How to prevent hives
- To avoid hives, you need to figure out what causes them. If you dont know, start keeping a daily diary. The most probable suspects are things that you eat, drink, or swallow food, drink, supplements, and medications. But even if you dont see any obvious connections, continue keeping your diary, noting other factors like weather, stress levels, clothing, or the amount of time that you spend in the sun. With careful tracking, you may link a specific lifestyle factor with the eruption of those red, itchy welts.
- Foods most likely to trigger hives include shellfish, nuts, chocolate, fish, tomatoes, eggs, fresh berries, and milk. Some people react to preservatives in certain foods and wine, such as sulfites. Once youve identified a food trigger, eliminate it from your diet and see whether you have fewer outbreaks.
- Common drug triggers include antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen. But doctors have heard about many other triggers, including sedatives, tranquilizers, diuretics, diet supplements, antacids, arthritis medications, vitamins, eye drops, eardrops, laxatives, and douches.
