my daughter went to bed and woke up scratching. When I looked at her, her back was covered with red raised welts. The rash has spread to her arms and stomach. She has taken allegra. Can I give her children's benedryl. She is 7 years old.
Hello,
Thanks for your email regarding red swollen welts. I'm sorry to hear your daughter is having these problems.
Hives, which are usually due to an allergic reaction look like what you described......raised, swollen, itchy, red welts which can appear almost anywhere on the body.
While over-the-counter antihistamines like Benedryl can help some people, I am not a doctor and cannot advise if it's safe for a seven year old child to take Children's Benedryl in addition to Allegra.
I would highly suggest you contact her doctor, or least your local pharmacists who might be able to answer your question better.
If her hives persist, (in addition to seeing her doctor) you might wish to keep a diary of any foods, medicines, soaps, or laundry detergents that she comes in contact with to see if there is a connection. This might help you determine what is causing her allergic reaction.
Is she eating a new food? Have you switched to a new detergent? Also, keep track of every day things she is exposed to. Just because a substance didn't bother her before - like milk or nuts - doesn't mean she hasn't developed an allergy to it now.
For example, the smell of cut grass doesn't bother me now......but from the ages of 13 until 19, I couldn't be around freshly cut grass without terrible congestion, itchy watery eyes, and sneezing. Sometimes we grow into and out of allergies.
If you haven't recently changed medications,soaps, or laundry detergent, start reviewing her favorite foods and see if there is a connection by eliminating one food group at a time for about a week, then reintroduce it and see what happens.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but finding the cause of an allergy is difficult.
You can also see her doctor who test her for a variety of substances more quickly by doing a blood or skin test.
I hope I was able to offer some help to your question.
