hives--allergy to abx or herx??

I am back on abx again. I'm taking Rifampin, which I took over the summer with no problems. I have never been allergic to abx in my life, nor any other medication for that matter. But the past 3 abx I've been put on to mix with Rifampin I've been getting hives. I'm wondering if it's not actually an allergy but maybe a herx? They aren't bad. Mostly on my face, occasionally one or two on my body. Mostly I feel just kind of itchy, and like my skin's reacting. Not crawling exactly. More of a very slight, irritation to burning. It's not intolerable. Just more noticeable. No issues with breathing, or swelling.

My doctor is kind of impatient so I wanted to run it past you guys first. When I stopped taking Doxy with the Rifampin for 5 days, I had no hives. Yesterday she gave me Ceftin, and I've taken 3 and they are back. Another abx I took in Dec. for a UTI, Nitrofurinton (or something or other) I was allergic to but then I took Amoxicillin for a whole month by itself with no issues at all. Ceftin is a penicillin, so I'm not understanding why I would have this reaction unless it's because I'm mixing it with Rifampin and killing bugs causing a herx??

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I was really hoping to get through at least 2 months of abx therapy before going back to herbals. I'm just trying to knock this Bartonella down. I've been treating for a year in May and one of my main symptoms (parasthesia) has not disappeared. LLMD is concerned if we don't get this Bart, it could be permanent nerve damage.

Shabby? What was your rxn to the nitrofurintonin?

I took this in 2010 as Macrobid and it was Extremely effective in killing the Bart and the Lyme in my kidneys (oh poo, did I feel it) shooting pains, migranes, super swollen lymphs. I believe 10 days of this knocked the infection down and kept it dormant for probably another 1.5 yrs. Did you have a rxn like that?

I would be very careful with hives. Do you have epipens?

I'm like you and NEVER call my doctor. One time I started getting hives and I ignored it thinking it wasn't serious. I kept taking the medication (amoxicillin) and after a few days the hives were getting worse and worse and then I started having severe lung pain with breathing. I have never voluntarily backed off a medication, but that time I did. It's very risky to experiment with potential allergens. Particularly if you live alone or are in a rural area. Epipens typically only last 15 minutes. In my area, that's nowhere near long enough to get to medical attention.

Opugirl-
Do you know how long you were infected before taking the Macrobid and feeling like it was so successful? What symptoms do you feel were more dormant after taking a course? Any side effects?
Thanks in advance for sharing. I was prescribed Macrobid and I always weigh the risks versus reward of any prescriptions, I had attempted for years to beat this naturally without success, and was a little concerned that it only inhibits bacterial growth and many people online talk about it's potential for lifelong side effects. But I had already been prescribed Cipro, which has a much worse reputation and determined I was too worried about taking that so the Macrobid was in replacement.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

hives can be many things-far to many to list but allergy is certainly one.
cavitation of wisdom tooth space would be another-there are many other causes.
keep looing you need find cause