Intriguing. How does the shock compare to one of those electric-shock prank gadgets? (Casually shocking yourself with a trick pen is a great way to stay awake in a boring meeting, but the batteries tend not to last long enough in my experience.)
It is way more mild than a joke shock device.
When my kids get mosquito bites I just just hit them with the Stark Fist of Redemption.
Praise Bob.
You can get the same result (finger twitching) by using wire to extend the anode and cathode of a cheap electric lighter and placing them at different points on your forearm, which affects which finger twitches.
Cost: 65p
I’ve not tried it on mosquito bites though. Next one I get I’m gonna zap the sucka.
Very warm water (somewhat below scalding) applied directly to the itchy spot is instantaneous relief, and it lasts for quite a while. I found this out by accident, but my doctor said she does the same thing. It neutralizes the histamines somehow. I also use hot water on poison ivy rash. Try it.
By the way, what’s the long term affect of sending high voltage (at low current) through one’s nerve channels? Has anyone heard of any research? Just wonderin’ …
Hmmm. Haven’t tried very hot water, but coincidentally I went and got an allergy scratch test today, and the control spot they use to see how much you react to various allergens uses straight histamine. It wasn’t bad, but definitely more noticeable than the others.
I don’t know if this electric thing has measurable medical effects or is just a placebo, but like homeopathy, if all you need is symptom relief, not actual medicine, and it does the job, then being a placebo is just fine.
I have a technique which I will not share, but works 100% of the time. But I’m still looking for a permanent cure to my itchy ear.
My wife uses ammonia on her bites.
Isopropyl alcohol can be also used. Worked on the Finnish mosquitos, which are pretty hardcore. Their bites, more accurately.
Sandpaper. 80 grit. And neosporin for the new wound.
I was always told by my docs that while a warm compress can help with itching that warm or hot temp anything was best avoided as it can increase over all discomfort, rupture or crack the blisters, and cause sweating that spreads the urushiol resin. But then when I get poison ivy it tends to involve cortisone shots, burn ward style dressings, and potential hospitalization. So we might be dealing with a different set of symptoms.
In bug bite news vodka or a gently heated spoon work fine as well.
I remember when these were being sold for relief of arthritis, until the FDA finally dropped the hammer on them.
A little topical Benadryl will stop the itch in a few minutes.
While I appreciate all the ideas from everyone, as someone who is very allergic to insect bites (mosquitoes are the worst) nothing has ever worked for me, and I have tried them all. As I am writing this my arm is itching beyond belief. Oh how I wish there was something that would work…
Scalpel.
Oh, and never take medical advice from me.
I just avoid the whole problem from the beginning. Did you know you can buy 99.8% DEET? The bugs die as they land on your skin, before they can even puncture you. I’ve seen chemotherapy work similarly, but the bugs die as soon as they poke in.
That is a hardcore feature. I’ll stick with sandpaper.
From Mayo Clinic:
Although mosquito bites are itchy, try to avoid scratching. They’ll go away on their own. If you need relief in the meantime, apply a hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to the bite. A cold pack or baggie filled with crushed ice may help, too.
My bites usually go away in 5 minutes as well, assuming I have the will power not to itch them… maybe I am not as sensitive to them as I thought? I’m certainly the primary target in a group of people however- I believe I was “marked” during a bad attack in Minnesota, and now they find me no matter where I am at.
how does this compare to the previously recommended by BoingBoing mosquito bite gadget? which is more effective?
I assume what you do with the hot water works similar to the previously recommended gadget.
I simulate that same trick by using a blow dryer on the spot.
13 Dollar? In Germany they’re sold for under 4 Euro http://www.amazon.de/Zap-it-Mückenstich-Schmerzstiller-Rot/dp/B00EZ7NJUW
