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Itchy skin especially after contact with water

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/4/2021 11:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone.

Just a quick brief intro. I have ulcerative colitis, diagnosed 3 years ago, been on 200mg of Azathioprine (Imuran) for 2 years.
Ive been treating a flare (mainly blood) for about 8 months. This is what Im currently on daily:

200mg Imuran (Azathioprine)
4x 1,200mg Mezavant (Mesalazine)
2x Salofalk 1g suppositories (Mesalazine)
1x Omeprazole

The calprotectin has gone down from 459 to 88 on the last test but have another one in a few weeks.

The issue Im having is that for the past couple months I have started to get hives whenever I go in the sea, pool or shower. They are like individual small raised skin colored bites on different parts of my body

I also have itchy skin after showering, sometimes even where these are no visible bumps.

The center of my chest has some sort of red rash that seems dry and very itchy, after showering its like it aggravates it. I have similar blemishes on other parts too.

I think I started to notice this when tapering from Prednisone a couple montes ago. My skin suddenly took a turn for the worse with many spots, but its been at least 2 months since stopping and I have these skin issues.

Of course when Googling hives and water you get a type of Urticaria that about 100 people in the world have, I feel it has to be something else.

Have any of you ever experienced this kind of thing?

Could it be the meds? I know Mesalazine notes skin rash as a side effect and Im taking 4,800mg a day orally and another 2 grams rectal.


Thanks
1wish
Posted 7/4/2021 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
I would see a dermatologist. The pred could have been masking whatever it was.
Posted 7/4/2021 4:54 PM (GMT 0)
I agree...see a dermatologist.
Have you tried to use an antihistamine?
q
Posted 7/4/2021 5:22 PM (GMT 0)
I once developed really bad hives (urticaria) that was diagnosed by an allergy specialist as auto-immune urticaria. No specific cause (other than my immune system dysfunctioning) was established. I can't remember what UC med I was on at the time I'm afraid - I'd have to look through my medical letters.

Have you had your liver function tested recently? That can sometimes be a cause of itchy skin, although the fact it's happening for you with water and you're getting a rash that comes and goes by the sound of it suggests yours is unlikely to be related to liver function.

Post Edited (UCyousee) : 7/4/2021 11:27:34 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/5/2021 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
I have chronic urticaria that started just before my UC symptoms showed up. All the specialists think it's autoimmune and related to my UC, if not simply another autoimmune condition. When my UC was in control, my hives were pretty minimal unless I ate spicy foods. I could keep them *mostly* at bay the other times with a regimen of 20mg Zyrtec twice a day and Zantac 2x a day, along with a Singular. When Zantac, which is an H2 histamine blocker in addition to an antacid, was taken off the market, I replaced it with Pepcid AC 2x a day. This was all approved by the allergist.

Now that my colon was removed last week, I really hope they go away for good. I plan to go off all these meds in about 3 months and see what happens (do not want to do it while healing from surgery in case the hives explode).
Posted 7/13/2021 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, apologies for not replying sooner. Dealing with some issues right now sad

I went to see a dermatologist who prescribed antihistamines to take daily for a couple of months to see if they help.

As to the cause, they are not really sure. Looks like eczema on chest and the hives coming and going could be a lot of things apparently..
Posted 7/13/2021 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like a lot of skin issues...adding to the fun of the diagnosis thing.

Have you had liver function panel testing done?

q
Posted 7/13/2021 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
From what I understand, I have my liver checked with the usual 4 months bloodwork being on Imuran, I actually did it 1 month ago and no asterisks on those points.
Posted 7/14/2021 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hope it gets figured out ...
q
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