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Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: gonzo on June 05, 2010, 04:34:00 am

Title: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: gonzo on June 05, 2010, 04:34:00 am: The weathers getting nicer, and it seems the insects are out to get me, my body isn't dealing with them the way it use to,
my whole arm and/or leg have swollen up where I've been bit, and the flesh feels very warm almost feverish like, can this be caused by HIV?
Anyone have similar reaction?, any feed back would be appreciated!

Thanks!
gonzo
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Matty the Damned on June 05, 2010, 05:56:43 am: I don't know if it's strictly HIV related, but it sounds nasty.

If the reaction hasn't subsided soon, you should seek medical attention. Perhaps an anti-histamine will help relieve the pain and swelling.

MtD
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: averagejoe1977 on June 05, 2010, 06:10:40 am: I think this sounds like a general bad reaction to an insect bite -- sounds painful. I'd speak to a doctor about it. Not sure if it is related to HIV, but I do know HIV neg people who have this kind of reaction too.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: GSOgymrat on June 05, 2010, 11:11:58 am: I've alway had bad reactions to mosquito bites. I get huge welts and if I have multiple bite the whole area is swollen and warm to the touch. I don't think it is HIV related because It has always been like that.

Actually, now that I think of it, when my CD4 was low I don't remember having as severe of a reaction.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Jeff G on June 05, 2010, 11:18:00 am: I have to wear repellent when outdoors because the bugs really go for me for some reason .

I got bit by a tick last week right on my ass , when that happens it takes months to heal and itches like crazy .
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Matty the Damned on June 05, 2010, 03:35:10 pm: Quote from: jg1962 on June 05, 2010, 11:18:00 am
I got bit by a tick last week right on my ass , when that happens it takes months to heal and itches like crazy .

This tick, did he buy you a drink? Has he called since?

MtD
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Jeff G on June 05, 2010, 04:27:35 pm: Quote from: matty.the.damned on June 05, 2010, 03:35:10 pm
This tick, did he buy you a drink? Has he called since?

MtD

No drinks or calls yet . It figures since he likes to hang out with an asshole .
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: tednlou2 on June 06, 2010, 02:28:59 am: I was in Florida one time and got bitten all over. They swelled up the size of silver dollars. I had never experienced anything like that before. It scared me. I'm not sure if the bites were from some weird bug or what. They went down within a few hours. This was back before I had HIV.

Have you moved to an area with new kinds of insects?
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: gonzo on June 06, 2010, 03:07:47 am: I've suffered from allergic reactions to meds in the past, but not to insect bites, this is how I react to them now that I'm undetectable, prior when I was a real mess health wise, I never had such severe reactions.
I guess I worded my thread wrong-maybe I should have written: bad reaction to insect bites hiv reconstitution syndrome related?, or something similar.
The swelling has gone down some, but the itch is driving me crazy especially at night when I'm trying to sleep, and I didn't get good sleep to begin with, now the lack of sleep is making me a real cranky s-o-b!
Sorry for ranting...

****
tednlou2: the thing is, the whole arm/ or leg is swollen, not just at the bite site, and no I haven't moved anywhere, the last reaction I had like this took almost a week for my arm to go back to normal, and stop itching.
MtD: I've tried Benadryl anti-itch spray that helps for about an hour or so, going to buy the pills later today.
jg1962 & GSOgymrat: what do you guys use to help alleviate the problem?
averagejoe1977:am going to make an appt with derm, but he's usually booked, so by the time he does see me, I'm not going to look like this, but hopefully he can shed some light as to why suddenly I'm an insect magnet.

Thanks for your input guys!
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Matty the Damned on June 06, 2010, 03:23:08 am: Hey Gonz,

Perhaps you need the tablet/liquid version of Benadryl? It will make you drowsy but it should give you relief for more than an hour or so.

MtD
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Nashvegas on June 06, 2010, 07:42:13 am: Hey Gonzo --

Just make very, very sure that you don't have a staff infection.

A couple of years before I became poz, I had what I thought was a spider bite on my leg (it was January, and nothing else seemed the likely culprit). It started out just as a little bite mark, and then continued to swell. The area around the "bite" got very warm and hard, and very painful, and I started having a very high temperature. A trip to the emergency room the next day revealed that what I had was not, in fact, an insect bite at all but rather was a staff infection. (It may have started out with a bite or a scratch, but then it took on a life of its own). I ended up on IV antibiotics for the next 11 days (while my condition improved somewhat but did not resolve) before my doctor did a culture and discovered that I had a methicillin- resistant staph infection (MRSA), which meant that I had been treated with the wrong antibiotics all along. It took several weeks of taking the correct high-powered antibiotics before I fully recovered.

