You showed a single side of your torso. Is it bilateral (both sides)? Was that soon after taking a shower? If so, more suggestive of hives. Not sebaceous cysts as these are superficial and sebaceous cysts occur deeper in the skin. How itchy (intense or mild)?
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What is your WBC? I would think the inflammation is from locations where a continual conflict between something and your immune system is going on. When the immune system is held.back by rapamycing then the infection grows.
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It is bilateral. I found a couple on my upper thigh that were not red or inflamed but still itchy and harder than the surrounding skin.
Even long after a shower the torso ones are still red. The photo I posted was after a shower which was when I noticed them in the mirror.
This pic is after the Claritin and 1-2 hours.
They are mildly to moderately itchy. The bigger the itchier. If you asked me to guess without counting how many there were before I counted, I would have said about 5.
Hereās my latest WBC and other related blood markers.
59vw
#1174
Looks like hives to me, especially with the response to claritin. Reminds me of Kaeberleinās rash that he described recently after restarting Rapa after a long pause.
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I think one of the reasons Levine has a high WBC as being bad news is that implies a higher level of activation of the immune system. Temporarily this is not a bad thing, but chronically it would imply a continual higher level of infection of some form that the body is controlling, but not clearing.
Rapamycin itself reduces WBC production by inhibiting cell division.
I have a particularly low WBC (almost always under 3.8 and at times below 3 lowest 2.3) and had a low WBC before I started taking Rapamycin. I think that is because I have strengthened at a cellular level the bodyās ability to fight things that should not be there (infections etc).
I am doing a blood test tomorrow which is after my 16xaccelerator mg Rapamycin on Sunday. I expect any impact on WBC, however, to be seen next week.
Hives (urticaria is the medical term) get worse after a hot shower probably because such stuff as histamines, bradykinin, serotonin and other vasoactive compounds are released in the skin with a hot shower. In my experience, it is probably allergic in origin, usually something ingested. A good idea is to write everything down that you ingested before the urticaria became evident so that if there is a recurrence, you can compare to the list.
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I think it is the 7 mg of Rapamycin plus 3 grapefruits that did it. The reason is that the hives stick around for quite a while and appear right after dosing. I still have them today and they still itch. Normal allergies abate pretty quickly.
Iāll lower my dose and see if that helps and if I get them when I donāt take Rapamycin.
@John_Hemming I think my WBC was high during this test as I got a bacterial infection the next day. I was probably infected already during the test. Below is the prior one
Respectfully, it might be worthwhile to separate the grapefruit juice from the rapamycin ingestion as grapefruit juice contains a high amount of salicylates (the stuff of aspirin) and as a result have perhaps a higher intolerance potential than what you usually consume, just to find the culprit.
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adriank
#1179
Hmmmmmā¦ everytime I push the limit of rapamycin, I get very bad gout attacks 2 days laterā¦ but eventually it stabilize and no more attacks after week 4. Has anyone got a dosing they are happy with, either weekly or fortnightly?
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5 mg of Rapamycin + GFJ worked pretty well both weekly and every two weeks with very few side effects. Iāve only run into these negative side effects at 6-7 mg + GFJ (21-24 mg equivalent dose). Thatās pretty high, so I expected side effects.
However everyone has a different biology and what works for me may not work for you. I think there is merit in testing the limits, backing off, and then monitoring your blood work. Iāll be getting more blood work next month.
adriank
#1181
I agreeā¦ I wish the blood test can give me a better idea. Perhaps it is time to meditate and see what my inner self saysā¦ 
There have been enough benefits for me to keep going. Should I go into a 2 week cycle or 10 day cycle. 2.75-3.0hrs after GFJ seem to yield the highest blood test results for me.
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Beth
#1182
Fwiw, ever since my first 6mg dose, Iāve had a singular red rash on my arm that has never gone away. Itās fades a bit and then gets redder again. Itās always redder after a hot shower. It doesnāt itch
I had some itchiness one time a couple of months ago, but never again.
This week I have a few little marks on my body that look similar-ish to yours, but they are not itchy and not as inflamed.
I think you are correct that itās from your rapa.
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brand
#1183
paronychia etc mentioned here; not due to infection;
If rapa (and not infections) is causing some of these, maybe antibiotics are not necessary in some instances?
https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/dermatologic-disorders/nail-disorders/acute-paronychia
Novel drug therapies, such as with inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and less commonly BRAF gene inhibitors, can cause paronychia along with other skin changes. The mechanism is not completely understood. However, most cases seem to be caused by the drug itself, such as through alterations in retinoic acid metabolism, and not by secondary infection.
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brand
#1184
how would āalterations in retinoic acid metabolismā be treated?
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blsm
#1185
@brand, Iām interested in understanding that as well.
Beth
#1186
Just an FYI incase this helps anyone else.
As previously mentioned, a few months ago when I started my weekly 6mg dose, I developed a nickel sized rash on my arm that has never gone away. Not itchy or bothersome.
A few weeks ago, I started slowly started getting some more on my trunk. I finally got enough of them that I stopped by to show my doc today. He said it presents like a fungal infection, but he also thinks thatās odd because rapamycin has anti fungal properties. (If anyone has thoughts on the matter, by all meansā¦)
He recommended I mix cortisone and Lotrimin cream and apply until it goes away.
Hope this helps.
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sol
#1187
Youāre not alone. Rapamycin can both enable and prevent various infections. Welcome to spin-the-wheel effects of rapa. 
Since I started using rapa, Iāve used antifungal and antibacterial topicals to good effect. Never needed them before, but I do now. Fortunately, my doc gets it.
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Beth
#1188
Based on something youāve said in the past, I went in asking if I needed an antibacterial topical, but in this case, he said itās not a bacterial infection.
Do you take rapa breaks until it resolves, or do you just use your creams and keep plugging along?
sol
#1189
Based on something youāve said in the past, I went in asking if I needed an antibacterial topical, but in this case, he said itās not a bacterial infection.
Right. It can be either. Maybe both at once? I donāt know. But yes, I use both/either.
Do you take rapa breaks until it resolves, or do you just use your creams and keep plugging along?
Yes. 
That is, yes, I take breaks, and yes, I keep plugging along with creams. I am still experimenting, looking for the sweet spot between taking rapa and keeping my skin happy.
There may not be oneāevery time I take rapa, I get different results, even at the same doses. Reactions may well be a moving target. But I keep looking anyway. 
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