Tag antihistamines

ANTIHISTAMINES – Receptor Blocking

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H1, H2, H3, H4 Receptor Blockers

” Histamine receptors are located throughout the human body and have been classified into categories H1, H2, H3, and H4.Generally speaking, H1 receptors account for neuronal and nervous system sites, H2 are more related to stomach and digestive function, H3 receptors are found in the brain, and H4 are found in organs and bone marrow. Both H1 and H2 receptors are found in airway tissues, skin tissue, and immune cells.” Found on this website — https://www.optimusmedica.com/otc-antihistamines/#:~:text=Histamine%20receptors%20are%20located%20throughout%20the%20human%20body,H4%20are%20found%20in%20organs%20and%20bone%20marrow.

What has worked for me is in immediate flare of a critical reaction, I choose to take a Generation 1 antihistamine which is Diphenhydramine (Benedryl). However, long term use has indicated that it can cause or create dementia/Alzheimer’s or at least exasperates symptoms. I had been using Diphenhydramine for years, because the allergy shots never worked, and I’m allergic to steroids and Prednisone. So I gave that up. I had to do something.

FAMOTIDINE
Cetirizine

Once I verified exactly what symptoms I was suffering from, and then figured out what receptors I needed to block, and what drugs coordinated with the ones I searched up. What worked for me was H1 and H2 blockers, which was Cetirizine (Zyrtec) and Famotidine (Pepcid AC)

Since I already was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and Neuropathy (even my feet were killing me and I wasn’t on them) along with my GI tract flaring, I knew that the only way for me to calm down my whole body was to block my H1 receptors and H2 receptors from antihistamine. My skin was reacting as well by the time I was diagnosed. Showers felt like whole body tattoos all at once, even the water hurt my skin like tiny needles. Each person is different, and each person will have different results and responses.

For Immediate Reactions, Like Hives, Dephenhydramine

**Note: I was a guinea pig, and my primary physician was on board. He told me, “a serving suggestion is very literally a suggestion, you can take MORE of a antihistamine than what is suggested, so it took a lot of trying one , and upping the dose. My dosage is 4 times a day. 30 minutes before eating , Morning wake-up, Lunch, Dinner, and then 30 minutes before bed, to account for the histamine dump while I sleep to fight the insomnia and night sweats, when I forget to take them.

**Always check with your primary physician when taking OTC or Prescription medications. They are not pharmacy technicians, but it is important to discuss uses if you are on any other medications as well!**

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Feeding the Brain, Stabilizing MCAS

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Why the brain is necessary for all of us to function.

For me, today is a day of remembrance. In the past 30 days, I have now attended a memorial and funeral for two parents of different childhood friends, who lost their ability to remember. Alzheimer’s and Dementia have touched so many lives especially people and families that are important to me.

Rutin

In retrospect it’s been almost a blessing that I suffered an illness that gave me a glimpse into my future with dementia, along with the experiences with my own family members that I had already lost. I was able to provide much needed wisdom when asked on how to navigate some of the “humane” matters with others who were already ill around me.

Until I see the MRI for myself in the near future, I am not going to glorify that the black spaces are now miraculously filled with brain matter for myself. I also will never claim a miraculous cure for anything. I do fully expect to lose my life eventually to dementia, but in the meantime, I’m going to live my life to the fullest and continue to educate myself and others as I find supplements to assist me in healing and functioning.

Famotidine

When researching an illness, I research how the brain operates or dysfunctions to cause said illness. Interstitial Cystitis is an actual physical dysfunction of an organ; however, the brain operates histamine reactions and releases that activate and deactivate my Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. In fact, almost ALL of my illnesses with the exception of the interstitial cystitis all tie into the brain in some way. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Neuropathy, Fibromyalgia, and obviously Dementia.

Cetirizine

A little survey and digging in the Mast Cell patient group I participate in, and I sat one day and wrote down a list of 240 various different illnesses on the list (when someone polled our group on the various diagnoses’ we all had, including arthritis, and they all tie back into the brain. When I discovered that, I knew then, I had to start safeguarding my mainframe, as soon as possible, and with fierceness.

This turned me onto a host of different things that I needed to address. Cognitive Function was certainly one, and regaining my control of my memory and recovery of lost memory was another. Then regaining my energy, and focus. I found a few supplements that I simply “tried” to see if it did anything for me. The benefits had to be WORTH it, and the side effects had to be nothing or very limited for myself.

I took some of these for a few months, and started making HUGE gains, then I did the worst thing I could do, and stopped the supplements. Why you ask… because I’m the guinea pig, I’m my own test subject, and what I found was I began to degrade as quickly as I had started making improvements. In September of 2022 I stopped the supplements, and by December, I had a host of symptoms begun again, like the ADHD, the ability to not be able to clearly think, the litany of aches and pains, on top of forgetting my daily schedules. I finally admitted to my therapist what I had done at that time, and she said that it was “Invaluable” information to include in my research, but highly suggested that I begin them again. I really didn’t need them to tell me to, because that morning before I admitted to myself defeat, I may have to permanently keep myself on the Amazon Subscribe & Save program for these pills. However, I am COMPLETELY 100% totally okay with these results, it is a far car better than a ton of prescriptions from the doctors to mitigate symptoms, multiple doctor visits, and ER visits for allergic reactions and mania, or health anxiety.

