Anyone get exercise induced hives?

swilk627

If so, what do you do to make it less miserable?

mjok31

I have not, but my daughter is currently broken out head to toe in hives! We saw her doc seeing that she is only 7 and benadrl is doing wonders for her. We have also been doing oatmeal baths in lukewarm water to help with the itching. We take 1 cup oatmeal and put it into a blender to make it a powder and add it to the bath while filling up the tub. It has really helped!

Jellyphant

I do break out after a workout too... Apologies for no remedies, it just surprised me that these hives are brought on by a workout. I always thought it was something in the gym that was getting to me! O_O

kperk91

My best friend has that issue. She would break out in hives after running. It's basically your skin being irritated by your own sweat. http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/exercise-induced-urticaria/treatment.html

Another site suggests showering as soon as possible to clean your skin of the sweat

Becky1971

My daughter gets them from working out, doing dishes, taking a shower. So it seems to be heat related. They go a way shortly after, but if she keeps going once they break out, it can be very uncomfortable. Not sure what to do for them, but don't want her taking Benadryl all the time.

dbdugger

Hey there. The medical term for what you are experiencing is called Exercise Induced Urticaria. Here is a link that more fully explains what it is and the remedies...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_urticaria

Goosiesnougs

Oh my gosh! I don't get the hives, but I get VERY VERY itchy----especially on my butt--strange, but true! And a rash, but it isn't raised at all. Usually on my upper chest.

My trainer at the gym told me it was exercise induced, it only happens once in a while during very strenuous workouts.
I find that if I can keep myself cool (the girls at the gym know me as "fan girl") it isn't so bad.LI stand in front of the fan during muscle classes and attach 2 clip fans (with extension cords and all) to the handles of the spin bike! Silly looking, but it works Almost like an overheating warning my body sends out. Can't wait to see what everyone else says!

BellydanceBliss

I used to its a detox process. It will pass. You might try a baking soda oatmeal bath if you put it in a nylon wont make a mess in the tub.

beckylawrence70

Is that what they are?? So yes I do and hate em.........itchy lil welts on my shoulders and upper arms, usually after wkn out, what a drag!

applebobbrush

I get them too!! I have found nothing that helps, only showering as soon as I get home. I thought it might be my laundry detergent irritating my skin but I get them on my calves when I'm wearing shorts and the bend in my elbow when I'm wearing T-shirts so I don't think it's my detergent. I also have ulcerative colitis and my GI doc it's basically a over reaction of my immune system so it reasons that my body is a bit more sensitive sometimes. I wish I could figure out a cure though it's quite annoying.

lovielou522

Oh my gosh! I get them too. I talked to my doctor about them years ago, and he wasn't helpful. I think he made a joke about being allergic to exercise. But I remember having to leave a kickboxing class half way through and go to the locker room where I frantically scratched my legs, stomach and chest. It was horrible! I now never workout without taking some kind of allergy medicine - Allegra, Zyrtec, etc. I'll check out the other links though. Thanks for bringing this up! I thought it was just me.

Edit: After reading through everything, I thought I'd reinforce how helpful the Allegra or Zyrtec have been. As long as I've taken them 30 minutes or so before I exercise, I'm fine. I hope that helps!

swilk627

I used to its a detox process. It will pass. You might try a baking soda oatmeal bath if you put it in a nylon wont make a mess in the tub.

I'm really not sure what you mean by this. Detox? i've always had this happen.

To everyone else --- Yup, I knew the medical term but wasn't sure everyone else would. I know what to do after the fact, but I wasn't sure if anyone had had any success in preventing them. I might try some Allegra. Anyone used Claritin? Zyrtec is a no-go for me - it makes me loopy.

Katie3784

I get horribly itchy when I run. It's so weird because I don't get it when I walk or use an elliptical. If I run for a few days in a row, it gets better, but I haven't any other remedy.

12skipafew99100

When I exercise I get bright red cheeks, its so embarrassing. Been that way since I was a little girl. :embarassed:

wackyfunster

I used to its a detox process. It will pass. You might try a baking soda oatmeal bath if you put it in a nylon wont make a mess in the tub.

