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Reaction to mosquito bites

My son has an unusual reaction to mosquito bites. They swell up to about the size of a golf ball. Last year, we sprayed him with repellent and had him wear a bug band that my MIL got from QVC. It helped, but he still had bites. Our doctor had me give him Zyrtec in the morning and Benadryl every 4 hours, plus putting Cortizone on them. He was still itching, plus now he's tired any grumpy. We go on vacation in about a week, an island down south. There are tons of mosquitos. My question is, what else can I try to help with the itching, besides medicating him so much?

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tracy0812

Asked by tracy0812 at 7:19 AM on Jun. 23, 2012 in Health

Level 16 (2,540 Credits)
Answers (6)
  • The size of a golf ball? Are you sure he's not having some kind of allergic reaction to the mosquito bites? I can't really think of anything other than what you do, other than trying to keep the mosquitoes to begin with. Citronella candles, those little personal bug repellant things that you put on with the fan on them, etc, might work to keep them away. But what you're doing to treat the bites themselves is about all I know of to do it.
    wendythewriter

    Answer by wendythewriter at 8:14 AM on Jun. 23, 2012

  • Get an aloe plant and cut a branch off and smear it on the bites. Then put a band aid over it. Works great for my LO who also has severe reactions to bug bites.
    aeneva

    Answer by aeneva at 12:39 PM on Jun. 23, 2012

  • My nephew is allergic to mosquito bites - his dr had to give them an Epi pen to carry with them for his reactions. You can try a spray bottle of listerine to keep the Mosquitos away without chemicals.
    missanc

    Answer by missanc at 2:20 PM on Jun. 23, 2012

  • What else can you do? Don't go where you know there is going to be lots of those bugs. You may find your son in the ER with one too many bites for his body to handle.
    isabellalecour

    Answer by isabellalecour at 12:30 AM on Jun. 24, 2012

  • What kind of repellent are you using... maybe it's not strong enough. Also, the Zyrtec might not be working... try Allegra, it's seems to be a better antihistamine. Then only use the Benadryl if he actually gets bit. The bites will itch... there is no gettign around that, it's the same for everyone. Have you tried soaking a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and holing that on the bite for a few minutes every 30 minutes of so?? That can help a lot as well. 
    Crafty26

    Answer by Crafty26 at 1:19 PM on Jun. 24, 2012

  • I am allergic to mosquito bites, and have always swelled like that, the itching is some of the worst I have ever experienced. I used to have to coat the entire affected area with the strongest anti itch cream we had, take allergy medicine, then wrap the entire area because I would scratch it raw in my sleep. Just a word of caution- do not apply a benadryl (diphenhydramine) cream and give benadryl. Zyrtec., claritin, or allegra should help with the itching, but it may take some time since most allergy meds have to build up in the system. Cool baths help the itch, as will aloe and cool compresses.
    preacherskid

    Answer by preacherskid at 12:14 AM on Jun. 26, 2012

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