Dermographism? Is there such a thing?

Yes, there is such thing as dermographism because I found out today that I have it. I suggest you go to the doctor and get medicine for it as I did.

Hi Boo BOO, sensetive to temperature changes is a trait of Murcurius, look it up and see if the rest of you fit the characteristics.
With homeopthy we don't tend to focus on one symptom but add up all of them to come to a remedy.
Best Luck.

Boo, dermographism is real, and you're not crazy. I've had it for a little over 2 years, but have read posts online from people who have had it for over 20 years (sorry, don't mean to discourage you). I've tried to research this on the internet, and have not been able to get many solid answers. No one seems to agree on what causes it, how to treat it, or what causes it to go away. I have been taking one Zyrtec every day and this seems to control the itching. I still gets red marks on my skin from the slightest touch, or brush of my fingers, and sometimes don't know they're there until someone asks me what happened. I have to do more research, or perhaps try a naturopath or alternative doctor. I have heard of people controling it by not eating sugars, or trying a candida diet, but I don't know if these work. I don't like the idea of taking a pill every day for the next 20 years, but have found no other way to make my life bearable. Skincareworld (website) has a good message board you can check out.

Good luck!

I request you to please submit your complain in this following format in detail for getting a good prescription.

1. Name
2. Age
3. Sex
4. country
5. climate
6. Chief Complain-from how many days-(time of aggravation and amelioration)
7. current medicine you are taking
8. sign & Symptom of disease
9. Slight back history
10. family back ground
11. qualification of patient
12. Nature of working
13. desire and aversion of food
14. Mind-behavior, anger, irritability, hurry, impatient…and so.. on and how you are peculiar from other person, public speaking or not , you can describe all the detail about behavior, love and affection. If any secret thing or can not want to discus at forum then you can share your talk directly to email by clicking on your any forum doctor. For a good prescription mental detail is must be and try to email of photographs of the diseases part.
15. Aggravation & Amelioration

Dr. Deoshlok Sharma

Hi booboo

I have just been diagnosed with Dermagraphism. I can totally sympathise with you. I find the nights the worst. Was even tempted to ask my grandmother to knit me a pair of scratch mittens to stop me hurting myself. To finally know what it was that i was suffering with came as such a relief. I have only suffered with it since august last year. They think stress and antibiotics for recurrent ear infections brought it on. I also find the transition from cold to heat causes burning and severe itching. I can only describe it has having boiling water under the skin. I take antihistamines which i have had changed once and other meds added to help. I found aloe vera gel helps as it cools the skin also when the burning/itching starts i gently pat the skin rather than itch it it doesn't total help but it doesn't leave the unsightly marks which i find really embarrassing when i'm out. Apparently worrying can make it worse, once you get diagnosed this does stop some of that worry. Hope this is of any help.

Hello Boo,

Your symptoms sound exactly like mine. I've had this condition since Aug. 05. I went to my doctor and he told me to take an antihistamine and then he sent me to an allergist. This allergist did some testing of 18 common alergens and I reacted to all of them. It turned out that I wasn't actually allergic to any it was the actual light presure on my skin. She figured out what it was - Dermographism but she couldn't help me except to say - Don't try to figure it out and take an antihistamine when needed. After a few more months of that I went to see a naturopath. I am now on a cleansing diet. The naturopath suspects Candida (an overabundance of yeast in my system). She believes hives are caused by the toxins the yeast gives off. Makes sense to me. She tells me that this cleansing diet is only temporary - until my system gets back to normal. But actually I'm finding I like it. The diet is no sugar, no yeast, no wheat, no caffiene and no alcohol. I feel good knowing that I'm making myself healthier and I really want this condition to go away. Usually something like this is your body trying to tell you something. In my case I was also having digestion problems. The diet has actually already been beneficial in this regard. In less than a week I go back to the naturopath. Yes I am still having the breakout of hives - in fact they are worse than ever - but they are supposed to go away after 4 to 8 days. The naturopath says this is to be expected because the yeast is being starved of sugar and all the other things it thrives on so as it is dying it is giving off more toxins then ever. And what cause me to get this condition? A year ago I was in the hospital after having a miscarriage. There I picked up a very bad respiratory infection. My doctor prescribed antibiotics which helped me get rid of the infection but also killed off any good bacteria. Good bacteria helps you digest your food and keeps the yeast levels normal. I will let you know next week if the hives go away. You may want to persue treatment from a Naturapathic, Homeopathic or Holistic Healer. I'm glad I did - it has not done me any harm to try. And it has made me more aware of the value of good food and how it can be used to heal a person. Take care.

