My 4 year old woke up in the middle of the night with hives all over his little body...his eyelids are swollen (not shut...but definitely swollen)...his ears...his scalp...head to toe...you name it! He itches like crazy. We've done baths...we've done benadryl...and he is just miserable :(. The benadryl appears to help...perhaps a bit...but he's still pretty itchy and swollen. It's been about 18 hours...and if anything, it appears to be getting worse. I did call the Dr. this morning because the benadryl said to ask a doctor about dosage for 4 year olds. They said as long as the hives were the only symptom and he wasn't having a hard time breathing or anything...he should be fine. There is this little part of me that is kind of worried that it hasn't improved...but that may be just because none of my children have ever really had hives before :/. I have a feeling it's going to be (another) LONG night...any suggestions??
I meant to post a SWH this morning...but it's been a crazy day! He actually woke up last night with a fever of about 102. I took him in this morning and the Dr. said with a fever, it is extremely likely that it is viral, vs. an allergic reaction. His joints have been swollen as well...I mentioned all that...He said to do claritin and baths. Yes, it is most definitely hives. I have a brother that got hives when we were younger...so, while I'm not a doctor and could not technically 'diagnose' it, I was pretty sure that's what they were. Our 4-year old has been given steroids when he's gotten really bad croupy coughs (multiple times)...was struggling to breath and all that. I REALLY don't like them...he gets really weird for awhile after. So...while I do think they are the lesser of two evils in certain cases, I'd love to avoid them. Thank you so much for the suggestions...The claritin seems to be helping and I'm going to give him a dose of benedryl before bedtime. I may try something topical...I'll see. There is significantly more of his body covered with them, than not...not sure how well that would work, especially considering he's been flopped out on the couch most of the day :/. We'll see! Thanks again :)
My niece got hives from using an antibiotic, and they were BAD! She took the medication for 10 days before the hives showed up, and they ended up lasting for over a month. She did the benadryl as well as got some shots at the doctor because at one point her lips swelled up and they thought it was spreading to her throat.
Her doctor also recommended using aveno baby products. It did give her some relief.
Are you sure, it is "hives" and not something else?
The Doc has not even looked at your child nor is there a formal diagnosis.
I would consult doctor and/or emergency room. The benadryl should have relieved itching sensation within about 2 hours. Check with them and see if you can alternate between benadryl which will make him very sleepy and something like Allegra or Zyrtec which won't. I have chronic uticaria(hives) they call it chronic both because it happens randomly during year for no reason they can find, and because they can't find out what causes it. My allergist had me taking 2 Allegra and 1 Zyrtec a day, and those are both 12 hr and 1 pill a day meds but it was needed to stop my itching. There has to be a reason that after 18 hours, there are still hives and itching. Good luck!
Benadryl and aveeno baths. When the benadryl wears off, the hives come back til the allergen is completely out of his system. My kids seem to get better in days, but it takes me a week to 10 days to clear up. If the hives persist, your son may need something stronger, maybe prednisone.
I agree with the other moms with benadryl and an oatmeal bath to soothe the hives. I have hives right now from a medication and I am using caladryl on my hives, it's helping a lot! Good Luck!
I would insist on seeing the doctor. Facial swelling is a serious reaction (not life threatening, but still not something to take lightly and should be seen by a doc), and so are all-over-body hives. And frankly I would seriously think about switching doctors if the doc is not taking this seriously. Steroids for a few days should help tone down the immune system (which is the system that is causing the hives). The pediatrician will need to prescribe them.
I think that when my daughter had hives they told me that she could have both benadryl and claritin because the benadryl didn't relieve long enough between doses. So, you may be able to alternate with that. If he isn't seeing significant relief from the benadryl, call the dr tomorrow. They don't like to do it, but they can prescribe a steroid or give a steroid shot to provide help. If your son is in that much discomfort, it may warrant the treatment.
when my daughter breaks out in hives i give her a cool bath and lotion her. then i put cortizone and benadryl lotion on her. i also give her 1 tspn of benadryl every 4 hours.
how much benadryl are you giving him? my daughter is 5 and takes 1 tspn and has been taking that amount since 3 years old with dr ok.
also just an odd thought maybe see if its chicken pox!!!
I had hives before from an allergic reaction to a shot. I was MISERABLE. Gold Bond medicated ointment had a nice cooling effect to the skin. Aveeno also makes a cooling lotion. I think it is mynthol in it that really helps to cool. Keep him cool. Any kind of heat or blankets will make him worse. Maybe just a cool sheet and the air conditioner down a bit lower than normal if you keep it on the warmer side. Also I could not get rid of them without a steroid. I think I took a predisone pack. Sorry he is so miserable.
My then one-year-old daughter had hives that lasted several days and got progressively worse before they finally went away. The only thing for it was benadryl, unfortunately, but the nice side effect is that it makes them sleepy. I hope they go away soon.
