Scorpion sting: what to do
Call now, it is free: Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, 1-800-222-1222, staffed 24 hours by people who handle bark scorpion stings every day. They will tell you whether you need a hospital.
Call 911 instead if there is trouble breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled muscle jerking, or eyes rolling and darting.
What a normal sting feels like
Immediate burning pain out of all proportion to the mark, which is often invisible. Then numbness and tingling spreading from the site. Tapping the spot lightly hurts sharply — that reaction is characteristic. For a healthy adult this usually peaks within a few hours and fades over a day or two without treatment.
Who is at real risk
Small children are the serious concern. A dose that inconveniences an adult is a different matter for a toddler. The elderly and anyone with a previous severe reaction also need to be watched closely rather than waited out.
Go to the emergency room without waiting if you see
- difficulty breathing or swallowing, or unusual drooling
- muscles jerking or thrashing that the person cannot control
- eyes rolling or darting in a way that will not settle
- a child crying inconsolably who cannot be settled at all
- slurred speech or a tongue that feels thick
Antivenom exists and works quickly. Whether to use it is the hospital's decision.
While you wait
- Wash the site with soap and water.
- Apply a cool compress — not ice directly on skin.
- Keep the limb still and below heart level if that is comfortable.
- Paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain if the person normally tolerates them.
- Stay with them and watch for the symptoms above for at least four hours.
Do not
- cut the wound or try to suck out venom
- apply a tourniquet
- give alcohol or sedatives
- wait to see whether a child gets worse — call poison control immediately
Nothing on this page is medical advice. It describes what Arizona poison control and emergency departments publish about bark scorpion stings so you can act quickly. Your call goes to a clinician, not to us.
After the sting
One sting indoors means the scorpion was inside, and if one was, others can be. The night after, walk the house with a UV light, shake out bedding before use, and pull beds away from walls. Then deal with the openings.
Book an inspectionFind the entry points before the next one