Hello,I recently noticed a surprising correlation: taking anti-allergy medication (the antihistamines) seem to reduce my RA symptoms. For example: less stiff in the mornings and less quickly exhausted. And if I take antihistamines for a few days at a stretch the impact in my RA is even more pronounced.
I know correlation is not causation and research says that antihistamines are not helpful. But there is much they don't yet know about this disease, and often sharing anecdotes can be helpful.
So, if histamine excess in the body causes inflammation, won't anti-histamine reduce the inflammation causing agent and calm the flare? For example, seasonal allergies often cause flares because histamine is pro-inflammatory.
Has anyone had similar experiences with anti-allergy meds? I have experimented with cetrizine before going to bed.
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That sounds very logical reasoning. Unfortunately, in my case, it hasn’t made any difference to my RA, or my allergies, although I daren’t stop taking them in case it really has made a difference. I was diagnosed with allergic asthma in 2012.
If it was the case would it not be prescribed routinely? and are you still on RA medications? I'm not going for this as being as cause and effect as why would Hay Fever suffers not report an improvement. Sorry but I don't think it's logical as inflammation caused by a specific diagnose disease is different from a reactive response to a known or supposed allergen in some people.. I'd be very careful in believing any links without positive proof from a reputable source. But of course it might be a good idea to report to your Rheumatologist to see if your medications can be reduced if your supposition is correct. I hope it continues to work but also check to make sure its not less effective over time and you don't get other side effects as no medication even OTC is without risk.
It hasn't made any difference to me whatsoever and I have been taking them for a long time. As m-l says, maybe discuss it with your rheumatologist and see what they say.
If RA responded long-term to antihistamines then they would, without doubt, be being prescribed but they’re not and unless you’ve been advised by your rheumatologist to carry on taking them I wouldn’t jeopardise your current treatment by adding in something which in the long run may do you more harm than good.
You're right that there’s much more to learn about RA . New drugs formulated to control it have come on stream very fast in the last few years and be assured, if antihistamines were considered and not prescribed, the scientists will have a very good reason why not. Medway-lady’s given good advice in her reply and I agree with all she says.
I have noticed that I sleep much better if I take antihistamines before bed. I think, in return I have less RA symptoms the next day because I actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep.
Years ago when this started for me I was told I had long covid. And I read a lot about reducing inflammation and in amongst everything I tried antihistamines were one. I noticed a difference back then. I was also taking an aspirin a day and a huge range of multivitamins. Unfortunately it didn’t last for long - maybe a year or so. But I think I had a natural low in my disease at that point. I take antihistamines in the hay fever season and didn’t notice any improvement this year.
an interesting post that caught my attention. Unfortunately this isn’t the case for me. I take two Fexofenadine per day due to allergies and do not notice a difference in my RA if I do/don’t take take them. If you think they make a difference for you then I would carry on taking them! I understand they are not harmful to take to long term and are very cheap to buy. Anything that makes a difference is worthwhile I would say!
I font know about the impact of antihistamines but I felt that my allergies were worse when my RA was uncontrolled. My ENT specialist agreed this was likely but my rheumatologist disagreed and said she (ENT) ought to stay in her lane! As has already been suggested, there may have been a more indirect link through sleep or something.
I have said the same before, allergies are an over reaction of the immune system and an over production of histamine so why wouldn't antihistamines help with other auto immune issues 🤷♀️ We all know that what works for one doesn't work for others, so if it seems to be working for you then I'd mention it to your rheumy team, new drugs/ combinations/ discoveries often happen by accident 😀
For me, I have become more sensitive and take more antihistamine. I haven't noticed an improvement in my RA. But...histamine is an immune response so for you it may well be true.
Unfortunately (as so often is the case with RA!) that doesn’t work for everyone. Every time I got pregnant I flared massively. The first two times I miscarried as a result of the flare. The third time I carried to term but only because I stayed on some RA meds, took aspirin and had lots of steroid injections.
Hormones have always affected my RA. I was initially diagnosed after the birth of my first child.
I believe for most people when they get pregnant the body naturally lowers its immune system which is why RA symptoms improve.
They have bottled pregnancy hormones ie. the combined pill. However, this doesn’t seem to have an effect for RA symptoms. It’s all very complicated.
Interestingly, there is a lot of research going on in this area. There are four different histamine receptors and some of the research is looking at whether targeting the different receptors might help with rheumatological conditions as well as allergies. So you aren't off the mark!
But in trials they found that while some people felt better (these are mostly the early trials before they knew as much about the different receptors) they found that although some people felt better, not all did. And it didn't seem to stop the objective deterioration of the joints in the people that felt better.
There is research going on in mice right now, and it seems that the research is often in Eastern European countries rather than western ones, which will be why we don't hear about it in the mainstream press. So it isn't such a silly idea, but it isn't there yet, they need to understand more about the links between the different receptors and how it relates to humans.
I would say watch this space, but don't stop taking the RA drugs yet!
Thank you for this brief dive down a rabbit hole! It was fascinating. Now, I must get back to my PhD dissertation and my own area of research!
That's okay, 'learning to communicate research with the public' is a thing I am supposed to do too, so I get to tick that box this week to keep my supervisors happy!
I find that antihistamines don’t help my RA but if I have an infection, as I’m severely immune suppressed then taking an antihistamine every day usually stops my cough within a few days, whereas if I didn’t take one it can last for weeks / months. Just something I’ve noticed myself and I’m not necessarily disagreeing that they don’t help to some extent. I use fexofenadine too as for me they work better. Of course like anything a chat to your doc is a good idea before you take anything including supplements. I always have to take two weeks antibiotics with infection so I also know that antihistamines don’t help with your immune response to infection just seems to help with recovery and cough.
Well as my immune system is severely compromised I find a post chest infection cough really difficult to shift so an antihistamine most definitely helps to clear it loads quicker than without. Of course I have to take two weeks of antibiotics every time and always check I’m ok to have antihistamines during but mostly after the infection has cleared. Works for me and it’s taken me almost 10 years to realise that it really helps to rid me of a wracking cough which won’t go away by itself (well not for usually about two months) I know that allergy probably adds to the situation but I just think I’m more susceptible after antibiotics and infections and that’s perhaps why they work ??? Just a guess.
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