I'm really not sure what you mean by this. Detox? i've always had this happen.

To everyone else --- Yup, I knew the medical term but wasn't sure everyone else would. I know what to do after the fact, but I wasn't sure if anyone had had any success in preventing them. I might try some Allegra. Anyone used Claritin? Zyrtec is a no-go for me - it makes me loopy.

Your issue is almost certainly an allergic response to something in the air. Basically, heat+exertion exacerbates allergy symptoms, so even if you don't have noticeable problems normally, you can start to see them while working out. The higher-intensity the workout, the higher your body temperature gets and the worse the allergy symptoms, which is many people don't have problems doing lower-intensity exercise, but have issues running outdoors or doing things like Insanity.

Allegra works well for me... Claritin is not very effective in general (have heard this from several immunologists). I have the same issue with Zyrtec (it works well, but makes me feel like a zombie). Seeing an immunologist and doing immunotherapy (allergy shots) will likely be helpful. Getting a good air filter and exercising indoors can help as well. Also, after showering, using a mineral-oil based moisturizer like Eucerin will help keep allergens from penetrating the outer layers of your skin, which can help a lot, especially if you have dry skin at all.

Hope this is helpful

edit: Me fail English? That unpossible!

stef827

Had no idea this even existed. My forehead always gets so itchy after I workout like my sweat irritates it. Ill have to read up on this.

swilk627

I used to its a detox process. It will pass. You might try a baking soda oatmeal bath if you put it in a nylon wont make a mess in the tub.

I'm really not sure what you mean by this. Detox? i've always had this happen.

To everyone else --- Yup, I knew the medical term but wasn't sure everyone else would. I know what to do after the fact, but I wasn't sure if anyone had had any success in preventing them. I might try some Allegra. Anyone used Claritin? Zyrtec is a no-go for me - it makes me loopy.

Your issue is almost certainly an allergic response to something in the air. Basically, heat+exertion exacerbates allergy symptoms, so even if you don't have noticeable problems normally, you can start to see them while working out. The higher-intensity the workout, the higher your body temperature gets and the worse the allergy symptoms, which is many people don't have problems doing lower-intensity exercise, but have issues running outdoors or doing things like Insanity.

Allegra works well for me... Claritin is not very effective in general (have heard this from several immunologists). I have the same issue with Zyrtec (it works well, but makes me feel like a zombie). Seeing an immunologist and doing immunotherapy (allergy shots) will likely be helpful. Getting a good air filter and exercising indoors can help as well. Also, after showering, using a mineral-oil based moisturizer like Eucerin will help keep allergens from penetrating the outer layers of your skin, which can help a lot, especially if you have dry skin at all.

Hope this is helpful

edit: Me fail English? That unpossible!

Thanks for the insight on Claritin. I knew it was the least powerful of the three. I'll probably pick up some Allegra. I hope I don't have to go back to allergy shots! I had to have them 2x a week for most of my childhood/teenage years. Ugh!

pammyiam

Interesting thread. I broke out with an itchy hive red rash only on my inner lower thighs--except it didn't happen until I woke up one morning and there they were. It's gone now, but it certainly explains a lot.

ScottyNoHotty

Do you use dryer sheets? I found out a long time ago that you can be allergic to the chemicals in them.

juliemaplehurst

Me too.... I only have to say the word trainers and bright red......and I currently run 10k in about an hour......but even in the cold weather bright red cheeks. I generally don't feel the cold and work out side all year round as a gardener but as soon as I boost the heart rate off I go again bright red cheeks

elgecko2

I do! It's an exercise allergy. For real. Some are induced by sweat or a rise in body temperature, sometimes it has more to do with enzymes. The temperature-controlled one can actually be quite dangerous, it's possible (but really, really rare) to go into respiratory distress.

I only really get it from running - never have had any trouble on the elliptical, or playing tennis. So I just don't run. It sucks, but it's better than the unbearable itching. That said, I've never tried the antihistamine. I saw somewhere that a person uses steroid creme, but you really can't use that too often.

Wikipedia has a pretty good general article on it, check out its sources for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_urticaria