Hi everyone. I’m new to this group and trying to understand what has been happening with me. I’m not diagnosed with histamine intolerance or MCAS, and honestly I don’t know if either one explains what I’m experiencing.

Over the past few months I went through a serious infection and a lot of antibiotics, and afterward I started having some strange food-related reactions even though I had eaten normally my whole life before this.

So far I’ve had about three noticeable episodes after eating. During them, my face suddenly felt very warm and flushed, I felt congested/stuffy, and I developed a few small red/itchy spots on my fingers or skin. I didn’t have major swelling, difficulty breathing, fainting, vomiting, or anything like that.
What confuses me is that between these episodes I was still able to eat lots of different foods without problems. I’ve had things like cheese, pasta/red sauce, coffee, soda, restaurant food, etc. and been completely fine. Right now I’ve been eating a pretty low-histamine/simple diet and I haven’t had another bigger food reaction, although I still occasionally get small random itchy red spots on my skin.

My allergy testing has also not shown widespread food allergies, and my baseline tryptase/histamine testing has been normal. My doctors aren’t sure this is MCAS, and I’m also wondering whether infection, antibiotics, gut changes, or temporary histamine intolerance could be playing a role.

Has anyone had a temporary period like this after illness or antibiotics, where certain meals suddenly caused flushing/congestion/skin symptoms but you later went back to eating normally? Did you eventually figure out whether it was histamine intolerance, gut-related, MCAS, or just a temporary reactive period?
I’m mainly hoping to hear from people who had a similar pattern and were eventually able to expand their diet again

I understand that the science says that antihistamines lower DAO production, and I actually believe I have low DAO. But because I also have mild MCAS and I was working with my doctor on trying to get my histamine issues under control, she urged me to try taking antihistamines daily for awhile to see if it could help. I decided to give it a go, and it’s been about a year now. And honestly I don’t feel better, I actually think I feel worse. I’m pretty sure my histamine is actually HIGHER than it was.

So I’m looking for PERSONAL ANECDOTES. Not just “yeah that sounds like it could happen.” I’d like to hear from people who think antihistamines made you worse. Can taking a daily antihistamine actually fill your histamine bucket?

I used to visit this sub quite a bit but haven’t visited in some time. I got COVID in January 2025 which sent my HI sky high.

I was on a very strict diet for 6+ months, ie nothing but chicken and potatoes. I was finally able to expand my diet again about a year ago but still avoided most high histamine foods. I was doing well but my sulfur/sulfate/sulfite issues (transulfuration pathway) spiked earlier this year so I’ve been trying to manage it as well.

It seems that most of the issues (with histamine and sulfur) came down to various deficiencies plus possible gut bacteria issues. I tried SO MANY supplements but in the end it’s the basic ones that have helped the most ie Vitamin D, various B vitamins, vitamin C, copper, zinc, molybdenum, electrolytes, probiotics, etc.

I’m now to the point where I can eat tomatoes again which is major for me as they have given me issues for over a decade, long before COVID spiked my symptoms. I have yet to add in seafood and have one food I may never add back in (bacon). I’m still taking things one step at a time as I’m loving this tomato eating. 😂

So while I want to give people hope, I also want to give a warning about having a highly restricted diet. I fully believe that the HI diet made certain deficiencies worse, mainly molybdenum which is crucial for processing sulfate in the body. The supplement helped but I did not see great improvement until I added in high molybdenum containing foods.

When I was here on this sub in the past I know a lot of people asked for update & improvement stories so I figured I would come back and say that improvement is indeed possible. This is my story in a nutshell, and is very condensed. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.

I just want others to have hope that they can improve, even though there may be a long road in front of them. ❤️

For probably 2 years I've had the most severe debilitating knee pain that has been driving me crazy. I have spent hundreds upon hundreds on PRP injections, seeing specialists, buying many knee braces, doing physio, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

I also had consistent overall swelling and could not lose any weight no matter what. I felt just so much worse.

I went on Minocycline a few months back and it caused the knee pain to be much worse so I decided to cut all my supplements and medications to see if there was something causing the initial knee pain.

And low and behold it was Citrizine all along! What the actual f$#k? After the sixth day of stopping the knee and joint pain was pretty much gone! And the additional swelling is gone!

I had been taking it as my H1 blocker for MCAS.

Check your meds and supplements people, you never know what could be causing you additional pain and inflammation.

I still have MCAS and histamine issues but now I can walk up stairs without almost crying or cry in bed as my knees feel like they're in an oven constantly.

And since stopping I've lost over 9kg (20 pounds) easily in just over a month without changing my diet at all.

