Anyone else BREAK OUT IN HIVES when they run?

ChantelleFowler
ChantelleFowler Posts: 208 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I vowed last summer that I was going to become a runner. And I tried. Believe me, I tried. But every.single.time. I ran for longer than five minutes, I broke out into the worst, itchiest, grossest looking hives! I had them EVERYWHERE on my body. The first time it happened, I made my hubby take me to the hospital because I didn't know wtf was happening. I had run before in my life and did a 5K before and that had NEVER happened to me.

It's funny, though. It seems as if I only break out in hives if I'm running in my province (I'm Canadian). I went to Alberta for a week last summer, ran a couple miles there, and I didn't break out at all. But I've ran a few different cities in my province and every time I do, I break out. It HAS to be something in the air in my province? I don't know but it pisses me off.

I went to my doctor for it and she suggested I take Benadryl (at least, I think it was Benadryl) before my runs to alleviate the itching. But if I want to train for a race, wouldn't taking Benadryl often be bad for my body?

PS. I definitely do NOT like being able to use the excuse I don't run because I'm allergic to it. ;)

Replies

  • ChantelleFowler
    ChantelleFowler Posts: 208 Member
    Really? No one else? Lol
  • alychil820
    alychil820 Posts: 219 Member
    I do! I'm allergic to the cold and sweat, and running is a nice mix of both. I just dress extra warm in moisture wicking fabric, and it helps a little, although I still break out no matter what. You could try taking benadryl, but personally, I'd rather have the hives than the grogginess
  • michellelemorgan
    michellelemorgan Posts: 184 Member
    In the summer I break out into hives every time I run. I run anyway. They only stick around for an hour or so and then they're gone. Very itchy, yes. :)
  • MsJulielicious
    MsJulielicious Posts: 708 Member
    I found an article about this once, Lemme see if I can find it for you
  • cherioh
    cherioh Posts: 6
    My thighs, stomach, and arms break out in huge, raised blotches of itchy redness after about thirty minutes of jogging. I gave up and now cycle. The moisture wicking cycling shorts and shirt reduce the masses to just a tinge of pink and no raised blotches or itchiness. To add higher impact cardio for my bones, I hike at our local nature trails once or twice a week too. For some reason, I do not break out when I hike.
  • MsJulielicious
    MsJulielicious Posts: 708 Member
    I couldn't find the article, but I had this go on for the first few months then it went away. Hydrocortisone cream helped. Benedryl is relatively safe, but it makes me fall asleep so I can't imagine taking it before running.
  • littlebudgie
    littlebudgie Posts: 279 Member
    Have you had an allergy test done? Might be some sort of pollutant that's more common where you are than in Alberta.
  • Farburnfred
    Farburnfred Posts: 333 Member
    Yes, not so much rash but terribly terribly itchy, take an anti histamine and it Usually helps
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    very odd. have you tried running indoors on a treadmill? did you get the same results? what about cycling outdoors?

    try seeing an allergist.

    if this persists, you're going to have take the benadryll on running days. if you only take it on days that you run, it should do any long term damage. i'd talk to the medical professionals though, and see what they think.

    or you can find your way to the weight room.
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    I have gotten these in the past on my thighs and stomach when i run. It seems more prevalent in the cold weather. It would usually go away within a few hours so i never let it stop me from running.
    I would not suggest Benadryl as it has a sedative quality to it, unless you take it after you run. It is a pretty harmless drug, but with that said, all drugs have to be filtered through our kidneys and liver so, IMHOP, the less of any drug i can take the better i will be.
    Id suggest taking a shower as soon as you get home from a run in the event it is some environmental irritant, but also cool water helps relieve itching as does diluted vinegar. If that doesn't help there are topical creams like hydrocortisone or Benadryl cream.
  • Nlg2Bfit
    Nlg2Bfit Posts: 1
    My son has something like that. It's called cold urticaria. Sudden changes in temperature cause it,
  • staceycanada
    staceycanada Posts: 54
    What are you wearing when you run?
    If you normally wear cotton clothing and switch to spandex/lycra to run it could just be that.

    Can't help otherwise I've never had this happen but I also can't run.
  • ChantelleFowler
    ChantelleFowler Posts: 208 Member
    Thanks for all the responses guys!

    I usually wear the same clothing when I ran as when I do my regular workouts.

    I can run indoors, no problems.

    I can do bootcamp outdoors, sweat heavily, and not break out into hives. It only happens when I run outdoors. It's weird. Maybe I breathe differently when I run than when I do a bootcamp class (even though the bootcamps are more strenuous)? It's so weird. That's what bothers me - I used to be able to run with no problems. This just started last summer.

    I don't think I can run and deal wth the hives after! I scratch and scratch until I'm bloody, basically. It's not pretty. And the rash is everywhere, but most often under my bra straps, around my neck, my legs and my groin (not a pretty sight lol).

