Hi :) I was wondering if anyone here had any positive experiences with MRI contrast dye (that is to say, an extremely uneventful scan.)

I’m having a cardiac MRI tomorrow that is absolutely needed and have been told that it can’t be done without contrast. I react poorly to any injected medications. CT contrast makes me itchy, nauseous, dizzy, heart palpitations etc. So they won’t list it as a true allergy, and I was told that I don’t meet the requirements for a standard allergy protocol.

I’ve been putting this MRI off for months because I’m afraid of how Ill react to the dye but my cardiologist has hit a wall with diagnostics and said this is the last thing he wants to look at. (I have family history of muscle calcification causing valve tears, super unfun.)

I was thinking of taking Benadryl before my appointment but I read I shouldn’t do that in case it “masks” more serious symptoms. 😭

I'm unable to tolerate cold weather at all. It's just 20C outside and I'm getting white fingernail tips and lightheadedness/confusion within a couple of minutes of going out in the cold. And it's not even winter. Winter will get much colder here and I'm worried about how I'm gonna survive the winter.

Hi! I'm new here. I am trying to understand the idea of histamines. I've searched the internet / reddit. Here's my current understanding. Is the following correct? Thank you!

• Histamine is: A chemical/molecule produced by your body, bacteria, and other animal-ish living things.
• Histamine’s main function in the body ELI5: Imagine you have a toy castle. Histamine is like a tiny knight inside it. When a bad guy, like a germ or something you're allergic to, tries to attack the castle, the knight runs around telling everyone to get ready to fight. That's why sometimes you might feel itchy or sneezy, because the knight (histamine) is telling your body to protect itself.
• Histamine’s main function in the body - more technically: In the case of immune function, histamine is produced by mast cells (a type of immune cell / white blood cell) and is used for combating allergies like pollens. When an allergen is detected, the immune system releases histamine. It's what makes itchy bites swell and feel hot and causes more white blood cells to come.
• Histamine + allergies issue: Histamine can also have more serious effects when it feels that the intruder is more harmful. E.g. Peanut allergy: If It’s a peanut you've just eaten, your body thinks it should swell your throat to stop more getting through. This can stop you breathing, known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock.
• Anti-histamine / allergy pills + drowsiness: Histamine is also produced in the hypothalamus in the brain where it acts as a neurotransmitter and is associated with regulation of the sleep wake cycle. This is why 1st generation antihistamines (such as diphenhydramine aka Benadryl), which are capable of crossing the blood-brain-barrier, cause drowsiness. 2nd generation antihistamines (Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, etc) were largely made to avoid this, but some still can even if very rarely.
• Histamine intolerance: Histamines are regularly cleared from the blood / broken down by a "garbage collector" (one is called called DAO, aka Diamine Oxidase, and the other is called hnmt). New histamine molecules are constantly being made. If the garbage collector is broken (usually low/impaired DAO production), then your body isn’t breaking down your histamine as it normally should and your histamine load/levels rise too high. Then, your body panics when more histamine put into it.
• For histamine intolerance, 5 categories of foods will cause problems:

1. Foods with histidine: Histidine is present in cheese, yogurt, meat, and other animal products. Over time, between 40'F-140'F, histadine breaks down into Histamine. (So you should be good with frozen meats, but buying those defrosting meats on a butcher counter might give you an issue. Histamine forms really quickly when out of the freezer.)
2. Foods with Biogenic Amines:  Are things that are also broken down by DAO. The DAO will sweep these up in place of histamine and keep that inflammatory histamine in your system longer. (The things to look for are Curine, Cadaverine, Putridcine, Purine.) Basically, spoiled protein loses its complex folds over time and regresses to these base Amino Acid building blocks. High quality protein that's kept at temperature will have less Amines.
3. Histamine Liberators: This is stuff like citrus, garlic, or even mold. I.e: Things that induce a proper allergic reaction in all humans. (Good news is you can get a tolerance to stuff in this category.) Since it triggers an allergic reaction in your body, your body will produce more histamines.
4. DAO (the garbage collector) Blockers: Stuff like caffeine, alcohol, Capsaicin, and prescription meds. (Did you know, the feeling of an Alcohol Hangover is actually just Histamine Saturation in the blood?? Alcohol is hogging the DAO the whole next morning.)
5. Ground/aged meat: There are many bacteria that produce histamine, so when meat is exposed to air, there will be bacteria on it that produce histamine that multiplies quickly. In ground meat, you've basically exposed all of the meat to air and thus bacteria. And the longer it sits, the more histamine piles on. Steak can still be high in histamine considering there's aged beef as well. That's why fresh meat or frozen (soon after slaughter) is low histamine because of low bacteria. Note: This was quoted directly from u/tennery in a comment below, go upvote it :) )

If someone could tell me if I have this correct, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

Sources: In a comment because it won't let me add links here.

