Nicholas Ward, MD
Nicholas Ward, MD, resident physician, department of emergency medicine, University of California, San Diego Medical Center.
Growing up in the Northeast, the warm August ocean always brought the fear of jellyfish stings.
The American Red Cross suggests using vinegar or baking soda mixed with water, followed by heat (or ice if heat is not available). Some experts tout applying meat tenderizer. Or—even though it’s gross—you may think about putting your urine (or someone else’s urine!) on a sting, because that’s a technique that was made famous on the TV show Friends, when Monica got stung by a jellyfish and Chandler urinated on her.
But researchers from University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, argue that all of those treatments are based on studies that analyzed jellyfish from waters near Australia and Indonesia. Those methods may not work best on stings caused by jellyfish that people in the US are more likely to encounter—and they actually might make the pain worse!
Instead, they’ve done a new analysis on simple strategies that best relieve the pain of stings caused by jellyfish that live near the North American and Hawaiian coasts. No urine needed!
When I spoke with lead author Nicholas Ward, MD, a resident in the emergency department of the university’s medical center, he noted that although jellyfish stings are unlikely to cause serious consequences, they cause intense pain that can last for hours. He and his colleagues discovered that these next few tips are more effective than any others at relieving the pain…
1. Get rid of the nematocysts. Jellyfish tentacles are covered with nematocysts, tiny sacs that contain venom. Contact with a tentacle can trigger millions of nematocysts to pierce the skin and inject their venom, and that’s what causes pain. Many times, some nematocysts remain on the skin and still are filled with venom that hasn’t been injected—that’s why it’s critical to immediately remove them (and remove them carefully so that the venom doesn’t burst out of them!).
Don’t use your bare hand (or else the venom might get on your hands) or wipe them off with a towel (or else you may crush them). Instead, scrape them off delicately with the edge of a credit card, the blunt edge of a knife or something similar.
2. Stop the pain. Pack over-the-counter lidocaine in your beach bag. It’s cheap. For example, a five-ounce bottle of CVS-brand antiseptic spray with lidocaine costs about $6. (The beach gift shop even might carry it, because it’s also used as a sunburn treatment.) It’s sold generically and also under brand names such as Solarcaine. Spread it on the wound as directed on the package. It’ll not only relieve pain, but it’ll stop any remaining nematocysts from releasing venom.
If you can’t find lidocaine, use hot water. Soak the area in the hottest water that you can tolerate or take a long, hot shower until you feel relief (amount of time may vary). Hot water inactivates venom and therefore will reduce pain.
If neither lidocaine nor hot water is available, try salt water. Rinse the area with salt water for a few minutes—you can do this with a sand bucket filled with surf water, for example. This won’t relieve pain quite as well, but it’s better than nothing—and it also cleans the wounds.
3. Once you’re home, do what feels best. Unfortunately, said Dr. Ward, only limited research has been done on “post-injury care,” so there’s no clear recommendation. Until more studies come up with the best method, he said, do whatever relieves the pain the most—you could try cold packs or a soothing cream.