OTC Antihistamines and Wasp/Bee stings

[Kaylee]

Two decades ago, while at a remote cabin, I was stung on my face by a wasp.

Instant swelling & pain, plus higher than usual anxiety due to the location of the sting.
I called a medical hotline, and she recommended Benadryl or any generic equivalent antihistamine (i.e. "Diphenhydramine HCI").
I checked the cabin's first aid kit (FAK), and found no drugs at all.

It was a painful 10 mile drive to the nearest Town, on challenging 3D private and county roads.
It was worth it.
The relief was almost instant, and the return drive was painless & relaxing.

Since then, I've always carried some sort of antihistamine in my vehicle, daypack, and birding FAKs.

Walmart and some dollar stores carry a blister pack of about half a dozen to two dozen generic antihistamine pills for about a dollar.

I wrote this a few days ago, from deep in the Mark Twain National Forest, more than twenty miles from the nearest town, moments after a wasp tried to enter my open window. I swatted it away with a folded window shade, then carefully inspected the shade for a lurking angry wasp, nervous that the fold would dramatically increase my risk of stingage.
None, phew!
Then I realized it's been almost two years since I last rotated my secondary drugs, and I'd forgotten to check them recently.
Quick check yielded 2020-May. Phew!

Freedom from pain (of just one sort), for three years, for a mere buck. Win!

I haven't had any other stings in the last two decades, but my risk is now much higher.
If you're still reluctant to invest that buck, consider spliting a pack with friends & family. That's one of the advantages of blister packs for OTC ("Over The Counter") drugs that one is less likely to use.
Here's pics of Walmart's generic pack:

the contents come in 2 sheets of 12 pills each - here's one sheet split, to show both sides:

Another "secondary" OTC (no prescription required) drug is Loperamide which is generic Imodium for diarrhea. Same price point and shelf life, but fewer pills.
I've carried a pack for over a decade, however I have never used any, purely because I'm nervous about the potential side effects. I will probably try one, soonish, but only when I'm overnighting in town, in case there's some weird side effect.
Please consider reading up on its side effects, and decide for yourself:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loperamide

 

[Hoot]

Good to know, thank you, as I did not even know what Benedryl was til my dog got interested in a rattlesnake last week. No bite, blessed cheap lesson, as it got me to seeing what to do in case of a bite. Education on web recommended use of Benedryl as a first stopgap measure on the trail til can get to a vet.

 

[Kaylee]

Hoot, now you've educated me - thanks!
I've never lived anywhere with significant snake risks, and have been meaning to do some research. Please do share any relevant links.

Growing up, my folks never really had a FAK around the house, just a few loose items.
After I took a wilderness first responder course in my 20s, I convinced them to get more organized.
After I got my first car, I built up a decent but compact trauma kit.
I hope never to use any of it, but it's a great stress reliever knowing I've done what I could to prepare.


Another Dumb Tip that was reinforced last week:
If you have any little nick(s) on your hands, hand sanitizer stings.
Don't "tough it out", splurge and use a band-aid. They cost about a penny.
If a skin tear is enough that sanitizer makes it hurt, it's worth covering to reduce the risk of infection.
Pain reduction is merely a bonus.

 

[maki2]

You can purchase ointment with both Benedryl and cortisone in it. Not just for bee stings, it works for mosquito and flea bites and for things like stinging nettle too. Good for a wide variety of rashes and skin irritations.

Vets use Benedryl as a mild sedative for dogs and cats too. But don't try to sedate them with ointment, that won't work. That fact that ingesting Benedryl can be used as a mild sedative is something good for nomads or house dwellers to know. Be sure you look up the dosage per pound for which type of animal. It also helps if the dog gets some type of itchy rash or is suffering from an anxiety attack. For instance some dogs get anxiety when it is the 4th of July or if there is a severe thunderstorm, you can use it at such times to keep your animal calm. Or maybe you have to do a procedure that is going to be distressing such as removing thorns or spear grass so you would want to give them some in advance of doing that letting it have enough time to be effective. That can help keep you from getting bitten if the animal is slightly sedated and of course it makes it easier on the animal too. It also acts like a mild sedative on humans.

I have never had any side effects from taking Loperamide and I have taken it a number of times over the last several decades. If you are concerned about using it talk to your doctor. I do know what compound it is that makes if effective but no need to launch into that conversation.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

Often people will use Benadryl for hives and itching. Years ago, my allergist, aside from antihistamines, recommended adding Zantac (ranitidine) to the repertoire as it is an H2 inhibibitor and about 15% of the histamines in our skin are of the H2 variety.

