Talk:Dermatographic urticaria

Can somebody add more treatments
So after living with this in a painful manner for about 6 years now and 4 years before that since I was a child, I have found the following to be helpful:

Fexofenadine 180mg multiple times per day as needed (brand Allegra or generic)

Famotidine 20mg multiple times per day as needed (brand Pepcid or generic)

Vitamin C 1000mg daily

Quercetin 500mg daily

Vitamin D3 4000 IU daily

unfortunately I don't have the time to find my sources for all these but they do work to manage. So if any of you can find sources and add these to Section:Treatments I'm sure other people will be grateful. 141.233.112.233 (talk) 01:06, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

P.S. make sure to never use retinoids because they will dry the moisture out of your skin and you will be in EXTREME pain. This includes medicines and ointments like differin and / or accutane. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.233.112.233 (talk) 01:14, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

I
I live with dermatographism and I was wondering if anyone has found somthing that eliminates the reaction. I was prescribed antihistamines and all they did was remove the swelling but the red reaction still stayed. Does anyone have an answer? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Metsfanalex (talk • contribs) 03:11, February 7, 2007 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia can't really give medical advice. It seems, though, that antihistamines are the only treatment available. The condition may or may not pass with time. Seeing a dermatologist may also be a good idea, as there are sometimes other conditions that cause the dermatographism, such as thyroid problems, allergies or other skin conditions. –m y s i d ☎ 07:51, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

I've just been diagnosed as well. Actually, you should see an allergist or accupuncturist. If the cause is air allergies then an allergist can give you shots that may alleviate or resolve the issue. Accupuncturists also can help treat allergies. It's much better than being drugged on antihistamines.

I used to have very bad dermagraphia, but my problem went away. Just a question, but have any of you noticed that you are not getting sick often, if at all? I remember during the four years I had this, I did not get sick nor suffer from allergies. Infinitys 7th 20:16, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, I have noticed that I hardly ever get sick – even if there's a great change of getting an infection – nor do I have any allergies. I have always somehow attributed it to dermographism; I thought it had something to do with overly reactive white blood cells. –mysid ☎ 07:37, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

when i was younger i had dermographism but 2 a lesser extent,but after marriage and pregnancy it became a lot worse.i can never put a ring in my finger.my face always has red lines.its awful.and in my pregnancy the swelling in my hands and feet was something else i felt like i was an elephant,and after dilevery it didnt go completely.and i do get sick these days a lot more.it does not make me resist illness at all, 17:42 26-may-2007 saudi arabia

To do a follow up on my first remark I was wondering how many of you had ear infections as a your child and if so do you know if you were treated with antibiotics. I cannot ever recall being truly sick while having this disease. -metsfanalex
 * I didn't have any ear infections or any other need for antibiotics as a child. Read also the above. ›mysid (☎∆) 21:11, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

Carier's Sign
might not the article on carier's sign be merged here? Toyokuni3 (talk) 15:08, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Could you give a link to that article? › mys id (☎∆✎) 08:06, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

From the looks of it Carier's sign is a typo, it should be Darier's Sign (Darier Jean Ferdinand). I Don't think its fit to be merged with this article. [Darier's Sign] [Darier Jean Ferdinand] ~Mr.Curtis

External link goes nowhere and should be removed
As noted. Dermagraphia is not found on linked site. If the concept is dermatitis, which is found, this should be noted in link text (See "Dermatitis"). I shall remove this SECTION if there is there is no discussion/rationale.

192.231.231.235 (talk) 21:34, 29 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Indeed the link was unrelated, I've removed it now... also the GPnotebook template is deprecated. › mys id (☎∆✎) 05:27, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

There IS a cure
I was diagnosed with dermographism less than 3 years ago. In the article it says the cause is unknown. My allergist would have agreed with you; however after much research I have discovered that it may in fact just be a toxic reaction to long term use of medications such as pain killers (narcotics/nsaids) and/or antibiotics.

I have found similarities in cases which seemed to prove this point. I and at least one other patient that I know have done bowel cleansing to remove the toxins (the meds) from the body and were both cured. More proof that it's an internal problem coming out through the skin.

I am not sure how you might incorporate this "unproven" information in your article; however I thought it prudent to suggest it. This condition can be very debilitating and made worse by long term use of antihistamines which not only cause issues with fatigue, insomnia, moods and sinus problems, but I believe due to my experiences, they actually make the problem worse while masking the symptoms. People need to be aware of this in order to have hope of a cure. I was cured and they can be too.

I have photographs of my skin and documentation of the treatment I used on a website called dermographism.com. I believe this website location could also be included in the article.

