Antihistamines

[Redrosegirlie]

Hello. Please forgive me if I am asking a silly question.

I am currently purposefully eating gluten based foods at least twice a day and I am going to request to be tested for CD after 6 weeks.

This is because I have recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I have raised thyroglobulin antibodies (probable Hashimoto’s).

I will be considering going gluten feee in order to try and lower my antibodies but I want to be tested first.

So, I take an antihistamine most days (fexofenadine 180mg) for general pruritis and I’m just making sure that this won’t skew my CD results in any way.

I know that CD is an autoimmune disorder and not an allergy but was wondering about the intolerance/sensitivity side of it

Many thanks.

[Penel]

Hi

I don’t think there should be a problem.

I found this explanation on line, which hopefully will make sense.

“.... allergies (and antihistamines and anti-allergy medications) work on IgE antibodies and mast cells. These are the parts of the immune system that react to an allergen. They are pre-formed antibodies that combine with the mast cells to release histamine (hence the name of the antihistamine drug family) and trigger the allergic response. This is why they require some pre-exposure (so you get a huge, deadly reaction the SECOND time you're stung by a bee but not the first) and why they are so quick - you don't wait for the body to make antibody because it's already there.

Celiac disease and your gut mucosa use IgA and IgG antibodies. IgA antibodies are for the mucosal surfaces of your body (such as your gut) and IgG are overall memory antibodies that provide long-term immunity (like after a vaccine or infection).

So the allergy meds and gluten are using totally different arms of your immune system.”

[Redrosegirlie in reply to Penel]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply Penel.

It seems ok to take them then. I wouldn’t want to mess up the test results. Fingers crossed I am ok but I still may need to eat GF which is a bit daunting

[Penel in reply to Redrosegirlie]

If you’re still not sure, you could phone Coelilac U.K. to ask for advice.

coeliac.org.uk/home/

Try not to worry about going gluten free. It does take some getting used to and careful planning to make it work, but if you usually cook from scratch you should be fine.

[Redrosegirlie in reply to Penel]

Yes Penel. Thanks.

I don’t often cook from scratch. Busy shift work puts pay to that but I will have to just re-think my way of life

[Hidden in reply to Redrosegirlie]

The thought of using gluten-free is daunting. The actual experience of it, when you no longer have all those horrible symptoms, is much easier. And nowadays are so many great gluten free foods. Back when I was diagnosed what they called bread was just ..... cardboard. And that's only one example.

[Hidden]

They should not make a difference however I would ask why you have overall itching. If it is IgG reaction then antihistamines will not make a difference. If IgA then they will which means you have a true allergy to something. Otherwise the itching could well be caused by your liver...overwhelmed by the gluten and perhaps other foods. Personal questions... what colour is your stool, how regular are you and do you have gut pain and where precisely?

[Redrosegirlie in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Caroline.

I’m confused again now but that doesn’t take much!

The antihistamines are good at stopping the itching. Within half an hour it’s much better. I have put it down to my hypothyroidism of which I am not yet optimally treated for. A dermatologist said there was nothing wrong with me!

Bowels wise.... normal colours. Usually every day sometimes twice a day. Sometimes miss a day. Loose. Sometimes have urgency. No abdominal pain. I do suffer with bloating.

I’m requesting the blood tests for CD as per NICE guidelines with new diagnosis of hypothyroidism and also to get a baseline before I consider going gluten free in order to lower my TgAb 😊

[CATRYNA49]

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos 8 years ago and at that time went on a GF diet. My antibodies were sky high, but have come down considerably. Since then, I have been diagnosed for Celiac with it's accompanying skin disorder Dermatitis Herpetiformis. I was curious if your itching is your skin; in the form of rash/blistering. I have found that going GF has helped tremendously, but the addition of certain strains of cannabis have helped the most. Most Homeopaths/Holistic doctors have found that those with autoimmune issues should go GF, mainly because there is almost always gut issues and gluten exacerbates the problem.

[Redrosegirlie in reply to CATRYNA49]

Hi Catryna, I don’t think I have got DH. There isn’t really anything to see on my skin (apart from scratch marks).

I think when I am optimised with my Levo I’ll go GF and see if that’s helps 😊

[CATRYNA49]

Glad to hear it. DH is awful.

[Redrosegirlie in reply to CATRYNA49]

😒

I don’t know much about it. Is there a cure/relief?

[Hidden]

No cure for autoimmune diseases. However identifying food allergies reduced my autoimmune diseases symptoms by over 50%. In addition to the going gluten-free.