Tick bite causes redness, pain, swelling and itching at the local site. Tick bite: this parasites feed on living animals and humans.Swelling is often noticed in individuals who are hypersensitive to the chigger bug venom. NSAIDs are also found in OTC painkillers-like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen-so be sure not to accidentally double up on them or take them in combination with each other.Chigger bite causes red rashes on the skin with intense itching and pain at the site of its bite. They can help you navigate any side effects you experience and avoid an NSAID overdose. If you decide to use an NSAID-based numbing cream, call your doctor to confirm that's the right route for you. NSAIDs can be an effective way to reduce pain and inflammation, but they do come with side effects, and it is possible to overdose on them. However, some of these creams get their numbing power from NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. And many of these creams draw on natural ingredients-like arnica, camphor, or menthol-to soothe or numb the skin. There are many OTC numbing creams available at drugstores, so they're not particularly hard to find. You can typically apply these creams directly to bug bites-as long as the wound is closed and not open or bleeding. When you're dealing with itchy bug bites, it can be tempting to numb the area using a local anesthetic, like a numbing cream. RELATED: Medicine Cabinet Essentials to Have in Case of Illness or Injury Call your primary care provider and get the go-ahead before taking one. These drugs may cause negative side effects when paired with certain medications or cause drowsiness. Note: Always talk to your doctor before taking any OTC antihistamine. OTC antihistamines are widely available at your local drugstore. With antihistamines, your goal should be to take one as early as possible once you know you've been bitten (if not even before then, for example, if you're going on a long hike in a buggy locale). Strachan adds that antihistamines are better at preventing inflammation than they are at treating the itchiness and swelling after the damage is already done. "If you know you'll get bitten, take an antihistamine to reduce the reaction."ĭr. "Treat bug bites as you might treat any other allergy," Dr. Because antihistamines block the effects of histamines, they can cut down on some of these familiar bug-bite-related symptoms. Remember that your body also releases histamine when you get a bug bite-and that's the chemical that causes your skin to swell, itch, and turn red. And since scratching can cause the area to become more inflamed, it may take even longer for your bug bites to clear up if you're touching the area a lot.Īntihistamines are medications that aid in relieving allergy symptoms by blocking the effects of histamine, the chemical your body releases during an immune response. In other words, it takes a few days for your body to recover from the bug bite-and from fighting off the foreign substance. Unfortunately, this triggers an inflammatory response-causing the location of your bite to swell and itch.īut why do they remain swollen, red, and itchy for days? Simply put: "The histamine released by the white blood cells in our body takes time to clear up," says Sunitha Posina, MD, a New York City-based board-certified internist. This makes it easier for your white blood cells (your immune system cells) to make their way to the site of the bug bite, so they can "fight off" the saliva or venom. This mosquito saliva is a foreign substance, and your immune system knows that, so it releases histamine-a chemical that makes your capillaries more permeable. Spiders inject a combination of saliva and venom into your skin when they bite you.) When a mosquito bites you, it doesn't just suck out some of your blood-it actually releases some of its saliva into your skin. But most of the time when you're dealing with an itchy bug bite, you're dealing with a mosquito bite. But what about once you have a bug bite? Is there anything you can do to get it to stop itching? We talked to a few experts to find out.īug bites can range from unpleasant to painful. Thankfully, we all know how to avoid bug bites (wear bug spray!). And though bug bites tend to be pretty small, they can be itchy, pesky, and sometimes even painful. Nearly everyone has experienced a bug bite at one point.
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