I have always had bad reactions to insect bites. However in the last twelve months it has got incredibly worse. I have got badly bitten in December and January needing antibiotics twice. I have awful demarcation on the tops of my legs that looks like someone has beaten me up (incidentally I get bitten through my clothes. December and January are cold up north). The last nurse I spoke to in February said there in evidence to suggest that people with a B12 and/or iron problem are more likely to react this way.
Always use your insect repellent if you are finding this is an issue. Home Bargains sell a brand that contains citronella so doesn’t smell so bad.
Good luck 😁
Written by
morgan45
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"Although this has not been looked at extensively, an RCT of the effect of vitamin B 12 on human odour showed that it has no effect on mosquito biting rates"
Not on the biting rates, the nurse said it is potentially the way you immune system copes with it. She did say don’t take it personally, they are biting everyone 😁
Thanks for sharing that. I hope you stay bite free in the future.
I think being on B12 injections makes my blood tastier for biting insects or perhaps the B12 in my blood changed my body scent to one that is more attractive to mosquitos etc.
I have also read some articles that suggest B12 may act as an insect repellent but personally after my experience I don't believe it.
I went on holiday to Greece a couple of years ago and the mozzies made a beeline for me which pleased my family as they said the mozzies would bite me in preference to them.
I went to a beach on the island and a sandfly bit me and when I finally came back to the UK and met up with friends for a day out, I got bitten by what I think was a large hoverfly (could have been a horsefly). I was running away from the horsefly/hoverfly and the pesky thing followed me and bit me again.
The more serious side is I think the mozzie bites were what triggered an auto immune reaction in my skin.
I’ve never associated my P.A. with bad reaction to insect bites ! But yes , I have to be very careful , otherwise I can get a terrible infection . Thanks for the tip about insect repellent !
If you are anything like me,they dine on me like a bloody all you can eat buffet.I eventually found a cream/ spray from India that really does work for me.It’s called odosmos and the easiest place to order it is from amazon,,it’ll change your life in the mosssie season. I lived in Spain and had such a miserable time trying to do my animal rescue work while getting bitten to death by mossies or anything whose fancy I took,if I get bitten near my eyes it looks like I’ve been in a boxing match,the tiger mossies were the worst and because we lived surrounded by salt lakes and exotic birds like flamingos they couldn’t always spray and some years I darent go out the door,I had screens fitted everywhere and we still carried them in via our hair or clothes or the cats carried them in.
I now use the odosmos creams and spray for my hair every summer here in the U.K. it’s a life changer for people like me.x
Those tiger mossies hospitalised quite a few people one year,my upper arm was like a balloon after one bite and my daughter leg was so swollen she could barely walk,so dangerous.I think they came over from Africa to Spain.Over the years I tried everything. From Avon to deet but the one thing that worked for me was the odosmos and it’s baby friendly,no deet,worth a try for you if you suffer from inscect bites.xx
Yes your so right,I know it’s a pain initially creaming up but it’s such a nice product and lasts for hours and just worth it not to be bitten or stung.xx
I react badly too but have always assumed it’s because I’ve got an overactive immune system.
I react to insect bites, have various allergies (such as pets, pollen, dust etc) and oral allergy syndrome. My overactive immune system has also caused PA, Graves’ disease and vitiligo.
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Symptoms and reactions after B12 injections 
Intrinsic factor antibodies
