Hey Robert, Wow, thank you for the really fast reply. I have one more question: how long did it take before you started to see results? I am starting my new routine today, so wish me luck! Thanks!
Hey, It was a long and gradual process. To be honest I don't really remember exactly when I started to see results. For me, every time I did exercise and sweat a significant amount I would be nearly pain free for probably the next day or two before it came back. If I consistently did exercise every other day I could be nearly pain free for a week or longer. It's definitely about consistency but every body is different so I can't say how your body will react to the sweating and how quickly you will feel better, but hopefully it works fast for you. Good luck on your routine!
Hi, I suffer from the same condition and find your 'exercise' advice very helpful. Thanks.
Question 1: Do you find that the condition tends to flare up in the fall?
By the way: There is a medical condition called Dysesthesia with similar pins and needles sensation.
Hey Yaron, I am sorry to hear you are suffering from the same condition but I am glad to see exercising works for you. Yes I can definitely say that the pain is worse in the fall. I think it is due to the colder weather and the fact that it is harder to sweat or perspire when it's cold so your body isn't as used to it. In the summer you get hot and sweat more often so it takes more to feel pain. But this is just my experience and I am not a doctor of course. And I've looked into Dysesthesia and it shares some similar symptoms but I don't think that's what we have.
Hey Robert,
I hope you're doing better now. I really appreciate your post! I'm 19 years old, and I started experiencing these pins and needle sensations a couple of months ago. I first noticed that I would experience them after returning home (when it was very cold outside), and concluded that it was a result of sweating or a raise in body temp. (I would also experience it when working out or when I was nervous). I had a few questions about Cholinergic Urticaria because I'm not sure if I have it or not.
- Usually my symptoms subside in under 5 minutes. How long do your symptoms last?
- I can't see any rashes on my body. When I scratch my body, my skin turns red (naturally), but I do not see distinct rashes. Do you always see rashes on your skin?
- Were the pins and needles sensations more intense during the winter? In Winter, I would have more intense symptoms, but now (in Summer) I experience these sensations more frequently but of less intensity.
Since I occasionally have numbness and twitching, I may (don't think so, but possible) have some sort of nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy or B12 deficiency).
Responses from everyone are welcome and appreciated!
Thanks!
Hey Vikram, Thank you for the sentiment and sorry to hear that you've been experiencing this problem recently. As for your questions: 1) Whenever I get an attack of pain it usually subsides in under a minute. That being said, over the years I've learned to suppress the pain and expect it and know how to react. So in the beginning, a few years ago, it lasted a few minutes because I didn't know what was happening or how to stop it. 2) If the attack of pain I get is severe, which usually happens if I haven't worked out/sweat in a while, then I always see those red bumps on my skin and I get red all over. But if the pain is less severe and just mild then I won't always see that. But it seems like most people who have this experience the bumps and redness so if you don't it's possible that it's a less severe case or not Urticaria at all. 3) For me it is more intense in the winter. I actually recently answered a question above where I explained my reasoning. I think it is due to the colder weather and the fact that it is harder to sweat or perspire when it's cold so your body isn't as used to it. In the summer you get hot and sweat more often so it takes more to feel pain.
As for the numbness and twitching I can definitely say I have not experienced either of those symptoms so I can't answer as to whether you may have some sort of nerve damage or not. I would highly recommend you consult with a doctor, if you are able, because these could be symptoms of another medical problem not related to Cholinergic Urticaria.
Thanks a lot for your speedy response Robert! You've helped so many people on this platform!
Most of our symptoms match I guess. Your reasoning about the Winter/Summer thing sounds pretty solid. Based on your reply, I think I do have Cholinergic Urticaria, but I'll see a doctor nonetheless. One last question, do your rashes/bumps/redness appear once you feel the sensations or only after you scratch your body?
Thanks in advance!
Hey, The bumps and redness only appear when I have the pain and go away when the attack stops. They appear by themselves and I don't have to scratch to make them appear.
