Comments on: What Is Dermatographism: Writing on the Skin

By: terea

terea — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:08:37 +0000

I have been dealing with this since i was 21 i laughed at reading some of the comments because i thought i was the only one who struggles from the annoying problem it itches real bad with a burn i hate when the attack comes when im in a public setting. Then i have to tell people not to touch me far as my arms because that will set me off i take the zyrtec that’s the best thing to help me with this condition. really i wish it would just go away

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:09:40 +0000

I have had dermatographism since I was 12 years old. My doctor had prescribed me Allegra and it had worked for me. Bad part is, is that I have to take it daily to control the welts.

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:41:30 +0000

I am 39 and have had this problem for about 3-4 years now. I have often wondered why it started and what caused it, but it sounds like that is not known. When it is active, the skin on every part of my body is very sensitive to any type of pressure or scratching, and it becomes red and very itchy. When it is at its worst, walking barefoot will cause the bottom of my feet to itch, picking something up makes the palms of my hands itch, and eating anything semi-hard (it was Cheerios this morning) will cause my tongue, gums, and esophagus to itch. When I first brought it up to my doctor, he suggested Zyrtec (one 10mg pill per day). I tried it and it definitely helped, but did not take care of the symptoms entirely. He then suggested I try taking two Zyrtec per day, and that took away my symptoms entirely. If I run out of Zyrtec, symptoms come back full force within a couple days, but as long as I take it faithfully I am fine. The generic versions work as well as the name brand for me, and I can get a 45 day supply (90 tablets) from Wal-mart for about $28. I am always looking for a cheaper source. My doc mentioned I could get a bottle of 365 for about $15 from Cost-co, but there is not one near us.

By: theresa f.

theresa f. — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:31:27 +0000

Hi,
I am new to this,I have had this for 21 years.I dont have insurance and i barely make enough to survive on, so I havent gone to the doc to be diagnosed or treated.I actually never thought about this being unusual< I just assumed there was many people out there that there skin did that so I never thought about it twice, until i decided to look it about 5 min ago.I started going through this when I turned 11 and have had it ever since.My parents didnt have insurance either so here I am today lol.Anyway mine never ease up I have it daily 24 hours a day,I am always so itchy so I cant help but scratch, and so I always am red and have welts everywhere.I will have to most def. try the zyrtec and see if it helps.Thanks for someone suggesting that, i hope it helps, cause it is very emberassing having people always staring.

By: Zara

Zara — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:16:14 +0000

danielle if your stress level is up it could be contributing to your hives outbreaks. maybe you need to ask your doc for an antihistamine with a sedative in it just to get your stress under control. congrats on quitting! I quit smoking three months ago and this skin writing thing has gone mad out of control on me since about a month ago. I googled for help and other stories, and found you. There ya go..

By: danielle

danielle — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:34:16 +0000

I have dermatographism, & mine has also come in waves or “spells”.
I have the same feeling of beig bitten by fire ants when it is most extreme. I have found that ice helps a great deal to relieve the pain.
I was diagnosed with Lyme disease about 5 years ago, after being bitten by a tick about 12 years prior to the onset of my Lyme symptoms. Durring this time period, I experienced my first attack of dermatographism.
I am curious to know if anyone else has had a similar medical history.
Also, I am an avid marijuana smoker & I quit last year. Dermatographism started again almost immediately when I quit. I started again, it faded. I quit again, & it came back full force 3 days later. I am curious to know if this is affecting my dermatographism.

By: Teresa Graves

Teresa Graves — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:17:18 +0000

I have had dermatographism for about 5 years now, and the only medication that will virtually eliminate all symptoms is Zyrtec (or Zyrtec with the main ingredient, Cetirizine). I just take 10 mg a day, 1 pill, and I am symptom free. If I forget a day, I can definitely feel it coming back. My skin starts to burn and itch uncontrollably. Anyway, try that.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 25 May 2010 02:36:33 +0000

My symptoms can be so irritating and painful.Often, if in public it can be embarrassing.Raised welts on my face by a simple touch can look like some sort of skin disease. Lately, I have what I call a spell.It’s extreme itching as if there are a million fire ants biting me and I can’t stop. A cold shower seems to ease the pain a bit, but not for long.Elavil is the only medication that seems to ease the itching but the side effects from the medicine keep me from being productive for a day or so. I also had non-hodgekins disease five years ago and remember several attacks prior to my diagnosis. I have not had many spells since then until lately. I have no medical insurance and have no idea how to get any other treatment or medical advice.Sometimes it seems to happen when the eather changes a bit and right before bedtime. I will defanately try zyrtec.

By: Hector

Hector — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:11:33 +0000

My brother would write on his skin and it was so funny. But it did look like red welts and I think people thought that he may have gotten some home abuse. He took zyrtec for a while because of burning and itching symptoms.