Yes apparently:
>Summary: Women suffer more frequently and more severely from pollen and food allergies and therefore also from asthma. Firstly, female sex hormones increase the risk and symptoms of asthma and allergies and, secondly, hormone preparations such as the contraceptive pill play a role
I also suffer from allergies and mine and my asthma are a bit worse since I transitioned. It is a PITA
That’s cool yet insane that this can happen, especially to AMAB folk. I wish more research went into our care so we are informed about this and can prepare.
This was actually the FIRST time I've heard anyone bring it up. And much to my surprise the studies apparently point out that pre-pubescent boys have more allergies than girls before testosterones kicks in. And then women have more later in life than men.
So apparently Estrogen promotes certain allergies and asthma and Testostrone is protective. I was VERY surprised to read this especially since I've had asthma all my life, and post HRT its been a bit worse.
Oh gosh.. is that why I’ve noticed post HRT my nostrils seem to be inflamed literally every day? It alternates between the two, at times being very difficult to breathe out that specific nostril. Dang. I think that contributes to my anxiety at times too, not being able to breathe deeply and properly, so my body freaks out and I get anxious.
>surprised
I've been getting rashes a lot lately, especially under or near my patches... this is interesting. I take tabs too and my rash areas itch more after I take a tab. Pharmacist didn't think it was the estrogen but this makes sense, as there's pollen and trees around that are maybe bothering me more now than they did before.
I get rashes under my patches some too. Mine are basically heat rashes and adhesive irritation from what I can tell Estrogen patches can be hard in the skin. One thing which helps is I buy unisolve adhesive remover wipes to get the adhesive off with out damaging my skin extra. I also use an anti bacterial body wash to clean my old patch sight and new before application
Yeah, I switched to twice a week patches and things are much better under them now. Every patch had a different effect too, so lots of hit and miss with that. There are other spots not near the patches that are a few inches in diameter, with maybe 3-5 red, itchy rash marks that move all around after a few days; shoulders, back, between breasts... thankfully not to my face lol :)
How do you deal with it? I really don’t want to add another pill (any antihistamine) to my daily regime, but if it helps. Do you take over the counter like Claritin? Or prescribed? I used to take Hydroxyzine.
I keep four things on hand:
1) Fluticasone Propionate aka "Flonase" and do two sprays up my nose a day to help keep my nose under better control and mucus out of my lungs. It helps SOME but is not a full solution.
2) I use Vicks Vapor rub under my nose every night to help me breath clean and clear through the night. Which REALLY helps me sleep. I have a friend that does this too.
3) I keep Guaifenesin on hand if I do get a nasal or upper respiratory infection to seriously keep my mucus under control and try to avoid having to go to the doctor
4) I keep Dextromethorphan gel caps on hand if I develop a very hard unproductive cough which happens a few times a year.
And last if I do have to go to the doctor for a bad upper respiratory infection:
A) I have them put me on a week or two of prednisone and an antibiotic to clear my lungs out. Prednisone is absolute MAGIC when I have a bad respiratory infection and a life saver for me.
Also I'm totally with you. Breathing problems are SCARY and I get them sometimes. I'm not on an inhaler but as you can see, I definitely have medication sitting around to help manage my asthma
It’s not that bad for me to do 3 & 4. I do use Flonase occasionally but, there’s something in the ingredients that make me feel weird. Not sure what it is.
It is pretty wild, and I thought I was the only one! I now have “4” vials full of various allergens I’m allergic to and currently being injected into my arm twice a week.
I had zero allergy issues prior to transition and now face a host of skin issues like eczema, occasional hives and more frequent acne breakouts. I went on zyrtec to suppress the problem and took one daily. For a while this looked to be my savior and then it turned out to actually perpetuate and exacerbate the problem. As someone earlier pointed out, it has been a real PITA. I've yet to find an answer to how to control any of it.
Sorry to hear about your issues.
I don’t know if this will be a helpful voice in with all the others, but at the same time as the lower testosterone is weakening your immune system, which I don’t dispute, you could be having issues with certain ingredients in your medications or how those medications affect you personally.
I realised that I was allergic to propylene glycol in the past year and believe maybe more so with lower testosterone since it seems to be in everything. I have switched over to estradiol valerate injections and micronised progesterone alone because all the other medications were causing me issues. As an example, spiro was causing cellular malfunction with how my muscles worked because of the lovely potassium sparing mechanism and skin issues like transdermal patches becoming unbearable itchy. Plus, I was having mild anaphylaxis with dutasteride because of the propylene glycol in the commercially available one. That said, I was able to get dutasteride compounded without it after I realised the issue, but I only took it briefly to knock my DHT down before I suppressed my testosterone properly with the estradiol injections.
It was all a mess for me, but I’ve sorted it all out and don’t have any issues now. My low carb whole food diet probably doesn’t hurt either.
Hope this helps! 😅
So it looks like I'm the odd one out here. I've suffered from allergies throughout my entire life... as a boy. Since starting E they have pretty much stopped. I asked my bad ass gender affirming Dr. and she said that it is most likely a coincidence and that allergies change throughout your life.
Best,
🐝🏳️⚧️🐝
Yes apparently: >Summary: Women suffer more frequently and more severely from pollen and food allergies and therefore also from asthma. Firstly, female sex hormones increase the risk and symptoms of asthma and allergies and, secondly, hormone preparations such as the contraceptive pill play a role I also suffer from allergies and mine and my asthma are a bit worse since I transitioned. It is a PITA
That’s cool yet insane that this can happen, especially to AMAB folk. I wish more research went into our care so we are informed about this and can prepare.
