Hi! Suggestions: go get the brand Zyrtec (no generics) and also buy some regular 180 mg Allegra and some 150 mg Zantac (if you have any GI symptoms at all). Right now you apparently do ok with the Zyrtec. You want to be taking the antihistamines twice a day, morning and evening. I take Zantac and Allegra in the morning and Zantac and Zyrtec at 4pm every day. It has helped me immensely. You could easily try adding one of the new meds I mentioned and try that for a few days. If all is well (which it should be), then add the other one in.

You might find that these basic meds help you tremendously as well! I suggest that you also read the "Start here" category for other tips I have posted.

Hi diamorrow!  Glad you found this site--it is what helped me the most as well.  My reactions started at a very stressful time in my life as well, but I had a lot of stress before that too, so who knows?  I was just wondering what b/p med you are on?  I have heart rhythm issues as well, diagnosed with PSVT (very fast heart rate at times).  I tried a beta-blocker and it made me worse.  I now know antihistamines help my heart rate stabilize, so if it's going crazy, a little Benadryl helps me.  I hope you get a lot of your questions answered here and I hope you are feeling good!   --Sarah

Hi diamorrow,

Welcome to the forum and so sorry to hear you've been suffering.  If you have a mast cell activation problem, being on a regular regimen of H1 and H2 antihistamines should alleviate many of your symptoms.  

There are other meds you can add to address any that the antihistamines aren't covering.  It's pretty much trial and error to get the meds right, both when to take it and how much.

You indicated your prostaglandins were high, so you might want to try taking something to inhibit those.  That would be aspirin or ibuprofen, if you can take one of those without reacting.  If you're allergic to salicylates, then Tylenol might be a better choice.  I have had really good luck with Tylenol for that.  I don't take it regularly, but as soon as I start to feel hot or flushing, I take Benadryl, Pepcid or Zantac, , 1/2 an Ativan, and a Tylenol.  That seems to be a good combination for me.  Tylenol can be dangerous for the liver if taken in high doses or with alcohol, so be sure to be careful not to take too much.

The prickly feeling on your skin is not uncommon in mast cell patients.  The meds will be helpful, but so might adding magnesium to your diet or magnesium salts (Epsom salts) to a soaking bath or foot bath (Soak around 20 minutes in it.)  

Of course before you change or add meds, do run it by your doctor, since you're on prescriptions, too.

If you've had anaphylaxis, it's best not to take beta blockers unless absolutely necessary.  You may find, as mentioned by sarahkay, that the other meds resolve the rapid heart rate problem.  If I'm having a real problem, sometimes I'll take Ativan to calm everything down.

Most people would say that stress is their number one trigger, but foods and environmental triggers are also very common.  Some people start with a low histamine or other elimination diet to figure out what foods are contributing to the reactions.  Doing that for 2-4 weeks and then adding foods back in one at a time, every 2-3 days, will make clear what, if any, foods are causing trouble for you.

Since you're close to the east coast, you can go to see either Dr. Cem Akin or Dr. Marianna Castells at Brigham and Womens hospital in Boston.  They are top experts in mast cell disorders. Another expert is Dr. Lawrence Afrin at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, I believe.  Any of those doctors would be of great help to get you a true diagnosis and treatment plan.  I went 16 years without a diagnosis, so believe me when I say it's worth the effort and money to travel to see someone who knows a lot about this.  Good Luck!  Let us know how you're doing!