Treatment and Prevention
Prevention is the best treatment for hives. If you or your doctor can discover what's causing the rash, you can avoid that trigger in the future. It may be something obvious, but it's possible that you'll never find out.
The itching of hives can usually be rapidly relieved with antihistamines like hydroxyzine or diphenhydramine. Other less sedating antihistamines (such as desloratadine, cetirizine, loratadine, or fexofenadine) may also be used for chronic hives or if acute hives last for more than 24 to 48 hours.
Severe hives or angioedema can be treated with adrenalin injections (sometimes called epinephrine). Adrenalin constricts blood vessels, which reduces swelling. Corticosteroids may be given orally or topically in extreme cases, but never for very long.
These medications can treat the symptoms very effectively, but there's no actual cure. Urticaria usually clears within a week, but it can go on for two or more years. Even chronic hives usually clear up eventually.
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
Jeffrey Heit, MD, Internist with special emphasis on preventive health, fitness and nutrition, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.