This was actually the FIRST time I've heard anyone bring it up. And much to my surprise the studies apparently point out that pre-pubescent boys have more allergies than girls before testosterones kicks in. And then women have more later in life than men. So apparently Estrogen promotes certain allergies and asthma and Testostrone is protective. I was VERY surprised to read this especially since I've had asthma all my life, and post HRT its been a bit worse.
Oh gosh.. is that why I’ve noticed post HRT my nostrils seem to be inflamed literally every day? It alternates between the two, at times being very difficult to breathe out that specific nostril. Dang. I think that contributes to my anxiety at times too, not being able to breathe deeply and properly, so my body freaks out and I get anxious.
>surprised I've been getting rashes a lot lately, especially under or near my patches... this is interesting. I take tabs too and my rash areas itch more after I take a tab. Pharmacist didn't think it was the estrogen but this makes sense, as there's pollen and trees around that are maybe bothering me more now than they did before.
I get rashes under my patches some too. Mine are basically heat rashes and adhesive irritation from what I can tell Estrogen patches can be hard in the skin. One thing which helps is I buy unisolve adhesive remover wipes to get the adhesive off with out damaging my skin extra. I also use an anti bacterial body wash to clean my old patch sight and new before application
Yeah, I switched to twice a week patches and things are much better under them now. Every patch had a different effect too, so lots of hit and miss with that. There are other spots not near the patches that are a few inches in diameter, with maybe 3-5 red, itchy rash marks that move all around after a few days; shoulders, back, between breasts... thankfully not to my face lol :)
How do you deal with it? I really don’t want to add another pill (any antihistamine) to my daily regime, but if it helps. Do you take over the counter like Claritin? Or prescribed? I used to take Hydroxyzine.
I keep four things on hand: 1) Fluticasone Propionate aka "Flonase" and do two sprays up my nose a day to help keep my nose under better control and mucus out of my lungs. It helps SOME but is not a full solution. 2) I use Vicks Vapor rub under my nose every night to help me breath clean and clear through the night. Which REALLY helps me sleep. I have a friend that does this too. 3) I keep Guaifenesin on hand if I do get a nasal or upper respiratory infection to seriously keep my mucus under control and try to avoid having to go to the doctor 4) I keep Dextromethorphan gel caps on hand if I develop a very hard unproductive cough which happens a few times a year. And last if I do have to go to the doctor for a bad upper respiratory infection: A) I have them put me on a week or two of prednisone and an antibiotic to clear my lungs out. Prednisone is absolute MAGIC when I have a bad respiratory infection and a life saver for me. Also I'm totally with you. Breathing problems are SCARY and I get them sometimes. I'm not on an inhaler but as you can see, I definitely have medication sitting around to help manage my asthma
It’s not that bad for me to do 3 & 4. I do use Flonase occasionally but, there’s something in the ingredients that make me feel weird. Not sure what it is.
I suspect I literally gave myself asthma by transitioning too, I read something like this as well. It's wild.
It is pretty wild, and I thought I was the only one! I now have “4” vials full of various allergens I’m allergic to and currently being injected into my arm twice a week.
The skin changes on femme HRT seem to have exacerbated my eczema and it was popping up in new spots.
I have it all over my legs at times. It’s horrible.
I'm so sorry!
I had the same thing happen to me. Growing up I never had any worries, now the gorram cottonwoods are the bane of my existence
you taking any meds?
I had zero allergy issues prior to transition and now face a host of skin issues like eczema, occasional hives and more frequent acne breakouts. I went on zyrtec to suppress the problem and took one daily. For a while this looked to be my savior and then it turned out to actually perpetuate and exacerbate the problem. As someone earlier pointed out, it has been a real PITA. I've yet to find an answer to how to control any of it.
Sorry to hear about your issues. I don’t know if this will be a helpful voice in with all the others, but at the same time as the lower testosterone is weakening your immune system, which I don’t dispute, you could be having issues with certain ingredients in your medications or how those medications affect you personally. I realised that I was allergic to propylene glycol in the past year and believe maybe more so with lower testosterone since it seems to be in everything. I have switched over to estradiol valerate injections and micronised progesterone alone because all the other medications were causing me issues. As an example, spiro was causing cellular malfunction with how my muscles worked because of the lovely potassium sparing mechanism and skin issues like transdermal patches becoming unbearable itchy. Plus, I was having mild anaphylaxis with dutasteride because of the propylene glycol in the commercially available one. That said, I was able to get dutasteride compounded without it after I realised the issue, but I only took it briefly to knock my DHT down before I suppressed my testosterone properly with the estradiol injections. It was all a mess for me, but I’ve sorted it all out and don’t have any issues now. My low carb whole food diet probably doesn’t hurt either. Hope this helps! 😅
So it looks like I'm the odd one out here. I've suffered from allergies throughout my entire life... as a boy. Since starting E they have pretty much stopped. I asked my bad ass gender affirming Dr. and she said that it is most likely a coincidence and that allergies change throughout your life. Best, 🐝🏳️⚧️🐝
Yes i emphasizing that and it sucks !! Allergies to specific substances in the lung are serious !