Does anyone have hives from any meds?

[muddy]

I take Metformin twice a day at 1000 mg. One amaryl in the morning.. Niaspan 500 mg at night . I have taken Atenolol 100 mg in the morning and Diovan 80 mg at night. The BP meds I have taken for over 15 years. The diabetic meds since last Aug.
I have what I am going to call attacks about two to three times a week.. almost always at night. I turn blood red and am on fire. My face is burning I have what I guess is hives.. all my skin is red and swollen. I can breathe but I fill rather like I am having an anxiety attack. They last about two hours total. I take benydryl or zyrtec. I went to the ER the first time. They just watched me and finally it started going away.
I told my doctor. He said you might not ever know what it is.
Could it be some of my meds? Why doesn't it do it everyday if it is my meds? I think the attacks are getting worse and lasting a little longer. Has anyone had any reaction like this to diabetic meds?

[Puppypants]

I have been suffering from hives for the past three weeks,, but my allergic reaction causes my throat to swell shut, so I am on Prednisone and have been for the past 4 weeks. Since the prednisone causes my bg to go over the 300 mark, my doc put me on Humalog - what fun that is!

I see him tomorrow, and I want him to refer me to an allergist so we can figure out what med I am allergic to - it has to be something! He had put me on enalapril 8 weeks ago, and suspects I am allergic to that, but I haven't taken it in 5 weeks, so it's got to be something else I am taking.

My hives come and go, even on the prednisone. I don't get the all over redness like you, but patches of large, red, itchy circles in different areas every day. I would ask your doctor if you can see an allergist as well. Besides the prednisone, I am taking Allegra, Zyrtec, and hydroxyine (all antihistamines) to try and control this crazy hive business!

[becks7]

Hives are no picnic been there :( Sometimes you need to be your own Sherlock Holmes so to speak. I was told when I was suffering from the Allergist the same "Sometimes you never know what's causing them". Well that wasn't good enough for me. I would get them bad at night too and it almost seemed that the fold of the bed sheets would cause snake-like line hives. I was like this for months. Blotches that itched terribly, anywhere something like the exercise shorts I would wear with an elastic waistband would touch my stomach, bingo..line hive :eek:

I didn't have a change in my asthma meds luckily I don't do an antihistamine but had to take a Claritin when the hives started. I was lucky to have ditched that Allergist and found an ENT whose redone the allergy testing which turned out horribly. "But" in the course of the new shots--I had been using Bath & Body Works Antibacterial liquid soap for months. It was the only product that didn't dry the heck out of my hands. It was only when I ran out of the soap and didn't buy any for awhile that the hives started to disappear. The ENT had looked at the hives and said it certainly appeared to be contact dermatitis. In the course I had went to allergy free laundry detergent, fabric softener...I was driving myself mad trying to figure out what was causing them.

My sister had been put on Singulair, which I take and immediately started itching all over. I'm also allergic to Penicillin, hives also.

Good luck in finding out the cause, in the meantime the Aveeno products are pretty good in helping.

[princesslinda]

Niaspan can cause a flushing, tingling, itchy and warm feeling. Usually this will go away within a few weeks of taking it, but not always. Some people find that taking an aspirin or ibuprofen 30 minutes before taking the Niaspan dose will help with the symptoms, as will avoiding hot beverages around the time you take the dose. If you don't already, try taking your niaspan at bedtime, that way you will be asleep while the symptoms are occurring.

Also, if your symptoms continue, i'd suggest seeing a dermatologist, as they can biopsy the rash to see if it appears consistent with a drug eruption or some other cause.

[slipperyelm]

Muddy, are you of age to be perimenopausal? "Hot flashes" might be like you are describing.

You say your skin is swollen. Is it swollen in bumps? That is what I think of as hives. Or is it evenly swollen? Does the swelling go away as the redness subsides? If you take an anti-histamine such as benadryl, does the swelling and redness go away any faster?

Anyway, back to the idea of menopause. You also have mentioned difficulty losing weight and hair loss. Those too can be related to approaching or full on menopause.

I just started having hot flashes in February. It is different than I expected and not the same each time. Mostly, I feel the heat in my face and it usually turns red. Sometimes I feel it in my upper arms and face, or upper arms only. Sometimes it is a whole body thing, but with the strongest effect in my face. For me, (and so far) it does not usually last long, but can come on very suddenly. Ever since February, too, a quarter glass of wine will turn my face very red!

Also in another post you mentioned taking vitamins. Are you taking niacin by chance? Niacin is well known for causing redness. There are certain diabetics who should not take niacin supplements in the amount sometimes recommended for cholesterol lowering.

Regarding the hair loss and your use of Rogaine mentioned in another post. Rogaine is hormone based. I suppose it might be possible that you are getting enough of it absorbed through the skin to upset your hormone balance. If so, perhaps that could contribute to the redness you are having. Rogaine used to be by prescription only. You might want to run this by your doctor, giving him/her accurate information about how much and how often you use it. And have a look at the pamphlet in the box to see if this can be one of the known side effects.

[muddy]

Thanks for your reply. I am thinking the Niaspan may be it. It is an all over redness. I feel itchy and hot. My face is red as a tomato. It is a horrible couple of hours. The swelling goes down and leaves me with two black eyes. People think I have been knocked in the head.
I went through menopause when i was 43-44 years old. I am 53 now. I had not thought about the Rogaine which is working.. oh, please don't let it be that. I need some hair.
I am not taking niacin but is niaspan is some kind of niacin slow release tablet? My cholesterol is a scary number that I do not think drugs will touch. A year ago it was over 1000. I have had a panic attack the last time my doc mentioned testing it. I am suppose to go back next week.
I do not do strenous type exercise. I have a bad back. I just walk. MY BG is a lot higher lately when I wake up in the morning. Don't know why. I hope that doesn't mean more meds.

[Scrabblechick]

I suspect your BG is elevated by the stress on your body from the hives. Just my opinion. However, have you thought about maybe water aerobics? That's very easy on the back and joints, and being in the warm water might help you de-stress a bit, which might, in turn, help your hives. I don't know, by no means a doctor, but it might help.

I'm sorry you're feeling so rotten and suffering through this. Hope you feel better soon!