We all saw that Friends episode (c’mon, you watch it, too!) when Monica gets stung by a jellyfish, and Joey remembers that peeing on a jellyfish sting takes the pain away. BUT don’t believe everything you see on TV!

Most jellyfish stings cause only pain and numbness, while the Australian box jellyfish is the most venomous and deadly of all stinging marine creatures. Portuguese man-of-war is also dangerous but nothing compared to the box jellyfish … approximately 20 percent of those stung by the box jellyfish will die.

The following guideline can be applied to most jellyfish stings:

• The patient should remove any visible tentacles, using gloves if possible.
• It is important to remember not to scrub at the wound because it can activate the nematocysts and cause more venom to be let out.
• If after taking all steps and you still have stingers, dust the area with flour or baking powder then scrape off with a dull back edge of a pocketknife or a butter knife. You also can use canned shaving cream or mud to coat the area then shave off any remaining stingers. The coatings will keep the nematocysts that haven’t been activated from delivering more toxins while getting rid of the tentacles.
• The area of the sting should be rinsed with household vinegar. The acetic acid of the vinegar can block discharge of the remaining nematocysts (stinging cells) on the skin and should be applied liberally. If vinegar is not available, salt water can be used to wash off the nematocysts.
• Urine, ammonia, and alcohol can cause active stinging cells to fire, which means applying them has the potential to make a minor sting worse, so urinating on a jellyfish sting is both gross and painful!
• Do not wash with freshwater or put sun lotion or alcohol based liquid on the area. Alcohol was formerly recommended for help in stopping the sting, but actually stimulates them and increases pain.
• Other substances have been used to reduce the pain of jellyfish stings – meat tenderizer, sugar, plant juices and baking soda have all been used with varying degrees of success.
• You can minimize jellyfish sting pain with topical ointments with ingredients such as benzocaine.

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