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Will antihistamines affect DH?

Karwei5

By Karwei5
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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Karwei5 Apprentice
Karwei5
Posted

I am asking about my son who had celiac and Down syndrome.  He has had a rash we have been trying to control for 2-3 months. Doctor at first thought it was eczema,  the steroid cream did very little to help it.  I changed his soaps to dove. still very little  relief. Then I tried an otc antihistamine and that did reduce the itchiness and spots. After 10 days I took him off of the antihistamines but the rash/spots came back. It is hard to get hi into a dermatologist right now.  If it was dh, would an antihistamine affect it? I dont know how he would have been glistened. He has been home since the middle of march. it could be possible though... 

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cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Hi, I do not have DH, but I do have celiac disease.  Celiac disease can cause many rashes.  The worst is DH.  If the rash resolved with antihistamines (or at least the itch went away, it might just be hives.  I have had bouts of autoimmune hives which started with a gluten exposure.  My allergist thought they were more related to my autoimmune thyroiditis and my GI thought they were due to my celiac disease.  In any case, it was autoimmune related, that is for sure.  

I took antihistamines for daily for six months until my hives resolved.  I had no hives every morning, but by afternoon I was covered from head to toe.  The itching was pretty awful, but the antihistamines really helped.  

If he does have DH, a super strict gluten-free diet seems to help the most.  That means avoiding most processed food, even certified gluten-free foods.   Avoiding foods with iodine is also critical.    You can browse through the DH section for tips.  Dapsone is the only medication that helps DH, but it has some serious side effects.  

I hope he feels better soon!  

MisterSeth Enthusiast
MisterSeth
Posted

wash his clothes and bedding in hot water with a little bleach. (the hottest setting on your machine)

if that helps it tells you he's allergic to dust mites or pet dander. 

if it doesn't help read the fabric tags looking for wool/fleece specifically. allergies to fabrics aren't unheard of

detergents are also a possible culprit

I went through this exact same thing a few years back, it was dust mites, i rolled up a sheet, stuffed it in a closet, and then later used it without washing it first. the correlation was not apparent to me until after they did the test and confirmed i have a dust mite allergy

Posterboy Mentor
Posterboy
Posted
On 5/26/2020 at 9:54 PM, Karwei5 said:

I am asking about my son who had celiac and Down syndrome.  He has had a rash we have been trying to control for 2-3 months. Doctor at first thought it was eczema,  the steroid cream did very little to help it.  I changed his soaps to dove. still very little  relief. Then I tried an otc antihistamine and that did reduce the itchiness and spots. After 10 days I took him off of the antihistamines but the rash/spots came back. It is hard to get hi into a dermatologist right now.  If it was dh, would an antihistamine affect it? I dont know how he would have been glistened. He has been home since the middle of march. it could be possible though... 

Karwei5,

You might try some Niacinamide....it has been shown to help some DH sufferer's...not sure if it will work in your son's case...

Here is a study about it....

 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30390734/

I am in the middle of hay season so I might not answer right away....

Here is another thread from the DH forum that might help you....

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/114082-at-my-wits-end-with-this-rash/

Make sure it is the Niacinamide form....the non flushing form of Niacin....

Do not give your son Niacin.....without trying it yourself first .....because it will cause flushing....but can help itching....

Here is an article about Niacin and how to use it for antihistamine related seasonal allergies...

http://getwellstaywellathome.com/blog/2015/06/seasonal-allergies-and-the-niacin-flush/

Niacinamide is a B-Vitamin and should be taken 2/day for best effect or with every meal (if that is more convenient)  ....

Niacinamide is the form is that does not flush....try it first....but be patient....it can take up to a month to notice  significant improvement....and up to 3 months to notice a sustained difference....

I hope this helps your son.

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

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