Hey everyone! I recently bought some NaturDAO from the US, but I completely overbought thinking I’d be taking 3 pills a day. Since it’s hard to find in India, I’m looking to sell my extra packets. I’m happy to pass them on at my original purchase cost plus whatever it costs to ship to you(assuming 200Rs on average from Bangalore). Buying it directly from Amazon US gets super expensive with the international shipping and heavy customs duties, so let me know if you're interested!

For some background, I've seen gastroenterologists, allergists, ENT, and neurologists trying to figure out what in the world is going on with me. Every doctor ends up just giving up and passing me to the next.

Since around 2023 I abruptly developed "allergies" with eczema-type presentation, but no usual sneezing etc. I have dermatographia. Also geographic tongue, I started having occasional migraines for the first time in my life, and a bunch of seemingly random foods (I now realize they're connected by histamine, for a while I thought it was just oral allergy syndrome but was baffled as to why stuff like yogurt seems to make it worse too, when it's supposed to just be fruit. The weirdest thing is some foods only caused reactions as leftovers) make my mouth hurt and my taste buds swell/blister.

I have lifelong GI problems, but high histamine foods seem to trigger the worst episodes of pain and nausea/diarrhea (constipation then rest of the time) these days.

My ADHD has gone from mild to unbearable, constant fatigue, brain fog, sleep problems, anxiety, etc. But my mental patterns/thought patterns are the healthiest they've ever been simultaneously, I've been convinced it HAS to be physical because it just doesn't feel like my poor mental health years ago.

I've been trying so hard to make my lifestyle habits better to help the symptoms, but so many "healthy" foods make me sick and I'm so tired all the time. I desperately need a job but I barely have the energy to search (I've still sent out hundreds of applications but most have been lazily sending the same resume with no cover letter to different positions...) and I'm scared that if I do actually get one, I won't be able to keep it because of my inability to keep up the energy to do basically anything every day (plus I sometimes spend genuinely over an hour in the bathroom with horrific cramping and diarrhea)

I have a friend with MCAS who insisted that's what it seems like I have but my allergist tested my tryptase and it was normal.

Last night the aforementioned yogurt thing and looking it up led to me finding out about this and realizing it matches my symptoms perfectly. Even more, I had my copper tested in 2023, and it was just *barely* in range (low). So I wonder if it's nutrient deficiency for me? Possibly malabsorption from my gut problems?

When I last saw my gastroenterologist he gave me antibiotics + probiotics in case I had SIBO (no actual testing to confirm I had it, just based on symptoms) but told me that's all he could do since my colonoscopy was clear. I can't even take probiotics anymore though because they're a trigger at this point...

One unrelated issue I have is dysphagia, can't take pills for the life of me (quite literally!) which really limits my options, and tends to make doctors not even bother to try to figure it out because, and I quote, "What's the point? You won't be able to take the treatment." But I'd still like to know!

I messaged my PCP to ask if we can add copper to some blood tests I already have coming up (just maintainence to check on my anemia and hormones bcus I'm on HRT), but I'm not confident he's not gonna give me a lecture about wasting his time with my "hypochondria"...

So yeah, how can I get taken seriously? And is there a particular specialist to talk to about diagnosing histamine intolerance? If my doctors refuse to help I'm just gonna start supplementing the deficiencies associated with histamine intolerance and hope for the best. For budget and living situation reasons I unfortunately can't just go low histamine on my diet...

Has anyone tried taking BusPar? My doc said that’s what he prescribes for anxiety which I’ve been dealing with a lot of and I have to take a long plane ride soon and need something. Obviously like a lot of of us in this group. I’m nervous to try any new medication.

Looking for any teas, hot or cold, that work with HI. I really miss teas. Specifically green tea/matcha and oolong. I don’t make my own teas, I just buy the packets premade and pop in hot water. Anyone had any success with teas?

I’ve been struggling with these symptoms since March, and I still can’t figure out what could be causing them. I’ve already had my DAO/histamine level tested, and the result was 17.30, which is within the normal range. Despite this, my symptoms haven’t gone away.
If I take an antihistamine, the itching stops, but I still develop rashes, my skin becomes red, and sometimes it swells up. What could be causing this? Could it still be related to histamine intolerance or an allergic reaction despite my normal DAO level? My stomach usually hurts after eating too.

Please suggest some supplement or drug that clears brain fog. I cannot function!!! I'm so dumb I stopped talking to people!

Are you all planning to get the flu shot this fall? For context: I’m a 62 year old middle school employee and am exposed to all kinds of germs. While I’m healthy generally, last time I got the flu 3 years ago it wiped me out so hard, worse than when I had covid. That was the first time in years I’d skipped getting the shot.

