I got 'em. I mentioned last week that I had and abscessed tooth, and that I was taking penicillin for it, even though the LAST time I did, I broke out in hives. Well, my dentist, when I saw him last Wednesday, switched me to clindamycin. So far so good, right?
WRONG! Sunday, my arms and legs were itching like crazy, and I noticed the dreaded large pink blotches. Yep, it’s hives. I stopped taking the antibiotics, although I called me dentist yesterday to make sure-he said go ahead, since the infection is all but cleared up (I’m having the tooth out on Monday, rest assured).
But this is insane! My hands are so swollen that it hurts to make a fist. I’ve got big blotches on my legs, my hips, my back, my arms, my neck, and my FACE. Two on my eyelids, one on my cheek-even my ears! And I had two on my tailbone so it hurts to sit down. Fortunately, the ones on my face aren’t that visible. But dammit, I’m so itchy.
I took a Benadryl yesterday, but I’m going to wait until I go to bed to take one-those things knock me out and even if I fight it and stay awake, I get really irritable and I ended up flipping out on my sister over something stupid.
Damn, this sucks. First the tooth, now this. Ugh. I feel like taking a grill brush to my skin. 
My son had them last year.
Take a soft cloth, and put a handful of oatmeal in it. Tie it with string or a rubberband. Moisten it with cool water and rub it on the itchy spots.
You can dump some oatmeal in your bathwater, but you won’t want to take a bath every time you itch. Plus it’s a mess.
I had them severe for two years. You can’t even bend your fingers sometimes. I’d feel a tingle in my lips and one minute later they were ready to pop. Your getting a nasty case of hives and you need to make sure someone can get you to the hospital in case of your airways shut. I recomend you go, they may have to give you stronger medicine.
Once again go get it checked out now!
I’ll add to the chorus: if you have any problems breathing, get to the hospital right away. I know you hate the benadryl (I do too, for the same reasons) but it is important to take.
That abcessed tooth must be horrible; hives are only adding insult to injury. I hope you feel way better soon. Try cold compresses soaked in a baking soda solution. I’ve got a poison-oak rash at the moment and the soda is doing wonders for me.
Zyrtec did wonders for my hives when I had my first ever antibiotic allergic reaction. My physician handed me a weeks worth of her samples to take until the hives went away. Is there any way you can get your physician to give you an RX for some non-drowsy antihistamines? Mine took 3 days to fully clear up, and I can’t imagine how bad it would have been without that zyrtec.
Feel better! I know how you feel. I ended up draping my whole body with wet towels just to feel some relief.
Wow, sounds like someone has just developed an allergy to penicillin. Seriously, call your physician and tell her/him what happened. If you are allergic then it could be deadly to take it again.
I know from whence I speak. I deveoped my penicillin allergy at age 14 and also had a nasty outbreak of hives.
I also got them after a reaction to Wellbutrin and ended up in the ER twice as I was going into anaphylaxis. Oh and about 6 times outside of that. What a joy.
Some things that can help them clear up a little faster.
Avoid these things:
Strawberries
Citrus
Sunshine
Heat
Tomatoes
Eggs
Alcohol
Caffeine
Cut down on the sodium
Also, wear loose fitting clothes, nothing that causes you to get itchy. If you are a woman, don’t wear your bra. If you are into working out, stop until they go away.
Aaaand here it comes, the disclaimer, IANAD, you should check with yours and all that. These are just things that I was instructed on and it helped but everyone is different and all that fun stuff.
I already discontinued the penicillin a week ago. This time, though, I had been on clindamycin.
I’m lucky-they seem to be all but gone. There’s still a trace, but they’re no longer itchy, and the itchy ones are just a tiny one on my left toe, and one on my right ankle. My hands are still red and blotchy but not itchy or swollen. Huh. They were pretty nasty yesterday, and the day before that, but today, nope.
I know how to treat them-when I was a little kid, I used to get them all the freaking time-whenever I drank too much soda pop, or ate a lot of tomatos, or drank too much orange juice. But since then, I’ve only had them reappear a few times as an adult. As in, almost never.