Best antihistamines for heat rash itch...?

[Marie5678]

Barely summer and my arms are completely covered in heat rash (dreading the hotter days) the itching is driving me crazy I suffer from hayfever too. Due to my job I can't take anything that may make me drowsy but wondered if there is anything anyone can suggest to help? I was meant to get local honey last year but completely forgot. I read antihistamines can help with the itching but the usual otc stuff doesn't help much any suggestions?

Hydrocortisone cream works well on mine

I get the dreaded heat rash every august and sometimes earlier.Ican tell you what helps for me though this might not work for you. Cuticura talc in all your creases where rash occurs,top of legs, under boobs etc. cool ish showers just before bed and last resort anti-perspirant stick smoothed on anywhere itchy, (last year i was putting it on the front of my neck to prevent any sweat damp skin which seems to what causees the red itchiness). I wonder if we are allergic to our sweat?

I find that calamine cream (not the lotion) brings down the itching and lumpiness, and it works even better if I mix a couple of drops of camphor oil into it. You have to be careful with the latter because it's not good in high concentrations and it does make you smell faintly of mothballs 😁

Piriton tablets (not piriteze), available otc.

For years (decades!) I was told I had heat rash/prickly heat rash, turned out not to be at all. It’s PMLE which is a UV/light sensitivity hence getting it on exposed to sunlight skin (arms are particularly bad). PMLE gets better as the summer progresses and the reaction to the UV becomes less.

Anyway, whether it’s that or heat rash some things work for both. Medication it’s fexofenadine which is prescription antihistamine. Topically - eurax, or OTC level hydrocortisone.

However if it’s true prickly heat and not PMLE then ANY cream topically is a bad idea as heat rash is caused by blocked pores and PMLE isn’t. If it’s heat rash the advice is washing the skin daily or twice daily with soap (dettol soap in the green box seems to work), no lotions or creams or anything, and some powders do work. Cuticura is okay but best is ‘snake brand prickly heat powder’ which Amazon do sell.

Topical antihistamine such as a bite cream works well for me.

GP friend told me that the most effective antihistamines for itching are the older ones which can possibly cause drowsiness as a side effect like chlorphenamine (Piriton). The newer non-drowsy ones are not as effective on skin.