Hives at night?

Anna...
Funny! I have often wondered the same thing! Hives act up on me as well in the evening. I have not found anything on it other than people suggesting that it must be something in the environment of my house. Have you washed your sheets with unperfumed soaps and taken other such precautions? Interesting....
~Lunarlady

Something changes a lot at night. My hayfever always got much worse at night - all thru the night. It wasn't just from reclining either.

Hi to all of you who suffer from chronic or occassional hives.

I have battled with this since 1990 - I ran the spectrum of doctors, meds, and crazy investigations looking for the cause and cure. Needless to say, I have not found a cure nor a single culprit -(although many culprits seem to be at play). I did have success with two specific medications that have helped me - and may help others. Please ask your doctors about Zyrtec and Hydroxizine. These meds made it possible, through the years, for me to have periods of a year to three years at a time with no breakouts. My hives were/are/ daily for years, a truly depressing and debilitating thing as the wear an tear on both the body and nerves accumulates - especially when so many people around you do not understand. At the time, no forums like this existed and it wasn't until years later that chronic urticaria was even considered a self-standing issue. An air purifyer in the room you sleep in is also helpful - I've done the mattress, box spring and pillow plastic covers thing (hot, noisy and others see you as a freak) but if it works for you it is a blessing. Water and it's quality does make a difference. If anyone out there has tried other things that work for them, please let me know. I hate being on medication and feel for anyone that has to be on anything to live. Good luck to you all. Urticarina

 

  I started experiencing hives about a year ago. I originally thought something bit me that I was allergic to. Then I thought it was peanut butter and nuts, as the months went on and the hives continued, I tried a couple of doctors to no avail.  They don't know what to do, just kept giving me different prescriptions.  I felt like a guinea pig.  Of course, nothing worked.   I recently started using a face product (not for hives) and noticed it states under WARNINGS  "Contains sodium metabisulfite, a sulfite that may cause serious allergic type reactions (e.g. hives, itching, wheezing, anaphylaxis, severe asthma attacks) in certain persons".  This floored me, because I have never seen the word hives on a product.  I had been using this product for a couple of weeks, so I knew this may be part of the problem, but not all of it.  With lots of resarch online, I have come to believe what we are suffering from is sulfite sensitivity/sulfite allergy.  I will soon be seeing another doctor, hopefully to confirm this.  There are 6 forms of sulfites.  They are found in most products from foods to shampoos.  Google "hives and sulfites" and you'll be amazed at the information.  If this is the cause of our hives, a diagnosis would be good news.  However, it would also mean changing your entire diet, lotions, washing powders, even toothpaste.  We would have to seek specialty places to buy sulfite free products.

Not to mention just giving up certain everydays foods altogether.  This is the bad news, it seems to me almost everything has one of the 6 types of sulfites.  I have also learned that the FDA requires labels to state if they have any types of sulfites in them, but only if it contains a certain amount.  If the amount of sulfite is not enough (according to the FDA) to be required to be listed, then we will not know.  Please let me know if anyone out there has heard any of this from a doctor or if they have tried a"sulfur free" life and it has helped with their hives.  I, like most of you am desperate and willing to try just about anything.

smf

Although Zizi is correct, you should NOT use any OTC or prescription for a long period of time unless under the direction of a physician. Document what you do, eat, drink and when hives take place. Photograph the hives. This is called evidence, there of, in lack of a physician thinking your imagining this...it would be hard to dismiss. I recommend not only doing this but also scheduling an appt with your physician as well as an allergist. Remember, if your throat swells up call 911 as that is a SEVERE allergic reaction. I definately had God watching me , my severe allergic reaction last month was in my doctor appt (thankful the doc listened and observed me when he gave me a shot of a new medication, I suspected with a lot of allergies I could react and ordered a 30 minute obverstation, he abided and wow thank goodness! Went head to toe hives and throat swelling.)

I've been suffering hives now for 2 months EVERY single day. At the moment my fingers have swelled to the point where it;s difficult to type.... and I'm due at work in a few hours .. I'm a typist. lol

The only anti-histamine that seems to 'work' is Phernegan (promethazine hydrochloride). It doesn't stop the hives but it can stop the angioedema in it's tracks. I've tried Zantac and Prednisone (for two weeks).

The earliest an Allergist can see me in in 4 months. Good one :(

I've been surviving on pears, chicken, celery and rice for 10 days (low salicylate and histamine). The hives have been reduced but not totally. And I'm starving. I've lost 3 kgs already.

I've seen 4 different GP's. They were no help at all. One prescribed Doxepin but after reading all the side effects I'm very reluctant to take it.

I feel so isolated as I know no one else that suffers from Chronic Hives. People at work look at me as if I'm slightly bonkers because I have to move away from them if they are wearing strong perfume. The smell makes my face swell.

Hi Zizi :)

Thank you so much for your suggestions.

I have had blood tests done - everything normal including thyroid. I bought Xyzal yesterday .. no improvement as yet. I had a very swollen lip and both eyes yesterday and took 4 Phenergans, 1 Xyzal, 1 Zantac and 1 Zytec. In desperation I took 4 Prednisone. My face is better today thank goodness!

I'll take the Xyzal as you suggested - 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon and a Phenergan at night along with a Zantac.

