Hi,

I'm glad I found this board. Now I realize how common Urticaria is! I am interested in hearing from people who suffer from it, and how they deal.

Before being diagnosed, if I even so much as walked around the block, I would break out in hives on my neck, legs, and primarily, my arms. I began by taking different brands of antihistamines, one variety for a week for several weeks until I found one that was right for me. I settled on Zyrtec, one taken as soon as I wake up. While it helps, it's not a cure-all.

I still find when I walk to work (35 minutes at a brisk pace) on a warm day (or even a luke-warm day), by the time I get to my office, I have noticeable, embarassing hives. I have found that if I take a Claritin Redi-Tab a couple of minutes into my walk (or other exercise) my symptoms DRAMATICALLY decrease -- almost disappear.

The downside to this is that since Redi-Tabs are available over-the-counter, my insurance won't cover them and they're very expensive to use every day (about $1 a pill).

What have you tried?