Got stung by a bee today! What is your home remedy for bee stings, especially i

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   backporchstoriesposted 12 years ago

   Got stung by a bee today!  What is your home remedy for bee stings, especially if allergic to them?

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   Brandon E Newmanposted 12 years ago

   Take an anti-histamine such as Benadryl. The pain will subside in an hour or so. There is really no proven-effective treatments for bee sting other than that. A paste of baking soda & water on a damp cloth may help, but the only thing that really works is time.
   
   If you are allergic, an immunosupressive like Prednisone may be of some use.(it stops the inflammatory response) You need an Rx for that.(you'll spend the best part of the evening in the ER, but it could prevent a respiratory episode)

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   ThussaysNanaMarieposted 12 years ago

   I would place an icecube on the sting, off and on,  for a while until it  gets better.

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      backporchstoriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I took Benadryl....love that stuff with allergy crap!  However, I immediately took a homemade salve from medicineal plants that grow wild in our country yard.  My husbands recipe!  It is an heal all salve with a drawing agent in it as well.

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      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ice is a good and safe remedy - wrap the ice in a cloth or place a cloth between the sting and your skin to avoid damaging the skin by freezing it.

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   backporchstoriesposted 12 years ago

   I took Benadryl....love that stuff with allergy crap! However, I immediately took a homemade salve from medicinal plants that grow wild in our country yard. My husbands recipe! It is an heal all salve with a drawing agent in it as well.  I am happy to report the swelling is down but took a few hours, and so far I am doing alright.  Have a few more hours to see if it upsets my stomach yet, but for the first time I feel like it won't!  Yeah!

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      Gusserposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      home remedies are usually better than the store brands.

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      backporchstoriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Agree on that!

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   Cyndi10posted 12 years ago

   If the allergy is not serious enough require medical attention, the tobacco from a cigarette will stop the pain. Something to do with the nicotine. If you are allergic, the allergic reactions have been known to escalate over time. Ask your doctor if you should start carrying one of those pens to prevent anaphylactic shock.

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      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Agree - an Epi-pen is a good idea. Have never heard of tobacco on a wound...I would not recommend that. Tea bags however, because of the tannic acid can serve in a pinch as a topical anticoagulant.

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      backporchstoriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If you are in a pinch, tobacco is good for alot of things for wounds....

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      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I saw someone mention that medical professionals may recommend tobacco, but I have never heard of this before in all my years in the medical field, working in emergency care and teaching emergency care. I need to investigate this.

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   Golfgalposted 12 years ago

   I am also allergic.  Putting ice on it immediately helps a lot, but it may be too late for that benefit.  though putting ice compacts on the sting helps stop the itching.  take benedryl twice a day, that will also stop the itching.  If you do these two things as soon as you are bitten...the discomfort is greatly reduced.

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   tmbridgelandposted 12 years ago

   Bee sting allergies are no joke. If you really are allergic, take the benedryl and get to a doctor. Just make sure to tell him what medicine you took.
   
   As a home remedy, as soon as you get stung, spit into the dirt and rub the mud into the stung spot. Old-timers said that draws out the poison. Don't know about that, but it seems to help.

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      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yikes! I would not do that! Spitting in the dirt and applying dirt to a wound is worse than doing nothing at all! There are potentially pathogenic organisms in saliva as well as the dirt that can gain access to your body via the non-intact skin.

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   donnaMhicksposted 12 years ago

   As already suggested, antihistamine will work great, but the degree of allergy will really dictate necessary treatment. Several years ago, I had to drive my daughter to the hospital after a bee stung her on the arm and her arm swelled terribly and she could hardly move it.
   Last year she called me wondering why she could possibly have had a reaction to a can of peach iced tea. I told her to read me the list of ingredients -Duh! Honeybush, pure honey need I say more? It just didn't dawn on her she couldn't have honey, being allergic to bees!

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      backporchstoriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I stepped on my bee, got my big toe!  I am allergic, but I bet your daughter was just lucky enough to have a stinger dripping with honey.  Maybe?

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   D.Juris Stetserposted 12 years ago

   I'm very allergic to bee stings, and my first experience with a sting was at a rodeo in Northern Idaho. I suddenly felt hot all over, couldn't breathe  someone in the crowd told my husband they saw a bee on me minutes b4. Told him where the nearest emergency room was, i was given treatment, and the ER doctor told to always carry the 'bee kit' , and his personal recommendation was to keep generic Benadryl tablets on me all the time, They are called Diphenhydramine, and cn be purchased by the 100 capsule bottles from Walmart for around $5. Home remedies often help but these measures are guaranteed as a good first line of treatment. I very nearly went into shock, so I don't want to wait for a home remedy

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      backporchstoriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Seriously, I have thought of getting a eip pin, just have not done it.  My allergy is not severe, just swelling and usually lose my cookies....But I kept my cookies this time...think the salve and benedryl did the trick!

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    lotuslove19posted 12 years ago

    Instantly start rubbing baking soda and keep rubbing it until the pain goes and swelling settles down.Give cold compress after rubbing baking soda on the sting.Also visit the doctor and take his or her advice.This remedy is applicable for all insect stings.

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    Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

    Make sure the stinger has not been left in your skin - if so, remove it by scraping a credit card or dull knife across your skin.
    
    Add a dab of baking soda mixed with water to form a paste to the sting. That will help relieve the pain. Also, topically applied Calamine lotion is an excellent remedy. Hydrocortisone cream can reduce the inflammatory response as can a paste made of unseasoned meat tenderizer and water and applied to the bite site. The meat tenderizer breaks down the bee venom.
    
    Use an ice pack, e.g., a package of frozen peas in a pillowcase or wrapped in a towel applied to your skin to reduce inflammation and pain.
    
    Make sure you wash thoroughly with mild soap and water before applying anything! Many people skip this important step!
    
    Oral Benadryl may also help due to its antihistamine action. Follow the directions on the package. Consult your physician if you are already on allergy medication or have a sensitivity to diphenhydramine!
    
    If you have a known allergy to bee stings, ask your physician about carrying around an Epi-pen for self-administration of adrenaline. If you get stung in the nasal passages or mouth, seek immediate emergency attention since swelling in the face can occlude your airways!

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    mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years ago

    Vinegar, but if not try snapping a section of an Aloe Vera plant and squeezing the gel on to the stung area. This works a treat

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       Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Aloe vera is great for sunburn. I have never tried it for beestings.

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       mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       It works great for most stings, even nettle stings. I so love this plant

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       Seeker7posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I agree misty, the Aloe Vera plant is an amazing healer in the raw. Vinegar works great and if your out in the wilds and get stung by nettles, take a piece of dock leaf and rub it on the area - works wonders, it might even help bee stings?

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       backporchstoriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Dock in one of the items in our heal all salve.  Happy to report I did not get sick this time....first time ever!  I love herbs when you know how to use them!

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    Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years ago

    If you're allergic to them, use your epi pen and go to the hospital.

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       backporchstoriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I have no insurance and will not let a bee sting cost me that much money unless it effects my lungs!  Really, my husband and I work with natural herbs....lucky we have that knowledge!

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    cassiefranksposted 12 years ago

    i always used to use the menthol tabacco andd a little bit of waterto make like a paste and put it on where they stung you and it takes the stinger out as for the allergic part i took ibprofen that helped me but i am only mildly allergic.

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    The RV Guyposted 12 years ago

    It's amazing how something so small can cause so much discomfort!  I've always used moist tobacco or baking soda to relieve the initial sting followed by an ice cold beverage in the shade doing absolutely nothing. 
    
    If alergic, there is no better remedy than the closest emergency room!

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    WebsiteConfettiposted 12 years ago

    My family used to have a bee hive and I used to stupidly walk barefoot in the back yard and got stung that many time that ive tried many home remedies. The one that works best for me is a slice of onion placed over the sting. I think its more effective if its applied immediately after the sting, but I think it still helps if time has passed.

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    artist101posted 12 years ago

    Benedryl, 50mg, and rest. Applying meat tenderizer will also help. Make a paste with about a tsp of water, apply to sting, as it dries, it will dispel the stinger and venom. I agree with the rest get an epi pen, as most allergic responses increase upon numerous stings, meaning the next time could be fatal. Its never the first peanut, its always the 5 or 6 one. If the throat itches, any lymph gland swells, tongue swells, difficulty swallowing, difficulty talking, dizziness, difficulty breathing is only one sign of anylphalatic. As well as a racing heart beat, and sweating. Go to an ER.
    As far as paying for it, payment plans can be arranged, and if your income is low, without insurance, ask about indigent care, many hospitals have this program for low income, non insured individuals.

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