Bed bug bite treatment tips

As if having bed bugs in your bed isn’t bad enough, having them bite you while you’re sleeping just adds insult to injury.  Bed bug bites, depending on the individual person, can be very painful and irritating.  For some people, they might not even know they were bitten.  If you are one of those unlucky individuals that react strongly to bed bug bites, there are a few bed bug bite treatment options.

Make sure the bite is a bed bug bite

Before you treat a bed bug bite, be sure the bite is from an actual bed bug.  Unfortunately, bed bugs are not the only bugs that can get in your bed and bite you.  Bed bug bites look much like bites from other insects such as mosquitoes and fleas.  You will generally find bites on one area of your body.  The bites will generally be red and of various sizes.

One way to confirm the bites are from bed bugs is to check your bed, bedsheets and pillows for signs of bed bugs. Detecting bed bugs in your bed will help you confirm the bites are in fact from bed bugs.

Here are a few bed bug bite pictures to help with your identification:

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

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Click for larger image

Over the counter medications for bed bug bite treatment

In most bed bug bite cases, over the counter medications work great for bed bug bite treatment. These options are inexpensive and effective.

Hydro-cortisone anti-itch cream

Hydro-cortisone creams are highly effective for most people bitten by bed bugs.  Just follow the directions on the bottle and apply as directed.  Hydro-cortisone relives itching and swelling.

We recommend and use Cortaid:

Oral Antihistamine allergy medication

Oral Antihistamine allergy medicines are also very effective at reducing the itching, burning and swelling of bed bug bites.  A common side effect though is drowsiness.  Follow the directions on the package for your correct dosage.

We recommend and use Benedryl cream and Benedryl tablets:

Calamine Lotion

While not as effective as the hyrdo-cortisone cream or Oral antihistamine’s, Calamine lotion works well for some people and has the added benefit of protecting the area during the healing process.  Calamine lotion is also inexpensive.

We recommend Swann Calamine Lotion.

Home remedies for bed bug bite treatment

I consulted with my friend Jan Berry who writes at The Nerdy Farm Wife, and she offered up these bed bug bite home remedy treatments:

Vinegar

Jan recommended just dabbing the bites with vinegar to remove the burning and itching.  For children, you should dilute the solution 50/50 with water.  Jan also recommended infusing the vinegar with flowers and herbs to help soothe.

Plantain

Plantain is a common weed that is excellent for soothing skin irritations like bed bug bites.  You can simply chew it up a little, then place it on the bite area for almost immediately relief.   we recommend using safe, organic plantain

White Clay

White cosmetic clay can be mixed with water to make a paste can be placed on the bed bug bite and allowed to dry.  The cosmetic clay soothes the bite and helps it heal.  White clay is commonly sold as “Bug bite powder” for a much higher price.  You can purchase Kaolin white cosmetic clay from Amazon.com.