menopause and hives?

Doing research on menopause and hives and came across your post. I am 50 and have been perimenopusal for about 4 years. Three weeks ago I came down with severe hives. Aren't they indeed miserable? I treated them with OTC antihistamines, as you have done, and they seemed to help after a week or so. But they made me so dizzy and foggy that I stopped using them, and now the hives are back, driving me crazy. Right now I'm relying on an antihistamine cream (Benadryl makes one) that I apply as soon as I feel the roving itching begin. It takes a few minutes, but it seems to tone down the itching and swelling for a time. I intend to keep looking around for an effective treatment, and it is somewhat comforting to know I am not alone. I've been hearing about the role that hormones may play in the suffering of hives for perimenopausal and menopusal women, but thus far nothing definitive. Let me know if you find some miracle solution, and I'll do the same!  

I have Chronic Hives, I am 50, in menopause and am now seeing my 12th doctor in as many months.  He is an anti-aging doctor who specializes in bio-identical hormone therapy.  Before finding him, I have been diagnosed with every skin disorder under the sun except that my severe itchy, burning skin could possibly be hormone related.  It is glaringly apparent that out medical community would rather keep spreading toxic creams on our skin and stuffing pills down our throats to "treat" our symptoms instead of getting to the root of the problem.  It is appalling that we are discounted and ignored when we obviously know that something is wrong with us.  Take your health into your own hands and insist on being heard.  If your doctor won't listen to you then find a new one.  Look for an anti-aging physician and ask for a hormone panel.  Demand it!  If you feel that you chronic hives are due to menopause they probably are.  If you've never had them before and all of sudden your skin started to erupt about the time other menopause symptoms started chances are pretty great that whatever is happening to your skin is tied in with that.  When my blood panel was finally done my hormones were so shockingly low and off kilter my new doctor was stunned.  How any other MD could miss these numbers is appalling.  I have suffered so much and absolutely did not need to.  After searching for so long I am about to go on bio-identical therapy after I finally found a doctor who is listening to me.  Understand what you need.  Educate yourself about what is now happening to your body.  Knowledge is power and I can't emphasize it enough.  I will never let another doctor patronize or dismiss me and leave me to suffer the way that I have.  I would guess there are millions of us out there dealing with this.  You are not alone.  I wish you great strength in getting healthy!

My hives began last August - nine months ago, right after a three week stint with shingles.  I initially thought I'd been bitten by a bug since they started on my scalp.  The hives quickly moved to my entire body and would mirror - that is, if I had a patch on the right thigh front, I'd also get a similar patch on my left thigh front. My allergist tells me this is the normal pattern with hives. 

Over the course of the last year, I've seen my GP, two dermatologists, an allergist, a rheumatologist, two naturopaths and finally my chiropractor/naturopath. 

I have used chamomile, alcohol, tea tree oil, deep cold (gel muscle ointment), Sensodyne toothpaste (white paste, not gel), apple cider vinegar, bug spray (Off skintastic), calendula oil, chinese muscle ointment, epsom salt baths and baking soda baths. 

Internally, I have taken claritin, prescription reactine, benadryl,  and aerius.  7 moths ago, I also did one course of prednisone with minimal effect.

Benadryl worked like a blanket effect for about two months, but it no longer works.  I doubled the dosage with no effect.  I changed antihistamines with no effect. 

Of the topical applications, believe it or not, Sensodyne toothpaste works.  It cools the itch and reduces the urge to scratch because it feels terrible.  It leaves a crusty mess in the bed sheets however.  It is a cheap effective alternative.

Recently, I have had some success with the Off Skintastic.  It also cools the burning itch but only for a short while and requires re-application.

My chiropractor/naturopath took one look at me last week and diagnosed menopausal urticaria.  I have no other menopausal symptoms but I will be 50 this year so it is inevitable.  I have severely low iron and am now on supplements to increase iron and ferritin levels.  Thus, I am also on Yasmin (low dose birth control) to minimize iron loss through heavy periods.  My chiropractor suggested I visit an ob/gyn who specializes in this (but is off the OHIP plan)  His wait time is nine months.  No cure in sight for now.  In the mean time I desperately try to not scratch myself raw, but the feeling of having  bugs crawling under my skin persists and my stress level is high, which, perversely, probably makes the hives worse. 

I am 50 and have been in perimenopause/menopause for some time now.  I still have regular periods although they have changed.  And I now have hives for the first time in my life.  My doctor insists its plant-related but I wondered about them being menopausally-related.  I am glad to find this website and find out that I am not alone.  I've been using a natural topical salve for controlling the itch.  However, I am concerned as all my skin feels prickly and highly sensitive.  I did go to my doctor a month ago and she gave me prednisone as the hives had gotten worse.  That worked for a while but now they are back.  I feel fine otherwise, and do not feel stressed, in fact I have felt pretty happy lately.  I've been looking online for some natural remedies to help me and so will try those before looking into other options women have mentioned here.