Thanks

Wikiibratt (talk) 05:10, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

@Wikiibratt - dermographism.com is a personal account and doesn't cite any clinical or verifiable data. It might be a positive reference for the community forums though. Oddible (talk) 05:38, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

I was born with the condition, which indicates it is genetic in my case. I am sensitive to all kinds of things. This leads me to conclude there would be many causes, inherited and aquired in varying degrees. 121.209.51.37 (talk) 06:01, 11 August 2009 (UTC)


 * I was also born with the condition, although it is not severe. I was born 14 months before the end of WWII in Germany. Until I was four and we moved back to (West) Berlin, all there was in food was breast milk and then potatoe starch powder with rum aroma, made into a pudding. The town was destroyed 80% by bombardment and many people starved. I had the condition from the word go and there being hardly any food and certainly no variety so I do not think toxins came into it. 2001:8003:A02F:F400:158E:A4DF:4B8E:724C (talk) 05:56, 6 October 2019 (UTC)

@Oddible I am not sure what you intended by your comment, but does something need be written in a medical book somewhere for it to be true? I sure hope not. Doctors aren't gods. *wink* Also, here's another link if you're interested. http://bulkherbstore.blogspot.com/2009/11/dermographism-what-on-earth-is-that.html

@121.209.51.37 It may very well have been inherited. There really is no way to discount or support this claim; however, just because you had it when you were born, does not automatically mean that it's genetic. Things (including toxicity levels) can be passed from mother to infant in the womb. You could have developed a toxicity after conception before birth and still might benefit from cleansing the body. Knowing how terrible this condition can be for some, I'd say just about anything is worth a try.

As an afterthought, I do not work for the company from which I purchased my products. You could invariably buy your own charcoal and clay and make your own cleanse. You'll only be helping yourself. Happy healing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wikiibratt (talk • contribs) 22:41, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

@121.209.51.37 - Just to add to this: my partner has had this condition for about 3 years. She has an identical twin sister who does not have this same condition. Until very recently, her body would flare up exactly like in the pics to this article. We experimented with removing allergens from her diet and once wheat was removed, the condition subsided considerably. It is not completely gone but is now barely noticeable... it's a 90-95% improvement. Her sister still happily eats wheat but she cannot. That's just a data point for you. --Missbossy (talk) 09:28, 7 August 2010 (UTC)


 * There is info on the web suggesting that phototherapy is a treatment. 205.250.212.114 (talk) 02:25, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

4-5% estimate
I find this to be highly dubious. Any thoughts on this? The journal article links to login at their site. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Macewen728 (talk • contribs) 13:45, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

@Macewen728 - The journal article links to Wiley Interscience, a publisher's online resource. The journal article isn't free. Most research universities have access to many of the major journal publications. I checked out the full text of the article and it references the following article for the 4-5% figure:

Wong RC, Fairley JA, Ellis CN (1984): Dermographism: A review. J Am Acad Dermatol 11543-652.

Unfortunately my university only has access to 1993- for the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology or I would have followed up on the Wong, Fairley, Ellis study. Oddible (talk) 05:34, 5 September 2009 (UTC)

The Wong article is also on sciencedirect (hope the link works): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WM8-4SVN767-V&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F31%2F1984&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=36ae1880542c4a95fe990c8225e277b6 --flatfish89 (talk) 13:24, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * The 4-5% is apparently mostly cases without symptoms (you'd have to purposely scratch your skin to see if you had it). It's a much smaller number who itch. 205.250.212.114 (talk) 02:24, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

What do you make of Ali﻿ Yakubov?
He's a 9 month old baby of Dagestan with Quranic verses allegedly spontaneously appearing on him. I wonder if this is a case of "Fun With Dermatographic Urticaria". 68.83.179.156 (talk) 17:44, 23 October 2009 (UTC)
 * See, , etc. 68.83.179.156 (talk) 17:46, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

→Please note, all NonWikipedians: The Talk page is not a forum! Talk is for Wikipedians to discuss the article, not the   subject of the article. Further note that what we call "Original research" is strictly forbidden. You can look up "OR" in Wikipedia to find out what it is.--75.164.155.194 (talk) 00:05, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

Alternative Medicine for Dermatographic urticaria
I have dermatographic urticaria since 14 years. No doctors ever found out the reason, I'm not allergic to anything, I had helicobacter pylori but it was cured and I still have urticaria. It is definetly affected by stress but stress itself is not the cause. But because of the county I live in and a lot of negative experiences with pharmaceutical, I tried lots of alternative medicines. One particular worked, not as a cure but as a possibility to reduce stress and as a help to relax. The problem is that it is not legal in every country. I'm speaking about medicinal marijuana. I am aware that it's use and healing power are highly debatable but as for me and lots of other people it's a safe alternative to pharmaceutical medicine because of the way medicinal cannabis works. As such I think it's worth mentioning.