Anyway, your comment that the flesh around your bites was very swollen and warm and feverish set off major alarms for me. If your condition has not improved since you first posted this topic, go to en emergency room immediately to get checked out and make sure it's not staph. A staph infection is nothing to mess around with -- it literally can kill you. Don't wait until tomorrow to go to your doctor.

If, on the other hand, your swelling has gone down, it's probably not MRSA, because MRSA doesn't easily resolve on its own without strong antibiotics.

Let us know how you're doing.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: GSOgymrat on June 06, 2010, 12:05:07 pm: Matty is correct. A Benadryl cap will help the symptoms, at least it does for me.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Buckmark on June 06, 2010, 06:48:29 pm: Quote from: Nashvegas on June 06, 2010, 07:42:13 am
Just make very, very sure that you don't have a staff infection.

This is good advice. Scratch your insect bites too much, and they could get infected. A staph infection would be particularly nasty.

I don't think gonzo's reactions to insect bites are HIV-related. I know I've always been sensitive to mosquito bites, and develop big welts when I get bitten. Last weekend I had a nasty encounter with chiggers, and now have welts around both of my ankles, and my waist. I *hate* chiggers.

Benadryl (both topical and oral) could help relieve your symptoms.

Regards,

Henry
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: leatherman on June 06, 2010, 07:23:33 pm: Quote from: jg1962 on June 05, 2010, 11:18:00 am
I have to wear repellent when outdoors because the bugs really go for me for some reason .

I got bit by a tick last week right on my ass , when that happens it takes months to heal and itches like crazy .
One good thing I can say about the winters in the North is that below zero weather kills off a lot of bugs. Unlike the "winter" here in SC that barely even went below 30, and has left us with a zillion bugs.

I use Deep Woods Off anytime I go outside, if not whatever small portion of exposed, unsprayed skin becomes a buffet for the skitters. The bugs are actually attracted to your cardon dioxide and lactic acid output. http://www.newsweek.com/2008/07/02/are-some-people-mosquito-magnets.html Rite Aid has their generic-version clear (calamine) anti-itch lotion that I used when the bugs do bite and leave an itchy welt.

was this the dude that bit your ass and didn't call back? LOL
(http://meaninglessguy.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/tick-graphic.jpg)
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Jeff G on June 06, 2010, 07:42:45 pm: That's him alright LOL .

I got caught at wallmart scratching my ass tick spot by some people when I thought no one was looking . I was digging away and turned to see a whole family grinning from ear to ear .
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: emeraldize on June 06, 2010, 09:45:47 pm: Quote from: gonzo on June 05, 2010, 04:34:00 am
The weathers getting nicer, and it seems the insects are out to get me, my body isn't dealing with them the way it use to,
my whole arm and/or leg have swollen up where I've been bit, and the flesh feels very warm almost feverish like, can this be caused by HIV?
Anyone have similar reaction?, any feed back would be appreciated!

Thanks!
gonzo

Hi Gonzo,
I've always been an attractant for mosquitoes and certain skin types are zeroed in on more than others. I saw a piece on TV about mosquitoes and they have incredible tracking skills and I seem to recall there's something having to do with cholesterol, too (I'll try to look that up and add to this post).

What I've noticed since becoming positive is the bite sites swell ENORMOUSLY and subside somewhat faster than before, but do get hot to the touch and sometimes rather hard.

I wondered if it's just a by-product of being older. Don't know the reason, but it definitely became markedly different after becoming pozitive.
Em

added: this article contains much of what the TV item did...and the cholesterol reference is in there. http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/are-you-mosquito-magnet
one more add: my cholesterol profile has always been excellent, unusual, but sum total excellent
final add: most important, the article gives some good repellent advice for those of us so unlucky as to attract 'em
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: gonzo on June 07, 2010, 05:16:14 am: I've applied neosporin, used the anti-itch spray, as well as popped 2 allergy tabs, the swellings gone down, hoping the itching subsides some, that's really driving me up the wall.
I invested in one of those Off clip-on things-I hope it works!

