Hives All Over my Body!

I think everyone gets hives for different reasons.  I used to only get them as a child due to cold and they would go away after I warmed up.  I don't know what's causing them now.  If it's outside allergies, local honey over time should help some.  I take a 1/2 pill of ZYRTEC (its non-drowsy) during the day and don't take it again until I start getting hives.  It's helping a lot.  I assume this also might be better because it lets my body fight off the histamine too.  Too much medicine will make you need more and more medicine.  Get an allergy test done!!


This discussion is related to chronic hives.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.

Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others may be triggered by viral infections or medications. The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamines like benadryl,zyrtec,claritin which may be necessary for prolonged periods (in excess of 6 weeks). Sedating antihistamines such as Chlorphenamine or Hydroxyzine are used at night to get urticaria control. Short courses of oral cortisone or steroids are taken for short periods (one to three days) to settle more severe symptoms.
You may take Vitamin C along with the prescribed treatment. Vitamin C is a general anti-allergy supplement. It helps stabilize mast cells so they are less likely to release histamine.Application of mild steroid cream also helps.

If the symptoms persist, then you can consult an immunologist. He may start with immunosuppressive drugs.

If the hives don’t go after 6 wks of treatment also, then it can be a case of chronic urticaria which needs further evaluation as it may be due to auto antibodies.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.