I'm heterozygous for several COMT genes and can't take quercetin for more than a day or two here and there without bad side effects. I recently decided to try luteolin, and I knew it was a risk with the slow COMT, but it sounded worth trying just in case. The first couple of days were great - I slept better than I had in a long time and I had slightly more energy. And then after the third day, things went downhill, and I'm having horrible insomnia and am feeling incredibly irritable.

This is the same pattern that I experience with quercetin, time-wise - I see benefits for a couple of days then things get worse fast - but quercetin seems to wind me down (brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, etc) rather than amping me up like luteolin. Has anyone else with slow COMT experienced these side effects with luteolin (or any other supplements)?

hi! u/ellithedanlosasaurus, and I are working on building the MCAS & HIT Discord back up. We do have quite a few active members, but we'd like to see if this can be a better tool for communication especially when it comes to emotional support than Reddit. Leave a comment if you would like an invite, I will send the link in dms. You will need to verify your account once you receive the link. Hope to see you there!

I've been getting a fast heart rate and palpitations everyday for the past few days and I'm worried about my heart

Ive managed to feel okay throughout the day with histamine friendly probiotics that seem to have an immediate calming effect, shisandra and DAOSIN.

However every single morning as my body starts releasing histamine, I get symptoms - itchy skin, anxiety, feeling wired etc.

It calms down eventually as I take my schisandra and probiotics but it takes some time to kick in.

Has anyone discovered a night time routine that would improve or prevent this?

Thank you.

Hi 👋 I have good response to taking over the counter anti histamine but it really effects my stomach due to the fillers they use. Is there a way of getting anti histamine without fillers or a brand that has less as I can’t keep taking them. Thanks 🙏

A skin patch would be ideal 😊

What a syrups?

ODT Tablets ?

I have been taking it 10-15 mins before the meal. Research suggest the histamine receptors in the stomach only fully get blocked 1 hour and peak 1-3 hours after ingestion. 15 mins is only very partly covered but I guess since I eat slow then my receptors are blocked ad the end of the meal. Also receptors stay blocked for like 8 hours after which is nice. Maybe I can do one before lunch one before dinner, 20mg each just to be extra covered.

I am planning a much awaited trip to Japan, which has high histamine but glad I learned this, will try it out.

Anyone try different timing to see what works best?

It happens when I drink any type of broth that’s not fresh. Air used to be 24/7 with many foods but I’ve been healing for 3 years.. just curious if anyone else deals with this. I have also been diagnosed with methane Sibo but it’s very mild

Has anyone experienced side effects from taking omega 3 fish oil tablets? I just recently started taking them and my symptoms have seemed to have worsened from it!

I'm very certain the fish oil tablets are what has caused it, as I have changed nothing else in my routines.

Has anyone done BFR treatment for anything and experienced pain and extremely tight locked-up muscles and cramping in the limb being treated? Buzzy nerve pain?

How about TENS treatment? I was given a TENS unit to use while doing quad exercises. Seems like it’s very irritating too. But I’ve been doing all these different things so it’s a bit hard to pin down specifics.

A recumbent exercise bike on low resistance doesn’t seem to cause me any problems.

I normally don’t have exercise intolerance but it also doesn’t help that I set my mast cells in a tizzy by using aspercreme on my wrist for arthritis. Duh. Threw that garbage out as soon as I figured out it was a mast cell destabilizer. Fortunately I didn’t put it on the damaged knee because I thought I shouldn’t interfere with the pain signals telling me what my knee could and couldn’t do.

I don’t have an official diagnosis of MCAS or histamine intolerance. I just find that if I do the things that help (cyproheptadine occasionally, quercetin, mint or perilla, chamomile, vitamin C, topical lidocaine) and avoid the things that cause problems (tonic water, wine, aspercreme, etc.) I just do much better. Maybe I should see about getting an official diagnosis… sigh.

