Medication for Flea Bites

Fleas are wingless blood-sucking parasites that jump from one host to the next. They target wild animals, dogs and cats but will bite humans. They have been known to transmit tapeworm larvae (to dogs), bubonic plague (from rats they’ve bitten) and, rarely, typhus. The bites itch, redden and swell, eventually forming blisters or wounds that can become infected if scratched. People and pets can become very sensitive to the bite, which worsens the symptoms.

Where Humans Get Bitten

• People typically find flea bites on their ankles and feet, but they can occur in armpits and behind the knees, elbows and other areas of the body.

Medications

• Although bites usually heal on their own, the symptoms (itching and pain) are annoying and worsen in those who are or develop a hypersensitivity to the flea venom.

  The Travel Doctor website recommends using calamine lotion and anesthetic creams such as Bengay or Lanacane and antihistamine medications like Benadryl to reduce or prevent itching and swelling. Xylocaine gel will quickly quell itching and pain, as will ibuprofen gel. Hydrocortizone cream takes longer to work but reduces not only itching and swelling but inflammation, and its effects last longer than other medications.

Other Steps

• Thoroughly washing the bitten areas will help prevent infection, and applying ice packs to the bites can reduce swelling.

When to Seek Medical Attention

• Seek medical if pus develops in the bitten area (sign of infection). If you develop a low-grade fever, mild headache, tiredness, joint pain, muscle aches and a short-lived flat red rash, contact your doctor because these could be signs of flea (endemic) typhus. Most of the few cases reported in the United States have occurred in Southern California and Texas, according to the Virginia Department of Health.