DNP is no longer by friend . . . damn histamine!!

[demeurj]

DNP is no longer my friend . . . damn histamine!!

I did my first cycle of DNP a month ago (200mg x 3d, 400mg x 4d) with minimal sides other than the "usual". I finished my 2nd cycle of DNP less than a week ago (200mg ed x 10d). The day after my last dose I developed an incredible urge to scratch. My wife and I have three cats so the first thought was fleas. But that didn't explain why I itched all over.

After a really bad 24hrs I started to notice wheals and hives. Being a doctor I realized this was a histamine response and fingered DNP as the likely culprit. Daily loratadine (Claritin) helps, although I think I like the diphenhydramine (Benadryl) better.

Anyway, I'm starting Day 5 of my itch odyssey. I really like Heretic's DNP. It's worth the money and "typical" sides but if you have allergies (like me) . . . DNP may not be a good choice.

 

[stryker]

Do they reccommend taking benadryl throughout the entire cycle of DNP or just a few days before stopping

 

[Heretic]

Like I said, I usually recommend supplementing with one cap of Benadryl every night before bed. And I mean at the begining of your cycle and for a week afterward. Oddly enough a rash usually develops after the last dose of DNP has been taken. I had a really bad outbreak of hives once from doing two cycles too close together, and ever since then I have used benadryl and not had a single problem with it. Take it before bed though, because that shit will knock you on your ass.
Regards,
-H-

 

[demeurj]

Like I said, I usually recommend supplementing with one cap of Benadryl every night before bed. And I mean at the begining of your cycle and for a week afterward. Oddly enough a rash usually develops after the last dose of DNP has been taken. I had a really bad outbreak of hives once from doing two cycles too close together, and ever since then I have used benadryl and not had a single problem with it. Take it before bed though, because that shit will knock you on your ass.
Regards,
-H-

I would listen to the man. IIRC, it was probably 3 weeks between my cycles. I have a naturally low bodyfat and I'm not a big guy (5'7", 185lbs). Anyway, this is a mast cell immune response (release of histamine). Any antihistamine should work, although I'm less than thrilled with the performance of Claritin and Benadryl. Another option is the drug Cromolyn. It's a mast cell stabilizer. It's a very good and cheap drug but it has to be taken every 6hrs.

Yo H,
How about you slip that tidbit into the top of your DNP sticky? I think it's a few pages down but even people like myself that read the whole thing didn't think much of it until the itching started.

 

[cerbera]

out of curiosity, would a generic anti-histamine be as good as benedryl? which active ingredient should I look for in anti-histamine meds?

 

[demeurj]

out of curiosity, would a generic anti-histamine be as good as benedryl? which active ingredient should I look for in anti-histamine meds?

Diphenhydramine is the generic name for Benadryl.
Loratadine is the generic name for Claritin.

The majority of the others are still prescription only.

Edit cetirizine (Zyrtec) has gone generic as well.

 

[Heretic]

When I got hives I actually went to a doc for it because it was so bad, looked like I had the plague. I knew it was from the DNP too because DNP can cause a histamine build-up in the body. I just told the doc I didn't know what it was from as I knew it wouldn't chage the treatment, and he admitted that half the time they never find out why someone has an outbreak. They gave me an adrenaline shot as well as prednisone, which is a corticosteroid (catabolic), and within 24 hours I was feeling a whole lot better.
Benadryl works great at preventing this from happening and may help with a mild case of it, but if you get it really bad I'd say just go to the doc and let them take care of it and just say you don't know what happened.
Regards,
-H-

 

[demeurj]

Admittedly, I've been trying to think through the mechanism of my outbreak. It's unlikely that DNP itself causes the release of histamine from mast cells. If that was the case I would have developed a reaction during/after my first cycle (which included no antihistamine) and during my second cycle.

I did a little research and it appears that researchers chemically bind DNP to larger protein molecules in order to induce an immune response in experimental systems.

DNP is a highly reactive agent so given enough exposure (time/dosing) you will eventually accumulate enough protein bound DNP to get your immune system's attention. That would explain why this is a delayed reaction instead of an immediate one. It would also explain why I still itch like crazy on THU AM but my last dose was on FRI PM of last week.

I'm giving it another 24hrs to settle down before I visit my doctor. I have no problem telling him the truth. He'll probably find it interesting . . . stupid . . . but interesting.

 

[Heretic]

Yeah I've never heard the exact reason other than it does cause a histamine build up, but that sounds as good as any. It's odd too because it's not predictable at all. Most people get that reaction on their third or fourth cycle, possibly because they're using higher dosages now that they're more comfortable with it. Like I said using benadryl during and for a week after each cycle has totally prevented any kind of recurrence for me.
Regards,
-H-