Were you just stung by a bee or wasp? Do you want to follow the advice to drink some alcohol to reduce pain and stress?
In this article, I will tell you whether it is ok to drink alcohol after a sting, and what you should drink and do after a bite.
Can You Drink Alcohol After Being Stung by a Wasp?
Yes, You can drink alcohol but it is not recommended. By drinking alcohol it will fasten the blood circulation in your body which will spread the venom around your body quicker.
Whilst you might have some short term relief of the alcohol it could be worse in the long run. A sting will contain venom so it is best not to have alcohol.
Below I will cover what you should do if you get stung.
Can You Drink Alcohol After Being Stung by a Bee
Yes you can drink alcohol after being stung by a bee, but it is not recommended because whilst very unlikely alcohol can help to increase the chance of complications.
When a bee stings you they will release venom in to you which alcohol will help to spread around your body by thinning your blood.
Whilst the venom will not have any affect on us most of the time there is a small chance it can affect certain people such as people who are allergic to venom, have heart or other health conditions.
Why Should You Drink Alcohol After a Wasp Sting?
You should NOT drink alcohol after a wasp sting! This is a common misconception among the people.
Alcohol increases blood flow. If you drink an alcoholic drink after a bite, the poison will spread throughout the body much faster. This means that an allergic reaction can also manifest itself much more strongly.
Of course, alcohol can muffle the pain from the bite. However, this may cause you don’t notice how an allergic reaction begins to develop. Alcohol will muffle the symptoms you might have. You may not pay attention to the increase in the tumor of the affected area. This can become dangerous for your health.
What Should You Drink After a Wasp Sting?
The poison in the blood can be neutralized. The poisons of bees and hornets of an alkaline nature are neutralized by acid. For these purposes, lemon juice or a solution of citric acid is perfect.
Sweet tea and even plain water will do. A sufficient amount of water in the blood will help to remove toxins from your body faster.
However, you can disinfect the surface of the affected area of the skin with any alcohol. This way you can reduce the likelihood of infection.
You can disinfect the puncture site with any available antiseptic. Suitable tinctures of herbs on alcohol (especially calendula), medical alcohol, salicylic and levomycetin alcohol, hydrogen peroxide 3%, vodka, etc.
When Can You Drink Alcohol After Being Stung?
You should not drink any alcohol after being stung,
When bitten, you can not drink alcoholic beverages. They provoke the development of edema and contribute to the spread of poison through the blood.
Even if you want to relieve stress or relieve your injury, do not take alcohol-containing drinks in any case.
wasps and bees are irritated by the smell of alcohol. The sense of smell in insects is much more sensitive than in humans. They can smell alcohol at long distances and may regard it as a danger. This can lead to an attack on you.
If you drank alcohol before the bite, the poison will spread through your body faster. You need to carefully monitor the tumor at the site of the bite and be ready to take action.
How Long Will the Venom Stay in Your Body?
A sting causes pain and burning, redness and swelling, which usually resolves after 1-2 hours. On the face, the swelling can last up to two days. If there are several bites, a toxic reaction may begin.
Keep in mind that if you are bitten by a wasp or a bee in the lip, tongue or larynx – immediately seek medical help. In this case, the swelling that appeared after a sting, spreading to the entire larynx, can lead to suffocation.
The largest number of wasp and bee stings is recorded mainly from July to August. The venom of these insects has a different effect on each individual person, but if you are bitten by a wasp, it always hurts.
It is difficult to forget the bite. When a person is bitten by a wasp, they experience severe pain, which can be compared to the pain from a burn.
However, this is not the main thing, it is important that the consequences of a bite can be different: from a painful swelling of the area of the body bitten by a bee to a strong allergic reaction.
Therefore, if you are bitten, immediately take measures to prevent the venom from entering the body.
wasps can sting many times, as they have smooth stings, so it is better to escape from them.
You can’t kill a wasp that bites you, because others will immediately attack you. This happens because a chemical substance is released from the body of the killed insect, which stimulates the attack of other nearby friends.
wasps sting people much more often than bees. A wasp sting is much more painful than a bee sting.
If a person is bitten by several dozen wasps at once, then a general toxic reaction of the body occurs. Bites of more than 500 individuals are considered fatal.
What Treatment Should I Use for the Sting?
If you have been stung you should do the following
- Inspect the bite area. Disinfect the wound. Wash it with soap.
- Ensure that the venom of the bite area is removed as completely as possible as soon as possible. The poison can be pulled out/delayed by applying a piece of sugar, moistened in advance, to the puncture site. In the forest, you can apply a urine compress to the affected area. The poison is allowed to be squeezed out. BUT! Only if the conditions of sterility are met and if there are skills. Otherwise, the poison will spread further through the bloodstream. And, finally, it is possible to neutralize the poison. Poisons in wasps of an alkaline nature are neutralized by acid. For these purposes, a very weak solution of vinegar, lemon juice or a solution of citric acid is perfect.
- Disinfect the puncture site with any available antiseptic. Suitable tinctures of herbs on alcohol (especially calendula), medical alcohol, salicylic alcohol, hydrogen peroxide 3%, vodka.
- Remove puffiness, itching and pain. Apply cold. Smear the inflamed area with a special ointment. You should have an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-allergic remedy or a balm for insect bites at home. ,
- Ease the symptoms of intoxication. In large quantities, drink sweet tea, water, take vitamin C and R. Take an antihistamine drug in the first 2-5 days.
How Can an Allergy to an Insect Bite Manifest Itself?
In the form of urticarial accompanied by itching;
* Quincke’s edema, a dangerous form of a reaction to a bite;
* Swelling of the larynx, which leads to difficulty breathing up to loss of consciousness. A hoarse voice, shortness of breath and blueness with subsequent pallor of the skin are direct signs of this allergic reaction;
* Anaphylactic shock. The most severe reaction to a bite, which occurs almost instantly. Signs: reddened skin with a very itchy rash, fever, chills, weakness, dizziness, nausea, facial swelling and shortness of breath.
We also seek for the urgent help:
- With a lot of bites;
- If an insect stings in the neck, mouth or eye area;
- If there is a spasm in the chest or throat;
- After the bite, the victim begins to feel nausea and vomiting;
- In case of loss of consciousness.
