Mosquito Bites - Editor's Choice

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure... I had dreadful reactions for 30+ yrs. Swelling and incomprehensible itching. The kind that can drive you half mad and make you want to claw a hole in your body. And I thought I'd tried everything over the decades; every potion, lotion, even hot spoons. Nothing worked. If there was one of these devil tormentors within a 10 mile radius it seemed to find me. I finally found relief in Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 400-500 mg taken daily, and no less! The remedy came from a pharmacy in Thailand. Allegedly mozzys do not like the smell, though we can't smell it. It shocked me it worked so well. I got the odd bite but it didn't swell, remained tiny, and barely an itch. Before I'd have 12+ welts with tormenting itching 24/7. Now I might only get one, and no welts and no bother.

Friends who travel in hot mozzy infested areas and countries were also impressed too. On annual trips, they would start taking this one week before their trip. But taking the right dose seems vital - If the dosage was skimped on (300 mg or less) it did NOT work. Some people take it in divided doses am/pm but I just took it all at once, so can't comment if that's more effective. I've also read that Vitamin B1 is a myth and is not a systemic mosquito repellent. However, I can attest it's worked for me and others when nothing else did.

I used to attract Mosquitoes. I had Banana Trees in Kona with big leaves that held rainwater at the leaf stem. When I went near the trees in the rainy season, they would swarm all around me. I used skin so soft to repel them. That works if you put it on your skin every day. I was told about vitamin B and started taking a full complex of vitamin B, two tablets every day. That stopped the Mosquito bites. Some would swarm near, and occasionally one would land. But no bites. After a while, I reduced to one tablet every day. I went about ten years without one bite taking complete vitamin B every day. The only exception was when I was moving recently, I received a mosquito bite before I moved, and after I moved, I received a second bite. Vitamin B is a stress vitamin, and the move was more stressful for me.

Our granddaughter came to Hawaii once a year during the summer, and immediately she was attacked around the Banana plants. We gave her two vitamin B a day for three days. After that, we reduced it to one pill per day. She wasn't bothered again until she went home to Tennessee. After a few bites at home, she started taking vitamin B, successfully deterring Mosquitos.

I know a few tests that have been made discounting the effect. It has worked for me. Good luck.