Re: LDN for autoimmune chronic urticaria?

September 21, 2007

hi joyce,

there are much longer posts than yours, don't worry.

i get really bad hives on occasion, and i beleive they are due to

chronic intestinal candida yeast/fungal infeciton, because when i

take an anti-fungal med, diflucan, the hives and skin sensitivities

go away. the metabolic by-products or waste from the yeast cause the

skin problems.

do you know the actual cause of your uticaria? do you take any

adrenal supplement, like natural cortef or hydrocortisone, on a

maintenance basis along with the thyorid meds? i have been

hypothyroid all my life, take armour, but in my reading found that

people with thyroid issues will almost always have adrenal issues due

to the feedback loop of the glands...and adrenals are what make

cortisol who's main function is to control inflammation. so i am

wondering if you stayed on a maintenance dose of cortef, about 40-

60mgs a day, 20mgs 2 or 3 times a day, you might not get the uticaria

flares and need pred.

i have not heard of chronic uticaria being an autoimmune disease,

more that your adrenals and thyroid cannot control inflammation. but

i am taking ldn for another autoimmune disease as well as psoriasis,

and it wouldn't hurt for you to get on ldn and try it to see if it

works for the uticaria. ldn will help with any depression, it helps

with mood improvement even if it doesn't help the uticaria. but

definitely try it and let us know.

take care,

marg

>

> I have autoimmune chronic urticaria and I'm in a flare right now.

> I'm taking tons of meds with antihistamine properties, i.e.,

Zantac,

> Zyrtec, Singulair, Atarax and also Synthroid and Cytomel for having

> no thyroid (removed due to Graves Disease hyper thyroidism). The

> antihistamines and Singulair weren't working so I'm now on 20mgs of

> Prednisone each day and that is just barely controlling the hives

to

> a point I can deal with and still go to work. I'm trying to avoid

> angio edema/anaphylaxis which will send me to the ER and huge

volumes

> of Prednisone and then months and months of trying to slowly taper

> off Prednisone and out on disability, worrying about my job, etc.

>

> So, that's the story. I have a few autoimmune diseases: Graves,

> Vitiligo, the beginnings of Oral Lichen Planus, and the worst of

them

> all, Autoimmune Chronic Urticaria. I have an appointment this

Monday

> for a consultation with a doctor who treats people with LDN. I

don't

> yet know if he'll be willing to treat my condition.

>

> My question is: Has anyone here been treated for Autoimmune

Chronic

> Urticaria with LDN?

>

> Also, I see there is some controversy over whether or not you can

> take LDN along with Predsnisone. I did read somewhere on the web

> about a woman with some autoimmune skin lesion disease who took LDN

> with Prednisone. Her lesions started healing and then she tapered

> off the Prednisone, taking LDN all along. She was lastly taking

5mgs

> of Prednisone with LDN. That's all it said.

>

> Sorry if this is too long.

>

> Joyce

>

September 21, 2007

Marg,

Thanks for all the info. I've been to a number of different

Endocrinologists over the years regarding my thyroid issues and none

of them ever mentioned anything about considering the function of my

Adrenal Glands. I will look into this once I'm off Prednisone and

back in remission. Too much more pending stuff to deal with right

now.

There are a lot of people with Autoimmune CU. I actually belong to

another group just for that condition. I have a bunch of other

autoimmune diseases and it's not uncommon that if you have one

autoimmune disease, you'll get others. Because the CU is autoimmune

related it is idiopathic and there is no specific cause. Your immune

system is just out of wack and registers just about anything as an

allergen or a foreign body (like your own parts). It then attacks the

allergen by producing excessive amounts of histamine which translate

into all sorts of huge different shaped hives and sometimes angio

edema/anaphylaxis.

As for the Candida connection, most doctors don't buy into Candida

causing any problems. I did go to a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) many

years ago and he put me on an anti-candida diet and I was actually

able to go off all antihistmines for the first time ever without any

hives. Unfortunately, the diet was very hard to live with and after

about 2 1/2 years on it, I quit the diet and the hives came back

enough to warrant taking one Zyrtec a day to control them. I'm

thinking of starting that diet again as well as avoiding any

Histamine type foods. I guess that leaves me with lettuce ;-D.

I very excited about going to see this doctor for LDN. I really hope

he is willing to try it with me. Having some hope that something

different will actually work keeps me in a better mood. If I can't

try LDN, then there is little the medical profession has left to

offer me.

Joyce

> >

> > I have autoimmune chronic urticaria and I'm in a flare right

now.

> > I'm taking tons of meds with antihistamine properties, i.e.,

> Zantac,

> > Zyrtec, Singulair, Atarax and also Synthroid and Cytomel for

having

> > no thyroid (removed due to Graves Disease hyper thyroidism). The

> > antihistamines and Singulair weren't working so I'm now on 20mgs

of

> > Prednisone each day and that is just barely controlling the hives

> to

> > a point I can deal with and still go to work. I'm trying to

avoid

> > angio edema/anaphylaxis which will send me to the ER and huge

> volumes

> > of Prednisone and then months and months of trying to slowly

taper

> > off Prednisone and out on disability, worrying about my job, etc.

> >

> > So, that's the story. I have a few autoimmune diseases: Graves,

> > Vitiligo, the beginnings of Oral Lichen Planus, and the worst of

> them

> > all, Autoimmune Chronic Urticaria. I have an appointment this

> Monday

> > for a consultation with a doctor who treats people with LDN. I

> don't

> > yet know if he'll be willing to treat my condition.

> >

> > My question is: Has anyone here been treated for Autoimmune

> Chronic

> > Urticaria with LDN?

> >

> > Also, I see there is some controversy over whether or not you can

> > take LDN along with Predsnisone. I did read somewhere on the web

> > about a woman with some autoimmune skin lesion disease who took

LDN

> > with Prednisone. Her lesions started healing and then she

tapered

> > off the Prednisone, taking LDN all along. She was lastly taking

> 5mgs

> > of Prednisone with LDN. That's all it said.

> >

> > Sorry if this is too long.

> >

> > Joyce

> >

>

September 22, 2007

Hi Joyce,

There have been several articles linking CU to low thyroid hormone levels and the presence of TSH receptor antibodies, which rise dramatically after radioiodine for Graves' disease. The recommended treatment is adding thyroid hormone or upping the dose in people on it. Best, Elaine

Read my articles at http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com and www.elaine-moore.com/gravesdisease/ and read more about me at www.elainemoore.net

If we single-pointedly practice great compassion, then, with little effort, we will be able to gain all other virtues-Geshe Namgyal Wangchen, "Awakening the Mind"

[low dose naltrexone] Re: LDN for autoimmune chronic urticaria?