I have had this condition since april 2004. I was itching all over and getting red rashes and/or welts where I itched. I assumed it was from allergies. Finally went to the doctor and was put on zyrtec and zantac 75 to control the itching. It did stop the itching but I could not tolerate the zyrtec. switched to allegra180. This helped but if I forgot a pill I itched.
went to the allergist. He said the treatment was the right one, stay on it.
Wanted answers why? Why was this happening to me
went to a dermatologist. This doctor told me it was a result of stress.
Go figure. this has been a bad year lots of stress.
She put me on doxepin(anti-depressant). The itching stoppes within 24 hrs. I stopped the allegra and zantac after 2 days and didn't need them.
How long will I have to take this medication? Haven't a clue...But not itching. What a relief.
This medicine has a few side effects but nothing like total all consuming itching!

Be real specific here, is this rash or hives or bumps or red dots or redness?

Mine started with no outward signs, just itching. After I itched the redness and welts came. Sometimes I scratched so hard I made open sores.

Ok allison and tom, below the dotted line I am reposting the urticaria and hives fix technique. In my strongest opinion, you are experiencing chronic urticaria or at the least the short term version.

Your doctor is wrong for giving you that much medication. That stuff makes your body not react. The toxin is still in your body. Your doctor is taking the lazy way out. Only use medication to buy time.

When you can trace a line, I will bet you $100 that you see the line most often coming out of bed after naps or in the morning. If you have this around the time of april 2004. It's no coincidence. That's when people do the most laundry changing from winter to summer clothes.

The fact that you scratch until you have open sores tell me that you eat a very low calorie diet to begin with. No it is not your cat. If you were allergic to your cat, you wouldn't have waited this long to scratch.

Ic doxepin really makes you super mellow. I don't know how you get thru the day with it. You must feel like a zombie.

Folks, trust me, I went thru it too.

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i was suffering from urticaria and chronic hives for a full year. After a ton of home experiments, I figured out the cause. The answer is laundry detergent residue stress hormones. The residue is practically invisible. Unless you use an excessive amount of laundry detergent, it's virtually odorless. The technique is to start fresh and clean properly.

1.) from my research, your skin is an extension of your liver. Imagine your liver can handle 100% toxins. Assuming you drink alcohol and the level is already at 80%. It doesn't take that much more residue chemicals on your clothe to max out that threshold. The question comes down to how much toxin is already in your system that day.

2.) the recovery part is tough. Even if you know its the detergent residue, changing one brand to another wont cut it. I have determined that close to 80% of the residues can never be clean. Even if you use the organic brands.

3.) go shopping immediately, buy enough clothes from underwear to outerwear for at least 1 full week. Submerge them in cheap white vinegar for the entire 1st week before 1st use. Wear only these clothes. Pre-rinse machine once before putting clothes in. Then wash them only with baking soda. After full rotation, rinse twice.

4.) buy 1 bath towel for after taking showers. Same drill, baking soda, vinegar, rinse. Do not wipe hard with this towel. This is a must since your skin touch this first after showers.

5.) buy new bedsheets, pillow cases and blankets. Same drill, baking soda, vinegar, rinse. Make sure you wipe mattresses clean before putting on new sheets etc. Use paper towels to be thrown out, not some cotton towel which is no good on reuse.

6.) in all cases, hang everything! Your dryer is contaminated with detergent residue. If you must use it, wipe it like crazy with water. This is by far the hardest area to clean. If you share machines with others, you must convince them not to use detergent anymore.

7.) I have done blood tests, x-rays, fasting examinations. These show nothing. Don't waste your time.

8.) antihistamine is no cure. Its not even a fix. Take it only to buy time. My #1 choice is allegra since it does not cause drowsiness like other brands.

9.) doctors work 9 to 5. They have a thousand patients and hives problem is low on their priority list. You however have to deal with it 24x7. Act now, and ignore them.

10.) hard furnitures push detergent chemicals deep into your skin starting with the buttocks area when you sit. Pressing your back against a chair back panel will eventually get you hives in your back for example. Use only soft chairs and spread your weight around. Stand up every once in a while. Clean your house where your body contacts.

11.) cutting down on mental stress is the hardest part. Nothing is more tense than having a breakout. Trust me, I know. Go easy, sleep early? Do whatever works.

12.) pressure urticaria? What a fancy name for detergent residue around elastic waist bands. No doubt this is one tough area to scrub clean even manually. Wear clothes very loosely.

13.) I have recorded my own diet for 1 year, and it's no coincidence that higher calorie food makes it easier to have more hives. Low calorie means you still can have it though.

14.) exercising with clothes having detergent residue is one of the worst thing you can do. I don't care how much you sweat.

15.) before putting on clothes, use moisturizers. Why? Because it gives your skin 1 layer of protection. 1 layer is better than no layers. I prefer curel moisturizer.

16.) touching the residue is not going to raise immediate hell. It will take probably 4 to 5 hrs before it sips into your skin. Ask yourself how many hours after you take a shower before the itch begins. This number of hours should be consistent if you wear the same clothes multiple days and the hives will affect the same spot.

but, the type I have is the kind you are born with. My mom has is, her dad has it, one of my mom's brothers has it, and one his kids has it. I am 29, and have lived with it all my life. I had really, really bad allergies and asthma while growing up, until about the age of 22. Since, then I have grown out of my allergies, say 95%, and the dermatagraphia is still there.

I do know that stress can aggrivate it, being dehydrated can aggravate it, and if I am really, really tired that can aggravate it.

For those that were not born with it, I have only heard that it will go away with time...lasting a few years to a few months. I hope yours does

I am going to take a very random shot at this. If you are from the east (atlantic water), try going on a small trip to see if west (pacific water) also causes this problem. Or vice versa.

Most people I know with this problem only developed these when they moved near atlantic coast.

This problem is annoying. However asthma is something totally not tied to the skin issue. So you could really have something different.