Hives?

I am covered in miserably itchy hives. My primary care doc wanted tp put me on prednisone, but I said NO! She had no idea what it could do to me. She prescribed hydroxyzine, which isn't helping at all. She thinks it's a reaction to doxycycline. I assumed it was too, but now I wonder...

I've taken doxy several times in the past, but only 100mg twice daily. So maybe it's dose dependent.

The thing is, I really didn't take all that much doxy. I started on June 27, but had to stop on July 1st due to some lab testing issues. I thought I'd have to be off it for two weeks and then redraw my blood, but then I remembered Igenex had my pre doxy blood, I decided to let them do my bartonella testing. Galaxy is a better choice, but two weeks off antibiotics was something I really didn't want to do.

When I stopped doxy on July 1st, I noticed an itchy rash on my chest. The rash continued to spread while I was off doxy. I went back on Doxy on July 8th. I took it four days until speaking with my LLMD. She was worried about a drug reaction so she changed my protocol. So I stopped again. I was on doxy for four days, two different times.

The rash keeps spreading. I have "lines" of hives on my upper arms. My lower arms are scratched bloody. My hips have huge areas of hives, and I have lines of hives where my underwear hit my legs. So I quit wearing any, lol! They just keep spreading and spreading.

So, how common is a doxy reaction not involving sun exposure? And how common are hives with Lyme, unrelated to medications?

I am slowly losing my mind...

The itchiness is the WORST! I've had rashes about 4-5 times during my Lyme treatment and really hated how itchy I was. I used a soap called Grandpa's Pine Tar soap on my body when I broke out. Not only did it stop the itch but also made the rash go away. Of course I was taking 3 showers a day because it was the only thing that would help. I don't have much knowledge about the questions you asked but maybe the pine tar soap can get the itching under control for you.

Good luck!

is doxy the only medication/herb you are taking? sorry to hear this! aveeno oatmeal baths usually help sooth the itchiness. definitely worth a try.