Hello all,
I am new to the bloging community and I think I have a relasps of Puppp... I had it for a bit during pregnay and luckly it went away after two weeks. My PCP doc thought it was an allergic reaction to the penceillin I was taking for my tonsils but I think based on the itch and texture etc that its Puppp. UGH.. HELP. just tryed the bakinng soda paste and its only been 10 min and I itch already. cant stand it going to freak out.
Sarna cream only thing that gave me relief. ugh, sorry it's horrible. heard it might have to do with liver function. maybe try some dandelion tea.
Thanks. I'll try Sarna Cream, is this somthing I can get at walmart/rite Aid??
Going through a HORRIBLE case of PUPP right now at 40w3d - it's starting to get better finally after nearly a month, and it is covering nearly 75% of my skin currently. Here's what I've been doing.
These two will take a little longer to work, but supposedly help cleanse the liver which is where the problem originates - I got both at Rite Aid.
Dandelion Root capsules - way stronger than the tea - I take 3 540 mg capsules 3X/day and I think this is what's helping the most. I've been doing that one week today and total areas of skin are now PUPP free that were horrible several days ago.
Flaxseed Oil - I take one tablespoon of GNC brand orally 1X/day - tastes a bit icky but just chase it with something good
Then, for the "Itch Crisis" times, here's what I found to provide some relief when I was in tears and losing my mind (could find all at a drug store, Target, Meijer, etc):
Sarna Lotion - smells like a Grandpa, but numbs/cools the skin and really does relieve the itch
Band Aid Brand Itch Relief Gel - Main ingredient is camphor, and it smells like Girl Scout Camp but works REALLY well - comes in a clear tube with green cap
Aloe with Lidocaine - currently what I'm putting on most often, helps keep skin from drying out too much but takes some mild itch away. Won't touch the worst of the itchies when you're going mad, though.
Tea Tree Oil: For a few days I applied this with a cotton ball to all areas covered with PUPPs which was a lot. It smells really strong, kind of medicinal, but helped dry out some of the hives I think. I haven't used it in a few days, but I think it majorly helped bring down the rash.
Arnica Oil: Used over the tea tree oil to help with the swelling - this doesn't smell bad at all and is a little soothing, but won't take down major itch.
Homeopathic Remedies:
I've also taken Arnica 200c twice - only take once/week at this strength, but it helps with the swelling. You can get it in 6c strength and take more often instead.
Apis Mellifca 6c - also helps when hives flare up and get inflamed to bring swelling down
Prescriptions:
I think the one thing that has helped with my sanity is my prescription for Atarax 25 mg. It's worth calling and asking for a script for - I take it mostly at night before bed to help me sleep, but it does keep the itchies at bay for 2-4 hours, and you can take it every 4. Works better than Benadryl for me.
Baths:
Warm (not hot) baths in Aveeno Oatmeal bath packets worked for a while, but started to lose their efficacy pretty quickly. I have now taken a few baths in Epsom Salts and find this to be working at this point.
Good luck! Feel free to message me if you have more questions...I nearly induced last week because I was so miserable and at the end of my rope, but have gotten through another week and it seems to be getting better. Now if this daughter of mine would decide to be born, or we're going to have to induce anyway!!
hello and i feel your pain ive been dealing with this awful itch for 2 months now and it only got worse and more painful for me. i saw two different doctors about it and they had no clue what was wrong with me. a few days ago i woke up and both my forearms were swollen to the point that they were rock hard so i went to the emergancy department. they gave me prednisone which for very short term use is ok but harmful in long term use. im allowed to take it for three days until i see a dermatologist. today my midwife finally diagnosed it as pupps. my friend had me try the "Grampa Brand Pine Tar soap" and it actually helps ALOT. it smells really bad but im no longer trying to rip my skin off. for anyone else dealing with this problem try this soap it works wonders. i apprarently have a severe case of it and ive tried all the creams and lotions including benadryl and claritin which did nothing and same for baking soda paste and oatmeal baths only helped for about 10 minutes so try this soap you can find it at whole foods or gnc. btw im only 17 weeks and i have a long way to go with this itch because from what i hear its not going away till i have this baby. this is my third baby and first time ive ever had this problem.
Have this currently, and was wondering how long it took for everyone else's to go away. I'd attempting the dandelion root/flaxseed oil pill fix, and haven't really seen any improvement after 3 days. I'm hoping I just haven't given it enough time yet. I'm 37 weeks and getting impatient- I feel like dealing with the itching is taking away my strength/stamina/tolerance that I'm going to so desperately need during birth.
Mine didn't go away until birth - hives pretty much flattened out within 24 hours of delivery, redness was gone in another few days...Until 3.5 weeks PP when it came BACK! It lasted about a week then, and I was going to lose my mind. I took a 5 day course of Prednisone at that point, and it was gone within 2 days of starting that (60 mg for 2 days, then 30 for 3 days I think). My allergist said a short burst of Prednisone like that was perfectly fine while breastfeeding, and I certainly didn't notice any negative effects from it, or for Norah. My allergist also recommended that I also start taking Zyrtec for a few months to keep the hives at bay, and I think it helped. Hope yours resolves quickly...it's brutal :(
ETA: the DDR/flaxseed oil combo seemed to make a difference starting about 5 days or so...stick with it!!
Oh. My. God. I had PUPPP with my first pregnancy 6 years ago (the good news is that is almost always happens with a first pregnancy, and mine never happened again) and just reading about it made me feel itchy!! Mine didn't go away until after delivery, when I started taking oral steroids. Actually, a different OB/GYN who saw me for my subsequent pregnancies (high risk OB) said that by the time I'd hit 38/39 weeks they would have been comfortable giving me steroids if the PUPPP was awful (it was). Here are the things that helped me, in order from least to most relief:
1) Sarna lotion... only helped briefly, but better than nothing! I've seen it almost all drug stores.
