Jellyfish Stings (cont.)

Medical Author:

Barbara J. Drobina, DO is an Emergency Physician in the United States Navy. Dr. Drobina graduated from University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, Des Moines, IA. Dr. Drobina completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, VA.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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When to Seek Medical Care

Seek immediate medical treatment if the person stung has:

Difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, chest pain, or intense pain at the site of the sting.
If the person has been stung in the mouth or placed tentacles in their mouth and are having voice changes, difficulty swallowing, or swelling of the tongue or lips.
If the sting happened to someone who is very young or old.
If the sting involves a large area of the body, the face, or genitals.
If the patient continues to have itching, redness, pain, swelling of the skin (cellulitis) around the sting, see a doctor. The doctor may prescribe:
- diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to help with the itching,
- pain medication for pain, and/or
- topical steroids or steroids by mouth to help with the swelling and itching.
- The doctor may also prescribe antibiotics if the patient has cellulitis. Take all medications as directed and until they are gone.
If it has been longer than 10 years since the patient's last tetanus shot.