Nuts wrote:I have heard positive reports from using honey for infected bites and scratches, multi-use!! Paw Paw ointment seems to work well for small scratches and abrasions.
andrewa wrote:Rubbing any creams on has its limitations, coz the rubbing action causes more histamine to be released (which is why you shouldn't itch something that is itchy). OTC cortisone creams are weak....the stuff your GP can prescribe has some "oomph" to it - eg diprosone/advantan/elocon, but use a cream, which will "rub" in more easily, rather than a greasy ointment.
Antihistamines are useful if you have a large number of bites, and many people are not aware that you can "double/triple" up with antihistamines quite safely - eg take a telfast ,a zyrtec and then an aerius etc (or generic equivalents). Phenergen is very sedating, and 25mg of phenergen would make many people hopelessly drowsy for 8-12 hrs.
andrewa wrote:Antihistamines are useful if you have a large number of bites, and many people are not aware that you can "double/triple" up with antihistamines quite safely.....
andrewa wrote:Very true, but not many people carry zantac, etc unless they are prone to indigestion....and even then, if you were to buy an OTC indigestion tablet, you may well be offered a PPI, like somac , which doesn't block the H2 receptor. However, if you have an itch,and indigestion, then your set.....from a practical point of view, even though you are very correct, it seems rare to see medical practitioners prescribe H2 blockers for itch. I'm not sure why, but its only occasionally that I see a dermatologist suggest them. Most of us just jump to prednisone for the really itchy patient who rocks up and has failed antihistamines.
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andrewa wrote:Knock the *&%$#! out of them with IV phenergan and hydrocortisone first... - that's the ultimate ED approach. We (GPs) have to fix up what's left!
Beside this, would you actually bother taking Zantac if you had insect bites? Try the Mozzie Click...I was amazed at how well it worked....but not so useful in an ED with a patient with generalised itch.
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andrewa wrote:...the most effective thing I've found to date was one of those "Mozzie click" devices....they work a treat. My understanding of them is that somehow the local piezo-electrical current contricts blood flow to the area, and this somehow reduces local histamine release, which is the thing that causes the itch.
GPSGuided wrote:a good dose of pressure with a finger nail.
Tortoise wrote:Very interested in itch relief myself. Increasing allergic reaction to leech bites (and ants).
andrewa wrote:Knock the *&%$#! out of them with IV phenergan and hydrocortisone first... - that's the ultimate ED approach. We (GPs) have to fix up what's left!
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