Try 2.5% topical steroid cream just when the hives appear.  If you let them go they will not go away.  You have to get this from an MD as a prescription.  I have had premenstural hives since I was 19 years old....and they are miserable.  They always appear on my face.  If you get the steroid cream on them right away they will go...otherwise it will take awhile.  I do not believe it is an allergy.  It has improved since I have been taking serotonin modulators....prozac.  But I am convinced after 30 years that is you hit them the moment they appear with the high percentage steroid cream they will help them go away.

HI!  I am 40 years old and have been suffering from severe itching and swelled redness (hives) since August 30th, pretty much out of the blue.  At first there were no signs of redness, rash or swelling, just extreme itching in the palms of my hands.  About a week or so later, the itching turned to inflamed red patches which were and are very uncomfortable and very irrating.  I get them from my head to my feet - literally!  I have had a reaction after eating a glazed donut from Dunkin Donuts and after eating a McDonald's Fillet O Fish, fries and 3 pc. Chicken Selects. . . . weird, since it never bothered me before.  My primary doctor put me on steroids 20mg x 4 and then 10 mg x 4 and nothing helped, she then upped it to 40 mg x 2 days, 30, 20 10 and still nothing!  I went to my allergist who could not scratch test me becuase I HAD to take Benedryl since it was the only thing that controlled the itching and burning for several hours.  He told me it sounds like I have "pressure induced Urticaria" - hives.  I just had 8 viles of blood drawn yesterday and the allergist called me today saying nothing really jumped out at him except that my blood sugar was low. . . .  I LOVE sweets, cookies, candy, etc.   . . . I think my blood sugar is anything BUT low!  :-)    I always get severe redness and swelling along with itching and burning after say I have carried in my pocketbook, laptop bag, car seat carrier on my arm!  This hive stuff if really wierd and super irritating!

I don't know if I am premenopausal, but I don't know what else would have caused this!  Has anyone had this type of reaction after taking an Acai Berry supplement? 

I am 57 and haven't had a period for at least 3 yrs.  For the last 18 months I've been having major itching and haven't found an answer as to why.  I've seen my primary physician, a dermatologist, an internist, and an allergist.  I've been told I'm allergic to wheat gluten, eggs, potassium dichloride, neomycin and I'm really not.  I've taken antibiotics, steroids, sleeping pills to help me sleep (they didn't work) and still don't have an answer.  I have scars on my legs from scratching myself in the middle of the night until I had blood running down my legs, and doing it many times. I also have scars on my arms, breasts, stomach, and butt. I quit taking NSAIDS as they seemed to make the itching worse.  I've never been a big drinker but now I don't drink alcohol at all. It makes me want to scratch my skin off (ice packs helped).  Heat makes it worse, my skin feels prickly and then gets itchy.  I have to take a tepid shower and then run cool/cold water over me to be able to sleep at night.  I use a steroid cream on the really bad spots, mostly on my torso.  When I asked the allergist if hormones could be the problem I was told that it wasn't.  Because of the fluctuations of the itching it's impossible to pin down a reason.  So my thought is that my hormones probably are fluctuating and maybe that's it.  I take Zyrtec at night and Benadryl when needed and I seem to be doing better.  It was so bad for awhile that I was up in the middle of the night having to take a cool shower and then some Benadryl before I could get back to sleep.  Some of the other things that have helped are cool compresses, wiping my skin with witch hazel, and a light weight lotion (a heavier one seems to hold in heat and make it worse).  Doctors haven't helped me much and I feel like I'm on my own.  I don't feel stressed most of the time, but when I do I've noticed that I do get pretty itchy.  I think I need to find a doctor to do a hormone panel.  It would be nice to know that I'm not crazy and there is a reason that I'm so itchy.

Hello, thanks for your posts which have enlightened me with the answer I really needed -- I turned 35 in June but have been experiencing menopausal hives since Aug. After taking strong doses, 6 pills a day, of predisonine for 5 days, my itchy hives on my limbs and belly indeed faded fast. since then I've been taking 1 zyrtec at 8-9pm each night when i'll get a minor breakout, without fail, on any random body part typically triggered by physical pressure such as under the wristband of my watch, belly under my belt, or under my socks, shoelace-- i should try stripping stark naked each night. I'm looking forward to seeing a Chinese medicine doctor soon after researching for one that is "trustworthy". Will post an update afterwards on the results. Take care!