bite/welt marks, mystery symptoms

Could any of these symptoms be connected:
Welts on face and neck that look like mosquito bites but itch longer, that appear mysteriously without bugs.
Cephalexin for 12 days that was mistakenly given for an anal fistula, followed by severe tinnitis, pain in jaw and sides of neck, headache and general foggy feeling in the head.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

The dermatological lesions that you are having seem to be hives. 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.Maybe cephalexin is responsible for hives in your case.

The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamines which may be necessary for prolonged periods (in excess of 6 weeks).Non-sedating antihistamines such as Cetirizine, Loratadine and Fexofenadine may be needed to get symptom relief. Sedating antihistamine such as Chlorphenamine(Benadryl) is 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 a mild corticosteroid cream is also useful.

Pls consult a physician for chronic urticaria(hives) if the symptoms still persist.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Warm regards.