Urticaria On antihistamines?: Antihistamine is not an answer to Chronic Urticaria

by Dr Rajesh Shah, MD

If you suffer from Chronic urticaria (frequent bouts of urticarial rash), your dermatologist is likely to put you on daily dose of medicine called as antihistamines. Antihistamines are the drugs which block the action of histamine. Histamine is the substance which produces rash and itching. When antihistamine is ingested it inhibits the action of histamine, in turn relieving skin rash and itching. However, it is important to understand that histamine is released as a result of the allergic process, which is immunologically mediated. The immunological reaction to an allergen is the cause for the urticarial rash and itching. Histamine release is not the ultimate cause for urticaria. Histamine release is just the result of the allergic process. That means, by nullifying the effects of histamine by using the antihistamine, you are treating the effects of the disease and not the cause of the disease!

Use of antihistamine for an occasional urticarial rash may be justified. However, if one keeps using antihistamine for months and years together, such a method of prescribing should be considered as very superficial, unwise and symptomatic.

In my global practice, I come across cases of chronic urticaria every single day. Most of them approach me for homeopathic treatment after taking antihistamine for several years. The sad state of affairs is that even after taking antihistamine for five years, the patients are unable to stop it for even five days. Soon on stopping the antihistamine, the rash and itching resurface in no time, suggesting superficiality of the treatment. Prolonged use of antihistaminic is habit forming.

Chronic urticaria calls for much deeper approach while eliminating the urticaria from its roots. Fortunately, such a treatment is available with homeopathy. The homeopathic treatment is able to address the allergic process at the immunological level, whereby the homeopathic medicine does work as 'antihistaminic' but it treats the hypersensitive allergic state of the patient. Homeopathy offers deeper acting and non-habit forming solution for chronic urticaria.