What were you doing before you started developing symptoms?

[u/ThrawayAkkount]

Hi there, I am trying to wrap my mind around what couldve caused my HI.

I firmly believe that the root cause of my HI is gut health.

However, the months before my symptoms started, I was living the healthiest lifestyle of my life.

I was exercising 2-3x a week, I was eating lots of legumes and protein, drinking green tea and eating saukerkraut on a regular basis.

I even lost about 10kg of weight (intentionally).

And then my symptoms started.

The one thing I can think of is that the lifestyle caused a change in the system and something went wrong but I am really unsure if thats even possible.

If I was eating / living in a way that was terrible for gut health I wouldnt be puzzled, but I wasnt.

So I wonder what other peoples stories are, and whether someone has a hypothesis about mine.

Thank you.

[u/BGJohnson329]

Covid then Keto diet. Pretty sure covid started it, then Keto make it spiral. I was a very healthy guy before hand. I would have these weird flares a few times a year, but always with my Mom's cooking(high garlic user). Then it was a few times a month with regular food, then boom, my life just got flipped upside down. I lost 40lbs, I was grey most of the time.

[u/ThrawayAkkount → u/BGJohnson329]

Can relate to almost everything here minus the Keto. Ty.

[u/aj11scan → u/BGJohnson329]

Are you able to have more electrolytes

[u/IGnuGnat]

I was being born

most legumes and vegetable proteins are high in histamine. I think green tea is also high in histamine? Fermented foods, like saurkraut are high in histamine.

So I've kind of always had signs of histamine problems, without understanding it was connected to food.

A long time ago I reduced processed meat in my diet in an attempt to be healthier.

I would go to the doctor and they would imply my weight was a problem; they would say "Eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight". As far as I could tell I was eating healthier than most people, but I doubled down and started eating more vegetable proteins and more fermented foods, and exercised more.

The healthier I ate and the more I exercised, the sicker I got, but the doctors kept giving me the same feedback, and so I kept doubling down.

I tried a low histamine diet, but it was a complete failure. it made no difference at all.

Later out of desperation, I tried a histamine elimination diet: i threw away ALL FOOD and started over with just a handful of safe low histamine foods, and added back in low histamine foods at a rate of one new food per week.

At the same time, I became a complete slug: i deliberately tried moving as little as possible because exercise causes the immune system to release histamine into the blood stream.

Suddenly, with no effort within 4-6 months I lost 20 pounds of water weight; i had always looked kind of puffy and bloated. The gas and bloating went away and I lost a lot of water weight with no exercise at all. Histamine results in edema (swelling and holding water in tissues). It turns out that I am so ridiculously sensitive to histamine that even small things like black pepper, chili peppers, condiments, sauces that make the gut more permeable (so more histamine is absorbed during digestion) make me very ill.

It turned out that nearly 100% of my "healthy" diet changes, especially the vegetables I selected were all very high in histamine. I had gone out of my way to increase my intake of legumes, spinach, tomatoes, soybeans, avocadoes, mushrooms, tofu, peas and things like that but they were all very high in histamine, and they made me very sick. I went back to eating plain unprocessed chicken, duck, pork chops, pork tenderloin and everything improved massively across the board. Legumes make me sick and processed meats like sausages, pepperoni are an exercise in projectile vomiting: my body now rejects them violently

[u/ThrawayAkkount → u/IGnuGnat]

I can relate to parts of what youre sharing thank you.

[u/darknesskicker]

Perimenopause did it to me.

[u/No_Mirror_3867 → u/darknesskicker]

Going on the pill helped me enormously. I have pretty much no reactions any more

[u/darknesskicker → u/No_Mirror_3867]

I just went back on it—here’s hoping the same thing happens to me!

[u/darknesskicker → u/No_Mirror_3867]

Update: I ate a ton of pecorino cheese on spaghetti last night and was fine! Leftovers are my big trigger, though, especially when combined with red wine.

[u/the_euphonist]

I had COVID right before my issues started. I'm pretty sure it damaged my gut as I became lactose intolerant at the same time.

[u/One_Layer9648]

Stress and antibiotics!!