2) Benedryl at night to help me sleep and control itching.
3) I'd leave a bath tub full of tepid water overnight so if the itching woke me up and was particularly horrible, I'd get in for a few minutes to distract myself and calm the itch down.
4) and this was pure bliss, I SWEAR:
My DH (who is a phyiscian and has always had excema prone skin) made me try this, and it was heavenly: HOT, HOT water directly on the rash. This sounds couter intuitive, but it works like magic. The trick is that the heat gets the rash to release all its histamine at once, which means that for the time that the hot water is actually ON the rash, the itch is SO, SO bad that it is unbearable, really horrible. But if you can sit through that and keep the water on it as HOT as you can physically stand without burning your skin, then you'll get an hour or so of ACTUAL relief, because there is no more histamine being released to cause the itch. My worst itching was on the backs of my arms, so I'd hang over the kitchen sink and DH would use the sprayer attachment to spray super hot water directly on the rash several times each day.... the tops of my thighs were also pretty bad, so I'd sit on the edge of the tub and hold my legs under the running water (I couldn't do just a hot bath b/c to get relief I needed the water to be a lot hotter than was bearable for the rest of my parts). The days after I delivered (I was in the hospital post c-section) I still remember the amazing bliss of being able to stand in the hospital shower, with unlimited hot water, and to actually be able to get my whole body to stop itching at once :)
good luck!
Ditto. This is what I did when I had it. Liver support is very important.
Going through a HORRIBLE case of PUPP right now at 40w3d - it's starting to get better finally after nearly a month, and it is covering nearly 75% of my skin currently. Here's what I've been doing.
These two will take a little longer to work, but supposedly help cleanse the liver which is where the problem originates - I got both at Rite Aid.
Dandelion Root capsules - way stronger than the tea - I take 3 540 mg capsules 3X/day and I think this is what's helping the most. I've been doing that one week today and total areas of skin are now PUPP free that were horrible several days ago.
Flaxseed Oil - I take one tablespoon of GNC brand orally 1X/day - tastes a bit icky but just chase it with something good
Then, for the "Itch Crisis" times, here's what I found to provide some relief when I was in tears and losing my mind (could find all at a drug store, Target, Meijer, etc):
Sarna Lotion - smells like a Grandpa, but numbs/cools the skin and really does relieve the itch
Band Aid Brand Itch Relief Gel - Main ingredient is camphor, and it smells like Girl Scout Camp but works REALLY well - comes in a clear tube with green cap
Aloe with Lidocaine - currently what I'm putting on most often, helps keep skin from drying out too much but takes some mild itch away. Won't touch the worst of the itchies when you're going mad, though.
Tea Tree Oil: For a few days I applied this with a cotton ball to all areas covered with PUPPs which was a lot. It smells really strong, kind of medicinal, but helped dry out some of the hives I think. I haven't used it in a few days, but I think it majorly helped bring down the rash.
Arnica Oil: Used over the tea tree oil to help with the swelling - this doesn't smell bad at all and is a little soothing, but won't take down major itch.
Homeopathic Remedies:
I've also taken Arnica 200c twice - only take once/week at this strength, but it helps with the swelling. You can get it in 6c strength and take more often instead.
Apis Mellifca 6c - also helps when hives flare up and get inflamed to bring swelling down
Prescriptions:
I think the one thing that has helped with my sanity is my prescription for Atarax 25 mg. It's worth calling and asking for a script for - I take it mostly at night before bed to help me sleep, but it does keep the itchies at bay for 2-4 hours, and you can take it every 4. Works better than Benadryl for me.
Baths:
Warm (not hot) baths in Aveeno Oatmeal bath packets worked for a while, but started to lose their efficacy pretty quickly. I have now taken a few baths in Epsom Salts and find this to be working at this point.
Good luck! Feel free to message me if you have more questions...I nearly induced last week because I was so miserable and at the end of my rope, but have gotten through another week and it seems to be getting better. Now if this daughter of mine would decide to be born, or we're going to have to induce anyway!!
5 days doesn't seem very long compared to the multiple weeks that I've had this so far, plus the multiple weeks potentially ahead of me. I will try to have more patience. :)
chiefmir- I totally use the hot water to release histamines thing! I learned it a long time ago from my cousin as a way to deal with mosquito bites. It does give some relief, and I've developed a habit of 2am showers to scald the heck out of my legs.
babycatcher12- Excellent tips. I may not be doing enough of the dandelion root- I'm taking 3 525mg 2x a day. I'll up it to 3x a day and see if I can kick this.
I had a horrible case of PUPPPS during the last few weeks of pregnancy. I tried everything and the only thing that brought relief was ice and Gold Bond Medicated lotion to cool it enough to stop the itch. Later a blood chemist told me that PUPPPS is a sign of toxicity. I then found out through a Nutritionist using SpectraVision Body Scan equipment that I developed a gluten sensitivity. This sensitivity put my immune system in the toilet and then I was allergic to everything. With your immune system tanked - fungus and parasites are permitted to grow which compete for your food supply which leaves you malnourished and nutrient deficient.
My child was born in late August. I was itchy until I stopped the gluten in November. It is now March and the gluten allergy is gone and all of my blood work is back to normal (after treating the parasites and fungus, etc). Very weird. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done if I had not found this Nutrition Center (I live in NJ and went to Advanced Nutrition in Langhorne, PA) that help me figure out what was going on in my body. I feel for anyone dealing with PUPPPS. The 10 days of misery before birth and the subsequent itching for 3 months after my child was born was just awful.
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