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Permalink Reply by Suzi on January 27, 2010 at 4:45pm

Very interesting...
I had urticaria for two years 24/7 and I know what you have been through. I was also using two medicament every day to survive the day. Then after 2 years, urticaria suddenly stooped, and one year later (last January 2009) I get alopecia.
I think that this can be connected in a sense, that we have some kind of autoimmune disorder in our body witch attack our skin, because this is our week part . Some people can get diabetes, arthritis or other kind of autoimmune diseasess...
My suggestion for you and for everybody else, is to find some good Chinese or Ayurveda doctor. They know how to connect every dot and how to look at human being as a whole (body, mind and soul). They don't treat your alopecia or urticaria, they treat whole organism and balance your energy so your body can cure itself.

Also look for your diet. For example, I don't eat 90% or more food witch you can buy in supermarket. I eat only organic meat and fish and especially dairy product. I don't eat anything man made, nothing artificially.. I only drink spring water, use filter on my shower...and also cosmetic product I use are natural without harsh chemicals.

I try to do my best helping my body to recover and find health again.

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Permalink Reply by Jen J. on January 28, 2010 at 11:30am

Suzi - That is very interesting that you have had both of the disorders that I have had, but in reverse order. The hives were so horrible...I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! But at least they are able to be controlled with medication, thank goodness. I definitely fear that when and if my hives go away the alopecia will return but who knows. I know that when you have an autoimmune disease you are very prone to other autoimmune diseases but I wish I knew if it was possible to ever be rid of them altogether. It's interesting that you mention seeing a Chinese doctor because I have wanted to try acupuncture for a very long time now. My problem is that insurance wouldn't cover it and I believe it's quite costly.

Susan - I am curious...have you seen any improvement in your alopecia since you developed the hives? What medications are you taking for them? You are the first person who has a very similar situation to mine so I'm very curious to hear about your experiences. I too have less pitting on my nails. And it's interesting but I still have very little hair on my arms and legs...I think that makes me nervous that even though I have almost a full head of hair, since I'm missing hair on other body parts, the alopecia is still present in my bodu. Hmmm...

Karen - yes, it is very frustrating! They seem to make strides with so many diseases out there but not alopecia. It's just an enigma, I guess. My sister in law interestingly had a very, very brief bout of alopecia (I'm talking one small patch that lasted just a few months and then went away) but later found out she has MS (another autoimmune disease). Her mother (my mother in law) has hypothyroidism and my husband (her brother) had hyperthyroidism...both of which are also autoimmune. So, yes, there is definitely a genetic connection. My poor kids don't stand a chance! Already my 5 year old son has had eczema and vitiligo.

Thanks, ladies, for your input. It's just so nice to know that there are people out there who TOTALLY understand and are going through the same things.

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Permalink Reply by Suzi on January 28, 2010 at 1:32pm

Jen
I don't suffer from urticaria anymore, now I have only AA. I still have itches on my scalp though...
My chinesse dr said that I may have systematic Candida, and that this could be a reason that I had urticaria and now also AA. He prescribe me some herbal pills for candida, baking soda baths and strict anti-candida diet.
I suggest that you try with Acupuncturist or Ayurveda dr...you will have totally different view on your body and health in general.
Almost 90% of imbalances in our body are triggered with external condition, food, air, water, cosmetic product we use and electromagnetic pollution and so on... and also mind pollutions (tv, news, worries, fears...).
If you want to be healthy and help your body to find balance and health again, no doctors or medicine can help you if you don't work also on issues I mentioned before.

The food in our stores is full of chemicals and dead inside, tap water and toothpaste have fluoride... Every day on news you can see violence and fear. It is impossible to be healthy that way.
We all need to take a brake and start again. With baby steps at the beginning...
We all need to start to re-educate ourselves again, like kinder garden, what is good, and what is bad for our bodies...
We are all responsible for our health, nobody else.

I believe that among other crap I eat and drink during so many years, the worst thing for my health was artificial sweetener. (I was presuming - if you can buy it in stores, and if my government approved this, that this could not be bad)...ehhh i was wrong!

