Any doctor or pharmacist - mosquito bites

[Hmmmmwineandchocs]

Hi, wondering if you have any suggestions to help with this or stop me reacting this badly, every holiday i end up with bites looking like this, i tried Benadryl with acrivastine, loretadine/citirazine plus used a antihistamine cream. Pictures to follow.

What do you use to prevent bites? Loose long sleeves and trousers?

Do you take the antihistamines before you go? I was told to take them for a month before so it builds up in my system and less likely to react.

Go to the pharmacy to speak with a pharmacist. I had infected ones and the pharmacist gave me antibiotics.
I too am a target for mozzies. Nothing keeps them away from me and I don’t even feel them when they’ve had a chomp on my blood.

That is bad OP.
You need to see someone in person after reacting as badly as that, not just hope for the best from an online forum!

I was put on an antihistamine and a steroid drip in Corfu for one big bite on my leg and it is on my medical records now as an acute allergic reaction.

I thought this reaction was normal. I used to get them like this until I had a copper IUD put in. Mosquitoes don't like the taste of coppery blood.

Whatever you do Op Do not hydrocortisone cream ot thins the skin i was recommended this and ended up with cellulitis boarderline sepsis and I echo above pp with your need antibiotics.

I use a little heat device I got in Amazon. It’s a battery operated thing that heats up briefly and you press the hot bit to the bite (as soon as possible after getting bitten). It’s stopped me getting those huge red swollen reactions, and really reduces the itching too. Back of a hot teaspoon or hairdryer blast works too, but the little hand held device is super nifty and you can have it with you/by the bed/wherever you need it.

Sorry should add that I do this to prevent the kind of reaction you show. Once it’s got as bad as your pic it’s usually a trip to the pharmacy for me…

I used jungle formula spray in an evening on exposed skin and also wore linen trousers or a floor length skirt

Started taking the Benadryl a week before i went, maybe i need to take for longer next time

Thank you all, i am going to head to the pharmacy on Monday when its next open (didn’t get home in time to go before they closed)
Didn’t know that about the hydrocortisone cream so will avoid and will check out that heat pen, great tips, thank you.

I always react like this and they last ages, i also thought it was normal but my friends don’t react like this nor do my husband or daughter, they get a tiny bump that’s gone in a day or 2.

I react badly too - huge areas of swelling. The pharmacist told me to just take as many cetirizine tablets as needed to bring it under control. I avoid hydrocortisone cream as it makes them blister. I use Incognito spray as repellent, other than on safari I used permethrin.

Draw a circle around it so you know if it’s grown

Looks normal for me, too. Look up 'skeeter syndrome', it's basically an allergy to mozzie bites.

They itch like crazy, stop me from sleeping and are by miles the worst part of being bitten (as long as I can avoid scratching, otherwise I risk infection and all those complications). I use a hairdryer on them - blast them hot till it's too much to take, and there will be blessed relief from itching for a few hours. I have one of the little pen devices someone mentioned upthread, but it's not that great - my bites are so big the pen tip won't cover them and it doesn't get hot enough so doesn't work as well.

The heat devices do help, but only if used very early on. By the time the bites look like that, it’s too late for the heat device. Ice cubes are quite soothing. But, really, what you need is to hit them hard with antihistamines, and then keep taking antihistamines until bite season is well over.

Those were ‘minor’ reactions for me. Until I discovered that if I take a high dose of antihistamines every day I tend to react like other people. I take one of the one-a-day antihistamines every day from April, increasing to twice a day in May. If I go somewhere with biting insects I add a third daily dose, or even a fourth.

I discovered this through having another allergy. It was a very welcome side-effect of treatment! My dermatologist recommended gradually increasing and decreasing the dose to prevent unwelcome side-effects. Though if I do get any allergic reactions I can go straight to the maximum of four a day, and then titrate down later.

How is your health generally? I ask because reactions to bites like this are common with autoimmune issues like lupus etc.

I'm a target for mosquitoes and also react badly. My only advice is prevention, jungle formula spray, the one with ddt in it, liberally applied, plus a plug in repellant in your room switched on every evening before it goes dark.

This kind of reaction is normal for me, I've needed antibiotics a few times too.
Citirizine & loratidine will do nothing. You need Fenofexadine. It used to be prescription only but has been over the counter for a few years now. Branded version is Allevia, but there are supermarket and other own brands too.

Re hydrocortisone cream: it does not cause blistering, nor does it cause infection. Blistering is caused either by your body’s reaction to the bite, or by you scratching. Infection can also be introduced by your scratching, or it can have been injected directly into you by the bug that stung you.

Long term topical steroid use thins the skin. A few days of use does not.

While I would not use hydrocortisone willy-nilly on bites that are not causing allergic reactions, I certainly would use it ease the discomfort of allergic reactions and speed up the healing.

I used a zapper when I went on holiday, when you get bitten you apply it. It gives a dart of heat to the burn. I usually itch really badly and didnt using that

Yeah this is me,

so I keep a bite kit around.

large bandages and plasters. You can get plasters that are 20cm by 10cm.

apply hydrocortisone cream and lanacaine to the skin and then put the plaster over.
the pad on the plaster keeps the creams next to the skin and stops the itching.

i then use the bandage to apply pressure by winding it really tight. Helps stop the swelling.

keep taking antihistamines.