& Joan (long-sorry)

[Guest guest]

Oh my gosh, someone else finally got Zyflo and it helped!!! I'm so happy

about that. I just wish it could help you all the way. I think I have to

take all 4 600 mg. tabs per day, though my doctor did suggest that I try to

take it to 3 and see how it goes. I think it also depends on what I do

during the day, since I seems to get angio from pressure or " trauma " induced

as my doctor called it, which was in response to me telling him that it seems

I will swell just from using my muscles, like repetitive hard work causing

the muscle to contract - guess that translates to pressure. For example,

general bathroom cleaning, the motion of washing the fixtures with a cloth,

the pressing down with the palm of my hand, will cause not only my fingers

and top and bottom of the palm area to swell, but also my forearm. But I

could do it all day long as long as I take Zyflo. I have been 2 to 3 hours

late for the next pill, and can feel the sensation under the skin when you

know the swelling is coming, but then, I guess as long as I'm not too late

with the next dose, it doesn't actually swell. Now, I couple of times, when

I haven't been doing anything, just sitting around waiting rooms or visiting

somewhere and forgot to have extra pills with me, I've come out to only 3 a

day, and been ok. I don't think it would be ok if I'd been doing something

though. Also, when I don't take the second zyrtec in the afternoon, if I've

been doing lots of stuff, I think I notice that pre-swelling sensation, but

it still doesn't come all the way. My doctor said the actual making of the

leukotrienes at the cellular level is a continuous process, that's why even

being a couple hours late with the next dose could really make a difference -

I thought maybe I was just so worried about it that, you know, imagine it.

He said the drug just does not stay in your system. Once, I was a couple

hours late with the Zyflo, and kneeling on hard tile floor, with all my

weight on one knee to reach forward back into closet corners and I did get a

lump on my knee, but, it resolved by the end of the day, whereas before, I

would have had it for 3 days, and the whole front of the calf of my legs, and

tops of ankle/feet would have been affected, not to mention hands, arms and

elbows. I don't think that sometimes the doctors realize just how much of an

effect this type of thing has on our daily lives. Joan, I don't really

know about Zyflo for standard hives. I will ask my doctor when I see him at

the end of this month. My impression is that it might work best for things

that are delayed and/or long lasting - but I'm not sure on that. He doesn't

really seem to use this unless other causes of urticaria are ruled out, and

if the urticaria is not responding to antihistamines. When LTB4 is produced,

and that's the leukotriene that singulair and accolate do nothing for, it

attracts other inflammatory chemicals to the site and set up one of those

ongoing reactions, each thing seems to stimulate another thing and it just

keeps going. I should try to get some the the information I've gathered with

all the details. If I say without looking, I may misquote. I do know that

it all starts with the AA (aracidonic acid), some turns down the

prostaglandin route, and some down the leukotriene route. Doc told me that I

should avoid nsaids (aspirin, etc) because it can sort of shift the AA

expression heavier toward the leukotriene side even though it will relieve

the prostaglandin caused trouble......, but not always. Some aspirin

intolerant asthmatics take the Zyflo to enable them to tolerate small amounts

of aspirin which they may need for help with other conditions. Singulair and

Accolate also do not help with aspirin tolerance. I just thank god that I

found this guy, dermatologist, who prescribed Zyflo. Funny thing was, that a

year before I tried it, I had printed out one lone article about Zyflo

helping someone with urticaria. It was in the back of my mind, and I had

read how it was different from the receptor blockers, singulair and accolate,

but when I got an allergist to give me singulair and it didn't work, I just

assumed that if the Zyflo might work instead, she would have thought of that

too! Yes, I know what they say about never assume, but I did it anyway.

Then, everytime I came across that one article, I just thought, " Oh well,

probably won't work either " HAH! I did just what all these doctors do!

Anyway, I'll ask him about hives, I'm guessing maybe yes. Everytime though

that I ask him why the whole world doesn't know about this, (because I am so

happy), he says " It doesn't work for everyone, but I have quite a few that it

helped "

Carole Garner