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Suggest Treatment For Hives On The Inner Thigh
Question: My adult son has had what he describes as hives for 4 days now. Red, itchy skin on his upper torso and also his inner thighs. His inner thighs bother him the most since this is where his jeans rub and it is very irritating. He also had a tick bite under his arm last week. He visited an Urgent Care yesterday where he was prescribed both prednisone 20 mg 2 X daily and keflex 500 mg 3 X daily. He took full doses yesterday and has continued to take both today with no relief. Instead he thinks it is getting worse. I have instructed him to also take benadryl but am concerned. Any other recommendations?
Brief Answer:
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello Ms Collier,
For hives, he should definitely be taking an antihistamine and Benadryl is a reasonable choice. He can take 50 mg every 6 hours. If that is too sedating, he can try Zyrtec (ceterizine)10 mg twice a day. He should take the antihistamine on a schedule rather than wait till symptoms get worse.
But if an antihistamine isn't controlling it, along with 40 mg/dy of prednisone, then it is time to go back in to be seen.
I think there is a possibility that the hives may be related to his tic exposure. There are a number of tic borne illnesses, and people can react with hives to any foreign microorganism in their body. I do not know why the doctor he saw at the Urgent Care prescribed him Keflex as that is usually used for soft tissue infections such as cellulitis, or respiratory infections. Perhaps your son knows the reason it was prescribed?
I don't know his town/area, so I don't know where he will have better luck (ER vs urgent care) finding a physician that will give this the evaluation it needs. Perhaps the ER might be better.
Wherever he does go in to be seen, he should request seeing a physician and not a PA or NP as this is a more complicated situation.
I hope this information helps. I welcome follow up to let me know how he is doing.
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello Ms Collier,
For hives, he should definitely be taking an antihistamine and Benadryl is a reasonable choice. He can take 50 mg every 6 hours. If that is too sedating, he can try Zyrtec (ceterizine)10 mg twice a day. He should take the antihistamine on a schedule rather than wait till symptoms get worse.
But if an antihistamine isn't controlling it, along with 40 mg/dy of prednisone, then it is time to go back in to be seen.
I think there is a possibility that the hives may be related to his tic exposure. There are a number of tic borne illnesses, and people can react with hives to any foreign microorganism in their body. I do not know why the doctor he saw at the Urgent Care prescribed him Keflex as that is usually used for soft tissue infections such as cellulitis, or respiratory infections. Perhaps your son knows the reason it was prescribed?
I don't know his town/area, so I don't know where he will have better luck (ER vs urgent care) finding a physician that will give this the evaluation it needs. Perhaps the ER might be better.
Wherever he does go in to be seen, he should request seeing a physician and not a PA or NP as this is a more complicated situation.
I hope this information helps. I welcome follow up to let me know how he is doing.
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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