Comment

Comment by christiekd on December 20, 2013 at 11:52am

Sorry to hear this Rebecca!  If I were you, I would not do anything without further discussing it with your GP.  Maybe your levels are not significantly higher to warrant a change in your prescription.  You should discuss the risks and decide at that point whether to continue on with the plaquenil at the current dosage.  Plaquenil is very helpful when trying to stabilize this disease.  I hope this helps.

Comment by Celia on December 20, 2013 at 11:50am

What does liver level mean ?  How does your GP know it is due to plaquenil and not something else ?  What did she suggest ? One tab a day ?  I take only one tablet a day and I don't think it is making any difference to my hairloss, certainly not slowing down.  Kath - my Christmas present arrived today too -  something to enjoy later.

Comment by Pam on December 19, 2013 at 4:33pm

Yes, my present turned out to be a saliva sampling test! It does seem a bad time to put things in the post, with Christmas coming up next week!

Comment by Kath UK on December 19, 2013 at 4:25pm

Just received my DNA sampling kit from Dr Tziotzios.  I thought it was an unexpected Christmas present until I opened it!   I'll send it away tomorrow and hope it doesn't get delayed because of the holiday coming up.  

Comment by Brenda, IL US on December 18, 2013 at 2:40pm

I dont think zyrtec causes any liver problems.  My 9 year old granddaughter was prescribed it.  My doctor prescribed it and he knows im on plaquenil.

Comment by Celia on December 18, 2013 at 1:43pm

I can't find anything referring to liver damage as a side effect of cetirizine - very young children are given this and also lymecycline.  I think probably any existing liver/kidney probs may be exacerbated by using these drugs.

Christmas soon ! Amazon have e mailed me to say the cetirizine is on it's way !

Comment by Annie on December 18, 2013 at 10:50am

Hi All,

Regarding antihistamines:  I have seasonal allergies and have taken a generic version of Claritin year-round for several years. I wondered if it might interfere with the plaquenil, so I stopped taking it mid August when my seasonal allergies lessened.  I experienced my worst flareup ever in early September.  I'm wondering if antihistamines in general may lessen the severity of ffa.  Has anyone's doctor said if it's okay to take Zyrtec & Plaquenil together since both list liver damage as a side effect?   

Comment by Debs on December 18, 2013 at 4:08am

Sam that is a very interesting idea about mercury.  I had my teeth filled at a young age (5 years) because I was prescribed tetracycline antiboitics to trea ifant peunomia this damages childrens growing teeth (not us now as adults), so I have been exposed to mercuy in fillings and I do eat lots of fish.  I wish the derms would give us all blood tests to see what our bodies are doing and test us for everything possible and see what we have in common and how we differ from the general population.

Comment by PamW San Diego, CA, USA on December 17, 2013 at 10:55pm

When I first got FFA, I noticed that doctors said that they may be able to control some of the discomfort but not stop the hair loss. I think taking Zyrtec is one of the ways that we can control some of the symptoms such as itching and burning.

When I got hives twice last summer, I tried to understand what was happening so I read a few things on the internet. I don't know if this is totally accurate, but here is my take on things. When our body is under attack from a foreign substance or toxin it creates histamine to fight the attack. The doctors think a toxic lipid is what is attacking our sebacious glands. The body fights the toxins by releasing histamine. We itch because of the increase in histamine. The histamine is increased in our body because of the toxin that is attacking the sebaceous gland. Taking an antihistamine stops the itch. I don't think it will stop the attack, it just numbs the discomfort.

When I got hives last summer, the doctor said that there were several types of antihistamines. She suggested Zyrtec because it doesn't make you as drowsy as the others. I think Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec all have different ingredients. I was able to purchase generic Zyrtec at Costco much, much, much cheaper than the named brand of Zyrtec.

It does dry out my nasal passages, but if my head isn't itching and burning I don't think about the FFA as much.

Comment by Sam on December 17, 2013 at 10:06pm

I just took my first zyrtec - fingers crossed that you guys are on to something here! Also, has anybody had their heavy metal levels checked?  I just had mine tested and my mercury and lead are high.  My mercury is actually quite high (and I don't eat seafood or have any fillings) not sure if it could be from fish oil I am now taking but my holistic doctor seems it may just be from a lifetime of exposure.  Anyway, I read that mercury could lead to autoimmune issues so I would love to be able to get rid of it and get rid of this problem although once the FA is triggered, not sure if it will go away if the mercury is gone.  Just throwing this out there in case there in the event anyone had something similar and/or wanted to check their levels in case it is a potential cause.  Belated thanks to Debs!  I will send you an email as well.

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