I Was Bitten By An Insect At Cohoes, NY And

Posted on Sat, 15 Jun 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 15 Jun 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I was bitten by an insect at Cohoes, NY and now have tightness in my jaw. Had a bad allergic reaction but swelling has gone down at bite site. Feeling a bit achey too.

Answered by Dr. Asmeet Kaur Sawhney (38 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Topical steroid antibiotic cream, antihistaminic, oral steroid

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to 'Ask A Doctor' service
I have gone through your query...

I would recommend you to apply topical steroid and antibiotic like Neosporin ointment and Cortisone cream on the affected areas twice daily and take antihistaminic like tablet Chlorpheniramine maleate 4 mg twice daily for 5-7 days.

In case the reaction is severe take a short course of oral steroids like tablet Prednisone 20mg once daily for 5 days.

Steroidal preparations are prescription based drugs and you need to see the doctor in person to get them.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards
Dr Asmeet

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Asmeet Kaur Sawhney (1 hour later)

I am concerned about West Nile virus. Glands in front of jaw are swollen.

Answered by Dr. Asmeet Kaur Sawhney (18 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Glands could be swollen due to inflammatory response

Detailed Answer:
Glands could be swollen because of the inflammatory response to the bite.
West nile fever is usually asymptomatic or presents with fever, headache, vomiting and rash in some individuals.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj