I am getting allergic reactions to insect bites?

Recently am getting bitten a lot. The bites seem to react quite angrily. Terribly itchy and swollen red marks. Any ideas anyone why I am suddenly reacting this way?

Are you actualy getting bitten,do you see the insects because i have a similar problem but have never seen anything They are as you describe, leaving a brownish red mark on the skin. I think mine is due to a digestive---blood problem.I feel a bite the area swells the raised area contains fluid and when broken returns again eventualy forms a sore which disperses leaving the mark

No reason - our bodies are changing all the time and we do become allergic to things all the time. I have heard that insects like sweet blood but i don't know how true that is. You need to pop along to the chemist and get some insect repellent- also buy some insect repellents for around the home- that should give you some protection. When you are bitten an anti-allergy remedy -piriton for instance provides some relief.

Repeated exposure may be increasing the severity of your allergic response. Interestingly sometimes it works the other way and desensitises. All you can do is damp it down with antihistamines.

are you in england, i worked in a health centre and everyone seems to becoming more sensative to bites i think the bugs are getting nastier maybe more evolved,

better watch out they'll soon be taking over

It could depend on your age,i used to be fine then when i hit about 35 i suddenly started to get the same symptoms that you have,really annoying,i take hay fever pills to help.Prescribed by my G.P.

I'm no doctor, but perhaps they are mosquitos, which are common in hot weather and humid areas.

If they are bees, I heard half of an onion placed onto the wound helps.

Hi Ho,
That's terrible! I hate to itch, and I've been getting bitten a lot, too. The warmer it gets, the more bugs there are, the more bites, the more itchy we get. Ick.

On to your question.

If they are bites that you've never had before, clearly you may be experiencing allergies to new stimuli. If they are bites from old enemies, as unfortunate as it sounds, it is quite possible to develop allergies over time, even after many years. This can happen especially if someone has experienced many bites in a short while -- the body in essence says, "enough!", and throws all of it's immune reactants at it.

In the short run, one thing you can do (if you can afford to be sleepy) is fight it with diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which you can get at any large grocery store or drug store. It tastes a bit weird, not bad but weird (the liquid stuff, anyway), but it works. I recommend the liquid because it seems to work faster, but the pills are generally cheaper. For an adult, 50 mg is the usual dose.

In the long run, you ought to go to your physician and see what he or she thinks about having an allergy skin test done. In any event, you might want to consider discussing carrying an Epi-pen with you -- if you are developing more significant allergies, the possibility exists that you may eventually get to the point where the bites actually cause very significant (anaphylactic) allergic reactions. In that case, you will want one of these "Epi-pens" with you, they can be life saving.

But if not, get some benadryl. "After bite", which is really just ammonia, is a topical anti-itch that some people swear by. For topical stuff, I like solarcaine spray or topical benadryl cream. If they are really swollen, hydrocortisone cream or ointment could also do the job. Ice wrapped in a washcloth could feel good and could help, but don't put ice on bare flesh as it can damage the skin.

I totally feel your pain -- er -- itch, and hope you feel better soon.

Oh, one other thing, if there are actual stingers in there, you should get them out. You can do this by scraping gently across the welt with a firm card like a business card or a credit card.

Take care & good luck,
Julie

I too suffer from this increased reaction to insect bites, I think since a Turkish holiday with lots of hungry mossies. Warm evenings are worst so cover exposed skin, also make sure you have no stale water lying around as this is a great breeding ground for many mini munchers. If you know you are going to be exposed try taking antihistamines a couple of days before. Ask chemist for non drowsy versions.