Nervous Rash

Hi Everyone,

I have only realised in the last day that I am suffering from SP. Im ok in most social situations, I communicate with other people etc but my problem is that initially I break out in this huge red, blothcy rash on my neck and across my back that is extremely noticeable. People often say "whats that on your neck" and I find myself making up pathetic excuses like I scratched it or Im allergic to my perfume!! I even wear high neck tops to hide behind.

I wish I could find a pill to take that would make it go away..... I am so conscious of it all the time. It even happens when Im on my own and dont even feel anxious! I avoid certain social situations because of it (even going for a teabreak in work!) and I shouldnt have to do that.

Does anyone else have these or similar symptoms? What should I do... Can I go to my Doctor and tell him this I mean what do I say.....

HELP!

Hi skipperdontis,

How are you keeping? Sorry I haven't been here for AGES and I've just read your post. Have you seen your doctor yet? If not, I think you should go. Just tell him/her that you break out in a rash every time you communicate with people. Maybe he/she could give you better advice, or perhaps even prescribe something! Try to relax yourself in social situations if you can, take a few breaths and then start talking. People who judge you for that aren't really worth it, they should learn to respect people from time to time. I hope you come back and tell us how it goes. Good luck.

Take care,
Frozen_In_Time

nervous rash

HI SKIPPERDONTIS

DONT WORRY YOU ARE NOT ALONE ,I TOO SUFFER FROM THE RED BLOTCHY RASH YOU DESCRIBE AND BELIEVE ME I KNOW HOW DEPPRESSING IT IS. I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FROM THIS SINCE SCHOOL YEARS AND ALSO NOW REALISE IT IS THE SOCIAL SITUATIONS THAT MAKE IT WORSE AS WELL AS SPICY FOODS AND ALCOHOL

I FEEL I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER SOCIAL SITUATIONS ALMOST LIKE I AM TRAPPED AND ALL MY FEARS WILL BE REVEALED TO EVERYONE AS THEY CAN SEE MY NECK/ ARMS AND FACE ARE DEEP RED AND BLOTCHY AND I LIKE YOU ONLY WISH I COULD BE RID OF IT
IT REALLY HAS BECOME A VICIOUS CIRCLE WHICH HOLDS ME BACK FROM BELIEVING IN MYSELF AND MOVING FOWARD IN LIFE.

THE ONLY TIME I WAS FREE OF IT WAS WHEN MY CONFIDENCE WAS AT A ALL TIME HIGH I HAD JUST COMPLETED A ASSERTIVENESS COURSE AND FELT GREAT, I EVEN HAD MY HAIR CUT SHORT AFTER YEARS OF TRYING TO HIDE MY NECK FROM PEOPLE I NOW FEEL AS THOUGH I AM BACK TO SQUARE ONE AGAIN
AFTER REALLY TRYING TO MANTAIN MY CONFIDENCE TO KEEP THESE FEELINGS AT BAY IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEATEN ME AGAIN I KEEP TRYING TO FOCUS OUTWARDS AND FEEL I AM BEING VAIN TO LET THIS BOTHER ME BUT IN ALL HONESTY I WOULD LOVE SOME HELP TO DEAL WITH THIS

Could it be Rosacea? I have known a few people who have had it, and I had it at one point. But I now tend to have really dry skin which is just as embarassing. That leaves some redness behind. In the past I've had people ask what's wrong, but it's not as noticable nowdays.

I found this:
http://www.drnase.com/anxiety.htm

My neck goes very red no matter what I'm up to. In my family its actually hereditory as my mum and aunt also suffer from it, as did my nan when she was alive. I'm not embarrassed about it though as its something that can't be helped.
I used to suffer from steriodal acne after being on steroids for a long time after my transplant and believe me, that was far more embarrassing. Try not to let it get you down too much. I'm going to look online to see if theres any natural remedies that might help as I find them just as useful as presciptive drugs at times.

I'm LilMissTragic BTW...forgot to sign in.

weird nervous rash

I have the same thing and it's really awful. One person even said to me "Oh my god! You have poison oak!" when it was just nerves from being in a heated conversation. I joke about it with my close friends now because they know that when I'm mad/sad/drunk/arguing I break out in a ridiculous rash... it's actually quite funny. My biggest concern is my wedding though, I can wear turtlenecks when I give presentations but on my wedding day I want to wear a pretty low-cut dress....

