Mosquito bites driving my crazy

[TheWorstWeek]

We've just come back from Spain and my legs are covered in mosquito bites. Since the first time I ever got bitten by a mosquito years ago I've never reacted well to them. It's not Skeeter syndrome but they do swell quite badly and itch for waaaay longer than anyone else I know. The second to last time I was abroad I had bites on my hand that, despite not scratching them, made my hand swell and I had to get antibiotics and strong antihistamines.

I thought I'd gotten off lightly this time as whilst they were itchy for the first couple of days they were mostly fine and most of them were fading. Until last night when they all started itching and getting red again. Actually some are quite swollen with white centres and red around them. Today has been virtually unbearable as I have been so uncomfortable with the itching.

What can I do to get them to stop the itching and clear them up quickly? I want to tear my legs off! I'm already taking fexofenadine and applying anthisan cream twice a day but honestly it's done nothing to help today!

White tiger balm for bites and stings, it is the very best, just draws the pain out.

Smidge is brilliant stuff, never tried it for mosquitos but it keeps midges away really effectively. It's quite nice to use as far as insect repellents go too, not too strong a smell.

I was taking antihistamines before going on holiday (for hayfever) but it unfortunately hasn't made much difference to the mosquito bites. This does work for some though. My sister and mum take preventative antihistamines because they react super badly (worse than me) and it really helps them.

Vinegar or lemon juice should stop the itching x

I did try to prevent getting them in the first place. We had bracelets with citronella, stickers with eucalyptus and an aloe Vera repellent spray plus the room plug ins but the buggers love me. Fortunately the kids didn't get a single bite and DH only had about 5 which have all cleared up.

So many great suggestions. How long does the heat tend to stop the itching?

For anyone currently in Spain, see if you can get some Goibi anti mosquito spray from the pharmacy - it’s the only stuff I’ve ever found that keeps the buggers away.

If you buy the repellent from a pharmacy in Spain it should work against the mosquitos where you are. Mosquitos are all different. They're even different in different regions of Spain. A pharmacist there can also give you 5% hydrocortisone which is much stronger than we get here over the counter. Ultimately though steroid tablets themselves are good.

And stop fucking about with eucalyptus oil. You need something with deet in it to repel them.

I have just discovered that medihoney (from Amazon) stopped my bites itching. Which makes me wonder if honey itself works?

Okay, I'm officially amazed. I have done the hot spoon "technique" this morning and while it's not perfect the relief it has given is amazing. I could have clawed my legs off this morning but now it's so much better.

If your antihistamine wasn't cetirizine then take this.

Next time try Incognito spray as a preventative. It's the only thing works for me.

You definitely need a repellent with deet or picaridin (smidge and incognito) in it, both are safe when used correctly and are far more effective than natural remedies. Picaridin is nicer to use than deet, which has a tendency to be a bit oily and melt plastics!

Electronic bite zapper. The zap breaks down the stuff that makes you itch. It's the only thing that works on me

www.boots.com/boots-bite-relief-click-it-10234814

Can confirm that Jungle Formula ( which contains Deet) melts plastics as it took all the colour off my orange sandals and glued it to my feet instead.

And I still got bitten.

Yay! Glad it worked! Last year we got eaten alive. This year we were proactive and it reduced the bites significantly, even being in the 'tiger mosquito' part of Italy! We all started taking anti histamines a week before and took every day of the holiday. Had a plug in zapper in the mobile home (not a citronella one, one of the proper chemicals ones). Kept the mobile home cold with air con to keep them out. Started with the family care level of spray and sprayed it on us every evening after our showers. Progressed to full jungle formula for anyone who got a bite on the family care. We each got a few bites, but very manageable as maybe only one or two live and itchy at any time.