I NEVER had hives in my life. Then, about six months ago, I started finding red spots on my body, my scrotum would swell to the size of a orange, and my lips swelled to twice their size. The allergists couldn't determine the cause and told me to "just take an antihistamine, or two, every day for six months, stop, see if the hives return, and, if so, start the pills again." Ain't medicine great!