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QUESTION: Has anyone else experienced hives with Captomer treatment, or problems with Captomer treatment? 15/07/11 California, USA - United States of America

I have been chronically ill since 1993. Diagnosed with MS because of lesions on my brain, but never remitting.

I asked my Wellness doctor to do a Heavy Metal Urine Toxic Test 4/10/20011. My results were 18 µg/g creat with a reference range of <2.  The analysis of urinary elements was performed by ICP-Mass Spectroscopy following acid digestion of the specimen. 6hr collections.  The report stated my urine lead level exceeds 3X's the upper expected limit per the reference population.

It was decided by my Wellness doctor to use Thorne Research Captomer-250, and a liver detox by Xymogen.  I started to get small hives on my 2nd day of 3 days with the Captomer-205.  The 3rd day and for a week I broke out in large hives from my hands, up my arms, and back.  They were very painful and blistered. I went to Emergency and was given prednisone. I went the suggested 10 days off Captomer-250, and after my hive cleared up.  On the first day of re-taking Captomer-250 my hives came back.

Are the hives from the lead being removed from my body? Have you heard of this before.  I have stopped all taking of Captomer-250, and continue to take the Liver Protect.

Thank you for your experience thoughts on this.

ANSWER: Jul 18 2011

Dear Tina,

I sent your email (minus your name and contact details) with the following cover letter to our Lead Poisoned Adults Egroup (LPAE) and then received the following three responses. I hope they are helpful. If you would like to join the egroup, you could then continue the conversation with this experience bunch of LPAs!

MY EMAIL TO LPAE Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 7:19 PM

Subject: Has anyone in LPAE experienced hives with Captomer treatment, or even just Captomer treatment?

Dear LPAE,

Can any of you throw any light on the enquiry in the email below? I have never personally been treated for heavy metal poisoning except with nutritional supplements, and of all the lead poisoned people I've spoken to over the last 20 years, I believe that only one of them mentioned having hives while on medication but she did not actually say which medication and what she was being treated for. Another woman who was concerned that she MIGHT be lead poisoned because she lived a block away from a crematorium and had peeling lead paint in her home, was not being treated for anything but she had hives and she blamed the mould in her bathroom for the hives. That's all I can find on hives in my database (though I found the word "archives" a hundred times just to find those two cases of hives).

Yours Sincerely

Elizabeth O'Brien

LPAE REPLY ONE Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2011 12:07 AM

Subject: [LPAE] Re: Has anyone in LPAE experienced hives with Captomer treatment, or even just Captomer treatment?

I was treated with the drug d-penacillamine for about 6 months after being placed on an EDTA drip in hospital after being diagnosed with chronic lead poisoning, and ended up with a lot of sores on my face which wouldn’t heal. I am wondering whether hives could be a side-effect of chelation therapy, as there do appear to be an enormous number of side effects with these sorts of drugs,

LPAE REPLY TWO Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2011 9:51 AM

Subject: [LPAE] Re: Has anyone in LPAE experienced hives with Captomer treatment, or even just Captomer treatment?

It is quite possible to get hives from ANYTHING new: medicines, foods or even those little capsules the medicine comes in, especially when already ill. I'd be concerned over being given a chelating agent and a liver detox at the same time... sounds a bit harsh, and could be a reaction between the two. It's not likely it's the lead (Pb) "coming out" causing the hives, our bodies can't quite tell it isn't calcium or zinc.

LPAE REPLY THREE Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2011 9:44 AM

Subject: Re: [LPAE] Has anyone in LPAE experienced hives with Captomer treatment, or even just Captomer treatment?

I have lead poisoning and Captomer  made me ill, because I am very sensitive to any drugs with sulfur compounds.  Switching to EDTA IV's worked better for me.  Hope this helps.

[END OF LPAE REPLIES]

DR CHRIS WINDER REPLY

It is important to identify the exposure(s), in case they are still occurring.

From your symptom perspective, it is quite possible to get hives from many different things: medicines, foods or even sometimes the most ordinary of things (for example, caterpillar hairs).

Hives (urticaria) is not commonly associated with lead exposure.  A recent paper (Fernando S, Broadfoot A. Chronic urticaria--assessment and treatment. Aust Fam Physician. 2010 Mar; 39(3):135-8) notes that urticaria is a common condition and is encountered in general practice and a frequent source of referral to the clinical immunologist, allergist and dermatologist.  The paper also notes that a cause is not identified in 80% of cases of urticaria.

With regard to your case, getting a chelating agent and a liver detox treatment at the same time seems like overkill, and your reaction could be a reaction between the two.

However, the bearing in mind your exposure history, and the fact that the hives went away on cessation of Captimer and came back when you restarted, the cause of your urticaria is probably Captimer.  Also, this drug has been reported as causing: tenderness of the skin; skin rash, hives or itching (see: http://drugspedia.net/prep/28080.html ), and therefore it is good that you have ceased taking this drug.  I suggest that you avoid this drug in the future.

I hope your treatment works and you continue to get better.  Keep an eye on your lead levels, which should decline to lower levels.

Yours Sincerely

Chris Winder

Prof Chris Winder, BA(Hons), GCert OHS Management, MSc, PhD, FSIA, JP

Adviser on Toxicology and Occupational Health

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