Antihistamines and Chicken Pox

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Has anyone ever been prescribed antihistamines for a child with chicken pox?

I have been told to use antiseptic liquid soap at bath time and then put a cream on to dry the spots. To use Fucidin if the spots get infected. Cut the nails short. I'm happy with all of this. But not sure about the antihistamines to stop the itching. DD is only 2.4 and I'd rather avoid.

How are you told to treat it by your GP?
I'm in France and the doctor always prescribes lots of things half of which I don't use.

Anti-histamines worked really well for my children. We used Piriton syrup and Benadryl cream and they stopped the itching really quickly - far better than calamine lotion, which dried the spots.

We used piriton, oral antibiotics, oral acycolvir and calpol 4 hourly for several days before dropping the piriton, it all seemed to work - very poorly thank god it only comes once, please don't tell me it they can get it again, I wish to live in blissful ignorance

Anti-histamines are the best thing you can get for the itching....

Yes, GPs in the UK would recommend an antihistamine suitable for children (such as Piriton syrup (active ingredient chlorphenamine maleate) or the Boots own one which is loratadine). Piriton is suitable from 1 year and the Boots one from 2 years. We also used nurofen and calpol for fever and calamine cream on the spots.

Thanks. I was just a bit worried because the notice with the antihistamines said use with caution on children under 6 and French doctors sometimes prescribes things which aren't necessary. But obviously I'd like to relieve her discomfort.

This one is oxatomide.

gosh, I'm totally srprised by all this, I took dd2 to the doctors today to check it was chicken pox that she had and he just told me about calamine lotion incase I didn't already know about it

That's what happened when I had it 20 years ago and I wasn't sure whether it was still the same advice in the UK.

Piriton is far more effective than calamine, and much easier and cleaner to administer!!!

We didn't discover it until the last few days of the pox and boy I wish we had found it earlier...