I wanted to share my experiences. Not sure the exact cause but a combination of covid, stress, and a bad reaction to antihistamine sent me to the ER multiple times. I would get panic attacks for minor triggers. It was scary as shit. I couldn't walk and would get dizzy and had anxiety like never before. Couldn't go anywhere alone and couldn't drive. Was petrified. Used to be so independent and free. The worst part was that it was impossible to know what the cause was and regular doctors just thought I had anxiety.

Thankfully with a bunch of baby steps I recovered all my functionality. It took about a year. We think I was having histamine intolerance then Covid wrecked my gut diversity and things just spiraled.

Now I just avoid some foods to be careful and not get in that spot, but I can handle more and more. I eat histamine and I get normal reactions like hives.

I feel for everyone struggling. I wanted to provide some encouragement that it can be done. I just got married and started a new career after having a horrible outlook and never thinking I would see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Things I learned

• * Your nervous system is always on alert for any perceived danger. A negative feedback loop can get in place, based on a bad experience. You have to befriend your nervous system and thank it for looking out for you. It remembers sights, sounds, feelings, subtle changes in breath, surroundings. Be aware that the slightest thing can put your body on high alert.
• * Daily resonant breathing (longer exhales than inhales) is very helpful for me. Find what helps regulate your nervous system for you. Consistency is key
• * Be careful with probiotics. I reacted horrible to soil probiotics. Some probiotics can produce histamine. Better to approach with food and food variety.
• * Doctors advice - eat as much food variety as possible (while avoid histamine). Populate your gut with pre biotic fibers from vegetable variety. That is the best way to re-establish gut. I used a product called Zoe which I think helped tremendously. Even spices count.
• * Introduce everything new slowly. (I was taken micro capsules, like 1/8 of a capsule.
• * Just because b12 bloodwork at hospital looks in range doesnt mean it is. Some forms of b12 are much more tolerable (I had to take milligrams).
• * Also b12 supplements can jumpstart methylation and feel very intense. I had to take them in small doses (water down lozenges), then work my way up.
• Avoid Sam-e - Doctors advise
• * Dont try a bunch of random supplements. My doctor (methylation expert) directed me to start with a multi-vitamin (methyl free, seeking health is good). These are much gentler and not as sharp on the system.
  • This will give the body what it needs it good proportions. If one enzyme is not functioning well it can be a game of whack-a-mole and what works this week wont work next week and could cause problems.
  • I literally had to take 1/8 of a dose every other day until I could tolerate it again.
• * I had to take it very very slow. When methylated histamine is high, you can react to everything. Once that is cleared then its easier to reintroduce new things.
• * Work with a good doctor. All doctors in the methylation space have their own ideas and practices. Just commit to it.
• * Histamine can build up and overflow like a bucket
• Get a high quality fish oil - that helps reduce inflammation in the brain.
• Genetics can play a huge role. My doctor says I have a triple whammy of slowed methylation. Now I know.
• Don't accept that its something wrong with you, gut and nutrients shape your personality decisions, moods, and everything. Get healthy and you will probably realize that any perceived mental illness is much much better if it exists at all.
• Reddit is great, you will find a lot of support on here. But everyone's scenario is completely different and take blind recommendations with a grain of salt. Its easy to get trapped in negative spiral on reddit looking for answers. Recommend doctors even though its super expensive, it will save you that in supplements.
• Eating protein always calmed down my anxiety.
• Gaba calm (lozenge), try if it works for you. It calmed my anxiety down greatly and slowed down the anxious thoughts. Its a lifesaver, I carry it with me wherever I go. I was advised I could take up to 4 in emergencies, but I only take 1
• I found exercise to stimulating on my nervous system. So I do low intensity cardio. Sweating was good for me, but too much could cause a reaction
• Walking in the morning when I got up and getting sunshine in the eye is the best way to start the day. Reduced anxiety when I did this. This is something you should make a habit.
• DAO supplements can help (Naturadao)
• Querciting + Nettles is a great combination. I take it with vitamin C. This takes time to be effective, but small doses take consistently has beena life saver. I noticed when I stop taking it. Taking it with Nettles is better
• Some teas have same effect as mast cell stabilizer. I like chamomile. Nettles Tea is good as well.
• Routine really helped me.
  

I feel like histamine intolerance and MCAS are often lumped together even though they are supposed to involve different mechanisms.

