Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your symptoms are mild, you may not need treatment. The standard treatment for hives and angioedema is antihistamines, which block the symptom-producing release of histamine. These include:
Nonprescription medications
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, others)
- Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton, others)
- Loratadine (Alavert, Claritin)
- Cetirizine (Zyrtec)
Antihistamines such as diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine may cause drowsiness. Loratadine usually doesn't cause drowsiness.
Prescription medications
- Desloratadine (Clarinex)
- Fexofenadine (Allegra)
- Hydroxyzine (Vistaril)
- Levocetirizine (Xyzal)
Occasionally for severe hives or angioedema, doctors may prescribe an oral corticosteroid drug — such as prednisone — which can help lessen swelling, redness and itching.
Treatment for hereditary angioedema
Although useful in treating hives and angioedema, these medications are often ineffective in treating hereditary angioedema. Medications used specifically to treat hereditary angioedema on a long-term basis include certain androgens, such as danazol, that help regulate levels of blood proteins. Additionally, clinical trials testing new medications to treat hereditary angioedema are ongoing.
Emergency situations
For a severe attack of hives or angioedema, you may need an emergency injection of adrenaline (epinephrine) and a trip to the emergency room. If you have repeated attacks, despite treatment, your doctor may prescribe — and instruct you how to use — adrenaline to carry with you for use in emergency situations.
- Urticaria — hives. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/skin_urticaria.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008
- Allergic skin conditions. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/allergicskinconditions.stm. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Habif TP. Urticaria and angioedema. In: Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Inc; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/108133988-3/0/1195/29.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50008-X--cesec5_428. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Bingham CO III. An overview of angioedema. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Bingham CO III. Etiology and diagnosis of urticaria. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Bingham CO III. Treatment of urticaria. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Simmons FER, et al. Anaphylaxis: Rapid recognition and treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 30, 2008.
- Atkinson JP, et al. Pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of hereditary angioedema. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 30, 2008.
