Depending on the type of urticaria the person has, the doctor may prescribe different antihistamines and, if these are not sufficient to reduce the symptoms of the disease, other medications may be added. In addition, the treatment can also be complemented with home remedies, such as an oatmeal bath or a mixture of green and aloe vera clay, for example.
Urticaria is a skin reaction, the main symptoms of which are itching all over the body and the appearance of spots on the skin, which can be caused by several factors, being potentially serious, especially if it is caused by medication. If, during an episode of hives, the person starts to experience shortness of breath, they should go to the hospital as soon as possible. Learn more about the disease.
Pharmacy remedies
Treatment will depend on the person, age, type and severity of the hives. Generally, the drugs that are used initially are antihistamines, however, in some cases, it may be necessary to supplement the treatment or replace antihistamines with other drugs.
Antihistamines
Generally, the most used antihistamines, because they have less side effects, namely sedation, are the following:
- Loratadine (Claritin, Loratamed); Desloratadine (Desalex, Esalerg, Sigmaliv); Fexofenadine (Allegra, Altiva); Cetirizine (Reactine, Zyrtec); Levocetirizine (Zyxem, Vocety).
However, the doctor may recommend other antihistamines, such as chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine or hydroxyzine, which are more effective than the previous ones in treating urticaria, but may cause more severe sedation than the previous ones.
When H1 antihistamines are inadequate, the addition of H2 antagonists, such as cimetidine, ranitidine or famotidine, can have additional benefits. Another alternative is the drug doxepine, which is an H1 and H2 antagonist.
Other medicines
In some cases, the doctor may also add other medications to the treatment:
- Montelukast (Singulair, Montelair), which are drugs that, although they act differently from antihistamines, also reduce allergic symptoms; Systemic glucocorticoids, which are useful in the treatment of pressure urticaria, vasculitic urticaria or chronic urticaria, which generally have an unsatisfactory response to traditional treatment; Hydroxychloroquine (Reuquinol, Plaquinol) or colchicine (Colchis, Coltrax), which can be added after hydroxyzine and before or together with systemic glucocorticoids, in the treatment of persistent vasculitic urticaria; Ciclosporin (Rapamune), which can be effective in patients with severe chronic idiopathic or autoimmune urticaria and with an unsatisfactory response to other treatment modalities and / or when the required dose of glucocorticoid is too high; Omalizumab, which are anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies, indicated for the treatment of chronic urticaria induced by the activation of mast cells and basophils by an autoantibody.
These remedies are generally used in more severe cases, when the use of natural remedies and antihistamines is not effective. You should always go to the doctor before deciding to take the treatment for urticaria and also when using these remedies, since many of them have side effects that can harm your health.
Home remedy for hives
A great home remedy for mild cases of hives, to complement the treatment indicated by the doctor, is to take an immersion bath with about 200 g of rolled oats and 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Then, the skin should be left to dry on its own, without using the towel.
Another excellent natural remedy for mild cases of urticaria is to apply a mixture of green clay with peppermint essential oil and 30 ml of aloe vera gel all over the body. Just add all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and apply to the skin, letting it act for a few minutes. At the end, rinse with warm water.
Other measures that can help are to wear light, comfortable and not tight clothing, preferably made of cotton, avoid soaps that are too abrasive and choose those that are mild and have a neutral pH, apply mineral sunscreen before leaving the house and avoid scratching the skin.