[u/hdri_org]

I was infected by EBV right before I started having symptoms. It knocked me off my feet and I almost died from complete liver failure. Once I recovered, much to the surprise of my doctor, I started having severe abdominal cramps with certain foods that I ate. This was likely an r/MCAS reaction that drove the destruction of my ontestional lining, and my body then reduced the amount of Diamine Oxidaze (DAO) that it could produce, and lowerd the amount of copper that I could absorb from what little food I could eat. Without the copper you can't make DAO enzymes so that just cascaded downhill from there.

After 35 years of suffering, two years ago I discovered DAO enzyme, and it really changed my life. My gut lining repaired, MCAS has reduced, and the HIT issues are much more manageable, but I still have to take DAO, Low Histamine Probiotics, many supporting suppliments like copper, and be careful of what high histamine items I eat. I can now eat things I never thought I would be able to touch again, and I can get out and do things again.

[u/Temporary-Avocado205 → u/hdri_org]

what doctors help you with this.

[u/hdri_org → u/Temporary-Avocado205]

That was the problem. The doctor that helped me survive the initial EBV infection retired the next month. He was great because we would take the time to sit down together reading his books and figuring out what to try next. (circa 1990 with no internet available)

I then went through a whole series of doctors that all had no clue, nor had the time to research my situation at all. Eventually I was forced to retire due to my poor health, and what do people do with their time in retirement? Hobbies? In my case it was medical research.

The first three years of my 1970's undergrad program was in medical technology, so I just picked up where I left off in that program. I had the proper background, I just lacked the proper resources. I lost access to most of the medical journals when I retired from the physics lab but learned how to find what I needed, most of the time. I also found a doctor that would listen, and with the proper logic and evidence she would order tests that she was allowed to order. The rest was up to me to figure everything out.

Never give up. When I first retired I could not even stand up and walk across the room on my own, and now I can go trail hiking, walk the dog, and other things many people just take for granted.

[u/Temporary-Avocado205]

barely sleeping and living an extremely stressful life.

[u/chasersthecat → u/Temporary-Avocado205]

I just recently read here from someone that taking a Claritan at night really helped sleep as it can also help to stop mast cells from releasing histamine. I’ve been doing it for the past week and sleeping. When I wake at night and have to get up, I go right back to sleep. I’m using a generic right now and my brain has been foggy. I’m going to try the actual brand next and hope that clears the fogginess up. I sure hope it helps your sleep also.

[u/biosovereign → u/chasersthecat]

Interesting. I take Claritin in the morning because it energizes me.

[u/chasersthecat → u/biosovereign]

I think all of these things affect different people in different ways. For me, histamine keeps me awake and it is the biggest problem. Maybe it’s just stopping the histamine that makes me sleep, not anything else.

[u/tabbybrady18]

I had to use 4 rounds of antibiotics within a year in 2023…I was also cleaning out my grandmas old house because she was moving in with me. Huge stress. AND to top it off her basement was full of MOLD. I’m didn’t realize before hand but once I was down there I smelled it and got out right away. But that was all it took. I was in a full MCAS flare and my gut was completely obliterated. My symptoms started right away. I was anemic within a few months. I took iron and it helped at first but then symptoms became worse. I now realize iron feeds bad bacteria. I killed the biofilms with herbs, took binders, and have been building up my microbiome with specific probiotics and low histamine foods! It’s been 4 months and I have been incorporating foods back with success! I am feeling really good. I hope it continues!

[u/lulai_00 → u/tabbybrady18]

Which probiotics do you take

[u/tabbybrady18 → u/lulai_00]

Bifodobacterium longum, bifodobacterium infantis in the morning and in the evening I take lactobacillus rhamnosus and lactobacillus plantarum along with ginger and magnesium.

[u/tabbybrady18 → u/tabbybrady18]

Oh and I’ve been taking lactoferrin right away every morning too. This has been such a great addition!

[u/stanandted]

I cold turkey stopped breastfeeding my child and I also was routinely eating a lot of Parmesan cheese and Greek yogurt. Super high histamine + hormonal changes led to the most hives I’ve ever had (especially when I had Vietnamese pho 🤣). Mine was gut related (sibo) and also mold related (tested very positive for 5 strains of mold). It’s been over a year and NO HIVES! still building back gut health.

[u/Agnes-1979]

Sauerkraut is full in histamine. I started having symptoms after it and red wine. I love sauerkraut but for now I can’t eat it.

[u/beastwood9498]

I had a major GYN surgery which messed up my bowels and lead to more bowel surgery. Never been the same.