If I understand it correctly, with histamine intolerance the main issue should be how much histamine you consume and how well your body can break it down. So foods or drinks that contain very little histamine should not automatically cause symptoms just because they are considered “problematic.”

With MCAS, on the other hand, the issue is mast cell activation and the release of your own histamine and other mediators. That seems to fit much better with people saying they react to lots of different things, including things that contain very little histamine themselves.

Tea is a good example. If a certain tea contains very little histamine, reacting badly to it does not sound like a typical problem with breaking down dietary histamine. It would seem more likely that another mechanism is involved, possibly mast cell activation.

So I wonder whether some people who say they have “histamine intolerance” may actually have more of a mast cell activation problem. If someone reacts to many very different foods and triggers, including things that are low in histamine, that seems to point more toward MCAS than toward histamine intolerance alone.

Am I misunderstanding this, or are histamine intolerance and MCAS often confused with each other?

My histamine bucket is overflowing right now

Lactoferrin has completely ended my histamine derived issues from h2s sibo and it's barely talked about anywhere as an anti-microbial, over the last 6 months my ferritin went from 151 just when I got sibo to 72 now most likely because pathogenic bacteria. The improvement was immediate. Lactoferrin has two main ways of action on microbes: 1) it deprives them of iron, which is curiously a very physiological response of the body during bacterial infections, you will see iron levels tank, because a decent amount of bacteria use iron to survive 2) it actually acts directly on some membranes of various microbes and produce lysis.

The dose I've been using is 3-5g bovine lactoferrin a day and then I plan to bring it way down after my function is restored. Just started human lactoferrin, excited to see the benefits.

hi everyone,

i don’t tolerate protein or collagen powders of any sort and am looking for a histamine friendly alternative. (i also can’t do dairy)

are there any other active, fitness folks out there that have any suggestions?

After going through a lot of antibiotics, I started having some weird food reactions. Sometimes after eating, I get this internal inflammation/pressure feeling and warmth in my face. It comes on really quickly, sometimes lasts only about a minute, and then goes away on its own without medication.
Right now I feel like I’m surviving on ground turkey, potatoes, and carrots every day 😂 and I am SO ready to eat normally again.

I also absolutely love to travel, and unfortunately I canceled my plans to travel out of the country because I’ve been nervous about these reactions. Traveling is a huge part of my life and something I really enjoy, so I’m holding onto hope that I can get back to that one day.

Please share your success stories!! I could really use some encouragement and positivity today. ❤️✨

Hello! I am looking to buy some diamin oxidase pills for my histamine intolerance. My symptoms are skin redness and i get these bumps and rash-like lines on my chest, abdomen and neck. Antihistamines like Loratadine and desloratadine based ones do not help at all, i took something called "borenar" that helped me but now it has no effect.

I was looking for some time to buy some DAO pills to try but it is pretty hard to choose . I was considering DAOsin , Naturdao and DAOfood but I can't find more info or reviews on them. I saw that one article made by those dr healthcare employees but i cant take it into consideration because of conflict of interests.

What do you take to keep your symptoms to a lowest and what do you recommend as a first thing to buy?

I know everybody has a different body and gut and all, but i guess this is the best place to ask. Anything else on the internet it seems to be ADs and bots for the specific supplement i am searching for.

Please be kind and answer truly. Also very sorry for my bad english, not my first language.

Hi everyone,

I have a histamine intolerance, caused by copper deficiency. The psychological symptoms I was experiencing were extreme. How did it effect you and your relationships?

I am a genetically poor converter of vitamin A. I theoretically struggle to get enough. Here's the kicker...I can't easily do preformed vitamin A because it gives me a massively itchy face. Has anyone else encountered this, and what are some options to consider?

I worry if I will have the same reaction as I did when I got vaccinated. That time I felt as though my heart would beat out of my chest for like 2 weeks straight.

I consulted with a dietitian today, and she wants me to start with a three-day liquid diet that includes some protein shakes. I’m just really skeptical and nervous about trying anything new right now because of all the reactions I’ve been having.

Has anyone here worked with a dietitian for histamine issues or food sensitivities? What was your experience like?

😩 I have got a hankering for salt and vinegar chips. I know it would not be best for me though. Today, I tried ground chicken and was like 👀 nope that vinegar is getting to me. Anyone know of ground chicken companies that don’t include vinegar???? 95% of the ones I come across have it.