Heat Allergy
 

My of my close friends has been diagnosed with an allergy to heat. I want to know if anyone here has this allergy, and how they deal with it. Whenever she gets too hot she starts to itch all over. The doctor has given her a list of soaps, medicines, ect... but none of it seems have that great of an impact.

she's looking for any and all helpful tips

All allergic symptoms stem from the release of chemicals (mainly histamines) into the blood stream. The best way, besides avoidance, to stop the effects of these chemicals is with a histamine blocker or inhabiter like Diphenhydramine (Benadryl). I have dozens of allergies, and I've found that the as needed use of Benadryl can slow or even halt my symptoms. I am immune to Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec and other types of antihistamines, so your friend will have to mark her successes and failures with different products. You should also track side effects and keep in constant communication with your doctor until a stable treatment has been found and proven effective.

I'm similar in that the heat will make certain parts of my body itch, mainly the insides of my elbows and around my ribs. The skin gets noticeably dry and patchy as well, similar to eczema. This gets aggrivated by the fact that I'm typically working in a high-heat environment with all the welding that I do. I was advised to take a benadryl, and was given triamcinolone acetonide cream from my doctor, and it's worked like a charm so far.

I get the same thing, but in reaction to the cold. I break out in bumps, and I itch like crazy. When I take benedryl, it really helps, but makes me soooo sleepy.

My mother was diagnosed with cholinergic urticaria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholinergic_urticaria
and lived with it for several years before it went away on it's own. She was prescribed a med called Seldane (now called Allegra, I believe) to help with the hives. My mom learned to avoid things that triggered an attack, so the frequency of her attacks dwindled over time. I hope your friend finds some relief!