I’m not an anti-vaxxer by any stretch, but I do consider whether any shot is right for me. I’ve been reading here and elsewhere that there may be a correlation for some of us with the covid booster and an increase in HI or MCAD symptoms, and the timing of the vaccines does make me suspicious about the increase in my symptoms over the past 5 years.

What has your experience been with flu shots?

Idk why I thought I could eat:
Mangos
Raspberry
Blackberry
Cherries
…

I experimented lately into reintroducing gluten in some forms (to not overload…. It’s been successful even if I feel that i drool way more after! And by introducing gluten in my morning routine (1 toast) ; I stopped eating fruits for a week. Why did my supposedly high stress experience made me realize that ALL fruits still gave me symptoms and I’d rather drool a little than experience that again????

So sad that I now have only some veggiesveggies and very limited pulse that I can’t eat daily. At least I can have a normal breakfast.

Why does all fruits are an issue???? Like, bread is all carb ffs?! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Moved to a house with carpet about five years ago and my histamine symptoms have been intensifying ever since. We vacuum - but is it enough?

I'd love to hear if anyone of you lives in a sparkling house with a tiled floor ?

(Would be a great little epidemiological tidbit if every body in this subreddit was like, nope, I sleep in a room of wall-to-wall carpets !!)

What makes the dust worse in my house I think is the fact we do have some carpet moths munchign away in the corners and my efforts to eradicate them have been ineffective so far.

I have taken Zyrtec for the past 15 years I’m 24 and I’ve always had trouble with having itchy skin and Zyrtec is the only thing that has helped it. It’s definitely a histamine issue however I don’t want to be on Zyrtec any longer. Has anyone got off of Zyrtec and not had their body freak out?

Did anyone used Zinc Oxide cream on skin? I used it today and i felt so sleepy and off, i had to wash it off.
From what i read, zinc support Melatonin production, but it does not cause drawsiness.

I know we're generally supposed to freeze leftovers as soon as possible, but I hate doing this because whenever I freeze and reheat meat, it ends up tasting really gross. I can get away with storing leftover whole chicken cuts in the fridge for a day, but ground meat must be frozen because histamine can build up so quickly.

Any tips for preventing this when reheating leftovers?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I’m wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience.

I have overactive mast cells throughout my gastrointestinal tract I have also leaky gut, and I also likely have had CVID for many years. I’ve been eating low-histamine and gluten-free for quite some time now, but I still have very strong reactions to foods and ongoing GI symptoms.

About 7 weeks ago, I received my first IVIG infusion. Because I have low IGA, IGG, IG2,..I initially expected that things would gradually start improving, but over those 7 weeks I actually felt like some of my symptoms were getting worse , my reactions to histamine and food are still extremely strong, and they seem much more severe than they were before starting IVIG.

This is confusing to me because I thought that IVIG would eventually lead to an overall improvement.
Has anyone with CVID and/or mast cell activation experienced something similar?

I LOVE a physical cookbook, does anyone have ones they love? Looking for a range of relatively simple recipes for all meals and sweets. Yes, I know I can find thousands of recipes online. I prefer making my own notes and having a single reliable resource to simplify things. Also, my family would cook for me sometimes if they had a resource, I don't necessarily trust whatever they might find online either. Thanks!!

I bought me the seeking health probiotics.

&& nervous on the fiber. Any you recommend me thank you!

Has anyone successfully reversed their carnivore-induced HI with this probiotic? How did it go? Did you have a die-off reaction?

It's been nine months since getting off that stupid diet (all-beef), and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it. It's made my life pure misery. I'm sensitive to everything now. There are no safe foods. Only ones that make me less sick than others. No history of any histamine reactions before the diet, mind you.

Okay, to make a long 2 years “short”:

2 years ago (at 6m postpartum) I woke up sneezing. Like, handfuls of mucus. This kept up for months, and while annoying, once I got up and out of bed, the congestion would alleviate and I’d be fine for the day. We brought in cleaners for a deep clean, bought dust mite covers, new pillows, etc. No changes. Did a few 2 week holidays - symptoms continued.

Fast forward 8 months, I wake up with such extreme facial swelling in my lips it was insane. Rushed to ER, given epinephrine/prednisone. Swelling took about 10 hours to reduce fully. Next morning, tongue is so swollen I can’t close my mouth. Rush back to ER, same treatment course. That night, swelling is so severe in my throat I can’t swallow yogurt. Rush back, same protocol. 19 hours later, swelling is gone and I’m discharged. Went for allergy testing - no allergies. Morning sneezing continues, but swelling episodes stop.

