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What Causes Rashes Throughout Body?
Question: I have various food allergies. Gluten, dairy, soy, sulfa drugs and more.. I am experiencing a rash all over my body. I am taking A tablespoon of bentonite twice a day to draw out toxins from my body. I am also following a very healthy diet that does not include the allergens aforementioned. The skin rash is now all over my body and keeps me awake at night. Do you think I should see my doctor? Or is there something from the drugstore that might be helpful? I have Benadryl on hand but it doesn't seem to help. The rash does not include open sores or blisters. I recently had blood work done and my kidney function has been normal.
FYI. I was a kidney donor 10 years ago.
FYI. I was a kidney donor 10 years ago.
Brief Answer:
increase antihistamines, please provide more details
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for asking at HCM.
I went through your history and would like to know more about you as follows:
a. Apart from what you have mentioned, do you have any other complaints (related or unrelated)?
b. Do you have any medical conditions?
c. Do you take any drugs on frequent or regular basis?
d. Do the rashes itch? How long they last? Do they respond to antihistamines?
Above details would help me to know more about you and therefore to make more specific suggestions for you.
At present, from your provided details, I would like to make suggestions for you as follows:
1. As benadryl is not helping, I would suggest my such patient cetirizine or levoceitirizine in morning and hydroxyzine in evening, which might help.
2. I would also suggest you to continue applying topical treatment over the rashes as well as dry skin.
3. I usually suggest my such patient a good multivitamin/multimineral supplement, especially containing vitamin D, zinc, selenium & essential fatty acids. This may improve your immunity as well as skin.
4. Please continue avoiding the foods you are allergic to. Please make sure that those foods are not present in "hidden forms" in some of the food items (such as gluten/milk in milk biscuits, etc). Please read the labels of the prepared foods to identify such hidden allergens.
5. Please do not avoid scratching the itchy areas as scratching would aggravate itching.
6. I usually also suggest my such patients avoiding tight-fitting or woolen clothes which may irritate skin.
7. As your rash does not respond to Benadryl (most of the allergic rashes respond to such antihistamines very well), I would suggest you to consult your dermatologist or allergist who will examine you and may make some more helpful suggestions.
Hope above suggestions will be helpful to you.
Should you have any further query, please feel free to ask on follow-up.
Wish you the best of the health ahead.
Thank you & Regards,
Dr Parin N Parmar
increase antihistamines, please provide more details
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for asking at HCM.
I went through your history and would like to know more about you as follows:
a. Apart from what you have mentioned, do you have any other complaints (related or unrelated)?
b. Do you have any medical conditions?
c. Do you take any drugs on frequent or regular basis?
d. Do the rashes itch? How long they last? Do they respond to antihistamines?
Above details would help me to know more about you and therefore to make more specific suggestions for you.
At present, from your provided details, I would like to make suggestions for you as follows:
1. As benadryl is not helping, I would suggest my such patient cetirizine or levoceitirizine in morning and hydroxyzine in evening, which might help.
2. I would also suggest you to continue applying topical treatment over the rashes as well as dry skin.
3. I usually suggest my such patient a good multivitamin/multimineral supplement, especially containing vitamin D, zinc, selenium & essential fatty acids. This may improve your immunity as well as skin.
4. Please continue avoiding the foods you are allergic to. Please make sure that those foods are not present in "hidden forms" in some of the food items (such as gluten/milk in milk biscuits, etc). Please read the labels of the prepared foods to identify such hidden allergens.
5. Please do not avoid scratching the itchy areas as scratching would aggravate itching.
6. I usually also suggest my such patients avoiding tight-fitting or woolen clothes which may irritate skin.
7. As your rash does not respond to Benadryl (most of the allergic rashes respond to such antihistamines very well), I would suggest you to consult your dermatologist or allergist who will examine you and may make some more helpful suggestions.
Hope above suggestions will be helpful to you.
Should you have any further query, please feel free to ask on follow-up.
Wish you the best of the health ahead.
Thank you & Regards,
Dr Parin N Parmar
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Thank you, Dr. Parmar, for prompt response. In answer to your questions:
a. Apart from what you have mentioned, do you have any other complaints (related or unrelated)? I fell on a XXXXXXX sidewalk last September. An X-ray revealed arthritis in my left hip and lower back and indication of bursitis. My dr. gave me a cortisone shot about a month ago which has helped, but I still walk with discomfort and a limp.
b. Do you have any medical conditions? None to speak of, except I now have one kidney, having donated my left one ten years ago,
c. Do you take any drugs on frequent or regular basis? No.
d. Do the rashes itch? How long they last? Do they respond to antihistamines? Yes, itch like crazy 24/7, keeping me awake at night. So far, Benadryl hasn't helped.
MY QUESTION TO YOU: "cetirizine, levoceitirizine and hydroxyzine" What are these? Do they require a prescription? If so, can you prescribe them? Is it possible that I have a low grade internal infection?
