Scorpion Stings: When One Is an Emergency

If a small child has been stung, or anybody has jerky movements, wild eye movements, or trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911. Otherwise call Poison Control on 1-800-222-1222 — they will tell you whether this needs a hospital.

Arizona has about thirty species of scorpion, and the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center identifies exactly one as life-threatening: the bark scorpion. Most stings from anything else are genuinely painful and not dangerous.

So the question is never “was I stung by a scorpion”. It is “who was stung, and what are they doing now”.

What a sting usually feels like

From Arizona Poison Control: immediate local pain with minimal swelling. Numbness and tingling are frequently reported and may travel across the body, and the area can become sensitive to touch, pressure, heat and cold.

That travelling numbness surprises people and is worth knowing about in advance — it is unpleasant and it is not, by itself, the dangerous sign.

The thing that does not usually happen is dramatic swelling. A sting with major swelling is worth mentioning when you call, because it suggests something else may be going on.

Small children are the ones to worry about

This is the most important sentence on the page. Arizona Poison Control is explicit: small children are at the highest risk of severe reactions, and the signs they name are jerky body movements and wild eye movements.

A small child who has been stung and is thrashing, whose eyes are roving or jerking, who cannot be settled, or who is having any trouble breathing or swallowing, is an emergency. Call 911.

A child’s much smaller body is the whole of the reason. The same sting is not the same event.

What to do for an ordinary sting

Arizona Poison Control’s first aid:

• Clean the site with soap and water
• Apply a cool compress
• Position the affected limb comfortably
• Over-the-counter pain relief for minor discomfort

And call 1-800-222-1222. Their own framing is the useful one: call “for our poison experts to determine if you need to go to the hospital” — so you do not have to make that judgement yourself, at any hour, for free, from somebody who does this all day.

This page gives no doses. If you are unsure how much of anything to give — particularly to a child — that is a question for Poison Control or a pharmacist, and Poison Control is already on the phone.

When to skip the phone call and go

Call 911 for a small child with the signs above, for anybody having trouble breathing or swallowing, for anybody with muscle jerking or eye movements they cannot control, or for anybody deteriorating in front of you.

Come to an emergency room if the pain is severe and not manageable, if symptoms are spreading or escalating rather than settling, or if the person stung is very young, very old, or has significant heart or lung disease.

Our emergency rooms treat scorpion envenomation, they are open every hour of every day, and they are walk-in. As always: go to the nearest one, and if another emergency department is closer to you, that is the right answer tonight.

If you are unsure, come in — this list is not exhaustive and you are not expected to assess an envenomation yourself.

Reducing the odds indoors

Bark scorpions climb, which is what makes them a household problem rather than only an outdoors one. Practical habits that cost nothing:

Shake out shoes, clothing and towels before using them, particularly anything left on the floor.

Check bedding — and for a child’s bed, check it as a habit rather than as a reaction.

Use a torch outdoors at night, and look before putting a hand anywhere you cannot see.

Move woodpiles and debris away from the house, and mind block walls and irrigation boxes.

A blacklight will show them up after dark, which is unnerving the first time and useful thereafter.

Questions people actually ask

How do I know if it was a bark scorpion? Mostly you do not, and the identification is not what decides your next step. Who was stung and what they are doing decides it. Call 1-800-222-1222.

It has been an hour and the numbness is spreading up my arm. Travelling numbness and tingling is described as a frequent feature. Call Poison Control and say exactly that — they will tell you whether it needs a hospital.

Do I need antivenom? That is a clinical decision made in person, not something to arrange in advance. Poison Control and the treating team make that call.

My toddler was stung and seems upset but otherwise okay. Call 911 if there is any jerking, eye movement you cannot explain, or trouble breathing or swallowing. Otherwise call Poison Control immediately — small children are the highest-risk group and this is not a wait-and-see situation.

Should I catch it to bring in? No. Nobody needs it and you risk a second sting.

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Call Poison Control any hour on 1-800-222-1222, and call 911 for a small child with jerky or wild movements or any trouble breathing. Both of our emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year — walk in, no appointment and no referral. Find your nearest emergency room →

Related reading: rattlesnake bites in Arizona · which door do you need

Sources

21. Scorpions — Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center. https://azpoison.com/venom/scorpions

This article is general information, not a diagnosis. It gives no doses. If you are unsure, come in — this list is not exhaustive and you are not expected to assess an envenomation yourself. If it might be an emergency, treat it as one and call 911.