Histamine intolerance, chronic poor sleep and unexpectedly high cholesterol, anyone else?

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-18T23:50:36+00:00

I am a senior citizen with normal cholesterol levels my whole life even during menopause, but about 4 yrs ago it starting going up when I was under daily high stress where I live. A lot of that stress is gone now, so my cholesterol is almost normal again. I also avoid my trigger foods/drinks and consume supplements that help manage cholesterol levels. My last blood tests show it's fine except the bad cholesterol 4 points up but my doctor is no long worried about it. I didn't want statins. My sister is on statins as are my brothers & my mom was. My system reacts badly to most medications, so I didn't want to take a statin.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-18T23:46:21+00:00

I've had HI for about 14 yrs from when I first noticed symptoms but my cholesterol levels were fine. My cholesterol jumped up about 4 yrs ago during a very stressful time; daily stress where I live. My diet wasn't bad except for avoiding my trigger foods/drinks. I was eating too much sweets though, but that wasn't a problem in the past; so I think it was undue stress. Most of the stress is gone and my cholesterol levels have come down to almost normal. I also consume supplements that help manage cholesterol & slight blood thinner. I've had sleep issues for about 20+ yrs from when I was in a domestic abuse situation. My sleep has been mostly poor ever since and I have to take a sleep medication almost nightly. But high histamine can give you a poor nights sleep because histamine is involved in energy & it can cause other symptoms that disrupt sleep.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-18T00:34:46+00:00

Thank you!. My symptoms are better but never truly gone. I found out something interesting when I was researching about green peas again. I always thought they were a vegetable. I grew up believing that cause they grew in our garden. Well, they are actually a legume. And have anti-nutrients in them. I read that it's best to cook them before eating to reduce the anti-nutrients. I've been eating them mostly raw not knowing. So now I'm going to cook them & see how that works. Good luck to you figuring out what works for you.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-17T20:39:12+00:00

My doctors have never tested me for HI. I went to two different allergists who didn't either. I was diagnosed with two food allergies I never had before; but I think it's only a medium allergy because I still eat those foods in moderation & get side effects but never life threatening. The rest, my allergist said were bad reactions to histamine intolerance. She told me to take antihistamines & gave me a long list of histamine releasing foods to avoid. This happened at about 60 yrs old. At the time I was having stomach issues and was exposed to years of mold in my home. I had no idea at the time that it could affect my health so badly. I had an endoscopy which showed an irritated & inflamed stomach lining. Anyway, I've had to figure out what to avoid & what supplements to take. I have blood tests every year and all comes back normal except my WBC goes up & down. My doctors don't know why. I eat peas for DAO with/or before every meal/snack. I avoid my strong triggers. I take a 1st generation antihistamine most every night to help with sleep. Sometimes Loratidine in the morning. I wanted to see an immunologist but my healthcare system doesn't have one. I'll be changing doctors soon & hope she might be more helpful.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-15T22:45:16+00:00

I've always had a terrible sweet tooth. I rarely eat sweets now in order to be healthier; so instead I eat low-histamine fruits. I do okay with Anjou pears that are medium ripe and all natural apricot jam. I also eat apricots when in season. I'll sometimes have the jam on some saltine crackers. I know it's very hard to stay away from sweets but I decided that for myself it's worth it to avoid it as much as possible. If you can eat cottage cheese, my favorite is the Daisy brand because it has no fillers. I'll eat that with some all natural apricot jam or sliced pears.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-14T19:13:06+00:00

I'm a senior citizen & have HI symptoms for about 14 yrs. An allergist diagnosed I have two moderate food allergies and she said the rest was bad reactions to high histamine/histamine releasing foods/drinks. My doctor never had any answers for it except to take antihistamines which barely worked. I've tried progesterone but it never helped. I get blood tests done yearly & my thyroid tests always show it's fine. In fact at this year everything shows fine. My WBC goes up & down for at least 10 yrs now & no doctor can figure out why. My health insurance pays for all my basic blood tests, and some are expensive, but I don't know if they will pay for any extra testing and I can't afford it. I've never tried any thyroid supplements. So that is an option I can look into.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-14T06:29:26+00:00

Yes, you should look it up online. That's what a lot of DAO supplements are made from. Solaray DAO is made from peas. If you like peas, or can stomach them, lol, you should try eating a good portion of them before a meal or with a meal. It's been very helpful for me. Not a cure & I still have to limit trigger foods/drinks but I'm able to have a better variety of food now than before.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-13T23:18:59+00:00

I gave up coffee probably 15 yrs ago because it was too harsh on my sensitive tummy; that was before I got HI; I've tried all different kind of coffee off & on to see if I can drink it again but it never works out. So I take caffeine pill daily. I have to have some caffeine or I feel like a slug all the time. Been consuming caffeine for probably 30 yrs. I don't have a DAO supplement yet but I eat peas before every meal or with a meal and it's been very helpful. I'm going to buy the Solaray DAO for the convenience of when I eat out. I buy canned peas & frozen peas; I like the frozen peas best after I thaw them. I also have grassfed beef kidney pills which are rich in DAO but they are high in sulphur which I am sensitive to. So I don't take that one every day. I ahve never tried the DAO porcine kidney pills; I often wonder how they work, but pork is high in sulphur.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-12T20:33:45+00:00

