My Skin Felt Prickly Last Night

[Pam V]

Hi All,
I am on Day 7 of a Pepto regime to try and control my recent flare. On 8/5 - 8/8, I took Pepto for three days at lower levels - off for two days with not good results, and back on using the protocol of 8 doses a day since August 11th (I just took my mid day dose on Day 7). Last night I was exhausted after not sleeping well the prior night (lots of tossing and turning Monday night). I slept for a few hours and then woke up - tossed and turned and then realized that the reason I was not settling down was that my skin felt kind of prickly. I think that might have been the problem also on Monday night. I don't have any rash or itching and it does feel better now during the daytime. Clean, new sheets on the bed, which I have been so comfortable with when I have used them over the past month. No new detergent. I'm curious - would anyone happen to know if this could be related to the Pepto? If so, should I reduce my dosage?

Another question that I have had - how will I know if that the Pepto has worked? I'm having (black) but pretty normal looking Norman but I would expect that with all the Pepto that I'm taking.

Thank you for any guidance you can share!

Best wishes ~Pam

[Pam V]

Update ~ I put lotion on my body before bed to try and get ahead of any issues. I still got the tingly/prickly feeling on my skin and also felt restless legs.

I’m planning on cutting back on the Pepto today to see if there’s improvement. I’m down to eating such a basic diet ~ sweet potato, rice, ground meat of some type, water, bananas ~ I would hope that I’ll be good with less Pepto.

Happy Thursday!
Pam

[LauraGld]

Morning Pam,
I don't know if this will be useful for you at all...but I had prickly skin sensation after I added collagen peptide to my smoothy in my morning routine. I noticed it for two days and then stopped it and the prickly feeling went away. I don't know if this was a histamine reaction or some other reaction. Just sharing this in case you have added anything else to your diet. If you stop the Pepto and the reaction goes away it may very well be a reaction to Pepto. You may be building up an allergic reaction?

Hope this helps....Laura

[Pam V]

Thank you, Laura! I definitely do have reactions to histamines, particularly when there are high seasonal histamines present. I had been taking a Zyrtec each day until Kari told me that she learned that they contain gluten and dairy! I called Zyrtec and it was so very frustrating - when I asked if they contained gluten/dairy, they wouldn't tell me but referred me to my doctor. Erica said that she does well with Allegra so I switched over to that.

I haven't made any changes to any lotions/products that I use and I am eating very little - sweet potato, rice, ground meat, bananas - I'm making a bit pot of rice and ground (beef, turkey) and freezing individual portions so that they aren't sitting in the refrigerator long. I think I'm going to bring the Pepto down a notch and see what happens. I googled and Rxlist.com does mention itching as one of the potential side effects. Like many MC people, I don't weigh a lot and maybe 8 doses is a lot for someone my size/weight.

I appreciate your input, Laura! I hope you have a great day!

Best wishes,
Pam

[tex]

Hello Pam,

I'm not sure if the prickly skin sensation is associated with the Pepto. Pepto-Bismol (Bismuth Subsalicylate) overdose symptoms can include weakness, depression, anxiety, feeling irritable, problems with balance or coordination, confusion, tremors, or jerky muscle movements. Most members here who have been unable to tolerate the Pepto treatment have complained of balance, coordination, and confusion symptoms. That said, paresthesia symptoms (such as prickly skin sensations) are usually related to central nervous system issues, so the bismuth sub salicylate in Pepto-Bismol can't be ruled out as a possible cause.

Tex

[tex]

Regarding the question of "how will I know if that the Pepto has worked?", what was your reason for taking it? For most members here, their reason is to stop the diarrhea. If it has done that, obviously it has worked.

And regarding the answer you got from the Zyrtec people, I believe I wouldn't touch that stuff with a 10 foot pole. If they're actually ignorant of the correct answer, they could have printed "See your doctor" on the label, so that you could have saved the trouble of having to make a phone call just to find out that they don't actually know, or are not willing to disclose, what's in their products. In my opinion, one of the stupidest things a manufacturer can do, is to refuse to tell people who call, whether one of their products contains any allergens, regardless of the legal requirements associated with the label.