(I'm sorry for any misspelling! English isn't my native language but I still want to contribute somethink to this wonderfull site!)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by KingKuma42 (talk • contribs) 12:24, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Wow
I have had this medical problem since I was born, never went away, never got better. I spent the first many years of my life in and out of hospitals because I was very sick. I had tubes in my ears many times. My parents were told that I would grow out of it, my skin would toughen up. Ya, never happened. Not only do I have dermatographic urticaria but my skin is just plain sensitive to everything. I have had my bowels cleaned out, no change. I read the comments on this page and was amazed that people are out there who weren't born with this and developed the medical condition. I would love to know what it's like to have an itch and not turn into a huge red raised welt. Oct 15,2011 11:06pm — Preceding unsigned comment added by Einlia (talk • contribs) 03:07, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

For me, I remember very little symptoms before I was age 11 or so. It got progressively worse as I grew up and became adult weight. Being a 110lb boy, not needing to take medicine to go play on the bike, yeah, it was heaven. The little things that others take for granted... Remember to take antihistamines especially Fexofenadine if you aren't. Still turn into a red raised welt but its not as pronounced or painful at least...  Also to others make sure to minimize your body weight because drugs like antihistamines are less effective the more you weigh... I can manage my urticaria pretty well around 150-170lbs bodyweight but when I shot up to 200-260lbs as a high school weightlifter it was hell and I had to drop that weight very fast because of how painful it was due to the Dermatographia. 141.233.112.233 (talk) 01:13, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

1 image just as good as 3?
As far as I can see the image already in the infobox gives best clinical appearance since it is well lit, the other 2 images are inferior/not needed. I especially think we should scrap the "wikipedia" written on arm image, it is unprofessional and is not encyclopedic. Lesion ( talk ) 18:21, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

What helps my condition.
What really helps me is Cetirizine (Zyrtec). I take one pill a day and it never bothers me. I developed the disease about four years ago and it has plagued me until the present. It is very uncomfortable and drives me insane if i don't take my medicine. The sensation that i get is almost like i have something tickling me. I go and rub the area lightly. This is the start to the process. after the initial rub of the area it begins to itch. i scratch the area and then the hives come along and get very big sometimes big enough to keep me out of public. usually the area that the process starts in is the head. the next spot would be the genital area. although the reaction can start in many places these are the most prevalent. Once I start scratching it moves all over my body. I can brush up against something and it will start the reaction. I have bite my tongue and it has had a burning sensation and swells, the same thing can happen to my gums when I brush my teeth. I have even coughed very hard and could feel the situation inside my body. It can be terrible at times, bt i have to keep up with me medicines and make sure i'm careful if i don't. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.247.140.18 (talk) 18:00, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Antihistamines help, but may result in other issues.
I agree with the previous post that antihistamines seem to help, but after (very) long-term use, other issues developed, such as weakened tendons, ligaments. Please take this with a grain-of-salt, as I have no proof, but shoulder and ankle problems developed and have not returned after discontinued use. I developed dermographism around age 25 (22 years ago). It was also accompanied by asthma, which I had never had before. I also experience swelling of joints at the onset of activity, and now have arthritis. Thus, I believe that the dermographism is only the outward sign, and that ALL tissue is affected. This seems obvious; why would it be only restricted to histamine responses in the skin? For me, I believe it is due to either MSG, or some other food ingredient. Eventually, we will find the answer, but for now, treating the symptoms is not a cure.

Hi. I do not believe the arthritis is related to the dermatographia. It may be related to the asthma, I know Laurie Love has aspbergers, asthma, and eczema. I believe these conditions are located on the chromosome loci together. At the very least asthma and eczema. They seem very common together. 104.231.250.148 (talk) 20:54, 21 June 2018 (UTC)

Signs and symptoms
"This weak membrane "

Which membrane? There is no prior reference to a membrane in the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.134.137.75 (talk) 22:23, 15 July 2016 (UTC)
 * This is because someone deleted the prior paragraph in one of the latest edits for whatever reason. This should be fixed.--Sylvia Anna (talk) 15:13, 30 September 2016 (UTC)

For me, this is not a "skin" disorder. It is a histamine response disorder. Yes, I get the wheals on my skin, but I also have asthma, especially after coughing or breathing heavy during exercise. I also have swelling of the joints when exerting myself. I have learned to do a little warm up, and then wait about 15-30 minutes for the histamine swelling to subside, before any vigorous exercise. And best to take an antihistamine an hour or so beforehand. My main concern is the complications of repeated inflammation as I get older. Want others to understand the risk. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.215.51.20 (talk) 03:41, 29 January 2022 (UTC)

2-5%??
I clearly remember having this condition for all of my life and drawing things on my arms for fun from a young age (even though it did burn pretty badly afterwards). Until someone asked me if my legs were alright when I was wearing shorts and my legs were covered in scratches, I thought this was what everyone experienced after scratching themselves and that it was normal. I wonder if the proportion of those affected by dematographism is much higher than 2-5% but people are not aware that this is a condition, especially if the welts are not painful. Even when it hurt me in my case I still didn't get a doctor to look at it until I was 15. In more minor cases, why would people go to a doctor? Serafinowicz (talk) 11:19, 7 August 2023 (UTC)