treament for hives?

Question

Every single day for about a month in a half now i have broken out in pretty severe hives all over my legs. they last for approx. an hour, sometimes more, sometimes less and occur at different times of the day.
i have never been allergic to anything in the past and i have no idea what is causing this.
i have tried everything to find out what this could be from and no one knows. but my question is, are there any lotions or creams that i could apply daily that will make the hives go away quickly and stop itching?
i have poison ivy anti-itch lotion, but that only helps to stop the itching.
but i need something to get rid of the ugly hives and redness faster. any suggestions?

Answer 1

try benedryl cream it works pretty well

Answer 2

You may be experiencing what is called "Contact Dermatitis". This is a condition where you develop a rash/hives at the site of what you are allergic to. Have you changed your detergent recently or changed the fabric softener? The detergent "All Free" is perfect for those with detergent sensitivities. All also makes a fabric softener sheet.
If you have these hives everyday and only on your legs, maybe you are allergic to a pet.
You should see an allergist and have some allergy testing done to determine exactly what is causing you this distress.

In the mean time, Benadryl lotion/cream work for the localized itiching but if you want systemic relief from the itching and swelling, you may want to try the tablets. Also available over the counter is Claritin tablets. Claritin offers systemic allergy reaction suppression.
Good luck! Don't scratch!

Answer 3

Ugh...
Clairitin didn't really work as well for my child as zytretc did (prescription anti-histimine).
However, I don't know if you have already done this or not...but if you are intersted in trying to find out 'what' it might be that is causing them...here is my story:
my daughter gets hives daily and I have figured out it is a change in temperature that causes hers. She is also allergic to foods (confirmed through skin prick tests and blood work)
Really, you might want to contact an allergist's office. It could be: 1. food 2. a physical cause (ie. heat, cold), 3. a virus, or 4. an unknown reason.
I have read everything and anything that pertains to hives on the internet trying to figure out what my daughter had...
It could be so many things, but I think with some careful tracking you may be able to figure it out.
(One man I spoke with was actually allergic to eggs as a child, but not as an adult. Well, then he went on the adkins diet and was consuming several eggs (egg whites) and it was causing hive outbreaks. It took 6 months for him to put it all together and he realized that he could only tolerate a certain amount of egg...like one or two eggs, but not more than that.)
Food allergies typically will cause hives up to 2 hours after exposure.)
If you are concerned about a food allergy (which can develop at any time) you could eat less allergenic foods for awhile and see if it helps...if you have a 'hive free' day, that may point to foods...just as an example.
I don't want to go on and on, but each cause of hives usually has its own 'reation' time so if you are aware of the possible allergies first (you can search on the web...webmd.com and about.com have been helpful to me), you will better know what to be looking for and after a hive outbreak, you can look back on things with a little more knowlege.
good luck. i know it is not fun!

Answer 4

I had hives for many years, the Dr. said it was probably a reaction to laundry products. So I changed to everything I could think of, including the All-Free products, and they were better than many others, but I still had hives.What I found out was that the chemicals in the detergents and fabric softeners build up in your system, and then your system gets overloaded with them, making you break out. I finally started doing some reading about chemicals, and found out that all of our home and personal care products have a bunch of harmful chemicals in them. Some people never seem to have a reaction to these, while others do. The reaction could be even from body soap, or lotions. I changed my whole house over to natural products some months back, now I do not have any issues with hives or rashes. It has helped my health tremendously, I would highly recommend it. This is not a fast answer as in tomorrow, but it could be a permanent answer.

Answer 5

The aveeno oatmeal baths sound gross but they really work. I get hives all the time and that always makes them go away. You should go to an allergist to see what is causing your allergies. I didn't develop food allergies until 5th grade and now I can't eat anything with sugar, soy, milk, wheat, corn syrup and lots of other stuff. I'd suggest getting some tests done to prevent this from becoming worse.

Answer 6

I have this problem as well. I break out due to an allergic reaction to detergents and things of that nature..and stress does the same thing to me as well. If I get really stressed out they just pop out all over the place. Unfortunately there isn't an "immediate" remedy. Take you some Benadryl allergy and I have found that those aveeno oatmeal baths help to calm the skin as well. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

I used to break out in hives all over my legs when I was under severe stress. Are you under a lot of stress? For me, it wasn't any environmental factors. You could try taking Benadryl.

Answer 8

I used to get them from the cold. I also recommend Benadryl. The tube with the nice-smelling liquid.

Answer 9

I don't know.