Random itchiness and rash? (allergy, cold, blood pressure, swelling)

[rockrchick]

So for the past 3 weeks I've started getting really itchy and it's always followed by either a bumpy red rash or a weird, raised, welt like rash. It'll come out of nowhere! Sometimes I wont even itch and I just look down at my arm (for example) and it's there. It'll usually be on my arms, back, thighs or legs. My head has also been really itchy at times and I once had a really bad itching spurt on my rear. It will usually go away in 15 minutes to an hour.


I'm not using any new or different shampoo/conditioner, soap, lotion, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies or medication. I also do not suffer from any food allergies. I've tried searching for different rash related articles on google and I can't seem to find any pictures that look close to what I'm experiencing. I recently saw my primary care doctor and she said it just seems like a contact reaction to something and when it happens, run cold water over it. Well sometimes when this happens, the body part that is affected hasn't been in contact with anything abnormal or irritating. For example, my arm has the rash right now and the only place it has been is resting on the plastic arm of a chair...this is really annoying me! Any ideas on what's going on?

[asonnier]

Looks like hives. I had the same thing happen to me. They were horrible and showed up everyday for 8 months. They looked horrible and was the itchiest thing I have ever experienced. They are common to appear for no reason in women over 40. It took a high dose of steroids to tame them somewhat. I don't get them everyday and they aren't near as itchy but now I get them when I go from cold to hot temperatures. If it lasts more than 3 months it is considered to be chronic and then you may find it is related to an immune issue.
And you can develop new allergies as you get older, so it could be the plastic or other material. For me, leather bothered me.
Message me if you would like more info. I did everything I could to figure out what was causing them and most of the time you never know the reason.
Hope that helps you!

[Hedgehog_Mom]

I get them also. That picture looks like you have been scratching, maybe without even realizing it. You also have a little pimple...I get those in the same spot and they don't seem to be related to the itchy rash.

Last summer it took some careful tracking of what I ate to figure out what was causing my rash. It turned out to be red 40, which I had never been allergic to in the past, and which is in a lot of different things, including medication and some toothpastes.

[Jerseyt719]

OP, I'm getting the same thing!!!!

Getting these random rashes everywhere!!! Mainly back, chest, arms, head. It's driving me absolutely nuts. Benadryl isn't touching it!!

If you find anything out, let me know!!!

[Jerseyt719]

See what time it is. It woke me up now. I can't take the itching!!!

I think I may need to see a doctor

[rockrchick]

Thanks everyone for the responses! I was leaning towards hives but wasn't sure since my primary care didn't say much about it. I even showed her pictures on my phone. Yes, I tend to scratch when they pop up but I can't help it! I've had eczema since I was young so it's typical for me As you said Asonnier, they appear out of nowhere but problem is, I'm not over 40. I'm only 23. Also, not sure if it's just coincidence or what but last night, stress appeared to make them worse. I had a terrible day and after I was most upset, I looked and I had them in multiple spots on my arms, outer legs, thighs, sides...even my hands and knees where this has never popped up before.

I had been doing some googling and came across this...Dermatographic urticaria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This sounds to be the most likely. "It is most common in teenagers and young adults, ages 15-30" "These wheals are a subset of urticaria (hives) that appear within minutes, in some cases accompanied with itching. The first outbreak of urticaria can lead to others on body parts not directly stimulated, scraped, or scratched. In a normal case, the swelling will reduce itself with no treatment within 15–30 minutes, but, in extreme cases, itchy red wheals may last anywhere from a few hours to days."

[rockrchick]

I've also been having a stress overload for the past few months so maybe that's part of the onset? The doctor prescriped me some anxiety medication about a month and a half ago because it got so bad. I've still been trying to find explanations via Google. Not always the best route, I know But I've read that some people get hives as a result of stress or anxiety. Has anyone else experienced this?

Oh and one thing I forgot to mention is that I'll also get welts right under my bottom lip. Sometimes they're tiny, sometimes they're quite noticeable. One time my husband said it looked like I had been punched in the lip, lol! These however, are not itchy. Just another irritation for me to deal with

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I was diagnosed with stress-induced hives many years ago. Benedryl at night helped a lot. Also, I changed jobs after a while.

[asonnier]

@rockrchick - swelling of the lips and face is very common with hives or urticaria. It is called angioedema. This happened to me several times with my hives over 8 months. Once I had to go to the emergency room because it was affecting my mouth, eyes, lips and face. I looked horrible.
Also, hives can happen at any age but I wasn't sure how old you were so that is why I mentioned it.
Daily antihistamines help and Benadryl helps at night. Also, Sarna cream/lotion for the itching was the best I found and I tried many. It is an over the counter anti-itching cream.
Let me know if I can help in any other way! Hives are no fun!

[nightlysparrow]

Angioedema, especially around the lips, can be an allergy to ACE inhibitors (the blood pressure meds that end in "...pril" and people can become allergic even after taking these meds for years. It can get worse and become life-threatening.