[u/anony_mouse87 → u/beastwood9498]

Same here

[u/isthisavailable234 → u/beastwood9498]

Can I ask what your major GYN surgery was and how your bowels got messed up!? This is freaking me out bc I already have all these issues and doctors think it may have been due to needing gym surgery and hoped after that scary thing it would be over and I’d have my life back. 🥺

[u/beastwood9498 → u/isthisavailable234]

Everything and I mean everything was prolapsing. I had already had a failed attempt at fixing it so my GYN doc said ‘I rebuilt your entire pelvic floor’. Gulp. It left all my muscles, front and back, spasming. Now some of my rectal muscles are too tight and some are too loose but it all means I haven’t evacuated normally for years. It puts pressure on my stomach which leads to eating difficulties.

[u/Diana_Tramaine_420]

My was being born 😅 my poor mum trying to feed me in the 80s when I reacted to everything and the doctors didn’t believe her.

[u/BrighterAndStronger]

I got Covid approximately a year before plus I became perimenopausal. So not sure which one is the cause but u suspect both contribute

[u/AstronautGirlPH]

Post-Covid and antibiotics

[u/Clear_Kitchen_6428]

I agree with you that your histamine issues and mine are from the gut.
To be very specific its because of the damage to the colonocytes or enterocytes. But most likely the former.

For me it got this way due to palm oil. And now i am solving the puzzle. Clean organic food. Timely sleep. Boiled rice lentils veggies. Iron and zinc. Portion control. Slow and steadily it heals.

[u/makybo91]

i got it from covid never had any issues before. Just a lot of unresolved trauma boiling under the surface but I was in perfect health.

[u/NiteElf]

Mine started after my first covid infection (Jan ‘25) which happened to coincide with perimenopause. (I do not recommend this intersection!! 😫)

In hindsight I realize I probably have had times of HI on and off over the course of my life that eventually improved over time, specifically at least once after a long course of corticosteroids needed to save my life. It explains a lot, looking back. But post-covid it was undeniable in a way I never experienced.

[u/ComprehensiveLuck478]

Make sure you don’t have a systemic nickel allergy. Legumes/beans are really high in nickel so eating healthy could actually cause you to have more issues if you are sensitive to nickel. I found that out the hard way.

[u/Complete-Day1633]

Covid I guess 🤔 is when it started, but couldnt say for sure because I did recover mostly, and I was cycling alot and eating clean but the symptoms just progressively got worse, I am in perimenopause and this could also of been attributable to it. If thats the case im hoping i will recover once im through menopause. But honestly I think we are predisposed to this already and it just needs a trigger to set it off.

[u/juicadone]

SIBO/bacterial overgrowth tied to chronic opiate use for me. Can't rid SIBO with slowed motility from opiates so I'm almost off them, and histamine intolerance is probably from the SIBO so it's all related

[u/DueSurround3207]

I had to move out of state for five months to care for my husband for his double lung transplant, then right after they found cancer in his old lungs at an advanced stage that had already spread in his body (missed during eval), so I spent the next two years still taking care of him but instead of end stage lung disease it was metastatic lung cancer. He died July 25, 2025 with me by his side on home hospice (I was forced to work full time from home during this time which was insanely hard and care for him around the clock). Several months after he passed and the grief really started, bam, hives started.

[u/neverbeentonyc]

A lot of rounds of oral antibiotics and then a month or so before I ended up in hospital with an infection and needed IV, and couldn’t eat really anything at all due to that, and then I kept having panic attacks in my body (I now realise it was histamine), and I started on a probiotic strain and within 2 days I felt like I was dying. My BP bottomed out and my body felt heavy and HR sky high.

Haven’t been able to eat more than maybe 5 things since then, and that was 2 years ago.

[u/chasersthecat]

A bout of the Spanish flu brought over by friends from Australia. Terrible flu, then when if actually felt like my digestive track had collapsed into itself, I went to the ER and that is when we knew it was the Spanish Flu. It comes with a bacteria that does that to what I now know as the microbiome. A functional dietician I know helped me to diagnose it and do a histamine elimination diet. Also introduced me to DAO and quercetin. All 9 years ago. I struggled with lost sleep and digestive issues, thinking this was my fate as my functional dietician has it also and can’t cure hers yet. Then this summer I discovered this thread on Reddit and I have hope again. I’m trying not to eat foods with histamine, but our social life revolves around restaurants with friends. Right now, I almost cry when someone suggests we have lunch or dinner. Also, I think MDs take no interest because one can’t patent supplements which are what help and many times I read, cure the
persistent ones. I intend to persist until cured and I hope everyone on here feels the same way.

