I have been breaking out in hives for the past month and allegra/zyrtec did not work. i am waiting for my rx to come in the mail but in the mean time how can i get rid of these FAST? they re keeping me up at night and are so ugly and itchy. I m 20 and have seasonal allergies, but am not sure if these are a result from an allergic reaction or stress (college student, recent bad breakup). Also, could this mean I need a gluten free diet?
Hello, You clearly are very stressed out in life now so things are not helping. The condition is urticaria, that does get difficult to manage with Allegra/Zyrtec if you are stressed as well. If these hives are definitely after eating wheat products, then a blood test while on normal diet for GATT can help to decide if you have celiac disease. If the test is positive, then yes, gluten-free diet is the treatmentOtherwise, you have to persevere with the antihistamines for 4-6 weeks, and eventually they will stop. You can ask your doctor for a 5 days course of prednisone/deflazacort if you are in real trouble. Thanks.