Dermatographism

[sudsy]

This will probably be a long shot, but does anyone else have this?

I had this gem of a skin issue pop up after a stressful event in October. (It can lay dormant for years and become an issue after extreme stress.) Not much is available to help. Benadryl knocks me out, and Zyrtec (the antihistamine most recommended) while taken daily only helps so much. Besides being unsightly and causing 4000 questions from outsiders, it affects my daily life and I’d like some tips to keep it under control. I think there may be one or two prescription drugs available but I know nothing about them.

Anyway, anyone with experience that may have tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[gussie]

Yes! I was just diagnosed with this, it popped up a few months ago. I visited an allergist and he gave me a steroid shot and a course of steroid pills. I’m on Zyrtec twice a day and it doesn’t flair up anymore. I was getting it daily. The plan is to drop to one Zyrtec after a couple of weeks, then completely off of it. If that doesn’t work, do the process over again and stay on Zyrtec indefinitely.

[hawkward]

Both of my boys have it but DS2's is much more noticeable (DS2's pedi said it can go hand-in-hand with eczema). She actually has it too, and she said for a brief time she felt social pressure to medicate, but the side effects of the med were not worth it for her. I'm not sure what she took though.

I know this doesn't apply to you because you're an adult, but in case one of your kids gets/has it too, she advised us to make sure it was thoroughly documented in both boys' medical charts because sometimes a gentle touch, like a pat on the back, can look like they've been slapped if they're stressed. If we wrestle around with DS2, it looks like we've been really rough with him.