I have had dermatographism for 2 years now. I first developed symptoms 4 weeks after taking an antibiotic (cephalosporin)for an EAR INFECTION. I have researched this for HOURS and HOURS. I did find one website that indicates that dermatographism can be caused by cephalosporins (there are many different names for this antibiotic..I took cefzil). My doctor refuses to believe this was caused by the antibiotic because I did not develop symptoms immediately. But, in a serum-like sickness, you can develop these symptoms weeks after taking the antibiotic. Anyway, I am convinced it was the antibiotic, because my doctor prescribed me another antibiotic that should not be taken by people allergic to cephalosporins, and I went into a full body rash (while taking my usual daily dose of zyrtec-which normally prevents ANY type of outbreak).

I am curious, how many people developed this after an ear infection or after taking a cephalosporin?

HELLO! FOLKS FINALLY A SOLUTION FOR A ALLERGY THAT WILL BE WITH YOU FOR MORE THAN A DECADE..'NOW U CAN CURE IT YOUR SELF' HERE'S HOW...

After struggling for a cure for this particular and very peculiar skin allergy I consulted the best of the doctors for a remedy but the only answer I would get is,
we need to test your blood, urine, blah, blah, blah.
Then I consulted another skin specialist who said 'Lab test will cost you a lot of money let me prescribe you some medicine and lets see how good your situation will be;
cause we cannot cure this allergy in a day or two but if these medicines work then you will need to continue taking these pill for more than a couple of years'
which i did follow the advice for my benefit.
But the pills were of heavy dose and i would get a massive head ache for at least 6 hours from morning to noon these were the know side effects forget about the unknown ones but I still continued but no respite from the pills either, this was affecting my work too then one fine day I started browsing the internet for answers and I was shocked to see the fact especially help section on dermographism in this web site that there are a lot of people suffering from this chronic itch from 20 long years; for example and still looking forward to take pill. I don’t know when it will end for me that’s what I was thinking back of my mind until I saw a particular message that says
'causes for dermographism' There was a list of food items and medicines that can cause all this starting from antibiotic medicine for ear infection and pain killer like aspirin etc and foods like sugar, wheat, bread, alcohol, pickle, honey, fruits etc.. This shows that either your allergy is caused due to sugary food or sweets, sweets fruits, honey, chocolates; avoid them. Bread, alcohol, anything that is fermented cause it has yeast which is a good bacteria for humans but the antibodies in your body are either not resistant to them or they are dead. All milk products these also has lot of good bacteria that is good if consumed but your body is rejecting them and thus all the itch and allergy so try to avoid all these foods for a couple of days and eat anything apart from them like cooked rice but not fermented ones and avoid eating sugar right from morning in your coffee, tea, milk etc , then your breakfast could ideally be corn flakes and lunch could contain barley, corn, leafy vegetables etc. This is what I did finally I tried eating the one which i should not like wheat, bread, milk, one by one on a daily basic until I came till sugar yes this was the culprit for me. on a sunny afternoon after traveling for about 1 1/2 hour ride to remote place i was offered coke and I could not resist and within minutes I got the disgusting itch back on my body and I concluded the study as sugar is the main reason for the problem. Today I eat every thing except my medicines and sugar. yes you need to give up all these at least for some time else you will end up looking like a pink baboon which i was and u might be after itching all over your body. Take this advise as a second had experience if you are also allergic to sugar than don’t consume any for minimum 6 months and try again and the same for any other foods also and try not to take any medicine prescribed for dermographism by doing this you will be improving your natural immune system and back to normal. I know it is very easy to advise someone and difficult to follow but this procedure will not only help you to be independent away from allopathic medicine which is sometime too much is too bad and can lead to unknown side effects which any will cause another two or three side effects sounds like a chain reaction but this is the hard fact of today’s modern world and there's much to be done to educate people. If you look back to history and see how our ancestors were able to cope up with all these kind of diseases the answer is natural medicine which is 100% accurate and 100% no side effects but in fact they act as a good immune builder not as a destroyer which is what we have excepted in our modern day life which a busy and end up paying our hard earned money into the doctors pocket...
SO I wish you all the best and I am open for feed backs and you can mail me at ravisgoyal'at'gmail
ravi_s_goyal'at'rediffmail