I take numerous nutritional supplements under the care of a certified nutritionist, who has recommended I stop them while I am taking the bentonite to release the toxins in my body. My previous experience with a dermatologist was not very productive.
a. Apart from what you have mentioned, do you have any other complaints (related or unrelated)? I fell on a XXXXXXX sidewalk last September. An X-ray revealed arthritis in my left hip and lower back and indication of bursitis. My dr. gave me a cortisone shot about a month ago which has helped, but I still walk with discomfort and a limp.
b. Do you have any medical conditions? None to speak of, except I now have one kidney, having donated my left one ten years ago,
c. Do you take any drugs on frequent or regular basis? No.
d. Do the rashes itch? How long they last? Do they respond to antihistamines? Yes, itch like crazy 24/7, keeping me awake at night. So far, Benadryl hasn't helped.
MY QUESTION TO YOU: "cetirizine, levoceitirizine and hydroxyzine" What are these? Do they require a prescription? If so, can you prescribe them? Is it possible that I have a low grade internal infection?
I take numerous nutritional supplements under the care of a certified nutritionist, who has recommended I stop them while I am taking the bentonite to release the toxins in my body. My previous experience with a dermatologist was not very productive.
Brief Answer:
Cetirizine-Diphenhydramine, skin care, investigations if required
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for your follow-up and detailed answers that would help me to make suggestions more specifically for you.
1. Cetirizine, levocetirizine and hydroxyzine are antihistamines. (Benadryl is also an antihistamines). Of these, as long as I know, cetirizine does not require prescription in US, the other two require. (I am from India).
2. As per T&Cs of healthcaremagic, I cannot prescribe drugs.
3. In that case, I would suggest you to take cetirizine in morning and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in evening. (Diphenhydramine will cause more sedation)
4. If your rash & itching are for more than around 6 weeks, I would think of chronic urticaria, which can be due to many causes, including infections. Common infections causing urticaria are urine infections and intestinal worms.
I usually suggest my such patients some basic investigations like complete blood counts, ESR, CRP, urine & stool examination, etc, which sometimes help. However, please note that despite detailed investigations, approximately 25-30% of times chronic urticaria have clue from investigations.
I would also like to mention that usual treatment of the urticaria is antihistamines in most cases.
5. Some urticaria are due to micronutrient deficiencies (as suggested in previous answer), some are due to reactions caused by preservatives/flavoring agents/coloring agents present in packed/canned foods/drugs/supplements, some patients do experience urticaria during "detox" procedure. Stress is also a very important trigger for urticaria. So please try to correlate whether any of these applies to you.
Some drugs like some analgesics (NSAIDs) can also cause urticaria but that is not a factor for you.
6. As your nutritionist has rightly recommended, it is ok to stop supplements during "detox".
7. General precautions for minimizing itching are mentioned in previous e-mail. (avoiding skin irritants & allergens, avoiding extremes of temperatures, regular use of moisturizers, avoiding too spicy foods/beverages, comfortable clothings, etc)
Hope above suggestions will be helpful to you.
Should you have any further query, please feel free to ask on follow-up.
Wish you the best of the health ahead.
Thank you & Regards,
Dr Parin N Parmar
Cetirizine-Diphenhydramine, skin care, investigations if required
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for your follow-up and detailed answers that would help me to make suggestions more specifically for you.
1. Cetirizine, levocetirizine and hydroxyzine are antihistamines. (Benadryl is also an antihistamines). Of these, as long as I know, cetirizine does not require prescription in US, the other two require. (I am from India).
2. As per T&Cs of healthcaremagic, I cannot prescribe drugs.
3. In that case, I would suggest you to take cetirizine in morning and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in evening. (Diphenhydramine will cause more sedation)
4. If your rash & itching are for more than around 6 weeks, I would think of chronic urticaria, which can be due to many causes, including infections. Common infections causing urticaria are urine infections and intestinal worms.
I usually suggest my such patients some basic investigations like complete blood counts, ESR, CRP, urine & stool examination, etc, which sometimes help. However, please note that despite detailed investigations, approximately 25-30% of times chronic urticaria have clue from investigations.
I would also like to mention that usual treatment of the urticaria is antihistamines in most cases.
5. Some urticaria are due to micronutrient deficiencies (as suggested in previous answer), some are due to reactions caused by preservatives/flavoring agents/coloring agents present in packed/canned foods/drugs/supplements, some patients do experience urticaria during "detox" procedure. Stress is also a very important trigger for urticaria. So please try to correlate whether any of these applies to you.
Some drugs like some analgesics (NSAIDs) can also cause urticaria but that is not a factor for you.
6. As your nutritionist has rightly recommended, it is ok to stop supplements during "detox".
7. General precautions for minimizing itching are mentioned in previous e-mail. (avoiding skin irritants & allergens, avoiding extremes of temperatures, regular use of moisturizers, avoiding too spicy foods/beverages, comfortable clothings, etc)
Hope above suggestions will be helpful to you.
Should you have any further query, please feel free to ask on follow-up.
Wish you the best of the health ahead.
Thank you & Regards,
Dr Parin N Parmar
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Answered by
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