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Took Benadryl For Swollen Lips. Getting Tingling And Sores On Lips. Any Effective Medicine?

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Posted on Mon, 18 Feb 2013
Question: I have sudden onset of severely swollen lips (2nd occurrence)...started last night to tingle and puff so I took 2 benedryl; woke up at 5 am and they were huge so i took 2 more benedryl. They are the same, huge, tingly and swollen. This happened for the first time around Christmas. Same symptoms. Started with tingling and soreness of my lips and in a few hours they were huge. Both times I was sick -- runny nose, cough, etc. Last time it lasted for several days. ER doc and my dermo last time seemed to think it's allergy but I have not ingested anything unusual or different from normal. Also, as far as I can tell, the benedryl isn't working. The only consistent thing I can find between both incidents is that I was sick last time too. What can I do??? Help?
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Answered by Dr. Ram Choudhary (6 hours later)
Hi,
Welcome to healthcare magic.
The problem of perioral and lips swelling is called angioedema and is essentially an allergic reaction to something in the food or environment. You should make a close watch on the things you have used recently like any new contents in diet, any sea foods, pickle, new soap, spray, or linen or almost anything. It can be some virus or fungus in the environment.
You should be preferably in the ER till the swelling comes down because at times it can rapidly increase to lead to glottic edema and by that choking. Only benadryl does not work at times.
A steroid needs to be started along with antihistaminic.
Wish you a great health.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Ram Choudhary

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 2270 Questions

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Took Benadryl For Swollen Lips. Getting Tingling And Sores On Lips. Any Effective Medicine?

Hi,
Welcome to healthcare magic.
The problem of perioral and lips swelling is called angioedema and is essentially an allergic reaction to something in the food or environment. You should make a close watch on the things you have used recently like any new contents in diet, any sea foods, pickle, new soap, spray, or linen or almost anything. It can be some virus or fungus in the environment.
You should be preferably in the ER till the swelling comes down because at times it can rapidly increase to lead to glottic edema and by that choking. Only benadryl does not work at times.
A steroid needs to be started along with antihistaminic.
Wish you a great health.