.

While scientists still do not fully know what causes psoriasis, research has significantly advanced our understanding. One important breakthrough began with the discovery that kidney-transplant recipients who had psoriasis experienced clearing when taking cyclosporine. Since cyclosporine is a potent immunosuppressive medication, this indicates that the immune system is involved.

Immune Mediated. Researchers now believe that psoriasis is an immune-mediated condition. This means the condition is caused by faulty signals in the body’s immune system. It is believed that psoriasis develops when the immune system tells the body to over-react and accelerate the growth of skin cells. Normally, skin cells mature and are shed from the skin’s surface every 28 to 30 days. When psoriasis develops, the skin cells mature in 3 to 6 days and move to the skin surface. Instead of being shed, the skin cells pile up, causing the visible lesions.

Genes. Researchers have identified genes that cause psoriasis. These genes determine how a person’s immune system reacts. These genes can cause psoriasis or another immune-mediated condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis or type 1 diabetes. The risk of developing psoriasis or another immune-mediated condition, especially diabetes or Crohn’s disease, increases when a close blood relative has psoriasis.

Family History. Some people who have a family history of psoriasis never develop this condition. Research indicates that a “trigger” is needed. Stress, skin injuries, a strep infection, certain medications, and sunburn are some of the known potential triggers. Medications that can trigger psoriasis are anti-malarial drugs, beta-blockers (medication used to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions), and lithium. Dermatologists have seen psoriasis suddenly appear after a person takes one of these medications, gets a strep infection, or experiences another trigger.

There are different forms of psoriasis too...from the more common one people associate psoriasis too, the white scaley rashes to simple itchy red bumps all by themselves which can look similar to hives and red bumps with little white heads as well.

A fungal scrape is when they actually scrape the area so they can get some skin too and then send it off to a lab to confirm results...I've heard it can be painful since I believe they have to take a few layers of the dermis under the area of where the skin issue is.

:)