Allergy to insect stings: a summer time hazard
Luckily, no one in our family has a severe or anaphylactic reaction to insect stings. My mother says she does, but I've never seen it and I suspect that she has localized allergic reactions like I do (or I'm sure that someone would have given her epinephrine to carry at some point in her life).
Signs of anaphylaxis from a stinging insect are: Difficulty breathing, dizziness, shortness of breath, fainting, swelling of the mouth or tongue, difficulty speaking. These symptoms can be deadly. It's important to carry epinephrine with you at all times if you've ever experienced these type of symptoms from an insect sting. Use the epinephrine and immediately call 911. Epinephrine will last 20 minutes and more than one shot may be necessary to halt the reaction. Always seek medical assistance after a reaction in case the reaction is a biphasic reaction. Along with Epinephrine, Benadryl should also be taken. The best medicine though is avoidance!!
For more information about anaphylaxis and insect stings see:
MedicineNet.com - Insect Sting Allergies
WEGO Health - Severe Allergic Reaction Page
ACAAI Insect Sting Page
Many of these pages talk about "large, local reactions". This is something that I happen to know something about. Luckily for me, I do not suffer from severe allergic reactions to insect stings. I do however get large local reactions from bees, ants, horseflies, mosquitoes, etc. At first I thought my bites were infected, but the doctor said no, they were just localized reactions and that these were in no way a symptom of anaphylaxis. If infected, the bite will be very red, painful and have red streaks that radiate from the bite (Check out this Bad Bug slide show from emedicinehealth for more information on types of bug bites, but beware, there is an ick factor here).
If you have a localized allergic reaction to an insect sting, an antihistamine like Benadryl can help lessen the symptoms. But a call to the doctor may be in order if it gets worse, or starts to look infected. Steroids or an antibiotic may be needed along with the antihistamine to completely get rid of the reaction. Again, the best defense is avoidance.
Also see WebMD Bee and Wasp Stings for more helpful information.
Signs of anaphylaxis from a stinging insect are: Difficulty breathing, dizziness, shortness of breath, fainting, swelling of the mouth or tongue, difficulty speaking. These symptoms can be deadly. It's important to carry epinephrine with you at all times if you've ever experienced these type of symptoms from an insect sting. Use the epinephrine and immediately call 911. Epinephrine will last 20 minutes and more than one shot may be necessary to halt the reaction. Always seek medical assistance after a reaction in case the reaction is a biphasic reaction. Along with Epinephrine, Benadryl should also be taken. The best medicine though is avoidance!!
For more information about anaphylaxis and insect stings see:
MedicineNet.com - Insect Sting Allergies
WEGO Health - Severe Allergic Reaction Page
ACAAI Insect Sting Page
Many of these pages talk about "large, local reactions". This is something that I happen to know something about. Luckily for me, I do not suffer from severe allergic reactions to insect stings. I do however get large local reactions from bees, ants, horseflies, mosquitoes, etc. At first I thought my bites were infected, but the doctor said no, they were just localized reactions and that these were in no way a symptom of anaphylaxis. If infected, the bite will be very red, painful and have red streaks that radiate from the bite (Check out this Bad Bug slide show from emedicinehealth for more information on types of bug bites, but beware, there is an ick factor here).
If you have a localized allergic reaction to an insect sting, an antihistamine like Benadryl can help lessen the symptoms. But a call to the doctor may be in order if it gets worse, or starts to look infected. Steroids or an antibiotic may be needed along with the antihistamine to completely get rid of the reaction. Again, the best defense is avoidance.
Also see WebMD Bee and Wasp Stings for more helpful information.
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2 Comments
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Comment by Janeen on July 12, 2009 at 10:19am - Thanks for the suggestion Ellen! I'll definitely try the Alka-Seltzer next time.
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Comment by Ellen S on July 11, 2009 at 5:33pm -
Oh no - horsefly bites are terribly painful! Just ask my horses LOL! You can tell when they're being chased by one - there isn't much one won't do to try to frantically escape their bite. You poor thing...
A trick we learned from our allergist, was to take plain alka-seltzer after a bite or sting. Something about it helps to calm the reaction a bit. My son who notoriously gets anaphylaxis carries these with him as well. If you are curious about using it, talk to your doctor first, then be sure to tell the doctor or ER staff when you see them.
© 2009 Created by Marie
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