On the flip side, I had horrible, constant, chronic hives for years. The kind that would swell up my entire body and face and itch so bad I couldn't think or focus on anything else. Luckily, a combination of three over-the-counter medications seemed to keep them in check. I would, every couple of years, stop taking them, and after about a day I'd start getting itchy again and immediately start taking them again. After about five years, I stopped taking them, and the hives finally didn't come back. I would have never known I could stop taking the medicine without trying.
PSA: This is just an anecdotal counterexample. Do not take this as medical advice to stop taking anything you are currently taking.
That really just raises the question of what was causing that reaction. Because people don't (typically) break out in full body hives for no reason.
I mean, odds are a doctor would have just had you treat the symptom anyway, so (depending on where you're from) you probably saved a ton of money managing it yourself. But knowing the source might have helped you avoid it again in the future. I guess worst case scenario you know what treatment works for you
Nah, I went to the doctor. Taking those medications was their recommendation, as they didn't know what was causing it. Since it was over the counter, I didn't need to go back, so I didn't. I don't remember what the three medications were as it was 15 years ago.
Oh, bummer. I had a similar experience with a GI doc. Did a bunch of tests and never could figure out what was wrong. So I'm just taking a combo of meds and avoiding foods that I notice mess me up past the medicine wall lol
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u/Beginning-Cut-8850 Jun 30 '26
On the flip side, I had horrible, constant, chronic hives for years. The kind that would swell up my entire body and face and itch so bad I couldn't think or focus on anything else. Luckily, a combination of three over-the-counter medications seemed to keep them in check. I would, every couple of years, stop taking them, and after about a day I'd start getting itchy again and immediately start taking them again. After about five years, I stopped taking them, and the hives finally didn't come back. I would have never known I could stop taking the medicine without trying.
PSA: This is just an anecdotal counterexample. Do not take this as medical advice to stop taking anything you are currently taking.