I've been 12 weeks on the Ideal Protein Diet with fabulous results. In the past 3 months I've lost 31 lbs. and on the whole feel great with no real hunger issues. However, in week 10 I developed a rash on my arms, waistline and inner thigh areas. I immediately went to my primary physician who was baffled. At first she thought it was poison oak and prescribed steroid cream and suggested I take Benadryl. No help at all. I used chamomile lotion and that cooled the itching down but I kept getting more and more bumps.

I finally did extensive Internet search and discovered several things. First, that this rash was most likely Hives. It has been seen quite often in people using Ketosis driven diets such as Atkins and IP. Dermatologists will say that it is a condition called Prurigo Pigmentosa and that it is a rare occurrence as a skin condition, usually Japanese, but it has been noted by many, many Western people who had been on Atkins diet as a regular occurrence . It was explained that Ketosis kills Candida in the body. This is called Candida die- off. The waste that has been trapped in the fat cells that are being killed off circulates in the blood system resulting in the Hives. No topical ointment will clear this up. What has been proven to be effective is antibiotics from the Tetracycline family, such as Minocycline. I found that info when I googled ketosis and Prurigo Pigmentosa.

So I went back to my dermatologist and begged for the Minocycline which he gave me and I am starting a 7 day regime. I will keep this thread posted about any or no improvement. I am not allergic to any antibiotic and so will be giving this a try.

Thanks for sharing, GiggirlNY, that's very useful information for us to have here on the forum!

Yes very interesting thank you for taking the time to let us know. Please update us how it goes in a week.

A little more about Candida Die-Off:

"When yeast cells are rapidly killed, a die-off (or Herxheimer reaction) occurs and metabolic by-products are released into the body. The Candida yeast cells actually release 79 different toxins when they die, including ethanol and acetaldehyde."

http:www.thecandidadiet.com/Candida-die-off.htm

This is really interesting. I started taking Milk Thistle about 3 years ago when I suddenly started getting what I half-jokingly called the 'summer itch' --scalp, hands and inner forearms -- with no signs of chiggers or other critters, and no obvious signs of contact dermatitis from new soap, poison ivy etc. I had tried tea tree oil shampoo and a few other 'topical' type things from my local health food store, but nothing was really working. The milk thistle did the trick. Looking back I suspect I was mildly dehydrated (I've always had trouble drinking enough water -- IP has actually helped me a lot in developing better habits) and my liver was getting stressed. Reading this I also wonder if my 2012 stint of IP had caused a die-off so I was getting the triple whammy! Regardless, it worked for me and is now part of my daily routine. Perhaps your doc might recommend that for you as well, once you are past the antibiotic stage.

Several years ago I developed a rash on my underarms... I tried tea tree oil, but it didn't get rid of it... the lady at the health food store told me I had an overabundance of yeast in my bloodstream... I don't know if she meant candida or not... anyway, she recommended I take Olive Leaf Extract capsules... within a couple of days of starting those the rash was gone & I've never gotten it again... I still take Olive Leaf Extract intermittently, maybe once or twice a month... by the way, it was long before I ever did IP, so I have no idea of what brought on the rash...

I'm not saying it will work for your case... just thought I'd relate my experience...

Best wishes & hugs...

So, this is the second day on antibiotic and I have to say it seems like the hives are cooling down. No new outbreaks, which happened every night for two weeks prior.
I always had some sensitivity to sugar/ carbs in my gut. For decades. All my life I craved sugar based foods. I had gained weight by not how much I ate but what I ate. IP has really taught me a lot about how over abundance of glucose and glycogen can disrupt my system. And I agree Tigridia that water is of utmost importance.
Years ago I did try taking Milk Thistle but found no relief for myself, perhaps I was too far gone with yeast overgrowth.
Antibiotics aren't what I usually go to first. But I had tried all the topical oc treatments I could think of and didn't want to keep experimenting since my arms were getting scarred from scratching in my sleep. It was driving me nuts! So when I finally found a blogger citing that Minocycline was successful , and I knew I had no allergies to antibiotics, I jumped at it.
I'm not reporting that this is a done deal yet, so stay tuned. If this fails I may take the advice of Aunt Sheshie and try the Olive Leaf Extract. 5 more days on the Minocycline to go.

Okay, so I've finished 6 days of Minocycline and my hives / rash is completely gone. I can say that the Minocycline was successful as a solution to my hives. I was having such daily breakouts for weeks and I noticed a significant change after just 2 dosages of the antibiotic.
So I am concluding for myself that I was still harboring Candida in my system as I was indeed experiencing a Candida die-off that triggered the hives. I'm no doctor so this is all from my personal experience only. I'm not recommending this as a solution to others. I can only speak for myself and myself alone.
I did many hours of research on hives, my ketosis driven diet and potential side affects. I had to stand up to my dermatologist who all but laughed at me and wanted to push steroids on me, which I refused. I tried oc ointments and doctor prescribed topical ointments that did absolutely nothing. In fact, it seemed to annoy my hives more!
I beleive the 31 lbs. of fat that was released from my body contained a great deal of toxins and my liver just couldn't process it all efficiently enough so the toxins were purged through my skin.
I am so relieved not to have the constant bumps and insufferable itching that went with them.
Has anyone else experienced ketosis diet side- effects?
:happy:

So glad to hear you finally have relief from the hives. Way to stand up for yourself!

Thanks galpal !

Update...8 days later still rash-free.

Has anyone else have rash experiences?

I've had other side effects from the rapid weight loss (aches & pains / muscle pulls), but no hive-like rash.

I am having exactly the same kind of rash!

I also had the die off rash. Went to doctor and several specialists; the treatment that worked for me was using Coconut oil as body wash. I know it sounds odd; however, it worked. Benefit was nice soft skin and no rash.