Bug Bite Help.

[Tracy in WI]

I have no remedies to share, just want to let you know that I, too, feel your pain or itch! The no see ums on St. John love when I visit. I really have not found a good rememdy but always bring at least three different types of gels or itch relieveing creams. Good luck to you - get to the pharmacist and make sure you have a great time on VG!

(And if you do get something that works, please share it when you return!)

[djmom]

So sorry to hear that, it can really ruin a good time.

We have learned the hard way in St. John to wear bug spray, even when we don't need it.

(Which is sort of opposite of the way I would normally operate, wanting to avoid unneccesary chemicals and all.)

Hope you are feeling better soon.

[Shellseeker]

IslandElle, please give us all a shout out to let us know you're okay and that one of the recommendations gave you some relief from your no-see-ums bites! I think Tracy hit the nail on the head in asking you to weigh in on what worked best for you in easing your discomfort. We all can learn from your experience. Take care!!

[mahojim]

Elle-
Sorry we missed you, and also sorry about the bites.
You must be as sweet as my Amy is, because she's a critter magnet.
They don't bug me, not sure why...
I wake up every morning with a benadryl tablet. That could be the trick...(?)
Never tried the cream, but the tablets work for me, and again, don't know why, but they don't make me feel drowsy in the least.
Hope I helped!
Smiles-
MJ

[Rachelle & Joe]

So Sorry to hear of your pesty situation !! Leave it to these great forum members to give very informative & Helpful info. !! which I have taken NOTE of for upcoming trip !!!! hope your itch free soon !!!! Best Regards

[Linward]

Have used an over-the-counter product called "Ocean Potion". It is a gel containing Lidocaine, Aloe Vera and Tea Tree Extract. It helps numb the bites and lessens the itch. Follow this with a dab of a steroid cream or ointment and have something cold in your hand (to prevent scratching, of course!)

[STJdreams]

This is the first year out of ten visits to STJ that I didn't come back with tons of bites and I think it is because of the B vitamins I have been taking. There were posts last year about taking super B complex vitamins to ward off bug bites and I really think it works! I am usually the one person in a group that gets more bites than anybody. We went to Puerto Rico over Christmas and I hardly got any bites... the year before I had tons of bites...last year in STJ I left with about 100 bites that took a long time to go away...and this year I maybe had 3 bites. I do take a multi-vitamin everyday and have added one super B complex vitamin too. I know this won't help you this time but maybe it will help in the future. Hope you are feeling better...

[JJShaw]

We always take the Vit B complex before we go and it seems to help alot. I too am a bite magnet...hopefully my luck will hold out for our next trip..

[Tracy in WI]

I, too, have tried the Vitamin B prior to a trip and had no luck with it. I think it really depends on where you are staying, how late you stay at the beach, the amount of rainfaill prior to the trip and how sweet you are. I have had trips with tons of bites and others where I got away feeling lucky!

[liamsaunt]

Ruth sells vitamin b patches at St. John Spice. They take about 24 hours to absorb into your bloodstream but I have noticed a difference while wearing them.

Another trick that somebody told me is to stop eating bananas a couple of weeks before coming down. Not sure why this helps, but I never eat bananas or have drinks with bananas in them while on island.

[IslandElle]

Better late then never!!!

We just got back about 5 days ago and I had some friends in town so this is my first chance to check in. Sorry I didnt get back to you guys. We left that day and drove around on the North Shore and took pics and then went to the Annaberg ruins. It was our last day so I wanted to catch anything we may of missed. The next day we had to catch the VG ferry via Tortola. Once we got there we were pretty much disconnected. Sorry! Thanks for all the advice though.

I went to the Chelsea pharmacy and the lady there was very helpful. She also warned me to not use the Benadryl gel and the tablets as it can be a little too much. I used a cortisone cream and Calamine clear gel and took Benadryl at night. Worked like a charm. My bites stopped itching withing about 24 hrs and were gone within a few days.

I knew about the noseeums and somehow I ended up on the beach at Salt Pond without my bug spray. I was waiting for my hubby to swim back in so we could leave when they attacked. There just wasnt much I could do but wrap up in a towel. Lesson learned.