Insect bite

[MinnieMountain]

I got bitten yesterday by some sort of fly. It’s gone hot and swollen around my knee and about 2/3 down one side of my calf. I’ve tried to show pictures.

Piriton has made no difference. Is there anything else I can try before I go to the chemist later?

Looks like a horsefly bite. Ice pack/cold compress to reduce the swelling, antihistamine and anthisan or something to reduce the itching. Ibuprofen can also help with the inflammation as well as any pain. My husband reacts badly to them and depending where they are can cause his leg/foot to swell up as I think it affects lymphatic drainage.

I was stung by a wasp last week. It went very red, itchy and swollen. The chemist advised piriton (didn't do a lot tbh) and hydrocortisone cream. They were OK but didn't stop me wanting to scratch my arm off.
I found eurax cooling gel (amazon) and cold packs helped the most. It got worse on days 2and 3 and then started to calm down.

The pharmacist said antihistamine tablets and cream for 2 days.

It’s reassuring that bites like this take 2-3 days to calm down. I’ve never had one this bad.