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Bad Medicine - Is Your Pain Reliever Doing More Harm Than Good?

Is Your Pain Reliever Doing More Harm Than Good?

Read this before you pop another pill. More

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Learn More: Insect Bites & Stings

Home Healthcare

The following procedure can treat most minor bites and stings at home:

  • Place an ice or a cold pack onto the bitten or stung area.
  • Carefully remove any stinger in the skin.
  • Remove the stinger from the bottom with tweezers or scrape the stinger out from the skin with a credit card or nail file, being careful not to squeeze the top of the stinger (venom sacks) to prevent more venom entering the skin.
  • Take an antihistamine such as Benadryl® if itch develops—this medication causes drowsiness, so you should not drive or do dangerous activities after you take the pill.
  • Apply to the bite or sting hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, or a baking soda paste.
  • Apply to the affected area a gel or a lotion containing at least 80% aloe vera.
Last reviewed on: August, 2009
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