Treatment of chronic spontaneous hives may vary from person to person and often depends on the severity of the hives. Although anti-ICM drugs are often the first-line treatment option, some people may not need to take anything at all.
“If I have a patient who has intermittent hives – he receives an epidemic once a week or sometimes a month – taking a medication every day for this may not be the appropriate strategy,” explains Aronica.
Medication options
Part of the decision to treat or not treat chronic hives depends largely on the person, explains Aronica. “This decision may depend on how hives affect [the person] And what they want to accomplish.
Standard therapy for people with frequent episodes of chronic hives is an antihistamine with prolonged action, many of which are available over the counter.
Histamine blockers (H2):: Also called H2 receptor antagonists, histamine blockers are injected or taken orally. Examples include cimetidine (Tagamet HB) and Famotidine (Pepcid).
Anti-inflammation drugs:: Oral corticosteroids, such as Prednisone (Deltasone, Rayos), can help symptoms such as discoloration, itching and swelling, but should not be used in the long term.
Asthma drugs with antihistamines:: These drugs can help hives and itching in some people when used with antihistamines. The examples are Montelukast (Singulair) and Zafirlukast (accolate).
Monoclonal antibodies:: Omalizumab drugs (xolair) and dupilumab (dupixent) can be administered as injections for chronic hives that are difficult to treat.
Immune removal drugs:: These drugs – including cyclosporin (neoral, sandimmune), methotrexate and tacrolimus (program, protopic) – work by removing the immune system and are generally limited to short -term use.
Alternative and complementary and integrative therapies
Taking a vitamin D supplement can offer some relief to people with chronic urticaria, as vitamin D deficiency can be associated with a slightly higher risk of hives, explains Aronica. “In some cases, if you approach the deficiency, the hives can improve,” he said.