Forskohlii

My last appointment was this past Thursday, and after yet another introduction of the polyphenol Green Coffee Extract, gave me everything that I needed. Her response was to me, “You are oddly more normal, calm, controlled.” I chimed in, “I can also use BIG WORDS again!” We giggled together on that one. One day, I may ask her to actually write me an excerpt about watching my decline and then my regrowth, it’d be interesting to get it from her perspective.

My journey has been slow in progress because I am researching, and I am my own test subject, and I suggest that you do the same, research, and trust your body. You know your body best.

What has gotten me to this progress so far has been the following regimen:

RUTIN , FORSKOHLII and my H1 histamine blocker Cetirizine 10 mg along with my H2 Histamine blocker Famotidine 20mg

Now each person is different, and only respond to certain antihistamines, to find balance, sometimes you need to take more than one of each antihistamine. My balance stopped at 4 times a day, half an hour before I ingest any food, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and before bedtime. My antihistamine intake is 2 Cetirizine and 3 Famotidine every time I take a “dose”. That is what keeps me from reacting to foods, bug bites, and various other things that my mast cells deem too much histamine for the day, oh and the biggest “histamine release” is when we get sleepy and go to sleep, that is the necessity for taking them at night.

**I recommend you take a look at my blog post about Antihistamines. Take notes on your major symptoms, and start with looking at what receptor blockers are going to get rid of those reactions first.** As always, check with your physician if you are on anything. I’m not a licensed physician, this is just what got me to where I am at.

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Heartburn from Hell… Interstitial Cystitis

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The Disease that 30% of population may have and don’t even know it.

Discovering I had Interstitial Cystitis of the Bladder was truly an eye opener for me. It encouraged me to research, when I had the patience to read (this is a thing, especially when you are critical pain). The craziest part is there is NO TRUE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING for the disease, no known “cause” for said issues, but a multitude of symptoms. OHHHH THE HEARTBURN WAS FIERCE!

Mine was diagnosed by imaging when my gyno was all up in my junk. He took pictures, I mean, we are already there, have a handy camera, and from the outside he said it looked ANGRY, so he took some pictures from the inside. It looked like Freddy Kreuger’s face on a good day. Anyway, I’ll spare you the lunch you ate today or yesterday, and just say, it was REALLY RED and very swollen.

There is research that indicates something to the effect of our tissues losing elasticity as we age that may also cause such a condition. I can buy that as well. I highly recommend you take your Collagen! After all, Collagen is great for your joints and arthritic pain, and for the ladies we enjoy the benefits for hair and nails as well.

Collagen

In real time Interstitial Cystitis, makes you feel like you have a urinary tract infection, like you have to pee ALL THE TIME, and nothing really comes out, because you constantly feel urgency. Then you dribble a little because you lose functionality when it takes over your bladder, so you got to protect yourself from weeing yourself. Most moms do anyway, those damn sneezes will send you packing your bag to the bathroom to change an entire set of clothes sometimes. Your bladder tissues get agitated, swell up, and tear the inner lining, so it’s very much like rubbing salt in your wound every single time you consume food or drink. If you are immunocompromised, have Mast Cell Activation or severe allergies, pray that you are not eating HIGH histamine foods or citric acid or night shades like bell peppers and tomatoes, there is no hell like a citric acid hitting your shredded raw bladder that I can compare it to.

Let’s get to the HEARTBURN that not even the OTC or prescription medication will touch. There are a few modern drugs on the market right now, neither did much to outweigh the need to stay on them and risk the side effects with all the other medications I was on. Insert my researching how to help myself. This pain is like no other, I couldn’t eat food! I literally would eat at like 3 p.m. in the afternoon and not be able to eat until 3 p.m. the following day because it felt like I had gastroparesis (where food doesn’t go down when it’s supposed to). The food felt like it was still sitting in my esophagus, along with ALL THE ACID. Certainly, it was going to eat a hole in my esophagus at some point.

Desperate, does not begin to describe where I was at this point. Then they hand you a list of foods you can’t eat which is basically everything in our dietary structure today in this world. Telling you to eat all organic food but nothing acidic and the list goes on and on. The one thing that got me the most is there are people who have to go into a Urinary Care Specialist and have Valium or various other pain killing medicines inserted into your bladder with loads of fluid to stretch your bladder to make it stretchy again.

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I have Mast Cell Activation, I’m allergic to steroids and narcotics, and oh to boot, your insurance won’t cover a $6K procedure like that every three months. So Good Luck! I’m stubborn, I don’t listen, and I’m frugal…so I decided I could stretch my bladder on my own, after all my body naturally fills it with fluid every second of everyday, so anyone can stretch their own bladder. We can hold out the urgency and suck up the pain and go on a schedule every 2 to 3 hours, if you can hold it just a little bit longer, even better! So that’s the first thing that I did.

