Yahoo Answers is shutting down on 4 May 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Allergists or people with allergic reactions to Pharoh ant bites -- do you know the treatment for ant?

I have been living in Southern India off and on for 4 1/2 years. I have been bitten many times before. My response was mostly very itchy in the general area. After my arrival last September, I started developing more serious reactions to the ant bites. I sneeze and wheeze, a lot of mucus comes out of my nasal passages, and then I fall asleep deeply for about 3 hours. Sometimes my whole face neck and arms have this faint feeling of itchiness. Usually I am aloof for the rest of the day -- like my brain is not fully functioning; if I eat meat, my haziness goes away. I have been dealing with this for 11 months. Any practical suggestions (besides moving or getting rid of the ants)? These reactions have had a debilitating affect on my household responsibilities and personal feelings of credibility.

3 Answers

Relevance
  • 1 decade ago
    Favourite answer

    Well...Ms Frye (who states she works for an Allergist!) is pretty close!!! Nice job!

    The major concern here WOULD be if this reaction constitutes full-blown (albeit a bit more subtle than many experience) "anaphylactic" reaction -- which could well and usually DOES constitutes a TRUE "emergency" is in process!!! Yours appears to be relatively "mild" enough of a systemic reaction that you apparently are resolving mostly on your own...but this is DANGEROUS To presume that you will always be able to "shut this down" in this fashion. The reactions, though stereotypical at present, could well change and progress in severity...and epinephrine IS the emergency rescue drug indeed!!! BUT: MAJOR avoidance to the extent possible is the BEST way to go...and safest as well!! Anti-histamines are supportive but NOT the treatment of choice for anaphylaxis!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Source(s): Board-certified Allergist-Immunologist!
  • 1 decade ago

    Do you have access to Benadryl or similar products in India. When I get any kind of insect bites I rub on Benadryl in the form of a paste on the bite. To do this, you can either open a pill and mix the powder inside with water to apply it (Benadryl paste helped me when I got attacked by a Man of War while diving, so I know it works!), or you can just buy it in the form of a cream. Alternatively, you can take a pill (Benadryl, or any histamine blocker will do). If it really is an allergic reaction, this should definetly stop the itching, sneezing, and mucous. It probably won't help stop the sleeping, though. Histamine blockers usually cause drowsiness, but it's a small price to pay for pain relief. If this doesn't help, this could be an indication of a much more serious problem. The fact that meat helps seems rather unusual in the case of an allergy- like maybe you have some kind of nutritional deficiency. I would try this and if it doesn't help, maybe you should consider seeing a doctor.

    Hope this helps. Good luck.

  • 1 decade ago

    this is very serious you need to talk to a doctor and get an epi-pen it is epinephrine. Which is what you need at the time of a serious reaction. And get to a local hospital immediately . Allergic reaction such as the ones you are having can be FATAL.

    Source(s): works for an allergist
Still have questions? Get answers by asking now.