As for my AA, I treat it with Ayurveda oils very successfully. I have growth and my hair don't fall like it use to before. The only side effect is - now I have red hair :)))))

ps: For your son condition you can try MMS

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Permalink Reply by Longaa doc on January 28, 2010 at 4:10pm

Hi Jen,

I am not too surprised by your results. I have read about similar results before. Following are the two studies published from Japan about use of fexofenadine (an antihistamine agent) in AA.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19500180?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEn...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18078416?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEn...

Can you tell us what kind of antihistamine you are on right now? Also how long were you on antihistamine before you first noticed hair growth.

I am a physician myself who is suffering from AA for about 12-14 years. I have read pretty much every single article published for AA in western medicine:). I have few theories about AA. I will be really interested in hearing the details about your story..

KJ.

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Permalink Reply by Tony J. on January 29, 2010 at 7:03pm

You already know this but for others who may not know fexofenadine over the counter name is aka Allegra. There was another antihistamine in the study ebastine (Kestine) but the discussion suggested that younger people maybe more resistant to ebastine (aka Alavert or Claratin) during the AA study.

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Permalink Reply by Jen J. on January 29, 2010 at 11:27am

KJ - Wow, VERY interesting! Thank you for your response and especially for those links. I definitely did not know about the fexofenadine studies for AA. Here's a list of exactly what I have been taking for the hives:

Morning - 180 mg of Fexofenadine HCL + 1200 mg (2 tablets/600mg each) of Zyflo (the asthma medication)
Afternoon - 30 mg of Loratadine (Claritin) (3 tablets/10 mg each)
Night - 30 mg of Cetrizine (Zyrtec) (3 tablets/10 mg each) + another 1200 mg of the Zyflo

When I tell people how many anti-histamines I am on they almost fall over! It took me so long for my body to adjust...as you can imagine I was a walking zombie until my body got used to taking such high quantities.

My hive doctor is currently starting to wean me from some of the anti-histamines and I am now down to 1 tablet (10mg) of the Zyrtec each night. Once I am weaned off of the Zyrtec, I will begin to wean from the Claritin. His goal is to have me on only the Zyflo and the Fexo. On my next visit, I will certainly ask him about his thoughts on the fexofenadine studies for AA. I'm curious if he has any knowledge about it.

To answer your question about how long it took to see regrowth...I was already starting to see some growth on the crown of my head even before the hives began. However, I still had no hair on the sides of my head (which is hair that had been long gone for years and years.) I actuallly figured I'd never again grow hair on the sides since it had been so long. The hives started last January and the first medication I was put on was the Fexo. I'd say within about 6 months I started to see regrowth on the sides and back. Now, one year later, as I mentioned in my original message, I have about 99% of it back.

Hope that helps. I would LOVE to hear about some of your theories, by the way!

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Permalink Reply by Doug on February 2, 2010 at 4:21am

I began experiencing chronic hives on a seemingly random basis in the year 2000. Visits with my primary care physician and an allergist resulting nothing conclusive. No sensitivity to skin tests for grain allergies or supervised observation after consuming shellfish. I began a food diary. After 3-4 weeks, it became clear that my episodes of hives correlated with intake of coffee or pepsi. Once I minimized the intake of caffeinated beverages my hives experience diminished. Nine years later I have alopecia totalis. No one in the medical community has any thoughts connecting hives, hashimotos, and alopecia. Anyhow, a food diary may help identify potential foods or beverages that may be causing your hives.

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Permalink Reply by Jen J. on February 2, 2010 at 9:53am

Hi Doug,
Actually, in the very beginning I thought it might have been an allergic reaction to something I was eating so I was keeping a food diary for a while. However, it was eventuallly determined by a blood test that my hives are autoimmune and therefore not caused by any foods, soaps, detergents, etc. Basically the way the Dr. explained it to me is that my body was all of sudden treating my skin as an allergen (just as in AA our bodies attack our hair). So, just as coffee made you break out in hives, my body did the same thing from within. For me, there was a definite correlation between my AA and my hives....they are both autoimmune. Your hashimotos and AA are definitely connected because they are also both autoimmune and when you have one autoimmune disorder you are much more prone to others. However, my guess is that since your hives were an allergic reaction, then there is no connection.

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