Yes, yes, I know, we heard this from our parents when they potty trained us, that it was not a great idea or “healthy” to hold it. I highly recommend if you do this method, you invest in those incontinence pad, panty liners, something to protect you from leaking. My determination of forcing myself onto a schedule has saved me thousands, and when I went to see the Urologist, he told me that I was in much better shape than most of his patients and to keep doing what I was doing.

The pain was a whole other level I still had to cope with. This was harder to tackle. I’m grateful however that my gyno at the time suggested to treat it like an allergic reaction to everything I consume. So that’s just what I did, insert ANTIHISTAMINES. Did you know there are 4 types of antihistamines? As long as you are taking at least and H1 and H2 antihistamine blocker daily, you are protected!

My go to H 1 antihistamine receptor blocker and H 2 antihistamine receptor blocker. Essentially, what saved me was Cetirizine, and Loratadine. With antihistamines I actually have to take 2 Cetirizine, and 3 Famotidine a day, 3 times a day. It will be how I live from now on. I also coupled it with a few more supplements suggested from the group of Mast Cell Patients had suggested work, and that were Aloe Vera Gel Capsules, and Horsetail Grass Capsules. Since 2019, I’ve purchased both of those products 8 times. I have been in a flare up at least 8 times since 2019, and it’s 2023 now. For the most part, I don’t have to take the Aloe or Horsetail unless I’m in a flare up, and when I do, I instantly start taking them three times a day, at the serving suggests on the bottle.

The Bonus to all of that, is the H1 and H2 antihistamines were literally helping my Mast Cell Activation as well, without my knowledge. I take the antihistamines even after a flare daily, that’s why the bottles that I linked here in the blog come with so many. After all, I consume so many antihistamines it seems like it’d be impossible for me to stay awake. On the contrary, I have no problem with that, since I discovered Green Coffee Extract, great polyphenols for my brain, with no jitters or crash. I can’t heart emoji that one enough.

There are two things that I have to avoid at all costs to make sure that I do not have an instant flare up. That is Carbonated Soda of any kind. I have to let the carbonation die down and drink a flat soda, it’s just easier to avoid it. The other is my first love, HOT BREWED COFFEE, Cold brew is safe. Hot brewed releases the oils in the bean, along with the histamine and mold in the bean, so instant histamine reaction. When I started the antihistamines, I was drinking a substantial amount of coffee, so I had to do something!

Anyone who suffers from severe heartburn that nothing seems to touch, male or female, I hope this may help you cure the insane pain that you suffer!

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Best Fiends, great puzzle games to keep your mind occupied!

The Easter Egg Hunt for Healing!

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Looking for the answers on how to heal.

Swinging an Easter basket in one hand wearing her new yellow frilly dress, and black shiny patent leather shoes running through the tufts of thick green grass, searching frantically for colorful candy filled plastic easter eggs, that was me. Each egg found would come with candy, money, or a prize, and never left a recipient in disappointment with each brightly colored find. Family who hid the eggs would even get devious, sometimes you had to search high and low, even though I was a shorter version of most humans. Easter was so much fun! I also learned an invaluable lesson from Easter Egg hunts. Never leave any stone unturned, check every nook and cranny, even check the gutters and trashcans.

Plastic Easter Eggs
Easter Baskets for Adults & Children

My search for knowledge, sincerely comes from what I learned Easter Egg Hunting, and I implore you and our younger generations to do the same. When it comes to your health, when it comes to life, or anything that you need to gain knowledge for or from. One valuable piece of wisdom my father imparted on me as a child was, “No matter what the situation, your EDUCATION can never be taken from you. No one, the only one that can deny you EDUCATION is yourself.” I’ve carried that with me forever, and I share that sentiment with any human being I can.

My search for knowledge about my health, started at home. Gutters were first, I started looking at my bowels. What I was consuming and what was coming out are VERY important. Then, I began to search higher. Once I knew I wasn’t poisoning myself, to the best of my knowledge, I got online and started Googling. The one thing everyone tells you not to do, but remember, I don’t listen. I was looking for answers on how to heal my brain, and how to thwart my Mast Cell reactions and all the histamine my body was producing. I needed to do something and pronto.

I know what you are saying to yourself, “Why didn’t she go to an allergist?” Funny story, I did that too. I was allergic to practically everything, and then I was allergic to the steroids that was supposed to counteract the reactions to the shots. I went in more miserable than when I came out. It wasn’t working, or worth the misery I was putting myself through. All the allergist wanted to do was keep giving me the shots, even that doctor didn’t really look into WHY my body seemed to react to EVERYTHING. I fired that doctor too.

My tunnel of light was closing quickly, it’s hard to explain. In a sense, I knew I was losing my thought processing ability, I was in fight or flight mode, just trying out how to figure things out, to save my life. (This also raises histamine levels, cortisol levels, and sends you into a stress histamine response as well. With each waking day, I knew I was step closer to losing my grip on reality.) At one point, the only thing I could manage to do was crossword puzzles, and that took FOREVER just to get one done. I used to be an ace at those as a child, I could have one done in less than 3 minutes.

Popped open my laptop and went online to find “Easter Eggs” of information. I searched many things, but educating myself on histamine was the start.