Hives 3 days in a row and no idea of the cause

[bright_eyes]

Ds (3 1/2) had broken out in hives for the past 3 days and I have no idea what could be causing them. He hasn't eaten anything new, he has no known allergies, we haven't switched laundry soap, or anything. He's been playing outside more but has been wearing long sleeves and shirts out. He has no other symptoms of allergies.

How would I go about determining the cause? I haven't the slightest clue what could have caused the hives so I am at a total loss as to how I would determine the cause. Also, how safe is benadryl? I've had to give him some children's benadryl the last 2 times because the hives got so unbearably itchy for him.

[sbgrace]

Most cases of hives they never determine the cause. Many are actually viral. If he's not shown signs of allergies I'd be thinking viral hives for now. Zyrtec is much better than benadryl for hives. You only need to dose it once (or twice, depending on your preference) per day. I'd do that and expect this to pass. Viral hives can stay on a week or two though so it may not be quick.

[Therese's Mommy]

Originally Posted by sbgrace

Zyrtec is much better than benadryl for hives.

Really? For hives we always go for the Benadryl and it brings them right down. I use Zyrtec when she seems to be suffering from something seasonal.

[sbgrace]

Benadryl will take hives down but in my experience they come right back when it wears off. And it wears off relatively quickly so you have to dose multiple times which is a pain. Beyond that, Benadryl sedates so it does affect learning in studies (and kids are always learning) and it messes with sleep (deepness I think) in studies as well. So while benadryl is fine for use like you're using it (I do it too and we carry benadryl with our epi pen as well for an acute reaction) it wouldn't be my go-to choice for something like the OP is seeing where I suspect these hives are going to go on for at least a week.

[Therese's Mommy]

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I have only used Benadryl 3 or 4 times with dd and it has always been for an acute reaction.