Anyone get exercise induced hives?

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  • wordena
    wordena Posts: 177 Member
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    My legs, especially my calves will develop hives sometimes. Ive learned not to scratch at that first itch and it usually will not develop into full hives. Then of course I shower quickly. Generally I feel I develop it due to grass and pollen allergies, even if indoors.
  • PinkAnchors
    PinkAnchors Posts: 4
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    I have that same problem. I could be just walking in the heat during the day or the cool at night and my body breaks out into these ugly, itchy, rashy bumps. I'm like this when I exercise as well, when I take a cool down I'm in pain for an hour with breaking out in the hives from sweat. I try using baby power and gold bond which made it worst. A cool shower doesnt stop it either. I wish I had relief from these hives every time I sweat while exercising.
  • Minerva624
    Minerva624 Posts: 577 Member
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    I got exercise induced herpes once.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    If so, what do you do to make it less miserable?

    No, I'm sorry.

    I get exercise induced rage though. I kinda dig it. It keeps me super focused when I'm at the boxing gym.
  • dianadow
    dianadow Posts: 1 Member
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    I had no idea so many people were bothered by this. I have found that if I exercise more than 20 minutes at a time I break out in a rash and my eyes start swelling. I also have the same reaction when I'm under sudden stress of any kind and even just getting too hot without any exertion. It makes it difficult to exercise like I would like. I use lavender essential oil that gives some relief to my eyes but can't ward off the problem if I let myself get too hot. I use Benadryl if it gets out of control.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i used to get these before i started wearing appropriate clothing with moisture wicking. i always got the welts worse on days when there were drastic differences in temperature between the outside and my body.
  • RebeccaHite
    RebeccaHite Posts: 187 Member
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    Thats shingles from the chicken pox virus comes out when you sweat
  • lessoftam
    lessoftam Posts: 1
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    I have had this condition my entire life. It took 20 years for an observant doctor in LA to diagnose it. It is indeed called "exercise-induced urticaria". He told me that my body is allergic to the histamines it produces when I exercise. Benadryl does help reduce the affects. So, for the doctor that laughingly told someone they were allergic to exercise, in fact, you are! When I do cardiovascular activity, my skin gets itchy in the crease of my inner arms, on the upper chest, stomach, on the upper legs, buttocks. If I scratch I get welts. It feels extremely hot and my face gets really red. I absolutely don't believe it's the sweat irritating the skin externally. It feels too interior for that. It's definitely not detergent cause I use soap for sensitive skin. Don't be fooled by "guesses". The condition has a name. Some say that the more exercise you do, the more the condition can be reduced or managed. (I guess your body adapts over time). I can also get really itchy if walking when it's really cold outside and remember some horrific walks to school in -20 C temperatures. For me, just understanding that it was an allergy was so helpful. I avoid exercise because I know what the outcome will be, but with support and Benadryl, it has become better over time.
  • ericduckymorris
    ericduckymorris Posts: 1
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    got this for the first time today. i freaked out but after an Antihistamine it was gone in about an hour. this is the first time it has ever happened and the only thing that changed is my diet. i had a lot of salt right before i worked out. i don't know if that is coincidence or a secondary cause.




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  • sa2uk
    sa2uk Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi,

    Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth in the hope that it could helps someone.

    I too itch when exercising, and I have discovered a few things.

    1. For me, it's not related to sweat. I sweat a lot, and if it's not when I'm exercising, then I don't itch.

    2. It is worst for me when it is cold - if the air outside is really cold, then I can itch even after a few minutes of walking.

    3. It is also worse in spring when there is a lot of pollen in the air.

    4. The following things help:

    - H1 blockers - i.e antihistamines - these are usually all I need if exercising indoors
    - H2 blockers - these are usually used to reduce the amount of acid made by your stomach, eg. Zantac - I take this WITH antihistamines if exercising outdoors
    - If it's cold, I usually wear 2 pairs of running tights, or tights under tracksuit pants to reduce the coldness against my skin.

    I still can't control it absolutely, however, but the above things have definitely helped! If I ever find an answer I'll be sure to tell the world! :smile:
  • b_bartay
    b_bartay Posts: 3
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    http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/allergic-running?page=single

    Pretty good article about it.
  • franklinberger
    franklinberger Posts: 1
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    Super aggravating condition. Comes on only when it starts getting cold out. Feels like 1000 bees lightly attacking you from head to toe. It goes away after 10 or so minutes of working out. Histamines, the docs tell me, are stored in our bodies and released naturally when it's nice and warm out, so, you never get these symptoms in the summer. When it's cold, these stored-up histamines jump out of your body when you work out and heat up (that's why anti-histamines work so well, they stop the release of histamines, and thus stop the urticaria).