One more thing!

One more thing! Does anybody know the medical term for this? One time I was at the doctor's office and he asked me why my neck was red (it always happens at the doctor's office). I told him that I always get a rash when I'm nervous or upset, and he seemed fascinated by it and told me the name. I remember it had something like "hypo" and "derm" in it, but I can't remember what it was exactly. I'd really like to know so I can look it up more specifically. If anyone knows, please post!

Yup, i suffer from it aswell, and im 16 in a week or so and i hate it! Its awful, especially as most of the time i dont even feel nervous, its horrible. i even try taken deep breathes and try to relax but does it work no... i wish their was something to stop it, but theres not as far as what my doctor told me. They were no help at all. IT gets me down and i know ive got to learn to live with it, but i think alot of it has to do with confidence alot of the time, even though some of my freinds think it looks cool, you always get people saying whys your neck blotchy, whats that rash on your neck? so irritating, i just say its some wierd rash thing i get... i didnt suffer when i was younger only really since i was 14, My mum said she had it when she was my age but she grew out of it. Hopefully i will! I might try at the doctors again and see what they say :S

its not rosacea or however its spelt lol! I looked it up on the net and saw images of what the rosacea looked like, i guess thats another skin problem the doctors cant cure

nervous rash

I am suffering from exactly the same problem, I only have to speak to someone and my neck goes red and blotchy - if I continue the conversation I think about it more so it gets worse and goes to my face, arms, back. I've suffered with this for years, I've been down the therapy route and have got better for short periods of time but it always comes back, only takes one incident! Its a relief in some ways to hear I'm not alone but I'm sad to see no-one seems to have found an answer and it affects so many of us to such a great degree. I'm thinking of trying hypnosis, if it works I'll post an update!

me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Hello, I'm 21 years old and ever since I was about 14 I have been experiencing a something that has really changed my life in a bad way. My skin gets red spots that are usually hot, but do not itch, they normally only appear on my neck, chest, and under arms. they are really red and noticable. This is when they occur: When I'm nervous, upset, mad, out in the sun, excerise, take a hot shower, drink alchohol, really any emotions, and sometimes for no reason. When I was younger my mother told me that it was not anything to worry about, and not to see a doctor. But, I feel it has got me so nervous that I feel less confidenit going places, or meeting knew people. My regular doctor has tried giving me allergy medication, but I would really like to see another doctor that specialises in that field, but the only thing is , is that I don't know which kind of doctor to go to. I feel if anybody has advice, or might be able to help me in any kind of way I would appreciate this deeply, as I get older I try to tell myself, that it will go away, but has not. the red spots last from anywhere to 10 mins. to 2 hours. then fade away, and there is not a day that goes by I don't get them. I feel that If I could find a cure for this I could do so much more with my life. thank you.

omg its nice to see that im not alone i too have that stupid rash.
its pretty much taking over my life , it happens in any social situation and i dont know what im going to do about it. i cant cover up my chest for the rest of my life. I need help.

Any idea's out there?

yeah, i get this too!! it's actually at the heart of all my problems. i'm 33yrs old, and i've had social anxiety since i was a young boy, and this extremely red blotchy skin when i'm nervous. i could always feel it starting, then it would get worse because i would get more nervous - a vicious, vicious cycle!! i often feel that if this didn't happen to me, i would've gotten over my shyness and low self esteem a long time ago!!

i wish it were just my neck and chest, but it's also my face - and it's not subtle in the least.

this is not rosecia, it's a type of blushing and it's directly related to emotions. there is a surgery that you can get which may help, but i haven't seriously considered it yet. i'm currently taking an ssri, and while i'm on these medicines, i rarely turn blotchy...

Nervous rash

Yep, have been afflicted by this since 19 yrs of age - now 45 and it really pisses me off! It has dominated my life in regard to confidence, friendships and career. Not sure if it's possible to stop it occuring given that it's an emotional response.

