How serious are Hives?

[exiledmancityfan]

DS1 has woken up covered in them and I don't know what has caused them. To make it worse Dr Google says he needs anti histamine to make them go away but he can't have piriton because he is allergic to it.

How Serious are they and are they likely to be an allergic reaction to something?

It's not serious IMO, but probably uncomfortable/annoying. How old is your ds? Is he scratching them? Is he distressed by them?

And yes, it is likely to be an allergic reaction, but you may never know what to. Have you changed your washing powder? Does he have new pyjamas? New bedding?

If I were you, I would make a GP appointment for tomorrow. If ds can't have Piriton, the GP will be able to prescribe another antihistimine. If the hives have gone by tomorrow morning, you can just cancel the appointment.

As well as indicating an allergy, hives can happen in response to a viral infection. Apparently this is quite common, so it might be worth considering if you can't find a source of allergy. I second MrsS that hives are not really serious in themselves (although obviously keep an eye out for more serious signs of allergy, like swelling of the face, which needs swift trip to doc/A&E), but antihistimines would probably make him more comfy.

Sorry DS1 is 9 yrs old and was scratching so much I took him to rhe Dr this AM. The pharmacist said that because he was under 12 she couldn't give me anything over the counter. So off to sit and wait and a prescription later I have sent him into school for the afternoon at his request. No change in powder because DS2 has eczema and I know the one that doesn't set that off. I will keep an eye on him and see what happens.

Dd recently had hives all over her body on and off for 48hours. The gp said it was a reaction to a virus and sure enough a couple of days later she had slapped cheek.

Hope your ds is ok soon

Dd recently had hives all over her body on and off for 48hours. The gp said it was a reaction to a virus and sure enough a couple of days later she had slapped cheek.

Hope your ds is ok soon

There are a lot of antihistamines suitable for a 9 year old. Loratadine and cirtirizine are both suitable for under 12s and are not the same as piriton which is Chlorphenamine maleate, although piriteze is cirtirizine.

He got prescribed Loritadine (sp) The pharmacist said that they need to be over 30 kg to have it though and DS1 us a scrawny little thing so she wouldn't do it. The Dr weighed him and he just scraped in so she prescribed it.