Hi all, I am glad that I found this thread because I have the same symptoms and it's ongoing for 6ish months now. I was diagnosed with cholinergic urticaria as well - but I think there is more to it. I am here to share my experience as it seems to be getting better.
At the beginning I just had the burning itch - instantly when my body temperature went up and lasted depending on the circumstances 1-10 minutes. Then I started having the rash - a general skin redness on my upper body. This made me think about having some kind of allergic reaction and indeed there seems to be a connection - exercise can induct or make allergy worse.
As being well familiar with allergy I have systematically started to eliminate food and chemicals around me - it's an ongoing process, but my laundry detergent definitely made it worse so that can be a good place to start.
Then some foods. Over the weeks I identified 4-5 food types that can have an impact as well. Soon I am going to be tested, my GP sent me to do a blood allergy test, we shall see.
Also B complex as suggested here seems to be helping - will try to get a deficiency test as well.
Interestingly antihistamine doesn't have a lot of impact so it's a bit confusing but my educated guess is that a lot of factors are in play.
Anyway nowadays i have a very mild itcy when I work out but definitely want to fully figure out so it won't come back.
Hello,
I have been searching all over the web for this exact forum, I have been having the same symptoms everyone is describing in this thread. I see there has not been a clear solution added however I thought I would share my experience. If someone who has posted in this thread previously has found the true cause of this please reply.
About 2-3 months ago I started to get this intense tingling/itching with spurts of sharp pains all through my body whenever i started to get hot. This had never happened before but now every time i go to the gym and start on the treadmill, 2-3 minutes of walking up hill and the skin flushing starts. This can also be activated if I'm just at the house folding laundry and i start to get a little hot. The intense itching lasts about 10-15 minutes and sometimes it's almost unbearable. There is no visible rash or bumps on my skin when this happens. I try to use mind over matter and ignore it but it's defiantly there. I am 27 years old and in fairly decent shape, a frequent gym goer and this has never happened before. I thought it was a new pre workout supplement i had been taking that caused this but after eliminating this supplement, two weeks later and i still get the what i call, skin flushes. I started to get worried and scheduled a doctors appointment. I went to see my Primary Care doctor and explained everything that is happening. Since I already had a minor case of asthma and mild seasonal allergies the doctor called this a histamine reaction. He recommended I take two Zyrtecs a day to calm this reaction however it has been about two weeks since my doctors visit and i am still getting this feeling. We did a blood test/Metabolic Panel and everything came back normal, kidneys, liver and glucose levels were all normal. After reading through this thread I spoke with my mother to see if this happened to her (someone mentioned it could be hereditary) and she confirmed she gets it a lot but she just thought her "body was tired". So I am coming to the conclusion that this might be hereditary. I am going to contact my PCP and tell him this is still happening and see if he advises something else.
I also wanted to mention I am currently at my heaviest weight ever, i have gained about 20 pounds since last summer and I am starting to think weight gain has something to do with this. I am 6'3 and 260 at the moment, however i can lose weight very fast.
As of today, i have purchased some B Complex vitamin pills and I exchanged my laundry detergent to a hypoallerginic version just to eliminate those from this problem. I will report back in a couple weeks and see how things go with my diet starting again.
Again, if anyone has found some answers to this extreme skin flushing I would greatly appreciate some responses.
I have had the exact thing starting at nearly the same time and I am approx the same age. I have tried Zyrtec, metaproprolol, proprolol and all new detergents and shampoos. my GP thinks it is anxiety related though I don't feel anxious. Please keep me posted as I do a lot of manual labor and it is extremely hard to work through. Thanks!
Hi,
So far nothing has stopped this reaction. I have been hitting the gym very hard and at first it seemed to slow down but unfortunately it is still happening. I am pretty much stuck at the moment. My GP suggested that I see a dermatologist to have testing done. I think i may go see one soon.