Hi,
I've tried cutting certain things out of my diet and it hasn't always worked. Either because i ended up consuming somethig that i took for granted contained sugar or just got fed up of depriving myself of foods i enjoy. The diet does tend to get a bit limited after you start cutting out the main culprits. I have found that certain things which i wouldn't expect to trigger dermogaphism, i can drink regular coke but diet coke sends me into an itching frenzy. So does sprite tho i can drink sugar free lemonade. Its so strange. But i have found since drink Pro-biotic Drinks or Yoghurts have helped. Its not so severe as it was and i haven't woken up itching half as often over the last coupkle of months, Just the odd once or twice when i haven't had a pro-biotic drink the previous day before going out on a night out.
I think with this complaint its a case of each person has to find what works from them, its just trial and error til you find something that helps.

Hi since my last visit my dermographism has got alot worse than before. There are times when i could quite happily take my skin off and leave it off. When i'm lucky its just a red rash with just a mild itching that i try hard to ignore. When i'm unlucky its itches like nothing on this earth with a burning sensation that i cant help but scratch.I have had to swap and change my antihistamines around and add to them as i have become immune to them at one stage or another. My doctor has finally thought about sending me to a specialist wgich will be interesting if i ever get an appointment!

Hi! I can understand how one feels when you cut down food that you’ve been eating until now but Dermographism is such a problem it will take 20 to 30 years until you are completely cured not to forget a bag full of side effects which you never expected.

But that’s the hard fact of modern day medication. All I tell you are cut down on SUGAR that’s the biggest culprit cause I have people who often reply thanking for the help and they too find sugar a problem creator. Try for at least one week and you will come to know

I know Christmas is around the corner and its hard to quit try it after New year as a resolution I’m sure it will make a difference and don’t take your regular pill prescribed by your physician until then and please let me about your condition. You can mail me at
Ravisgoyal AT gmail.com.

Hi! I'm am so relived to find out that I'm not the only one out there with this skin disorder!
I never knew what it was until recently. It started right after my first child was born. I was 25. I thought is was due to hormonal changes but it never went away. I consulted my doctor who prescribed steroids to reduce the itching. It didn't work for me. Another doctor said the only thing for me were antihistamines which I try to stay away from. It's been six years since the itching started. I remember it started with my feet. The itching wouldn't stop and the only thing that would bring temporary relief was to soak my feet in very hot water. Then it started to spread all over my body. I try not to scratch for as long as I can but the itching is very intense. I have a one year old girl and she likes to play with my face. I can feel the swelling in my face as soon as she touches it. People notice it all the time and it's very emberressing. I just say 'it's an allegy'. My mother mentioned that she suffered from it when she as in her 20's but only lasted briefly. I wish it would go away. I've had enough of this itching all the time. Thanks for taking the time to read this. It makes me feel better to know that there are people out there who understand what I'm going through.