Thanks again for all the feed back-greatly appreciated!
gonzo
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: emeraldize on June 07, 2010, 07:57:54 am: Gonzo,

I would not use neosporin were I you (unless you've itched to the point of opening your skin and even then, very sparingly), but some calamine lotion (they now have clear not just the old style of chalky pink) may give you some additional relief.

Em
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: leatherman on June 07, 2010, 09:22:53 am: Quote from: gonzo on June 07, 2010, 05:16:14 am
I invested in one of those Off clip-on things-I hope it works!
hey G! I keep seeing the commercials about those and was reading about them too (deet, Avon skin so soft, something else and the metofluthrin in the cli-on are the chemicals that work against being bit). let us know what you think of that clip-on. Though that means you'll have to go play outside again and risk getting bit. LOL

I've been lucky and found that I can burn a couple citronella candles around the pool area (next to some woods) and not become a buffet for all the bugs when I'm out swimming.

Thanks for that link Em, very informative. ;) and your right about the lotion. Like I mentioned, Rite Aid carries their own generic brands (that work just as good IMHO) of the calamine/anti-itch lotion in pink or clear at about half the price of the "Calamine" brand
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: weasel on June 07, 2010, 05:06:10 pm: Hey Gonzo ,
I think it is the meds .

I went for years being HIV + ,Never had an issue with bites !

Now after being on meds for 6 years Mosquitoes make me blow up !

I get Volcanic eruptions :o

I use OXY pads , like Strydex !

Works like a charm ! No itching and the bumps go away quick :)

I use " OFF Dry and ? , Not the spray like PAM ::)

good luck , Carl

PS : Missouri = mosquitoes :o
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: mecch on June 07, 2010, 06:12:05 pm: Quote from: GSOgymrat on June 05, 2010, 11:11:58 am
Actually, now that I think of it, when my CD4 was low I don't remember having as severe of a reaction.

OK tell me if I put my foot in my mouth - my "I am not a doctor" mouth.

I thought a lot of allergies were the result of an overactive immune response to an "allergen". Thus it would be natural to have less allergies if your immune system is weakened or sidelined with the HIV fight.

The summer of my seroconversion, my hay fever disappeared. Oh, rats, its back this summer.... Must be a good sign ironically.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Just John on June 07, 2010, 07:17:31 pm: Quote from: emeraldize on June 06, 2010, 09:45:47 pm
Hi Gonzo,
I've always been an attractant for mosquitoes and certain skin types are zeroed in on more than others.

What I've noticed since becoming positive is the bite sites swell ENORMOUSLY and subside somewhat faster than before, but do get hot to the touch and sometimes rather hard.

Hi Gonzo.

Ditto to the above, I've always been a target for Midgies and Mozzies and other bitey things but the allergic reaction to them is definitely a lot worse since being on meds but my clinic can give only a guess as to the cause.

-John.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Jeff G on June 07, 2010, 11:36:02 pm: Speaking of bitey things ... Just got call from my step sister , our brother is in the hospital with tick fever . He is improving but still has a bad rash and a temp of 102 .

Us pozzies better slather on the repellent when at risk , I don't think we need that headache .
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: gonzo on June 08, 2010, 03:48:43 am: wow, more responses, Thank's for your posts!

From all of these responses I gather some of us do get a more intense reaction after being undetectable/ on meds.
I been HIV+ since the summer of '90, and I never had reactions like this to insect bites until recently, guess it's something else I'll have to adapt to.
The allergy tabs really helped with the itch, and knocked me out too-so I slept better than I usually do.
And the clear calamine lotion was a god send, thanks for the advice.

***
jg1962: Hope your brother gets well soon!
Just John: did your clinic blame it on "reconstitution syndrome", I have an appt. with my derm, but that isn't until end of the month, wondering if I should cancel it if it's not going to go anywhere.
weasel: going to have to try the OXY pads thanks for the tip, as for the off spray-I'm paranoid of putting that stuff on my skin so I'm using the Off Clip-On.
leatherman: the Off Clip-On is working for me, but this thing is going to run me a pretty penny by the time the summers over, it costs almost $10 for the Clip-On and it comes with 1 refill, a refill lasts 12 hours of continuous use, plus it runs on 2 AA batteries, and additional refills cost about $4 for 2 in a pack, at least that's what they go for here in NYC.
emeraldize: I did scratch hard is why I used the neo, but I did clip my fingernails short, last thing I want is any kind of infection.

thank you all for your input,
gonzo
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: david25luvit on June 08, 2010, 04:28:20 am: Gonzo....