Perhaps we should start a Rash group?

i thought i was alone

Hii. Im 16 years old. I have this problem too. Whenever im around a guy i like or if a guy hits on me...i get really red. I guess im nervous. My chest gets really blotchy and so does the top of my left arm..but usually not my right arm. Its kinda weird lol. but i really wish i could do something to stop it. I don't know how to though. And i wear lower cut shirts alot. So it really sucks. It gets me soo embarrased...

hi i also suffer from it and hate it too! i've gotten better over the years but hate the fact that the first thing i think of when i'm going out is what can i wear that will cover my rash!
i'm 36 weeks pregnant with my second child and could have killed my husband today who told me after i been to see the midwife that i was very red and rashy i know i'm always red and rashy after seeing them (or any doctor!) and decided not to let it bother me so much as i can't do any thing about it but then he made me worry about it again! why have people always got to point it out?

Reason for the nervous rash

I too get the same rash, sometimes from nerves and sometimes for no reason at all... but I might be able to explain the reason for the rash.

Catecholamines. When my doctor saw the rash on my chest, he asked me some questions about when I get it and how I feel when I have it. He then said that it can be the result of an excess amount of catecholamines. The production or overproduction of catecholamines, which include norepinephrine and epinephrine (a.k.a. adrenaline), are triggered by stress and anxiety. Some conditions such as hypoglycemia, for example, can also cause the release of excess catecholamines.

The problem with having your catecholamine levels tested is that they can vary drastically throughout the day, so 24 hour urine tests are more accurate than blood. Even with that said, testing your catecholamine levels doesn't give you a cure for the rash (I'm sorry), but there are some things that might help...

Caffine, sugar, Tylenol, tobacco, and alcohol (as well as many Rx) increase catecholamine production, so avoiding these might help reduce the onset/severity of that lovely blotchy rash. Since low blood sugar levels also play a role, try not to go too long without eating and avoid high sugar foods.

These probably aren't the things you wanted to hear, and I'm not a medical professional, so what do I know anyway... I'm somewhat of a hypocrite because I don't follow the recommendations above; however, now that I am aware of the triggers, I do notice a difference in the frequency and severity of the rash based on how bad I've been.

Hope this helps...

YES the cure is MSG in the foods you are eating.
Nervous rashes are one of the symptoms.
Read my post and visit the site on MSG symptoms

All these thousands of people suffering are due to this believe me.

the redness is absolutly crazy!!! its so embassesing and the more you think to your self "they can see my red neck" the worse it gets!!!! when im happy, sad, angry, most of all anxious, i a hurry!!!

3 things i have found really help and actually can stop it from happening... and trust me i get it it really bad and cos im so pale its more obvious... SPRAY TANS can cover it!!!
1. DONT DRINK COFFEE OR ANYTHING WITH CAFFIENE IN IT.. I KNOW ITS HARD AND YOUR TIRED BUT CAFFIENE IS THE BIGGEST TRIGGER!!!
2. ACUPUNCTIRE!!! UNBELIEVABLE... IT REALLY WORKS... SOME HOW BUT IT DOES.
3. DONT THINK ABOUT IT. WHEN U KNOW YOUR GONING TO A SOCIAL SITITUATION THE BIGGEST TRIGGER IS THINKING THEY WILL SEE MY RED NECK!!!! TRUST ME IF YOU IGNOR IT AND DONT THINK ABOUT...IT WONT HAPPEN... OR IT WILLL GO AWAY... IF YOUR SITTING THERE THINKING... THEY WILL ALL SEE MY RED NECK... IT WILL HAPPEN...

i have no idea what it is called but it think we all know it is dibilitation and holds us back from really being who we are...
I swear i have a turtle neck in every colour!!!
if anyone has any other little remidies pls tell me... apparently you grow out of getting the blotchy neck... but i cant wait

Yet another sufferer and how I cope

My girlfriend and I both suffer from this exact blotchy redness described in these blogs. Mine began sometime in highschool and has yet to go away.

I have learned to live with the reddness however...when someone makes a comment on it now I pretty much have perfected my answer...

Yes I know...my face gets red sometimes...but it will go away in a little bit.

And thats that...the way I see it is at least it is not permanant. Also the easier the explanation the better. I don't know about anyone else but mine always goes away after an undetermined amount of time and for the most part once it has happened in a given solcial situation it will not come back.

For anyone who's confidence takes a hit...remember it could be a lot worse. So what we get red...

We have to love ourselves for who we are...

My own docs analysis on on it is this...when we have any emotional response it triggers our hypothalamus to our pituitary gland (which is normal for everyone) only ours is over stimulated causing our cardiovascular system to overreact...leading to vasodialation of our capilaries which is why our faces and other parts turn red and get very warm.