I have also been wondering about this lately: whether or not to ask for an Epi Pen.
I have thus far been extremely lucky that the hives have not affected my airway. But I do read that many sufferers of chronic hives become faced with this unfortunate symptom, requiring a trip to the ER (even after the use of an Epi Pen).
Being an anxious person, I am very gun-shy about medications in general, but clearly in this case, it would be a life or death situation -- you either take it (regardless of side effect concerns) or risk further harm or death.
I should mention that I am on two current prescriptions, which I started in April -- two months before the onset of hives: An anti-depressant called Remeron, and an oral contraceptive called Loestrin-24fe. I also take a daily multivitamin. But none of my doctors or I believe the hives can be attributed to those, due to the long period of time in which I started those drugs and the onset of hives.
I'll have to ask my PCP her thoughts on having an Epi Pen handy "just in case." The makers of Epi Pen don't include "chronic hives" on their list of Risk Factors, interestingly:
http://www.epipen.com/allergicemergencies/at-risk
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