I recently got "bitten" by something and my hand became swollen. I started getting itchy red bumbs on my leg and around my ankles. I took benedryl and it seemed to help. I like yourself am not reacting to insect bites like I once did....but then I only have 40 T-Cells. Guess that's to be expected huh? Don't forget the bug spray or skin so soft or whatever you use to keep the bugs off you....
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: emeraldize on June 08, 2010, 08:08:11 am: Quote from: gonzo on June 08, 2010, 03:48:43 am
wow, more responses, Thank's for your posts!

From all of these responses I gather some of us do get a more intense reaction after being undetectable/ on meds.
I been HIV+ since the summer of '90, and I never had reactions like this to insect bites until recently, guess it's something else I'll have to adapt to.
The allergy tabs really helped with the itch, and knocked me out too-so I slept better than I usually do.
And the clear calamine lotion was a god send, thanks for the advice.

Gonzo,
You're welcome--I love the clear stuff. Since I'm just starting meds tonight, I have to add that my reactions to bites have been mounting during a treatment-naive period of years, but noticeable mostly within the last three. To say they reach the size of half a golf ball is not stretching it. Last feeding frenzy after some early evening weeding resulted in three huge welts all on the left arm. I am not going out again this summer without Off on.
Glad you're doing better. I do understand the Neosporin use---once the skin is raw, it's better spread thin than thick is what I wanted to pass along.
Em
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Matty the Damned on June 08, 2010, 03:27:53 pm: Quote from: emeraldize on June 08, 2010, 08:08:11 am
Glad you're doing better. I do understand the Neosporin use---once the skin is raw, it's better spread thin than thick is what I wanted to pass along.
Em

(http://tool.shagnasty.net/wiki/images/1/15/Onitskin.jpg)

MtD
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: acerhound on June 09, 2010, 06:02:17 pm: I don't have an answer, but an observation. I, too, have had crazy reactions to bug bites. More to the point, bugs seem to seek me out like the dessert cart at a bar mitzvah. I get huge, hot, itchy welts from the bites. Not fun.

Well, here's my observation. I've recently discovered that I've been walking around with thrush. If you have an allergy to funguses (like thrush), you'll be hypersensitive to bug bites. Might want to check to see if you have thrush. A simple thing for your doctor to check.

Regards,

Dan
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: SoSadTooBad on June 10, 2010, 06:46:12 pm: yup - ever since I have been poz, I have been extermely sensitive to insect bites. makes outdoor cruising in the summer a really bitch, lol. seriously, even a few small mosquito bites turn into large, raised red bumps and they last for over a week. one Benadryl usually takes care of it, but I agree, there has been a definite change in my response to insect bites since becoming poz.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Just John on June 11, 2010, 06:38:17 pm: Quote from: gonzo on June 08, 2010, 03:48:43 am
Just John: did your clinic blame it on "reconstitution syndrome"

They didn't blame it on anything; just a vague "It could be something in the drugs causing hypersensitivity or the virus itself causing changes to my allergic reactions".

It's certainly a nuisance though.

Quote from: SoSadTooBad on June 10, 2010, 06:46:12 pm
makes outdoor cruising in the summer a really bitch

Amen. ;)
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: randym431 on June 13, 2010, 11:35:11 am: I once read and i do believe meds in the blood attracts mosquitoes. And the hits or bites really swell and itch. But.. I found a little solution (at least for me it works 100%) to knock the itch out of those mosquito bites. I put some Hydrogen Peroxide on a cotton ball, or just a piece of tp, and hold it firmly on the bite for 30 seconds or so. What happens, the bite stops itching and never itches again. And if I can apply some Hydrogen Peroxide before the bite starts itching, it never develops into an itch bite. I know its hard to believe, but this really works. I apply Hydrogen Peroxide to bites, new and old, all the time and never are bothered with the dam things again. Just give it a try. Hydrogen Peroxide is pretty cheap.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: newby05 on June 13, 2010, 04:34:03 pm: spraying listerine on the body before you go outside really works!! Just put some in a spray bottle and spray yourself before you spend some time outside.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: tednlou2 on June 17, 2010, 01:42:26 am: A doc just talked about some HIVers having more of a bad response from allergies or insect bites.

http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SideEffects/Current/Q209182.html
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Matty the Damned on June 17, 2010, 04:38:07 am: Quote from: tednlou2 on June 17, 2010, 01:42:26 am
A doc just talked about some HIVers having more of a bad response from allergies or insect bites.

http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SideEffects/Current/Q209182.html

O_o

You're kidding, right?