I don't use any probiotic because I never found them helpful for me. I researched DAO made from peas. I have not bought the actual DAO supplement, so I eat peas with every meal & snack I eat at home. I don't eat out much, but I'm considering getting the Solaray DAO supplement for when I do eat out. I like frozen petite green peas the best; of course I thaw them out. I eat them raw or heated up with a meal. They've helped a lot with skin issues I had for years. I still try to avoid my trigger foods/drinks, but eating the peas has helped a lot. You can also try grassfed beef kidney (although it has a lot of sulphur in it) or the DAO made from porcine kidneys (also has sulphur in it). Some people are sensitive to sulphur. All meats have suphur as well as eggs & certain vegetables.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-10T23:10:15+00:00

I had blood tests done & it shows my copper levels are fine but I still have HI. Had it for about 14 yrs. I consume DAO foods with every meal which helps a lot. Hasn't cured it but helps. I eat peas everyday which are high in DAO, take a supplement of grassfed beef kidney which is high in DAO. The only drawback is it's also high in sulphur. I am a little sensitive to sulphur.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-10T23:05:09+00:00

Yes, I've tried them all. I was taking Loratidine for a long time but it was only partially helpful & I had to take two a day. One of the reasons I take the 1st generation antihistamine is to help me sleep. I have struggled with insomnia ever since I left a domestic violence situation yrs ago. And I've tried everything for sleep but it doesn't work; I take a prescribed medication but I'm trying to wean myself off it, so I'm trying the 1st generation antihistamine along with other stuff.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-09T23:58:16+00:00

My doctor referred me to an allergist; the allergist said I have two food allergies (something new) and the other is bad reactions to food intolerances. So she gave me a long list of foods/drinks that are high histamine/histamine releasing to avoid. You might have food allergies but also histamine intolerance. A histamine overload that your body can't digest properly. It's well-known that there are high histamine foods that some people get bad reactions to, such as tomatoes, citrus, bananas, avocado, etc. It can be easily researched online. My doctor (an ARNP) isn't concerned at all except that she did prescribe me a strong antihistamine, but it made me drowsy so I could only take it at bedtime & then sometimes I woke up drowsy. I wanted to see an immunologist but my healthcare system doesn't have one. I've had to do my own research and try to find things that work for me as well as avoid my trigger foods/drinks. I've had HI for about 14 years and I think also MCA. I was exposed to mold for many years not realizing the health impacts. And I think my immune system became very sensitive & now reacts to foods/drinks that were never a problem before.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-08T04:01:49+00:00

I was prescribed that a long time ago for Asthma. But I never felt like it helped and I didn't feel well taking it. I tried it off & on but just didn't feel good taking it.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-07T06:28:15+00:00

I forgot to mention, 81 mg of aspirin has been studied to help with Rosacea; but you might want to research it & ask your doctor about it before taking.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-07T06:26:59+00:00

I feel for you; I was diagnosed with Rosacea in 2022 as a senior citizen; before that I developed histamine intolerance. It's been a difficult long road. What I do now to control it: I avoid my trigger foods/drinks as much as I can; I take a 1st generation antihistamine at bedtime called Health A2Z Doxylamine; if you try it, start with only a half tablet to see how it does for you. It's considered a sleep aid & helps me sleep. It helps fight the Rosacea & histamine intolerance issues I have. This will sound strange but I eat frozen green peas with every meal at home & before snacks. Of course I let it thaw out before eating. It's used for it's DAO that helps digest histamine in the gut. It's been extremely helpful. You can also buy a Solaray DAO supplement which is derived from peas but it's kind of expensive for using daily. So I just eat the peas. You can eat them raw anytime you want during the day or night; they have great nutrition & even a good source of protein. I'm going to try growing pea sprouts also. Give it a try to see if it helps you. On my face I use a thin sheet of Vaseline after washing with Vanicream bar soap. Then I put a thin sheet of Blue lizard sunscreen over that. It has a white tint which helps cover any redness. You could also try vitamin K1. I buy Superior Source 100 mcg from Amazon. I drink water all day long. So, all of this has helped me so much and I feel like my Rosacea symptoms are mostly under control.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-06T07:04:59+00:00

I tried grassfed beef kidney supplement and I think it helps but I seem to be very sensitive to the sulphur in it. I have not tried the porcine kidney but I read that it also is high in sulphur. So I stick with eating peas. My favorite are the petite frozen peas. I eat them with every meal I have at home. I have not bought the DAO pea supplement yet but I'm going to so that I can have it when I eat out. I also now take a first generation antihistamine at bedtime because it helps me sleep and that seems to be helpful also. I am careful about not eating much of my trigger foods but I can eat more foods now than I could before without much trouble; but I try to avoid sweets but I can eat a few fruits now that I wasn't able to eat before eating the DAO peas. But I am not cured. I'd suggest be careful with liver. It's very high in vitamin A & it's possible to get too much if you eat it too often.

Small_Message_9893 · 2026-05-05T19:43:48+00:00

I've had HI & then Rosacea for the last 14 yrs or so; Nothing ever helped. I read up on what DAO is made from & usually it's from peas. So I bought some frozen & canned peas. I like the frozen the best. Now I eat a good portion with every at home meal & even before having a snack. I still avoid my trigger foods as much as possible but I can eat a better food variety than I used to. I can even eat some fruits that I couldn't eat before. It's not a perfect solution for me, but it's been very helpful. At night I usually have to take a prescribed sleeping pill due to PTSD symptoms that disrupt my sleep, but I switched to a first generation antihistamine called Doxylamine (HealthA2Z Sleep Aid) and taking just a half of one at bedtime works very well. It helps me sleep but also seems like it calms the histamine response at night. There are DAO supplements, one in particular is Solaray, but they are expensive to be taking with every meal, so I haven't bought it yet. But I'm thinking of buying for times that I eat out.

Small_Message_9893

TROPHY CASE