A 48-year-old member asked:
what to do if i was bit by red ants! (fire ants) what do i do!?
1 doctor answer
Dr. Heidi Fowler answered
25 years experience Psychiatry
Fire ants don't: Actually bite. Pinchers grip skin while stinging injects solenopsin - an alkaloid venom. Apply a 1 to 1 mix of baking soda & water to decrease pain & reaction. Or try paste of water & meat tenderizer or Benadryl (diphenhydramine) for itching. Do not squeeze or disrupt the lesions that develop. About 15% of people are allergic to fire ant stings. For anaphylactic rxn call 911 for immediate treatment.
Answered on Oct 23, 2015
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
Related questions:
A 16-year-old male asked:
Dr. John Chiu answered
57 years experience Allergy and Immunology
Likely ok: This will likely resolve within days. However I wonder how a fire ant got onto your tongue.
1
1 thank
A 62-year-old female asked:
Dr. Daniela Torres answered
Specializes in Medicina General
See below : I’m sorry to hear that. I would recommend seeking medical attention, and taking some antihistaminic like Benadryl or loratadine to stop the allergic r ... Read More
1
1 thank
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Heidi Fowler answered
25 years experience Psychiatry
Red fire ants: Fire ants don't actually bite. They grip your skin with pinchers while stinging from their abdomen. Their sting injects solenopsin which is an alkaloi ... Read More
A 16-year-old male asked:
Dr. Heidi Fowler answered
25 years experience Psychiatry
Skin lesions: These lesions would likely need to be examined and more history obtained to be able to provide you with useful input about the diagnosis or possible t ... Read More
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
People also searched for:
Connect by text or video with a U.S. board-certified doctor now — wait time is less than 1 minute!
24/7 visits
$15 per month