histamine intolerance symptoms high histamine

Histamine Intolerance Symptoms: 47 Symptoms to Look Out For

Histamine intolerance is becoming increasingly identified as an underlying cause of numerous strange, allergy-like symptoms, that often appear without any history of such issues.

And, as histamine intolerance symptoms can be body-wide, it can become pretty difficult to pinpoint this rare, multi-faceted disorder.

Histamine is best known as a compound which is released in response to allergic reactions (think seasonal allergies: many people take anti-histamines).

The release of histamine occurs as part of a normal biological mechanism. So, when your body is functioning properly, histamine is produced and degraded in tolerable amounts, thus preventing you from experiencing histamine intolerance symptoms.

In this case, you can enjoy everything from chocolate to tomatoes to wine, without the ill health and confusion that follows.

(Although, just a tip for all you wine-o's out there - I did my research on low histamine wine and posted a list of them for you to enjoy).

Moving on...

Histamine intolerance symptoms

If, however, you are histamine intolerant, this means that the amount of histamine that your body is producing or consuming (through food and environment) is not balanced with the rate at which that histamine being degraded.

This resulting in higher-than-normal biological levels of histamine - and, presto: histamine intolerance symptoms appear.

In histamine intolerant individuals, high levels of histamine are capable of producing such histamine intolerance symptoms that may seem similar to an allergic reaction. Think hives, rashes, itching and congestion.

It's notable that, what many people don’t realize, is that histamine intolerance can produce a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms. These symptoms include digestive distress (particularly diarrhea), mood issues and fatigue.

Due to the fact that histamine intolerance symptoms are variable, widespread and can impact nearly every single system in the body, histamine intolerance is one of the most difficult intolerances to identify and diagnose.

Additionally, the causes of histamine intolerance can be varied as well - making each case a complex combination of various factors.

Do you have high histamine symptoms?

Now that you have a basic understanding of what's going on with histamine intolerance symptoms, how do you identify them?

As we've mentioned, the symptoms are body-wide, which not only means that they are difficult to pin-point, but it also means that if you go to a specialized doctor in the area of the body you're experiencing symptoms...you're probably going to get a diagnosis that's more commonly related to that particular part of the body.

Histamine intolerance is difficult to diagnose not only because it can occur anywhere in the body, but also because it requires someone that has actually heard of the disorder. Unfortunately, it is quite underrecognized even though an estimated 1% of the population experience histamine intolerance symptoms.

Now, 1% might not seem like a lot - but...think of your social media, for example. How many people do you follow? Maybe a few hundred? Well, if one in every 100 people has histamine intolerance, that likely means you know more people than you think who have the issue...they just may also not be aware of it yet.

Those with seasonal allergies are typically those who have some degree of histamine intolerance (hence finding relief in anti-histamines). So, there you have a common example and can begin to understand how prevalent histamine intolerance symptoms actually are, and why it would be great if the healthcare system was more educated on this disorder.

As you're likely either on the path of self-diagnosis or, if lucky, already working with a healthcare practitioner that is knowledgeable on the issue and trying to get more knowledge for yourself, I've made a list of common histamine intolerance symptoms.

I've broken up this histamine intolerance symptoms list by categories that are grouped by different body systems, which will allow you to see the different histamine intolerance symptoms that can occur in each part of the body.

Have a browse below to see if you suspect histamine intolerance. If you do, the first step would be starting on a low histamine diet, which will eliminate high histamine foods and allow you to experience some degree of symptom relief in 1-2 weeks.


Get the low histamine diet!

 

If you see a significant reduction in histamine symptoms by reducing high histamine foods, then you'll have even more reason to believe you are, indeed, histamine intolerant.

Histamine intolerance symptoms list:

Gut & Digestive Symptoms

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (especially IBS-D)
  • Bloating
  • Diarrhoea
  • Excessive flatulence
  • Constipation (less common than diarrhea)
  • Stomach aches or cramps (including severe menstrual cramps)
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Acid reflux / Heartburn / Indigestion
  • General digestive symptoms

Skin symptoms

  • Rashes
  • Urticaria / Hives
  • Psoriasis
  • Eczema
  • Acne or pimples
  • Rosacea or redness
  • Pruritis / Itchiness (also ocular pruritus or itchy eyes)
  • Inflammation of the skin

Respiratory symptoms

  • Congestion
  • Asthma
  • Runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • Chronic cough
  • Rhinitis
  • Difficulty breathing

Cardiac symptoms

  • Arrhythmia
  • Fast beating
  • Fluttering
  • Tachycardia

Circulatory symptoms

  • Circulatory collapse
  • Hypotension
  • Hypertension
  • Constant shivers or chills
  • Dizziness

Psychological symptoms

  • Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Depression
  • Mood swings or imbalances
  • Irritability
  • Inattentiveness
  • Lack of concentration

Additional symptoms

  • Headaches / migraines
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Watery eyes
  • Fatigue
  • Sleep issues
  • Oedema (swelling often around eyes, mouth and throat)

As you can see from this extensive list of histamine intolerance symptoms, there can be a lot of variability in the disorder, with an increasing number of symptoms continuing to be researched.

As I mentioned briefly above, one of the best ways to identify if your symptoms are due to histamine intolerance, is to follow a simple low histamine diet, which is used to reduce internal histamine levels and alleviate symptoms.

If symptoms are due to histamine intolerance, studies have shown symptoms to relieve within the first 1-2 weeks.

To receive my free low histamine diet, along with a guide to histamine intolerance and info on finding the root cause of your intolerance, click the button below!


Get the low histamine diet!

The free diet guide above also comes with additional resources for alleviating symptoms, such as a free food diary and other helpful tips to make the diet easier while actually healing your intolerance, rather than just eliminating foods.

Remember, when it comes to healing your high histamine symptoms, it is important to address the issue from the root so that the problem is fully fixed. Otherwise, you will continue to experience histamine symptoms every time you are exposed to high histamine foods, which may be an improvement from your current state but definitely isn't where you want to be forever!

I hope this symptom list has brought you some solid information and clarity. You're not crazy, you're not undiagnosable, your symptoms are very real - and, best of all, they can be properly managed and fixed.

Put your health in nature's hands.

Anita Tee, Nutritional Scientist

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