Best, Don
I've dealt with this condition for over 20 years off and on. It's been about a year since I last had an episode but it recently started again a last week. The only thing that works for me as well is to start of my day doing hard cardio until I start to sweat. This morning I ordered a neoprene sauna suit that's suppose to make you sweat quickly while working out. I should arrive tomorrow and I hope it works. Right now, it can take me up to 10 mins to start a good sweat while working out, and those 10 mins are very painful.
Hi Don,
Ive been searching all over the internet and found your response and it matches my symptoms and experience pretty closely. I just want to share my experience as well if anyone has any answers or it helps anyone.
Starting about 4 months ago I started to feel this burning/itching/pins and needles feeling when i start to get hot but before I fully sweat. It is very uncomfortable and painful. i've found that after I start fully sweating, the feeling goes away completely. so if i go for a run, the first 5-10mins I feel pain but after i start fully sweating it gets better. The worst is when I do some activity where I am slightly exerting myself but not fully sweating, like walking uphill on a sunny day. Since I never start fully sweating a lot, I am uncomfortable the whole time. Ive also had it come up a bit (I think) when I feel nervous or anxious.
It feels like it is on my skin but I dont have any visible marks. When it started it was only on my back, but now the feeling happens all over my body, especially the back/wrists/ankles.
Before this I was perfectly healthy and exercised regularly. I am in my late 20s and male.
Ive seen a GP and a dermatologist multiple times and the only advice i got was to take an antihistamine (claratin) and then a few months later they had me try Pepcid as well. The claratin mildly helps but I dont think the pepcid did anything so I stopped that.
They are sending me to an allergist now so I will check to see if I have any allergies and if that could be the cause.
Ive found this thread pretty helpful so I will update if I find out any more info
Does anyone have an update? About a year ago I started experiencing this, I can also say that this happens during the winter time. My vitamin b12 levels is at 449 pg/ml on a scale frrom 180-914 according to my lab. Still on the low end-normal. But then again, a year ago I had vitamin b12 levels of 682 which is normal range. I'll supplement more b12 to see if it has any effect.
Thyroid is in check and everything else
Are you guys diabetic or have been diagnosed with multiple schelorisis sclerosis?
Im 21 and also am an active gym goer.
What doctors have you guys went to? Does neurologist work? I also got tested and have no allergies. My dermatologist recommended zyrtec and also did not work.
You guys talked about cholinergic urticaria which doesn't seem to be my condition since it stated bumps. I just get random red rashes throughout my body but mostly the face
There doesn't seem to be much info about what we're experiencing, perhaps maybe an unknown disease or body overreacting ?
I don't know if its related but sometimes my feet would have a sharp sensation after going on the treadmill, looks to be a condition called plantar fasciitis
I started using the neoprene sauna suit while doing cardio and is has relieved the pain. I start to sweat immediately without any discomfort. I tried working out without the suit yesterday and I felt just a little tingle, but it's nowhere near as painful as it was before I bought the suit. nothing prescribed by my doctor ever worked.
I'm definitely following this question. I started having these exact same symptoms this winter. When I get hot I start having a pins/needles/tingling feeling in the area of my body that's hot. It is different feeling from the pins and needle feeling that you get with nerve damage. The reason why I know is because I suffer from nerve damage, and this is a completely different feeling. The pins/needles/tingling feeling immediately goes away after I cool down.
That happens to me aswell and im under 18 and teh doctors say its conpletely normal. But i dont think it it
hi i had pins and needle like feeling since 2020 just before january and i thought it was nothing then i started to get them regularly and i was worried im only 15 and all these responses are from over 20 so i went to my doctor and he said its fine theres nothing to worry about its normal. but i think this has somthing to do with COVID-19 as all of these responses are from 2020 just after covid was every where. But i am not fully sure but i just hope it goes away or they find the cure or what it is. i hope we all get better.
Hey, sorry to hear this. You should consider going to a different doctor or convincing your current doctor to take you more seriously because this definitely is not normal. I have never met someone else with this problem in all the years I have had it.