Please call 911 immediately if you are having chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, sudden weakness or numbness, or if you think you have a medical emergency.
Black Widow Spider Bite Treatment
Call 911 if the person:
Has trouble breathing
Shows signs of shock
1. Get Help Immediately
Call your health care provider or go to a hospital emergency room.
If possible, kill the spider and take it to the doctor with you.
Symptoms include target-like marking and slight swelling at wound site, muscle pains and cramps within 2 hours of the bite, weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, itching, anxiety, and increased blood pressure.
2. Treat Symptoms
Apply ice on the way to the health care provider's office or emergency room to relieve pain and swelling.
3. Follow Up
The health care provider will examine and clean the wound.
The person may require a tetanus shot or booster, depending on the date of the last injection.
A person with severe symptoms -- such as intense pain and cramping or high blood pressure -- may be admitted to the hospital overnight. Antivenin may be needed to treat serious bites.
WebMD Medical Reference
SOURCES:
California Poison Control System: "Spider Bites."
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: "Spider Bites."
KidsHealth: "Bug Bites and Stings."
American College of Emergency Physicians: "SSS -- Snake, Scorpion, and Spider Envenomations."