Hives

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I have a problem - maybe one of the Teeming Millions can help me out.

Two weeks ago, I woke up with hives on my feet and legs. Some were pretty big - the size of a quarter. I took some Claritin and waited for them to go away.

They didn’t. So last Monday (Aug 21st) I called my dermatologist and got to see him that day. He said, “yep, those are hives, take some Benadryl if your Claritin isn’t working and call me next week if they’re not better”.

I still had them yesterday, so I called him to find him on vacation. So I called the replacement doctor and got to see him.

He said, “yep, those are hives, I’ll prescribe this Zyrtec and Allegra, take those and let me know how you’re doing.”

Well, the pharmacy wouldn’t give me both Zyrtec and Allegra, so I settled for Zyrtec. I took one last night before going to sleep.

I wake up this morning to find the hives have spread onto my stomach and chest, arms, face and scalp. My whole body itches and it’s really annoying and unsightly. I look like a leper.

So I call the replacement dermatologist to find out he’s not working today. I call my regular doctor who tells me to “make an appointment for next week when he returns from vacation”.

WTF??? One: What is up with all of these shitty doctors? Two: What should I do about these horrible hives? Three: Should I just go to the hospital or what?

I am at risk for anaphylactic shock (mostly from eating nuts), so it wouldn’t be too weird for me to go to the hospital, but it’s a $50 co-pay and probably a 10 hour wait. Help!

2

I would probobly just go to the ER and get checked. You never know, and a copay and wait are worth it if something is wrong.

I started getting hives when I was about 10 from stress. Now whenever I get under high stress, I break out in them. No meds ever helped me, but they usually subsided in about two or three days.

YMMV,
Zette

3

If you’ve eliminated contact causes, is there some major stress in your life?

I have sensitive skin and everything seems to be held in check unless/until I get stressed. Then something (anything) can trigger a hives reaction and they are damned hard to get rid of. Do you feel your hives are a precursor to a shock reaction? Has that happened before? Then get thee to the urgent care center. Otherwise, I dunno. Hives are weird things. Easy to get, hard to get rid of.

Last bad episode I had, the doc prescribed buffalo-strength antihistimine called Atarax. She said besides being an antihistimine, they tend to make you so mellow they’re prescribed as a mild sedative, too. It was the double-whammy drug that attacked both my problems. I thought the drug was going to make me comatose at first, but once I adjusted to it I was just peacefully stupid. Aaaaaaaaaah. It took a while to work on the hives, IIRC.

4

Zette, thanks for the info. If they are bad tomorrow morning, I decided to go to the hospital. Did you have to tell yourself to relax before they went away, or was it just a symptom of a stressful episode?

Cranky, I’m not particularily stressed - in fact, I’ve been waking up at 6 am every morning to go exercise (Precor and swimming). My job, social and homelife are zero stress, too.

One doc said they were from something I’ve eaten - the only new thing were vitamins - he said I could be allergic to the coating or an additivie. But I’ve stopped taking them since I got the hives, but still have them. Could vitamins be in my system for more than 2 weeks?

Don’t you LOVE the numb drowsiness from antihistemines? I get soooooo mellow on them - I, too, could never work while on them. But they’re so much fun to zone out on.

Thanks for your advice and support, guys, and even though it’s terribly mean to wish hives on anyone, I’m glad I’m not alone!

5

Mine just sorta went away- I didn’t purposely relax or anything, they just flared then faded. Totally weird. It wasn’t like anything awful had happened, either. I don’t remember what brought it on. I did break out in wicked hives when I got divorced, too. They faded a few days later, too.

Good luck!
Zette

6

don’t forget that injestion isn’t just orally. You may have developed an allergy to your detergent/soap or some mold mildew or pollen that’s around. If the hives are still there, it sounds to me like continually contact, so think of other stuff you’ve been in contact with.

7

I broke out in bad hives a few years ago that wouldn’t respond to any antihistamines either. I finally ended up getting put on steroids which did work, though it took a couple of days for the rash to completely dissipate.

I have the same problem. Whenever I get really terribly stressed out, I break out all over my thighs and stomach. It’s been about seven years since my last attack, fortunately.

8

Go to an allergist!
When I was 16 I got my first hive attack. At first I thought they were mosquito bites, but they just got bigger and bigger until my back was one big, red, swollen, itchy mess. My grandma took me to the emergency room where I got a shot and it went away.

Two years later another attack. This one was worse as I got hives in places where I barely have any skin. Dr. gave me antihistimenes (or however you spell it).

3 and a half years down the road. Hives, swollen hands and feet, joint pain.

Another 2 years pass. Hives, swollen limbs, joint pain, wheezing and shortness of breath. My then Dr. sends me to allergist. Allergist warns me the attacks will keep getting worse and worse and I should get a scratch test to find out what is causing them. But they go away and I don’t think about it anymore.

2 years ago. Same symptoms as before plus eyes swollen shut. You’d think I’d learn my lesson, but no. Get Claritin samples from my doc. Phsaw, my allergy says to Claritin. I’ll show you! Tongue swells up in my head. Primary care Dr. has a heart attack when I rush into his office with my tongue hanging out my big, puffy head with no eyes. Perscribes epipen.

Go to the allergist. Find out what is causing this. Don’t end up like me!

9

I get hives so bad they bleed :eek:.

Doctor put me on Allegra, which worked like a charm, but then I lost my job and my insurance and can’t pay $60 a pop for a bottle that would otherwise be $15.

I found a solution. Now, you may find it a bit drastic, but it worked for me, by golly! Here it is: just use your rescue inhaler. If you’ve never had to use a rescue inhaler, here’s what you do- go to the drug store and buy an OTC inhaler; I recommend Primatine Mist. Follow the instructions on the box and you’ll be free of hives (and breathing clearly) in about 10 minutes.

Warning They tell me that Primatine can give you a wicked high if you use it when not having had an asthma attack, and that kids these days are “huffing” it just for that purpose. I’ve used it without benefit of an asthma attack several times and never gotten more than a little light-headed for a few seconds. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.