Are Histamines Causing Your Gastrointestinal Issues?

Do you have high histamine levels? Are your histamine levels causing or amplifying your symptoms? Not simply your runny nose or congestion, but also your digestive symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, or even fatigue?

What are histamines? 

Histamines are chemicals found in our body to help our immune system handle food we eat, things we come in contact with, things we breathe, etc. Histamines are not the enemy. It’s when our body has a histamine intolerance or what you might think is an allergic attack, we run into problems. Our body then overreacts and becomes oversensitive. And they can affect anyone of any age and because they cause inflammation affect so many of our body systems.

What are some symptoms you may experience?

Gastrointestinal – stomach cramps, diarrhea, bloating, nausea
Respiratory – runny nose, coughing, congestion, sneezing, post nasal drip, shortness of breath
Skin – rashes, hives, itching, flushing
Red, watery eyes
Headaches
Fatigue
Insomnia

You or maybe your kids have experienced it when you ate something and later get a rash around your face. Or maybe you’ve been around pets and experience runny nose or sneezing. Or you eat something and have trouble breathing. Or maybe you’ve been bitten or stung by an insect, then you experience swelling or a rash.

But why do some people have it and others don’t?

Some people have lower immune functioning and are more sensitive for a variety of reasons including medical conditions, age, genetics, poor overall health, and leaky gut (or poor digestive functioning).

Did you know about 45 million people in the US have some type of allergy? And it’s one of the most common chronic conditions in the world.

So what can you do if you think you may have high histamine levels? And how do they affect your overall health and life? 

Most people take antihistamines as their first course of action. They block the histamine so your symptoms decrease and you feel better.

There are two basic types:

One is to treat what you’d normally consider allergic symptoms involving the respiratory system and skin like a runny nose, coughing, watery eyes, hives, rash, etc..

The second is used to treat gastrointestinal (GI) issues like GERD (acid reflux), stomach ulcers, gastritis, diarrhea, motion sickness, and nausea.

And these are broken down even more into 1^st and 2^nd generation antihistamines. 1^st generation antihistamines cause drowsiness, but 2^nd generation do not typically cause drowsiness. The chemical compounds are different between the two types.

You may have taken Benadryl, Dimetapp, Claritin, or Zyrtec. Those are all antihistamines. Benadryl and Dimetapp are generation 1 types and can cause drowsiness whereas Claritin and Zyrtec don’t because they are 2^nd generation antihistamines.

And if you have GI issues, you may have taken Pepcid, Tagamet, or Zantac. These are second generation as well so you don’t experience drowsiness usually.

So if you’re in a bind, on vacation, have a presentation at work, have a significant event, etc., you may need to take an antihistamine. And that’s ok short term. Some people take Claritin or Zyrtec daily. 

But I’d suggest you may want to look into what is causing your symptoms long term – if you don’t want to be on the medicine forever – because antihistamines do have side effects such as weight gain, dry mouth and eyes, rapid heart rate, low or high blood pressure, depression and anxiety, constipation, nausea and stomach pain, coughing, drowsiness, fatigue, and headaches.

Talk with your own medical practitioner first to figure out your best course of action.

There are also some natural antihistamines with fewer side effects such as:

• Vitamin C
• Stinging Nettle
• Butterbur
• Ginger
• Bromelain
• Quercetin

In addition, there are foods you can eat that are lower in histamines you may want to include in your diet more than higher histamine foods. I’ll talk about those in a future blog as well as dig deeper into the root causes of why you may have a higher histamine intolerance. I hope this was helpful as you research and advocate for your own health.

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Leah Cheshire is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a speech-language pathologist. Because of her own health issues with fatigue, bloating, depression, weight gain, autoimmune, and hormonal issues, she began to research and help herself and family using holistic methods including nutrition and lifestyle modifications. Then she went back to be trained as an Integrative Health and Wellness Coach so she could help others. She primarily works with women who have fatigue, bloating, weight issues, thyroid and hormonal problems, and emphasizes how physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all connected. If you’d like a free 20-minute consult to see how she can help you, click here to schedule an appointment.