By Janice Harvey, RPh, CDE<\/p>\n
The hot summer weather is a wonderful invitation to spend time outdoors, enjoying family BBQs, taking a dip at local swimming holes and beaches, tackling hiking trails, and getting in a last camping trip during the Labour Day long weekend. It\u2019s also the time when we\u2019re most likely to get bitten or stung by insects.<\/p>\n
Some of the most common biting insects are mosquitoes, flies, fleas and ticks. Insect bites don\u2019t usually cause much skin damage, but they do leave a puncture mark. The saliva can include substances that numb the area, prevent clotting, and cause inflammation. Bites from spiders (arachnids, not insects) will usually sting a bit initially, which then leads to itching and inflammation.<\/p>\n
Wasps, bees and fire ants are common stinging insects. They have a stinger through which they inject venom. When a honey bee stings, the stinger is left behind and the bee dies soon after, but that\u2019s not the case for bumble bees and wasps, which can sting more than once.<\/p>\n
Most people will experience only mild, localized reactions to bites and stings: minimal pain, itching, redness, and swelling. However, some individuals will have a more significant reaction that may last longer than 7 days and can include a large area of swelling that extends beyond the bite or sting site, hives, joint pain and\/or fever. \u201cSkeeter syndrome\u201d is the term used for an intense reaction that results in dramatic swelling, heat, redness, itching and pain, as well as a low-grade fever that occurs within hours of a (usually mosquito) bite. Severe reactions are more likely to the stings of bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets. Having a severe or extensive local reaction increases the risk of a systemic (anaphylactic) reaction in the future.<\/p>\n
In the case of bug bites, your pharmacist can recommend over-the-counter products, such as antihistamines, pain relievers, and products to relieve itch. There are many options, with different active ingredients:<\/p>\n
Please chat with us so we can help you make the best choice. There are also a few prescription medications that pharmacists can now prescribe, if necessary.<\/p>\n
Aside from reducing the symptoms of itching and swelling, it\u2019s also important to take steps to prevent infection. If you need to remove a stinger, place a firm edge (such as a credit card) next to the stinger, then scrape firmly across the skin surface to remove the stinger \u2014 this is better than using tweezers, which could squeeze the stinger and cause more venom to be injected. Applying ice or cold compresses will also help to slow the spread of the venom. In all cases, wash the bite or sting site with soap and water.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s the season for mosquitoes and wasps. Find out how our pharmacists can help you treat the pain, itch and swelling related to bug bites and stings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2385,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2384"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2392,"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384\/revisions\/2392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWe recommend meeting with our pharmacists for a minor ailment assessment. While pharmacists have always provided counselling on treatment of bug bites and stings, it was often limited by time constraints in the pharmacy. We usually have two pharmacists working, so we can ensure that you have our full attention during your appointment. We can take the time to confirm which medication is best for you, considering your specific needs, health conditions, and possible drug interactions. We can also provide a treatment plan that includes additional information and advice. Even if you need to be referred due to a more severe reaction, this will still have been time well spent. Please visit our website for <\/em>more information about pharmacist prescribing for minor ailments and contraception<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n