(If you missed it check out my previous post, What Is Histamine Intolerance and what can you do about it HERE)
As I promised in my confessions of a paleo blogger post, I wanted to write more about the health struggles that have come up for me during my ongoing healing journey.
While many of my allergies and allergy-like symptoms were a result of my severe intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut) I also have histamine intolerance and have taken more antihistamines as a child, teen and adult than anyone I know in order to keep symptoms at bay and get through the day.
But, antihistamines are not a great idea….
I still keep antihistamines them around and they’ve saved me from the emergency room many times (I’ve been to the ER 3 times with anaphylactic shock so I now know when it’s time to pop a pill and save $3000).
But, that doesn’t really deal with the cause, it deals with the consequence.
Since histamine intolerance is caused by a histamine, it might seem like an antihistamine would solve all of your problems. Yes, an antihistamine can take care of the symptoms. But it doesn’t address the underlying problem, so they are just a temporary Band-Aid. To make matters worse, they are a Band-Aid which causes all sorts of other problems like drowsiness, bone pain, and depression!
Antihistamines don’t actually remove histamine from your body. Rather, they just prevent histamine from binding to histamine H1 and H2 receptors.
These are the receptors which trigger digestive and respiratory symptoms. So you will feel better, but the histamine will still be in your body and can bind to the other histamine receptors which are H3 and H4 receptors. Unfortunately that means you’ll still experience symptoms associated with these receptors.
UPDATE:
Good news! There is now a histamine intolerance test that you can order directly without a doctor’s order! While I’m a HUGE fan of having a doctor’s guidance, I understand the need to know whether you have SIBO or not before you invest in a practitioner. You can order the test directly here.
Histamine Receptors and their Functions
- H1: Itching, airway constriction, regulating circadian cycle (i.e. sleep cycle), contracting small intestine, eye contraction
- H2: Gastric acid production, smooth muscle relaxation, blocks antibody synthesis, vasodilation (widens blood vessels), blocks antibody synthesis
- H3: Decreases release of neurotransmitters in central nervous system
- H4: Moves mast cells towards inflammation
(Source)
These functions of histamine receptors explain the various symptoms of antihistamines. Because antihistamines reduce affects on H1 and H2 receptors, people experience symptoms like drowsiness, blurred vision, and erectile dysfunction (because they prevent blood vessels from dilating).
Because antihistamines do NOT stop histamine from affecting H3 and H4 receptors, people taking them commonly have mood problems like depression. Since H4 receptors are located mostly in bones, people taking antihistamines also commonly experience bone pain.
Keep in mind that people take antihistamines because they have too much histamine (whether because of allergies or histamine intolerance). The antihistamine causes a crazy imbalance where your H1 and H2 receptor functions are blocked while the excess histamine is still causing your H3 and H4 receptor functions to go haywire!
Want a better solution? Treat the actual problem! Read more about what you can do for histamine intolerance here.
Latest posts by Sylvie McCracken (see all)
- Treating H. Pylori (Part 3): What H. Pylori Does to the Body - August 8, 2022
- Treating H. Pylori (Part 2): How H. Pylori is Contracted - August 3, 2022
- Understanding Beef Labels: Organic, Pastured, Grass-Fed & Grain-Finished - July 25, 2022
so how do you get rid of histamines in your body more quickly than avoiding histamine foods?
I’ve got the histamine intolerance, and I’m struggling with a bad episode right now. I’ve been doubling up on antihistamines, and taking benadryl every night to help.. I wake up 3 hours later with intense itching and I didn’t understand.. after reading this article, I didn’t take benadryl last night and HOLY LORD I did NOT wake up with the intense itching!!!! Maybe they were the cause of the night itches, and were compounding the problem??? No doctor would have told me that. They all think antihistamines & steroids are the only solution. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I got a decent night of sleep for the first time in at least a month thanks to this article 🙂
You’re welcome Katherine 🙂 Glad it was helpful!
I had the same histamine reaction and it really scared me. None of the doctors could figure it out. I woke up and had huge bags around my eyes, it was also in my forehead, raging red and itched so bad, it felt like little needless pricking me. So bad i lost several days of sleep. It aged my eyes about 20 years, very swollen puffy and red. It itched lille I’ve ever itched before. … I went to my primsry doctor, 2 allergist, a dermotolygist and none of them now what it is, I had blood work and the pretnisone helped relieve it at it went away. I had 3 flare ups and then i went to the a holistic doctor in Santa Monica and he discovered leaky gut. No more wheat, I have to be gluten free. Now I have alot of wrinkles from this alergic flare up. It’s very depressing because I have always taken good care of my skin.
Hi Colette, Sorry to hear that but glad you’re getting some help! (in my old stomping grounds of Santa Monica….) Hoping your skin, and health, will bounce back in no time. – Sylvie
To those who have experienced episodes of reoccurring, hives, brain fog, digestive issues, moodiness, asthma or shortness of breath, Chronic Fatigue, MS. RA. etc etc. You’re tired, depressed and your Dr. prescribes meds for anxiety or depression. There may be more to it than just popping’ a happy pill.
check out the possibility that you may be constantly exposed to Mold & mycotoxins in your environment and food. Read up on Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker MD. “Surviving Mold” – Life in the Era of Dangerous Buildings. 40% of homes and schools have WATER DAMAGE. Within 24 hours of water intrusion MOLD starts forming on sheetrock, carpet and furniture. Often times you cannot smell or see the mold spores. BIO TOXIN ILLNESS – you begin to react to everything you eat, drink, smell and put on your skin. Food for thought…
Mainstream Doctors used to think smoking was good for you. Currently Many Mainstream Doctors think MOLD can’t hurt you or effect you horribly. Think about why the DOD uses Molds as biological weapons. It effects your nervous system and more. Good luck to all of you in your quest for wellness.