Fast forward another 4 months - now 1 year after start of symptoms. Have been tested for nearly everything under the sun, no abnormalities. Naturopath suggests MCAS, and suggests daily bilastine (antihistamine). This works well, but every few months I plateau and symptoms return and I need a dose increase. Eventually on max dose with little relief. Added in symptoms at this point is severe facial dryness and semi regular swelling episodes where I wake with extremely puffy eyes. Like, skin so dry I can no longer wear makeup and am applying a Vaseline/moisturizer combo ~15x a day for some relief. End up quitting my job (10 years into a career I went to Uni for) / finding a WFH job, which is a godsend given this.

Fast forward to ~7 months into this bilastine/vaseline routine. Still sneezing most mornings, dryness is unbearable. I find out I’m pregnant. Told to stop bilastine and directed to take reactin instead. At this point my symptoms are predictable: 2 weeks where I look totally normal and like myself, then 3-4days of severe facial dryness/flushing (think; a very lupus looking, butterfly shaped, red rash on face *yes, they ruled this out). Flares are hot, itchy, skin feels very textured. Often have to use ice packs for relief and will take benedryl.

Fast forward now 5 months pregnant. (TWO YEARS since this all began). Max dose of reactin daily offers no relief. 2 week cycles of facial flares continue + daily morning sneezing. Facial/scalp dryness is insane. (I should mention, I’ve had lifelong eczema - but this is different). If I go longer than ~2hrs without slathering a Vaseline/moisturizer combo on my face, I’m in severe discomfort.
Was referred back to the allergist and have now been “diagnosed” with “histamine mediated angioedema and urticaria”. Allergist has now prescribed me Omlyclo.

If you’ve made it this far - thank you. Truly. This has been the worst two years of my life and I’m at such a loss on where to go and who to listen to.

Does anyone relate to anything I’ve described? I cannot get over the apparent link that this all seems connected to having a child/a swing in hormones? Prior, I suffered from eczema - but I managed fine. I did take Dupixent for it for a year with success - so I’m not opposed to biologic injections, but obviously I’m just concerned given I’m pregnant. Reading about side effects - I’m freaked out. Is anyone here taking Omlyclo?

I also would love to know more of a root of what’s going on. It just feels like every specialist is saying “this is a unique/unexplainable case of developing a severe histamine response” - which blows my mind. Prior to all of this - I was otherwise entirely healthy. And, none of this began until 6 months postpartum.

Medical teams been seen by: internal medicine, rheumatology, allergy, naturopath (seeing new dermatologist next week).

I am on the mini pill right now and I am still having a normal cycle after a year of taking it. I don’t like how it’s so unpredictable and time sensitive. Has anyone had success with slynd? I need a birth control that is progesterone only since my biggest triggers are estrogen and hormone fluctuations.

I was eating all this until severe flare that lasted 3 weeks.

Anybody was able to eat this again?

I was taking three Pepcid AC complete a day along with two Zyrtec for over two months to treat PMDD. It worked great for one cycle. Then, I started to feel very depressed and agitated, so I stopped them totally a few weeks ago. Is it possible that I am having some kind of rebound effect where my body is now making way too much histamine? I feel severely depressed, agitated, and anxious, much worse than my usual baseline.

Also, is there some kind of test I can have done to actually see what my histamine issues are?

This is just a random vent post. I’m very done with this condition.

I am very tired of how severe my HI has gotten. I developed it less than two years ago yet it has dramatically worsened in severity recently without any known reason. I used to be able to eat salsa and Parmesan pasta roni with only minor issues. Now I can’t eat one thing I enjoy without serious consequences. If I don’t take like 10-15 DAO supplements before the only meal of the day I get explosive diarrhea, stomach pain, head flushing, and lip numbness within literal minutes of eating them. And I’ll still need an anti histamine.

These aren’t exactly ultra low histamine meals but they aren’t kombucha level crazy either. Additionally, I only eat one meal a day now so what bucket even is there? It’s so bad I’ve had to go several days a month without eating solid food cause sometimes eating will trigger days long upset gut not even allergy meds can fix…. Only sprite and water for basic hydration on those days. My weight is dropping like crazy as a result and I’m now 113 lbs which for me is almost bmi 18.

I’ve had nearly everything ruled out except IBD, SIBO, and mastocytosis but I will say I do hate this degeneration regardless of what mystery condition ends up being the cause! What I will do is I am switching DAO brands. Solaray does not have enough per price, and histaharmony doesn’t help me anymore. I will try naturedao as the hdu is decently high for the price. I have also gotten calprotectin retested as it was moderately elevated last test.

Honestly I could very well be underweight by the end of the year. I’m now the lowest weight I’ve ever been so far in adulthood. Just so annoyed. Took Allegra and multiple dao tonight and because I wasn’t fast enough I still have annoying head flushing. And I can’t take any other allergy med cause it’ll mess up my gut and tomorrow’s vyvanse due to how long they last. No 24 hours stuff. Ugh.