Hi, I would like to know how many of you use artificial sweeteners or use 'diet' drinks? because there is an ingredient called aspartime in it that changes chemical composition when heated. This chemical can be likened to the bite of the south american fire ant, which discribes some of your skin symptoms. BTW this is not a joke. Best wishes

Hi, After much research on internet, I realize I have this dermographism. I would have liked to hear back from the poster (mintee) regarding the results of their cleansing diet. If you read this and could let us know if it worked at all it would be very appreciated. And if anyone else has tried dietary measures or discovered that this had any relation to their emotions or medications they were taking and could please post it that would be great. Thanks very much!

hey bbrooke, I'd like to hear if the cleansing diet works as well. Will someone please inform us?

BooBoo

I went to Manali this December (2008)from Delhi. It was chilling cold (snowing) in Manali. We are not used to such extreme temperatures. Here my wife developed itching on the back. And, when we returned back to the plains, the itching continued and gradually became unbearable. She took anything from Allegra (Allopathy) to Graphite & Sulphur (After searching from our Forum) but that gave only temporary relief. Now, the Allopathic doctor has attributed this problem due to change in temperature and has put her on one tablet of Livocet per day for a week. She felt slightly better today. Thought of sharing this, if it would help others. Will keep you all posted on further developments. Would also like to add here, that yes, she did add artificial sweeteners to her tea in Manali. May be that was the culprit ?

It seems as if no one has posted on this topic for a while. Since it still has a strong Google search presence I thought I'd add a bit of my recent experience.

Two years ago I became very sick with multiple 'side effects' - including hives - over a ten month period. The illnesses and uncontrollable depression were extremely debilitating. I believe this was caused by a commonly prescribed low dose blood pressure med. (It's a really long story for another day.) Months after stopping that med (and the additional meds prescribed to me to deal with resultant side effects) I was still abnormally itchy every now and then.

Months later I had three tick bites and weird effects within a 24 hour period. In an attempt to cover a few possible outcomes until test results were available one doctor gave me Ceftin. Someone above mentioned a similar drug.

It was after I took that antibiotic that I started to experience horribly bad hives again. As months passed it was apparent that some of this was dermatographism and pressure urticaria. I didn't want to mask the symptoms with a remedy; I first wanted to find the cause. Sure the antibiotic may have triggered it, but what had it done to my body to cause that effect?

I wasn't one to jump on fad diets. However, I ran out of whole wheat/whole grain bread and skipped gluten for a few days. When I realized that gluten might be an issue I eliminated it for a few more days and then several weeks. That helped the rashes and my overall well-being.

After many doctors' appointments a stranger at Trader Joe's then suggested the Candida Diet. (I hadn't even considered a skin yeast infection until she mentioned it.) More than five weeks ago I began a completely gluten-free and sugar free Candida diet (using The Candida Diet . com) and it's working wonders. I'm not cured yet but the extreme late night itchiness has improved significantly, the frequency of hives slowed and the severity of day time rashes/hives has diminished quite a bit. It's not gone but so much better.

Counter to the recommended diet, I've been slow to add too many probiotics or natural candida remedies at once. (That's not just I amy trying to avoid Candid die-off; part of me just still fears adding anything in pill form.) This resolution may be a bit slower but I'm hoping that my body will continue to heal itself with good foods, lots of water, exercise and time.

I hope others find the same relief soon.

No doubt, I believe all these issues were results of prescription meds. Even so, I believe our commercial food products are so overly processed that they're harming us. Wherever you can, eat local. Eat organic. Eat unprepared, unprocessed foods to protect yourself.

Lingering questions for me: Do topical creams or aloe just soothe conditions or do any treat the underlying cause(s)? Both an allergist and dermatologist have recommended hydroxyzine (at night) and Allegra (by day). I'm not really interested in taking anything. Do you think that's a mistake? Would they simply relieve symptoms or can they really help to heal me?

Thanks for your insights and suggestions. I wish you well.
[message edited by connkenn on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:58:54 BST]