    I've never had an allergy test before. Is that just something I go to my doctor to ask about?
  • DhiaUK
    DhiaUK Posts: 28 Member
    Hi,

    It might be worth getting a referral to a dermatologist. Back in 1997 I suddenly experienced hives after exercise when on holiday in Cyprus. I thought nothing of it at the time, but it began to happen more and more regularly. I would come out in severe hives that were extremely itchy and in severe cases could take hours to settle. Of course, by the time I had a GP appointment there was nothing visible so it took planning an exercise session prior to GP visit to ensure the symptoms were on show.

    In my case the triggers were exercise (even housework), swimming and bathing - basically anything that caused a change in core body temperature. It can take a bit of playing around with combinations of antihistamines under the direction of a dermatologist (for me that was 3 cetrizine per day, which is 3 times the normal dose). Thankfully I tolerated these well, and could do exercise, swim normally again.

    The good news, if it is cholinergic urticaria it tends to disappear as suddenly as it arrives, although this can be a few years (in my case about 7)
  • Aviendha_RJ
    Aviendha_RJ Posts: 600 Member
    I get hives ALL THE FREAKING TIME:

    It's probably not from the running.

    Its from the running outdoors. Or your fabric softener... you're actually allergic to it, but your skin doesn't freak out till it's wet in the clothes. Or its the heat, or the pollen in the air on your wet skin. Your skin is one organ. If one part of it is pissed off, generally it affects the WHOLE THING.

    I would get an allergy test, or see a dermatologist. I solved my issue by running on a treadmill, because my issue was environmental & I never even knew it.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    When I was small i played baseball at this one field, and my eyes would swell shut every time. Just that one field. There was just some sort of weird that I was really allergic too. Try running in a slightly different area, or go to a park. Maybe there is just something that is causing it.

    Also, I agree, you need an allergy test.
  • dontgobacktosleep
    dontgobacktosleep Posts: 144 Member
    I can relate, I'm an Ontario transplant in Alberta and all my hives wentaway when I moved out west. Most likely if you are like me you have an absolutely wicked intolerance to Birch. It is however possible to have an immune response to exercise, though incredibly rare. Most likely they would tell you it was idiopathic anaphylaxsis and send you for allergy tests.

    Good luck, you're not crazy! :-)
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA) is fairly well documented and worth a Google, and can be managed with OTC antihistamines. As you only get it outside, it could be a number of factors - pollen, pollution, and temperature to name but a few. It could even be because you find it easier to run faster outside. Sometimes a food allergy can manifest itself through vigorous exercise.

    Any allergic reaction is worth getting checked out by the doctor.
  • PMPetrich
    PMPetrich Posts: 1
    You absolutely should see an allergist, the sooner the better. I, too, suffer from heat induced allergies. It took me years to put together the triggers and then I finally went to an allergist. I didn't think it was possible to break out from head to toe hives from running. I now have progressed to going into anaphylactic shock. The attacks are now causing breathing difficulty and my blood pressure to drop. If it drops low enough, I could die. NOT GOOD!! My triggers are from bread or cheese and my body temperature rising from working out! I have had bread with no exercise and everything is fine. It is the combination of cheese or bread AND temperature change. My doctor told me to eat nothing before working out, I take a daily allergy pill and I carry an EpiPen everywhere I go. One cannot control their body temperature. Your trigger could be food or beverage, something you are washing or drying your clothes with, body lotion, outdoor allergens, etc., in combination with your body temperature rising. The problem with allergies is that the more your body is subjected to the "offender" the more your body attacks it and thus the hives are worse each and every time. They can eventually get to a point where they are life threatening. If you have noticed they have gotten worse during or after working out, please, please see an allergist and have some simple tests done, it is no big deal and not painful. It very well could save your life!!!!!
  • TurangaLeela
    TurangaLeela Posts: 70 Member
    I'm allergic to running as well. The hives are only the first part. If I keep going after the hives break out, I get an asthma attack. I've learned how far I can push myself before the allergic symptoms start. BTW, if it's only running that does it for you, find a different exercise (or like me, learn what you can do).
  • Calicot
    Calicot Posts: 14 Member
    I've seen a couple of articles on the net about this. Here are a couple of links that might help understand what's happening:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/14968-5-things-you-need-to-know-about-exercise-hives/

    http://running.about.com/od/illnessesandrunning/ss/embarrassing_6.htm

    And even on wikipedia:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_urticaria

    I hope you will be able to find something that helps you cope.
  • DeeJayTJ
    DeeJayTJ Posts: 355 Member
    every once in a great while it will happen to me, but only if its been a long time since i ran.
  • dwh77tx
    dwh77tx Posts: 513 Member
    This has happened to me before when I power walk, but the hives only appeared on my abdomen!
  • openskybeach
    openskybeach Posts: 294 Member
    I have dermagraphism. Look it up. It started with me getting a slew of hives over my entire body and now I get them periodically. i can actually scratch my skin and moments later a hive in the shape of the scratch will come up. Ive had this prolly 3 years now. it is horrible. Sometimes it is dormant, however i noticed when i exercise, it surfaces, i dont know why, but basically i think any exercise you do will bring this on. At least that is my case...so yeah.... meh.

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