    Nothing worked for me (except of course Zyrtec, Benadryl, etc.) until I gave up WHEAT for a few months. I had the condition for 3 years (it just came on out of nowhere one day while on a simple morning run in the late fall in Illinois), now it's gone. And, I'm back eating wheat. It's been two years (but I keep reminding myself to search for this and post until EVERYONE is cured :)

    Not sure what was happening or why, but I don't care. It was the worst, and now it's gone.

    Hope this works for you.
  • strongrun
    strongrun Posts: 1
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    My hives are completely related to eating too soon before a run. I have to run on an empty stomach. If I'm hungry, I usually just drink something light, like orange juice, to tie me over. It took me awhile to figure out the cause. At first, I thought it was a certain food, but I soon realized that it was after any substantial meal. I hope this helps others, as I have no problems now.
  • lowBP32
    lowBP32 Posts: 3
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    Be careful with this! I have very low BP and as a result - I have POTS ( postural tachycardia syndrome) Do you have poor circulation/ cold feet, thyroid issues/ Raynauds ?

    I do. I went to dance exercise in a chilly poool and got this and it lasted almost all summer long last yr ! NOTHING helped and drs were stumped.
    I did not relate it to the pool. Just did it again last week (the prior was LAST suummer) Same thing happened. DRS thought it was chlorine, but they even admitted it made no sense as I only have it on the chest area, where I was not submerged ( where I was more chilly!) It is a problem with THERMOREGULATION and yes, it is caused by exercise, sudden chhanges in temps etc ..

    I *Was* exercising (powerwalks) prior to this, but now that the rash has bloomed , when I walk it flushes and flares. :>(

    I will be seeing a specialist ( months fom now)

    be careful...start slow.,..no sudden temp changes.
  • lowBP32
    lowBP32 Posts: 3
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    Be careful with this! I have very low BP and as a result - I have POTS ( postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) Do you have poor circulation/ cold feet, thyroid issues/ Raynauds ?

    I do
    . I went to dance exercise in a chilly pool and got this and it lasted almost all summer long last yr ! NOTHING helped and drs were stumped.

    I did not relate it to the pool.
    Just did it again last week (the prior was LAST suummer) Same thing happened. DRS thought it was chlorine, but they even admitted it made no sense as I only have it on the chest area, where I was not submerged ( where I was more chilly!) It is a problem with THERMOREGULATION and yes, it is caused by exercise,( your body temp INCRS) sudden changes in temps (Cool pool) etc ..

    I *Was* exercising (powerwalks) prior to this, but now that the rash has bloomed , when I walk it flushes and flares. :>(

    I will be seeing a specialist ( months fom now)

    be careful...start slow.,..no sudden temp changes.
  • lowBP32
    lowBP32 Posts: 3
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    Sometimes mine looks like hives/other days the rash changed to a more pimply look. It's all the same thing - caused by poor circ. histamines, chilliness with exercise etc ... be careful.
    Use compression stockings, stay warm ( but not hot!)

    It is not sweat related at all.

    I was in a chilly pool shoivering...not sweating.
  • brandon_hofmann
    brandon_hofmann Posts: 3
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    I have been getting this for the year and it is so annoying. I get it sitting in a warm room. I get it all over my back and at night when I go to bed it is even worse. I am seeing a dermatologist but have still got to relief Good luck.
  • kjgarcia
    kjgarcia Posts: 104 Member
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    I get exercise induced hives, BIG, itchy ones!!
    It isn't everytime I exercise, it's not if I'm outside, inside, or doing a particular activity, it's just totally random. I can always feel them starting to come on on my back/shoulder area first.
    My PCP couldn't figure anything out so she sent me to an allergist. The allergist did alllllll sorts of allergy testing and couldn't figure out anything. Their plan is for me to take a Zyrtec everynight before bed. I have still broken out a few times since I started that, so I dunno really. I know that isn't very helpful, but just wanted to add my experience.
    I don't "cool" very well when I exercise and I always wonder if it has something to do with body temperature....although the dr. looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested that?
  • kjgarcia
    kjgarcia Posts: 104 Member
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    Just wanted to add that mine are actually Hives, not just a rash, or being itchy. I even had taken a pic to show my PCP and allergist.....they said they were "impressive"....gee thanks LOL
  • dnfenton
    dnfenton Posts: 24 Member
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    I USED to break out in awful hives every time I would get hot. After a good workout was the worse. It turns out I am actually allergic to pet dander (I had cats at the time) but my body wouldn't react to the dander in my system unless I became over heated. This took me a good year to figure out since I wasn't having any other issues with my cats in the house.

    Unfortunatly I found the only way to prevent my hives was to rehome my pets and super scrub all my furntire and drapes. It still took a good 6 months to work it's way full out of my system. But now that the underlying cause is gone I no longer fear my workouts!

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