That said, they are within their legal rights, because our Congress was too stupid to include pharmaceutical products when they passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), consequently, all FDA approved pharmaceutical products are exempt from FALCPA, and Zyrtec is FDA approved. Over the counter pharmaceutical products that do not require prescriptions, and that are not FDA approved, are not exempt from the law, and must legally list any allergens that are specifically listed by the law (FALCPA). Why should FDA approved pharmaceutical products be exempt from the law? And why, in 18 years, has Congress not had the good sense to amend the law so that it would include those products?

I'm just an ignorant old country boy, and the problem seems obvious to me — why can't those learned aristocrats who call themselves legislators see the problem? I reckon they're too busy spending all their time on trying to get reelected, so that they can spend a few more years earning big-bucks while they continue to ignore their duties.

Tex

[Pam V]

Hi Tex,

You are so right - it is frustrating that the pharmaceutical companies don't share allergen information so that we consumers who have allergies or sensitivities can make informed choices. I guess I feel lucky that my reactions send me to the bathroom and don't cause any type of life threatening type of reaction. It just seems like at least the top 8 allergens should be listed for all consumables so that people can make informed choices.

Thank you for your reply. I cut way back on the Pepto yesterday and slept well - no tingly/prickly feeling on my skin, no "crazy legs". I've been reading the wealth of information that is on this website and was reading a post from Brandy about when she had a bad flare. She cut way back in her food choices and ate a step 1 diet. She said that she had things under control pretty quickly and then only added foods in gradually to avoid slipping back. I think I'm going to give it a try. I feel like the Pepto definitely has gotten me off to a good start - I'll keep you posted on how things are progressing. I'm going to stick to safe protein, rice or baked red potato (no df butter or condiments other than pink himalayan salt), overcooked green beans and baked sweet potato. Fingers crossed that this works!

Best wishes -
Pam

[LauraGld]

Morning Pam,
Glad your prickly feelings have subsided with your decreased dose of Pepto :).

Thank you so much for the information on Zyrtec!!!!! I am so angry to know that this antihistamine contains gluten and dairy!!!! I do take it on occasion and can see why I am having uneven success with my diet......geez!!!!!! I have been so careful for months and could not isolate what I was doing wrong. I am going back to Allegra pronto. Thank you :)

Tex I also completely agree with all you said about the regulations or lack there of, by the congress to not demand full content disclosure for all medications....complete BS and very much part of the continued pandering to big phase :(

Tex are there any other antihistamines that you trust or is there a list somewhere of the antihistamines you approve of?

Thank you both for helping :)

All the best, Laura

[tex]

I haven't researched antihistamines lately, because I rarely use them these days. I've always taken Allegra whenever I wanted to take an antihistamine, so that's probably what I would use if I needed one in the future.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

regarding antihistamines / allergies

I resolved life long chronic allergy issues by fixing nutrient deficiencies.
(previously I could not enter a house with a cat or be downwind of a horse and not have chronic asthma, sneezing, etc. now I can live with cats, pat horses with no issues)

our bodies actually need a small amount of histamine so taking anti-histamines long term is not ideal.
Histamine actually signals the release of stomach acid for digestion

Anytime now I get any mild histamine symptoms, that is my body telling me I need more B6 and magnesium.

rather than fight a shite pharmacy system about ingredients in antihistamines - consider resolving the excess histamine issue longterm.
there are loads of discussions on this forum on this topic




VITAMIN AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS:

Following supplements have been suggested. It is however advisable to try to ingest these elements by eating foods that contain them and only to resort to taking supplements when absolutely necessary and in accordance with the doctor’s advice or that of a dietician:

Vitamin C: lowers the histamine level in the blood
Vitamin B6: is an important co-factor of the enzyme diamine oxidase and its activity
Calcium: reduces the development of wheals and flushing of the skin
Zinc: has anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties and constrains histamine release
Copper: is able to elevate the plasma level of DAO slightly
Magnesium: a Magnesium deficit lowers the allergic reaction threshold
Manganese: elevates diamine oxidase activity [viii]
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B12
Folic Acid [ix]

https://www.histamineintolerance.org.uk ... treatment/

[Pam V]

Gabes, Thank you so much for the information regarding supplements and histamine. I greatly appreciate your help!

Best wishes ~
Pam

[Erica P-G]

Yes
Thanks Gabes,

I needed to hear this again as well