I suspect I'm reacting to sulphites as I had canned pears Friday night and Saturday morning. I had fresh pear today and no reaction. But as you said, I should only stay on this diet for another few days. I can't live on chicken, rice and pears forever. I'm got to the stage where I'm so afraid of food I actually had a panic attack in the fruit and vege section of our local supermarket yesterday because of the smell. My sense of smell is SO sensitive since being on this diet. Why would that be?

I have an appointment to see a Naturopath/ Homeopath tomorrow.

Hi everyone! I've done researches about hives [at night].. and the following are the results that I found:

An outbreak of hives at night is a major inconvenience. If you find yourself up in the middle of the night with itching, red welts on your skin, it is time to understand what causes hives and what you can do to prevent and treat them.

What causes hives?
Hives are caused by a wide range of substances and environmental stimuli. Some common culprits include:

* Foods like nuts, wheat, milk or tomatoes.
* Elements of nature including certain plants, jellyfish, insect stings and animal saliva.
* Things you inhale, including mold spores, pet dander, and house dust.
* Environmental cues such as hot water, cold air, or direct sun exposure.

If you suffer from hives at night, you should attempt to identify what triggers your hives and then eliminate anything that you suspect may be to blame. To find out what causes hives for you, try keeping a detailed account of each night the hives breakout. Record what time it occurred, as well as what you did or ate before bed, what you were wearing, and any environmental factors that may be to blame. Over time, this record will help you to determine what causes hives.

Here are some more factors to consider, as hives at night may be caused by:

* What you ate for dinner or just before you went to bed.
* Emotional stress or anxiety at work or home.
* The type of fabric your sheets or pajamas are made of.
* The pressure of your body against the bed; this type of hives is called "delayed pressure hives."
* Something in the air while you sleep, such as dander from your cat who sleeps with you, or mold spores in a roof leak above your bed.

Prevention

Hives at night is usually due to a hypersensitivity reaction in the body. A trigger causes histamine to be released, which results in swelling, itching and redness of the skin. The best prevention tactics work by eliminating any specific triggers to which your body has the hypersensitive response. Keeping a journal of your outbreaks may help to determine what causes hives, helping you to eliminate those triggers.

Some people who suffer from hives at night take an antihistamine before they go to bed. The idea is that despite the presence of a trigger, the medication will block your body's production of the offending histamines.

Hives at night may respond to self-care treatments that you can do safely and effectively in your own home:

* Try adding some ground oatmeal to your lukewarm bath water before bedtime. Oatmeal has skin-soothing properties.
* Drink plenty of water throughout the day to encourage your body to flush toxins before you go to bed.
* If you do have a bout of hives at night, apply a cool compress to soothe the skin, and reduce blood flow and inflammation in the affected area.

If you need something stronger to combat your hives at night, you may need to try an over-the-counter medication such as Benadryl, Chlor-Trimeton, Tavist, Alavert, or Claritin. For extreme cases of hives, you may require a doctor's prescription for an antihistamine or oral corticosteroid (like Prednisone).

There are a variety of Chinese Medical Herbs that can help with this problem. I Tradititional Chinese Medical (TCM) theory each person's hives has a different reason. The time it happens as well as the location on the body can give many clues as to what pattern of treatment is required.
The Qi of the body circulates in the Meridian in a certain pattern, for example, if you wake up itching at 3am the channel most likely to be affected is the Lung Channel.
If you have tried everything and would like to find a possible solution, I highly recommend seeking out a licensed acupuncturist.
Take care and be well.

Hi, I have the SAME problem.. but it's not only at night. Even if I take a nap anywhere it happens... it can be in my bed, it a couch, in someone's house, at night, in the day... whenever! I've been experiencing this for over a month and realized that I had had this since I was little except that everyone thought they were mosquito bites (b/c I get them worse during summer or when it's hot) The other day I ate spicy food and it exasperated the hives tenfold! Someone told me they could be Cholinergic urticaria (I think they may be) however I also have autoimmune (possibly more than one autoimmune disease) and I have thyroid problems. I believe your "allergy" is to the summer, the sun, heat, etc if that... if not, it's autoimmune (i/e/ you are allergic to your own body) so see an rheumatologist ASAP. I have learned that these hives get much worse w/time. I can't even sleep anymore b/c they wake me up and they start going upward (toward mouth and i heard this is fatal)

Also, I get extreme hot spots on my joints the tissue gets red hot like a ball of fire and then the hives come! do not confuse the liquid surrounding your joints that gets inflamed w/the hives that appear around them or in other parts (I have both and noticed that they are different)

GOOD LUCK! Let me know if you are still having issues or if you resolved them b/c I have yet to find a doc that will tell me what this is!

Zantac is an acid reflex medication. Phenagrin is for naseau. I think you are being prescribed the wrong medications. Red this is in combination of personal and medical training/experience. Also, Zizi is incorrect, not even a simple thing as Benedryl you can take for long periods of time. Because it can damage vital organs in the long run. I think you need a new doctor, and one who knows what he is doing.

How come nobody is mentioning STRESS?! Denial? Stress causes a weakened immune system which in turn can help make you sensitive to lotions/foods/medications etc. I used to get hives, but soon realize I needed to deal with some issues! If you stuff emotions, or refuse to deal with past hurts/pain, your body can do many crazy things in rebellion to not dealing with them. We were not made to neglect our emotions. Any of you that have tried all kinds of meds and outward help, try inward just for the heck of it. I did...worked for me!