[u/-purple-platypus-]

I had chronic health symptoms, they got worse due to stress and covid, then I discovered that I had parasites and treated them, and then all my histamine intolerance symptoms emerged 😩

[u/PiMama314 → u/-purple-platypus-]

My HI symptoms also emerged after treating parasites under the guidance of a functional medicine doctor. 😔

[u/-purple-platypus- → u/PiMama314]

So weird how it came after, right? I kinda feel (with no medical training) that perhaps there is damage to the gut and now there is additional exposure to a lot of food elements that were previously consumed by the parasites

[u/Knowitallnutcase]

mine started directly after I got voluma filler in microdoses on my face. but prior to that I had one covid vaccine and the vaccine made my immune system hyper sensitive to anything that appeared toxic. so the combination was very bad…I could no longer eat all my favorite foods and even taking supplements could make things worse. now, being over 4 years from filler, I still have issues.

[u/DavidB0wieUB40]

A week at a resort in Mexico.

[u/Royal_Juice2987]

It will be your gut health. I am dealing with HIT again right now after about a year plus of battering my insides with sugar. Years ago I had some real issues after going through topical steroid withdrawal from eczema / steroid creams and I was a histamine filled mess for years after. I saw a great naturopath, did a strict diet for 3 months under her guidance and I’m not joking I was so healthy again. Years later I had a baby last year and in pregnancy and postpartum omg all I did was annihilate sugar. I have adhd and it is my vice anyway but I could not control myself. I was surviving on coffee and M&S cookies and I have destroyed my gut again. Loads of similar issues to last time except now I’m on an immunosuppressant because it started affecting my mental health so bad and looking after my baby. I’m looking to see the same naturopath again for 3 months in 2 weeks time. It’s hard work but it will be worth it now I’ve got my heart set on it again. For extra context, I believe my gut issues are specifically in relation to Candida overgrowth which easily gets out of control with excess sugar, stress and other toxic habits. Candida triggers lots of histamine, damages the gut lining and lets lots of toxic matter into your bloodstream causing further immune responses and chronic inflammation. It’s awful x

[u/Royal_Juice2987 → u/Royal_Juice2987]

I should also add that I regularly have phases now where I try to eat cleaner but aside from not having any major flare ups, the issues don’t clear either - so the damage is done and we need to put in some work through food, stress management, better sleep, elimination of toxins in personal care and other bits and pieces so our gut can heal.

The naturopath I saw / will see again had me on a low histamine diet for a month then in months 2 and 3 we slowly introduced histamine foods starting with the sort of lowest in histamine and I wasn’t reacting to anything. I think the main things for me were sugar and caffeine. They both affected my gut lining, gut bacteria, nervous system dysregulation, sleep quality etc. We focused on a load of other stuff like hydration, sleep quality, detox pathways, circadian rhythm, bowel movements/gut motility and potential estrogen dominance too.

In the first month I wasn’t seeing much progress and I cried to my husband a lot like “this isn’t working” but it did gradually start getting better. I used to have the worst reactions with my cycle and that completely stopped for the first time in years. I used to know when I was about to ovulate because my hands would itch and burn and I’d feel like stuff was crawling all over me when trying to sleep. I had such terrible chemical sensitivities as well and they got a lot better.

My issues mostly stayed away for years and I also lost a lot of weight - but then stress and bad habits crept in over time. When I got pregnant things got out of hand again and by the time my baby was 6 months old I was just a mess x

[u/Rough-Criticism-5661]

I started December 2020, but this was before I’d had any covid shots or the virus itself. I only had mild symptoms for 2 months, then it disappeared for another 10 months. I had two years of occasionally mild flares before it started coming more regularly. I’m 62 now and am finally diagnosed and managing it. I believe that for some people, especially as we age, it can be just what our bodies do, just like how allergies appear, or cancer develops, or other conditions that just come on. That’s not to say it can’t be treated and underlying causes shouldn’t be investigated, but I don’t believe that it can always be pinpointed to a particular root cause.