MtD
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Just John on June 18, 2010, 07:54:28 pm: I got bitten again on Wednesday, by Horse Flies this time, one on each arm.

I thought that one was going to turn nasty(er), my arm swelled and turned bright red for about 4" all around it, it only lasted a day though before fading gradually.

I'm now just left with two maddeningly itchy lumps, one about the same diameter as an AA battery, the other is still over 1" round and nothing stops the itching for long. :(

-John.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Grasshopper on June 21, 2010, 08:01:01 am: Whenever we go to the Dutch Caribean on holiday, we use Humphreys anti-itch ointment for sunburn and mosquito bites. It contains 5% Benzocaine and Witch Hazel extracts. Gives good relief of itching.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: debbie9947 on June 22, 2010, 09:03:49 am: I Thought it was just me with the bug bites, i should have read this sooner.

I use to go camping and had to stop that about 4 years ago. i started getting bit like crazy and the reaction i had from it was scary. I would get big welts and they would itch like ,itch ,itch, i still have some scars on my legs as i could not help the itching, not just 1 bite but lots of them, no one else we were camping with got bitten like this, i was off my meds at the time.... so it cant be that.

Now i live if Florida and get bitten by bugs i cant even see. same reaction as the mosquitoes up north, a little bite turns into a big half dollar size swollen circle.,they are itchy, and seem to stay with me for awhile. I am guessing our immune system just isn't dealing well with whatever the insect is injectiing into us.. I hate bugs!
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: David_CA on June 22, 2010, 09:35:31 am: Insect bites have been hell on me the last few years. It seems to somewhat correlate to my being HIV+, as I certainly don't recall having such reactions in the past. Ant bites last weeks; mosquito bites take about a week to heal... if I can resist scratching. Benadryl would help, but I can't take it while at work, though I do use Benadryl cream. Other antihistamines (Allegra) that I take for allergies seem to help some, as does aspirin. Mostly, I use antibiotic ointment and Benadryl cream, and suffer.

David
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Zohar on June 23, 2010, 05:18:54 pm: When I was in India, I got bitten by mosquitoes and the bites turned into huge liquid filled blisters that alarmed the locals. So I definitely think there is a correlation between HIV and a more severe reaction to bug bites.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Hellraiser on June 23, 2010, 08:00:06 pm: I'm actually being absolutely swarmed when I step outside past 6 or 7pm now that it's summer time. Considering I'm pretty sure I've been positive for at a minimum 3 years I tend to think it's not HIV but maybe the meds that are causing this. Who knows. Anyway my reaction to the bites is the same as usual, but with 15 minutes outdoors I can expect no less than 10+ mosquito bites.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: leatherman on June 23, 2010, 08:25:01 pm: Quote from: Hellraiser on June 23, 2010, 08:00:06 pm
but with 15 minutes outdoors I can expect no less than 10+ mosquito bites.
here in SC, wherever I miss spraying the Off-spray will be the place that gets bit within minutes - every time. I now have a bottle by every door and spray whenever I step outside. Surround the pool, I burn 4 tiki torches with citronella fuel and burn 2 citronella candles.

and last nite a damn skitter came in the doggie door as the cockers were going in and out, and it left me with 10 big ol' welts before I found and killed that sucker. Argh! :o
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Jeff G on June 23, 2010, 09:12:09 pm: I always imagine those poor skeeters trying desperately to wash they're little mouths out in the birdbath after tasting my tainted blood .
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Vertice on June 24, 2010, 08:13:47 pm: Summer time is also hell for me, due to the bad reactions to mosquitoes bites. It started only few years ago before Meds. One thing I always keep in mind is to differentiate between an allergic reaction response and an actual infection (cellulitis). If one scratch, the broken skin can become infected needing oral or IV Antibiotics.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Miss Philicia on June 29, 2010, 01:44:53 pm: I just got two mosquito bites last night and today they've swollen to welts that are 2 inches in diameter. One is on the top of my right foot and I dread putting on shoes.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: tommy246 on June 29, 2010, 04:51:14 pm: Quote from: Matty the Damned on June 05, 2010, 05:56:43 am
I don't know if it's strictly HIV related, but it sounds nasty.

