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"   Question I have a similar condition to that described on the site as hives, ie red blotches, especially around my midriff area that are extremely itchy (worse at night and after shower).  Having seen my doctor a week ago he prescribed Lamisil 250mg tablets and Betnovate-C cream.  This has had absolutely no effect so far (same inflammation and itching) and I read that I wasn&amp;#039;t supposed to use Betnovate for more than 7 days.  Furthermore I have a beautiful new girlfriend and I don&amp;#039;t want her to see my horrible blotches!  Your ideas would be greatly appreciated.   Answer It is difficult to be precise about your skin rash without seeing it but it sounds as if your own doctor thinks that it is a combination of a fungal rash and an infected eczema.  The treatment that you are on consists of anti-fungal tablets (Lamisil or terbinafine) and an anti-inflammatory (steroid) cream combined with an antibiotic.  Both treatments can take a little time to take effect so don&amp;#039;t panic. The tablets particularly need at least a week to start having any relief from fungal skin infections.  With the cream, there is no problem with you using this for more than seven days, as long as it is used under medical supervision, which it is.  Steroid creams should always be applied sparingly and only as often as advised by your doctor.  When used in this way, the risks of any side effects are minimal.  It is when steroid creams are used excessively or continuously for long periods of time (eg months or years) that problems such as thinning of the skin, or loss of natural pigment, can occur. It can be very difficult to be sure what the exact cause of many rashes is and sometimes it is better to use two approaches at the same time, which is probably why you are on a combination of treatments.  Some doctors prefer to use the double-pronged approach to speed up recovery, so that even if the rash only has a single cause, at least one of the methods will be effective. Unfortunately there isn&amp;#039;t an overnight cure for your rash but stick with what your GP has prescribed and you should be back to normal soon.  If the rash doesn&amp;#039;t seem to be budging at all, then do ask your GP to have another look at it, to see if there are any other treatments available.  Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team  Other Qs &amp;amp;amp; As Any help for hives? Nothing I&amp;#039;ve tried has helped relieve my urticaria  Last updated 13.04.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-expert/skin-and-hair/a3306/is-it-hives/>