I had a histamine reaction that was just like that, many years ago. I am not sure what caused it but it was really awful. I was covered from head to toe in raised, itchy, hives. It hasn’t happened again in many years but I do have histamine issues.
Do you have a good recommendation for a DAO supplement? I have tried DAO histamine digester before, it really seemed to help me but was very pricy. I drink a lot of tea and this seems to be making my histamine issues get worse (didn’t know that so thank you!). Dairy and eggs are the absolute worst for me when it comes to histamine.
Plus I have the D2 dopamine receptor defect so I got get this histamine figured out.
I should add that I am looking into making an apt. at Bastyr University which is both a teaching and patient “seeing” University which focuses on the body healing itself.. but works with conventional science backed practices as well.
I am not sure if this is the right place to find out, begin to try to find out, what on EARTH went wrong with me this Christmas, 2015. I think it’s a good place to begin to understand the basic underlying foundations. I have 4 doctors and then some “specialists” here in Seattle, WA.. and not one of them has an clue what went wrong, so very very wrong with me. I had no known allergies, but in one day I went from a red, super itchy weird spot on my body the size of a dime, to having my entire body from head to toes, involved in a burning, itching (I mean this was so painful I wanted to be knocked out) reactionary hive “thing”. The seams on my clothes, holding a book, and the water I spashed onto myself to try to cool the red burning skin, only made huge hives raise up on my entire body. It was like nothing, I’ve ever gone through and it was so scary. I am not 2 months later just beginning to get on my feet and feel “normal” but I can still feel this lingering in the back ground. It was not an allergy to a food that anyone can tell as I’d eaten literally 2 things that day. It was some type of body wide super histime reaction.
The IV Benadryl slowed up the progression, but I struggled to breath off and on for a month, not fully cut off from oxygen but having to really really remain calm and go into the frozen night air to get some ability to take in more air, the cold helped to calm the inflamation.
So after 6+weeks of this insantity, taking copious amounts of Rx allergy histimes, OTC and all kinds of things they docs tried, at the end of the day, no one knows why or what could do this to me again, and I really need to know. I can’t just ignore the fact that something has the ability to restrict my breathing.
One doc said allergies, one said stress (and it was the WORSE in my life for sure, selling home, major disaster, job, kid) and the other is leaning with allergies around me, plants or something. I am a life time gardner, so.. this is problematic.
I am left virtually scared to do anything, to eat anything, to go work in my garden.. etc.
I just do not know what will happen.
My diet isn’t the best for sure, I’d alternate with good/green whole foods and then lean hard on Starbucks, no sleep and stress for a diet.
I previously used a ton of pretty nasty chemicals without hold back to clean, bleaches, etc.. as I was prepping to sell a home. I mean like up to my elbows in bleach water to do walls, etc. not a little bit.
So I guess I am largely on my own to try to unravel this mystery. Conventional doctors really aren’t interested at all when I ask about stress and cortisol and lack of sleep, or food and which to use to holistically heal as I was given copious amounts of very strong antiobiotics as this ended up being involved with a bone infection in my face too, because since I was at home recovering I decided to do a root canal!! yeah, I know, really really stupid move.
I’m looking for anyone, who has ever had a major insane histime reaction that is anything like mine, because I just do not know what else to do. NOT knowing isn’t acceptable.
There is a Foundational doctor in my area but he is “gone” until mid March…
I will enjoy reading your blog and hopefully find something that is useful on my little journey. I never thought anything like this “would happen to me”.. who does right? until it does. Thank you.
I should add that I am looking into making an apt. at Bastyr University which is both a teaching and patient “seeing” University which focuses on the body healing itself.. but works with conventional science backed practices as well.
I had a histamine reaction that was just like that, many years ago. I am not sure what caused it but it was really awful. I was covered from head to toe in raised, itchy, hives. It hasn’t happened again in many years but I do have histamine issues.
I had an emergency episode of angiodema, so was prescribed antihistamines to block the H1 and H2 histamines. So I have been taking them everyday for 2 years, but the last 6 months I have terrible bone pain. Not sure what to do…afraid to stop the antihistamines , but don’t like the bone pain either.
Hi Marsha,
Please consult your doc (preferably naturopath) before you do. Sorry to hear you’re not well.
Sylvie
Thanks for sharing Raine! Glad you liked 🙂
Great post Sylvie!
I have been posting a lot of information lately from GAPS practitioners who offer ways to reduce and heal histamine intolerance. It’s quite a problem for a growing number of those who embark on GAPS to heal and seal their guts, and Dr. McBride talks about ways to deal with these issues. I talked with Melanie Christner, CNP at the Wise Traditions conference in Indianaopolis last fall and she mentioned some recommendations for dealing with histamine intolerance. Just a couple of months later she wrote an article about it that was featured on GreenMedInfo. Fascinating topic!
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/gaps-diet-histamine-intolerance
Thanks for sharing Raine! Glad you liked 🙂
That is so interesting about the H3 and H4 receptors. Off to read your other article – did I see a mention of SIBO at the end? Can’t wait to see what you have to say there!
Thank you Heather! Yep, I’ve got SIBO… That’s gonna have to be a whole series in and of itself!