If the reaction hasn't subsided soon, you should seek medical attention. Perhaps an anti-histamine will help relieve the pain and swelling.

MtD
can i take anti histamine im on atripla and covered in mosquito bites
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: leatherman on June 29, 2010, 05:13:46 pm: Quote from: tommy246 on June 29, 2010, 04:51:14 pm
can i take anti histamine im on atripla and covered in mosquito bites
just not Hismanal

http://www.aidsmeds.com/archive/Atripla_1577.shtml
The following medications should not be taken while you are being treated with Atripla:
Antihistamines: Hismanal (astemizole)
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Miss Philicia on June 29, 2010, 11:01:27 pm: Damn, one of my bites now has expanded to a 3 inch welt. It's seriously the worst one I've ever encountered. I hope I don't catch AIDS.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: phildinftlaudy on June 29, 2010, 11:06:21 pm: ROFLMAO Ms. P...

My ex, who I am still friends with, gets bit by mosquitoes the second he walks outside at night - he bought one of the clip on devices and it seems to help

I usually don't get bit - but if I do it is almost 99% always on my ankles.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: Miss Philicia on June 29, 2010, 11:08:58 pm: This is my 13,000th post.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: phildinftlaudy on June 29, 2010, 11:11:19 pm: @ Ms. P - and to think that I helped you to get there by asking what a MILF was -- otherwise you would have had one more post to go to reach 13,000.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: HARLEY_B on July 02, 2010, 07:17:23 pm: I have the same problem with insect bites: severe swelling and tenderness in effected area...especially for ant bites. It is almost always accompanied by swelling of the limb for several days..cellulitis I guess it's callled..I didn'tuse to react to isect bites.
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: FarmerDave on July 11, 2014, 01:02:27 am: I have lived in mosquito rich areas for years and never thought muchof them. In the spring I would get welts for maybe two weeks and then had no reaction. I started my ARV meds about the time I went to work in Africa for awhile and started getting much worse reaction to any bites. Mosquito bites would get much bigger and last for days if not a week. I thought it was just new mosquito types in Afgrica, but now I am back in the US and the bad reaction is the same. So it was nice to see I am not alone. I found one article that says people with HIV Lipoatrophy or fat lose have more problems with mosquitos - they are more attractive to mosquitos. at
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/34/2/288.full
This article says they found no association with any specific ARV drugs just the HIV changes our subcut tissue.

As far as the excess reaction once bi another article aready posted at
http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SideEffects/Q209182.html

Keith Henry MD says it best:
HIV+ persons have high antibody titers so that can hypersensitize individual to allergens/insect bites. That phenomenon can be further heightened by immune recovery on effective therapy. Unclear whether switching to alternative effective regimen would result in any improvement though that could be considered on a trial basis. Often these are very frustrating situations with no easy answer

So does this keep getting worse or lead to other allergies. I tried the Strdex and hydrogen peroxide and found out you have to do this very soon after being bit to work well. These must destroy the mosquito antigen at the bite site
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: tryingtostay on July 14, 2014, 07:17:26 pm: Yeah, it's a good sign if you get sever swelling almost welt like marks where you were bit that there is a problem. I noticed it back in mid Feb 2014. I though, "wow, that's crazy"
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: wolfter on July 15, 2014, 09:29:17 am: I had a skitter bite me a couple of nights ago. I swatted it almost immediately as I saw it land. Still, I managed to have a severe reaction to it. At least I captured a picture of it this morning to show my doctor. There has to be something with all of this.

It swelled pretty large before turning a nasty color then ruptured. It has been the same with every bite I've had in recent years. Imagine a torso full of these marks. I had them entirely over my chest a while back.

(http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad246/wolfter/bite_zpsd7848da3.jpg)
Title: Re: Bad reaction to insect bites-HIV related?
Post by: leatherman on July 15, 2014, 05:09:53 pm: Quote from: wolfter on July 15, 2014, 09:29:17 am
Imagine a torso full of these marks. I had them entirely over my chest a while back
one word (and no, I am not a paid spokesperson):
OFF
Deep Woods OFF

....um, why are we in a zombie thread?
Can HIV make mosquito bites worse? (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=54690) - here's where we are still bitching about the same issue four yrs later ;)