Going insane with itching! Insect bite treatments?

[JustMeHello]

I always react really badly to insect bites, and currently have 3 bad bites from horseflies, 2 on my calf and one on my hand. I'm taking lots of antihistamine tablets which takes an edge off, and I have a small electric clicky thing which helps a little temporarily. A few years ago I got some amazing Benadryl gel in the States which was magic, but which isn't on sale here. I have some Savlon insect gel which takes a bit of the itch off for a short while, but which isn't great. I've got some Boots cooling spray which helps a little, but again, not for long. Antihistamine creams do absolutely nothing for me..

Does anyone have any magical solutions? I'm wondering about the electric heating things that come with USB chargers, but you apparently need to order online and they are £30+, so ideally I'd like something I can find in Tesco or Boots or Superdrug or somewhere. I am going to pop into a pharmacy tomorrow and see what they say, but they usually try to push anthistan cream which just does not work on me.

I must be missing something somewhere, I can't be the only one who wants to saw my own leg off?

Yep - hot spoon.

and stinky ‘after bite’ pen that smells like wee - can buy it on amazon or Tesco .

both together help.

what I’d like a the secret to NOT being bitten aside from tidal quantities of nasty deet/smidge. I’ve consumed B12/marmite/quinine/garlic/gin etc and I am still the one and only one in the family chewed to smithereens.

After Bite for instant relief from itching!

Piriton tablets
Hydrocortisone 1% cream
And the hot teaspoon trick.

But I'm getting some other ideas from this thread, so following...

I can sympathise,I was stung twice by a bee yesterday. Hurt like a mother. The itching is unbearable. They are now bright red,inflamed and spreading. Chemist gave me Piriton and 1%hydrocortisone cream. Can't say it's done much. I want to scratch my skin off.

Definitely hot spoon! But it has to be very hot. Not enough that it's actually burning you, but the heat is only just bareable - it needs to be as hot as possible. I believe the heat breaks down the proteins that are causing the itch, or something like that. If it doesn't work, it's probably not hot enough. The first time you do it, it takes a couple of times to realise how hot you can tolerate.

This is my go-to relief for mosquito bites, i react badly to them.
It’s a cooling first aid gel for burns and scrapes called Deep Relief, it comes in a purple tube and you can get it in any chemists.
It’s a mixture of ibuprofen gel and menthol. The menthol is very cooling while the ibuprofen gel is an anti-inflammatory to take down the pain and swelling. It lasts for a few hours on me and its useful to put it on before bed, especially in this weather. Rub it in gently for a few seconds, that’s all you need to do.
if you can’t get hold of Deep Relief then try mixing Boots own brand ibuprofen gel, the 10 percent max strength version, with Deep Freeze (brand name) or similar cold/freeze gel. Equal quantities of each. (Boots own brand ibuprofen gel is much cheaper than Ibuleve, which you could also use if you had to.)
I really hope it works for you, much sympathy to you from a fellow sufferer.

This sounds really interesting and the type of thing that might work for me. The only things that have helped in the past have been strong gel/cooling types.
I'm going to try the teaspoon thing though, because I always lean to cooling things, and maybe the opposite is worth a try!

I find ice packs really help take the itch out. I feel your pain - hope they're better soon 💐

Anti allergy tablets but not the one a day old fashioned peritoneal which you can take several times a day

Avon skin so soft

Some are once a day, some are every 6 hours, some are something in between - very much depends on the active ingredient and dosage ones you have so please check the packet! That said, you can sometimes take more than one type of antihistamine tablet at the same time so I do recommend asking a pharmacist about which ones you will be able to mix and match to maximise the effect.

I'm the same as you OP so following along for advice. I don't have any current bites but I react really badly when I do and it ruins most holidays (mosquitoes are the worst).

Eurax cream is really good for the itching. I work outside and get bitten and stung a lot. Lots of horseflies and a wasp in the last few days. Ouch!
Avon skin so soft seems to help as a repellent.

Aloe Vera, natural leaves or gel. Works everytime for me

A last resort, with no cream to hand I used Blistex (amazing for cold sores) on the bite and a regular pain relief gel around it.

Worked!

I have a pack.

oral anti histamine.

then:
cut nails so I can’t scratch it.
buy a pack of big dressings.

alternate hydrocortisone cream and lanacaine (painkilling cream)

the dressings help hold the cream next to the skin rather than it being absorbed quickly.

if it swells up a lot then a tubular bandage (the sort you’d use for an ankle sprain) over the top will keep pressure on it and stop the swelling to a certain extent.

Have you tried Moskinto plasters? I think I probably bought mine from Amazon, but here is a link to another seller (my phone switches me to the app): https://victoriahealth.com/moskinto-itch-relief-patch/?

I'm terrible with bites, clicky thing did nothing for me but those heat things were a game changer for me, really sorted the itching right out like nothing ever has. Try the tea spoon method others have suggested in the meantime, it is just a hot metal plate but there's no going back, I just bought my second without a moments hesitation

Modern anti-histamine not piriton if piriton is what you have.

For a full dose of Piriton you need to be taking it every 4 hours as it wears off quickly.

I have no idea why any adult still takes it.

I've recently bought one of the electric heating thingies off Amazon for about £20. Had a couple of bites this week and tried it. It has definitely reduced the itch. Does hurt a little bit though.

The spoon thing really works. I'm both delicious and allergic so get bitten loads and then they turn into giant red splodges. Make sure the spoon isn't hot enough to burn you, because that just adds to the problem, but hot enough that it feels uncomfortable and a bit weird.

I was going to say this, really works.

Another vote for the hot teaspoon. As hot as you can beat. Really works and I’ve tried it a lot this year 😭

I have the Beurer Insect Heat Pen thing, one of my best ever purchases 4 years ago. Some large bites need a couple of goes in a row or another hit a few days later but completely removes the itching and if it wasn't for a small red mark, I'd forget I had the bite. I react badly and used to be doing all sorts to treat. Now i just burn the bite ASAP and nothing further needed. Has been life changing for me.

Teaspoon in boiling water and then pressed onto the bites.

When I first moved into my present house the garden was over grown. I cleared it all out and fell prey to chiggers. I ended up with dozens of bites on legs,torso and arms which were insanely itchy for almost 2 weeks. I cried as they were so bad and I've had 2 natural births so no wuss. Nowt gave me any relief apart from hot spoon treatment. No itch for around 8 hours

you can get these amazing little plasters online called Moskinto patches. They have revolutionised my life. I react really badly to mosquito bites - swelling, itching, bruising - but if you get one of these on really quickly, as soon as you notice the bite (I carry them with my always) they really really help. Not expensive, worth a go.