All hail Atarax

I've had bad allergies and related skin problems off and on all my life. Grasses, pine trees, and dogs measure highest on the testing I've had done, but sometimes I'm miserable for no apparent reason, like in April when I could NOT stop rubbing my eyes and itching my neck and arms!

I post the horrible pictures below in case others can relate and might get relief from Atarax (generic is hydroxyzine) as I recently did. I took it in the evening because it causes drowsiness, and that's also when I was most itchy, and my skin and eyes were much better within days. Half a pill turned out to work best for me; the full one left me feeling light-headed throughout the morning. The prescription ointment Elocon (generic is mometasone furoate) also helped the eczema heal.

Why did it take till now for a doctor to prescribe Atarax!?! I'm planning to start allergy shots this summer to address the root cause, but having a strong anti-itch pill on hand is huge!