I’ve read of a few people having been stung by bees and as if a compound reaction, becoming allergic. I’ve been stung many times in the past with minimal reaction however second last time I was stung it really knocked me around, to the ground in fact. Felt like I was drunk. Really drunk. I was however stung 20+ times in the 30 minutes earlier…
After an antihistamine I was fine, good enough to drive home and unload the colony from the van and set them up in the apiary. At no stage did I have issues breathing, had I, I’d have let my friend finish the call to the ambo’s.
Is there any documentation regarding the decrease of tolerance from bee stings?
Oh and if a bee stung me whilst I was rescuing it from the pool it would change the way I’d look at bees…
But your wife wouldn’t??? 
There is plenty of documentation that the higher the dose of venom you get, the more risk there is of a severe reaction, even if you are NOT allergic to bee stings. More stings = more dangerous. I would guess that the reaction you had was profound hypotension (very low blood pressure), probably secondary to a lot of histamine release from the stings. So you did exactly the right thing taking the anti-histamine right away. Even better, you had a friend looking out for you.
Generally you won’t be allergic to something the first time you encounter it (unless the allergen cross-reacts, like avocado and banana allergy). If you have an allergic tendency, you will be a higher risk of developing an allergy if you have more exposure over time. So if you develop an allergy to stings, you may have decreasing tolerance over time. But if you don’t have an allergic tendency, I wouldn’t worry about that happening - it could, but it is less likely.
One more thing, if you think you might be developing an allergy, see a doctor - they can test you, so that you can know for sure.
I know I am going on a bit, sorry, but I think it is important to understand what is happening. One or two stings probably won’t hurt most people, but when you get over 10, it is more worrying. Over 20 can be a real problem, and I would definitely be taking the antihistamines even if I didn’t have any symptoms.
Hiya Dr Dawn, any idea of how long a bees venom stays in the human body before it is completely purged?
Go on all you like, your comprehensive replies are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I can’t find any published research on that, but given the compounds in bee venom, I would guess about 24 hours, perhaps less. The problem is that the local reaction to the sting causes immune system activity, so you may see effects for several days afterwards, like redness, pain, swelling and itching. If you are thinking about how long to take the antihistamines after a sting episode, I would take them for as long as you have the itching sensation. I would take analgesics (ibuprofen) for as long as it is painful - bee venom has phospholipase A2 enzyme and phospholipase A2 enzyme activators as a major component, and that causes increased prostaglandin production resulting in more pain perception. Ibuprofen blocks cyclo-oxygenase enzyme activity, inhibiting some of that prostaglandin release very effectively. I actually prefer naproxen personally. It lasts 8-12 hours, compared with 4 hours for ibuprofen, but it is much more expensive and prescription-only in many countries.
The ER sent me home with a Prednisone script and told me to take 4 for 4 days, 3 for 3 days, 2 for 2 days and 1 for 3 days. I never took them though.
Steroids are a good choice too, even if you aren’t allergic to stings. Steroids inhibit phospholipase A2 enzyme activity very effectively, so much of the continuing inflammatory effect of the venom is blocked. However, it does seem like rather a big hammer to crack the nut, if you don’t have more worrying symptoms.
Thanks a lot. I live in the tropics and am very happy to work with a T-shirt and shorts and without glasses. I hardly ever got stung. Until a made the mistake to paint something with enamel paint in the morning and inspect the hives in the afternoon. The bees did not like it and I got several stings from one particular colony. So, Lesson learned: performance inthe past is no guarantee for the future. Although your message got me a bit worried, i still love the feeling of freedom working with the bees with nothing between me and the girls. However, the recommendation to keep the medicines in the toolkit is very much appreciated.
Let’s take it a step further with regard to Epi-Pens.
Epi-Pens are by prescription only where I live. If someone came onto your property, were stung by your bees, and went into anaphylaxis, are you jabbing them with your Epi-Pen or just calling the ambulance and hoping they survive until then? What if they react adversely to Epi’s but couldn’t tell you at the time?
Food for thought.
I’ve always struggled with this question; let them die or inject them with a script that isn’t theirs and deal with the consequences. It’s a damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation.
I would probably inject them and if they die from the injection, bury the body out back in the forest. If I didn’t inject them and they died from the stings, I’d have to drag the body to the other side of my property line. 
Its an interesting dilemna which extends to anyone giving assistance to a person in need…do you jump in and assist at potential physical risk to yourself or future litigation, or stand by and let them suffer or die!
I discussed the epi pen avenue with local pharmacist and besides being a prescription only item, they have a limited shelf life. I mentioned that beeks promote keeping Benadryl handy and she suggested that Phenergan was a better choice than Benadryl…its over the counter medication but still has to be labelled for a person (in Aus)…so not sure what might happen if a visitor got stung and I gave them the phenergan…and they had an adverse reaction. Might need a pen and an indemnity form in the first aid kit as well! 
My bee First Aid kit consists of the bottle of phenergan and some instant cold packs for immediate use after the sting is removed and the next step will be a trip to doctor or call ambulance, depending on how they are reacting…if they go cold and stiff, I haven’t got any forest at the back to bury them in so I’ll have to discretely drag the body over the property line! 
Just an update, got my second sting yesterday. Base of the thumb, backside of the hand.
No localized reaction to speak of.
Sort of a continuation to an earlier convo. One of those topics that leaves much room for personal choice. I made the choice, long ago, to give someone having a severe reaction the chance to sue me by using the pen so that they could live to decide if they wanted to sue me. Rather do that than bury them ; -)
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/anaphylaxis-and-bee-sting-allergies/2322
In Australia, I agree with her. In the US, Benadryl is Diphenhydramine, which is an excellent antihistamine. In Australia, Benadryl is Cetirizine, which is far less powerful for bad histamine-related reactions. Phenergan would be a better choice. Sounds like you have an excellent pharmacist there, be nice to her, she is a keeper!
I have a personal hatred of Cetirizine. Despite the fact that it is not meant to get into the brain very effectively, it makes me dizzy when I move my head. Very odd response to it, but very consistent. I was given it when i had a horrible outbreak of hives. The hives were less bad than the dizziness! 
You definitely shouldn’t drive if you take Benadryl. However, if you have had a lot of bee stings, you probably shouldn’t be driving anyway! 
If you have to drive, take Claritin instead. Not as effective, but safer. But if it was me, I would take the Benadryl and get an Uber ride, or a taxi. Actually I wouldn’t need to, because 19 times out of 20, my hubby is with me. 
When I take Benadryl I skip drowsiness and proceed to unconscious!
@Dawn_SD Thanks for the clarification on Benadryl I would have thought that the same name would have the same contents worldwide, but I guess with international boundaries they can use different contents to suit local laws and requirements.
What can we take in the UK?
Unless I am near passing out from exhaustion already Benedryl has no effect on me. It doesn’t even work that well on my allergies, so many I am just resistant to it