I just found out that I'm allergic to CT contrast. The Zantac helped out with the hives.
Ted

 

[fluti314]

If you look at a lot of the "night time pain relievers," you'll see that Benadryl is one of the ingredients. As noted above, it is soothing, but keep in mind that it can make you sleepy, so you avoid, or be very careful about, driving.

 

[Hoot]

Kaylee, re your request for links, see below, also be aware this topic is all new to me, my dog is dear to me and her coming close to a bite last week is the only thing that got me to researching and saving things I thought of value on my computer.  (All below is for dog... re human being bitten, I see some articles list Benadryl for a trail pack and some do not... to each their own.)



Excellent article (sorry did not save link, just the excerpts below):
“First, let me say that I have been a vet for 23 years in N Florida. We treat probably an average of 15 snake bites a year. that would translate to over 300 snake bite cases I have treated, or been involved in. So my opinions are not based on what happened to one dog, or my neighbor's dog or even the 2 dogs that have been bitten that I personally owned. So not only have I treated a lot, but since I do treat so many, I stay current with current treatment options and what works best (based on data, not stories).
...-Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) is NEVER wrong to give and almost always, if not always, will help the patient. The liquid is nearly as fast as an injection. 1mg per pound of body weight.  …
…...My opinions are that antivenom is overused (easier to defend yourself in court-I gave the dog antivenin, so I did everything-but it is expensive and we probably grossly underdose it-a 12 year old human near me treated by people vets was given 110 vials -at around $3000 per vial in humans-in dogs it is between 700-1000 each and we typically give one-they probably need many many more-I am NOT saying don't give it, I am just saying it should be decided on a case by case basis). IV fluids are the single most important factor that we can control in helping a snake bite victim recover with the minimal amount of disease, with benadryl being second.”


Another commenter: ““I keep two 1cc ampules of diphenhydramine (benadryl), a syringe, a small bottle of sterile saline solution for irrigation, one of those "pop" cold-packs, a pack of sutures, a kotex dam and some hydrogen peroxide in a little bag under the backseat. It stays in the shell bag during hunting season.
There are some perks associated with marriage to a nurse.
My understanding is that quick administration of benadryl is probably the best and easiest thing you can be ready to do. Dogs are dosed a lot higher than humans; ask your vet, but I wouldn't hesitate to go as high as 2mg per lb. of body weight in the event of a snake bite. Your vet would probably go higher and would be administering an IM injection....They also make a "quick strip" that dissolves on the tongue. I haven't looked at the ingredients but it may be a good idea for a dog that is difficult to pill even in the comfy confines of the home with a pill wrapped in bacon. ”


Excellent article re using a homeopathic remedy for dog if snake bitten;
https://thefalknerschool.com/2014/10/21/homeopathic-adventures-in-treating-a-rattle-snake-bite/

 

[Hoot]

Don't see how to edit after posting, but realized forgot to add this from the N FL vet quoted above:  "keep benadryl in your dog first aid kit-Children's Liquid, generic is fine. Give them 1 tsp for every 12.5 pounds of body weight if they are bitten."

 

[BelgianPup]

Big Pharma are bunch of crooks. $3,000 per dose of antivenin. When I was working for a vet in SoCal in the 1970s, he sent me to the local pharmacy to pick up another dose of antivenin (two snakebites in one day):. $19.

Yes, give the Benedryl for the snakebite, but keep heading for the vet -- snakebite is a dangerous condition. And don't follow the old info about applying a tourniquet -- NO TOURNIQUET!!

With a wasp or bee sting, swallow the Benedryl and immediately wash the spot twice with soap and cool water -- it makes a difference.

 

[WanderingRose]

I keep tea tree oil for topical use on itchy and inflamed bites, also an OTC antihistamine-only for occasional dosing myself.

I keep OTC Benadryl for the dog, who on occasion has a skin reaction to something she has come in contact with.

Good to know it can help with a snake bite, tho I am horrified at the thought that could ever happen.

 

[highdesertranger]

in the 70's you could also buy a brand new 4x4 truck for under 5k. so does that make the auto manufacturers a bunch of crooks, because I know a guy that just paid over 70k for a brand new F-150 4x4. highdesertranger

 

[BelgianPup]

INFLATION AT 158 TIMES THE ORIGINAL COST???

That would make your pretty truck cost about $790,000. How many do you think you could afford?