hello. i am new to this board. for the last month i have had a bad case of hives,angeodema and am now very allergic---suddenly to my cat,dust etc. i am waiting for a visit to the allergist---my dr. prescribed allegra--which doesn't seem to be working.how long do you have to take these pills before they work? any suggestions would really be appreciated.

Have you been to an allergist before? How do you know you are allergic to dust and your cat. I didn't have trouble with allergies until a year ago myself. I want to know why allergies happen suddenly too.

hi i can sympathize with you i am going through a bad case of hives myself everyday mostly in the morning and at night they seem to come very big itchy welts . I had blood work done to see if anything would show up to show a allergic reaction to something but there was nothing then my doctor checked for thyroid and diagnosed me hypothyroidism (mild) and put me on synthroid medication , i beleive my dose has to be increased because im still getting hives i also have 3 cats and a dog but im not allergic to them get your blood checked for thyroid , good luck let us know how you turn out . LORI

hello friends and thanks for the reply. i will have my throid checked--i was thinking that i might be in premenopause too, which i understand can mess up your throid too. i have had sinus problems and cold hives almost all my life, but never like this. now i have angiodema welts under my skin, with face swelling, and yet another week to wait for the doctor aptmnt. i hate managed care--one is just another number. the depression is what gets me, i think i'm going to have a good day--then i get a outbreak, and it brings me to tears.

I have been getting hives for the past year....no set pattern except they always come in the evening. I have not been to an alergist. But I tend to agree with you on the premenopause thing. I chatted with a doctor online and after much discussion, he tended to think it was my body reacting to "hot flashes". I have not been able to find any articles or information related to hives and premenopause, but I know what you're going through. I have had my thyroid checked a couple of times in the past 5 years but all tests came back normal. The tests were not ordered because of the hives, but because of decreased sexual interest. Good luck!