The key to surviving a venomous snake bite is to stay calm and seek medical attention immediately so a doctor an administer an antivenom drug. It's especially important to seek help if the bite mark changes in color, starts to swell up, or is painful. Venomous snake bites can cause severe injury and sometimes death, so don't hesitate to call 911 or to head to the hospital if you're bitten. Read on for more tips to survive a venomous snake bite.[1]

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Describe the snake to your doctor.

  1. This helps your doctor provide the right antivenom as fast as possible. Antivenom is a medicine administered via injection or IV that counteracts the most serious effects of snake venom in the body. Specifically, it prevents venom from binding to tissue, which can cause blood clotting, kidney damage, and damage to the nervous system. If you or a friend can remember distinctive features on the snake, this will be extremely helpful to your doctor. For example:[11]
    • Length
    • Girth
    • Head shape
    • Pattern on its body
    • Additional distinctive traits (like a rattling noise before striking)
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Let your body rest and recover.

  1. Suffering a venomous snake bite is serious, so give your body time to heal. Depending on the kind snake bite you received, recovery could take anywhere from two weeks for children to multiple months for adults. There are many other factors that affect the length and severity of treatment, so always follow your doctor's instructions.[12]
    • No matter what, a venomous snake bite will mean remaining in the hospital for 24 hours to be monitored by your doctor.
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About This Article

Jonas DeMuro, MD
Medically reviewed by:
Board Certified Critical Care Surgeon
This article was medically reviewed by Jonas DeMuro, MD and by wikiHow staff writer, Caroline Heiderscheit. Dr. DeMuro is a board certified Pediatric Critical Care Surgeon in New York. He received his MD from Stony Brook University School of Medicine in 1996. He completed his fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and was a previous American College of Surgeons (ACS) Fellow. This article has been viewed 497,692 times.
5 votes - 60%
Co-authors: 70
Updated: February 19, 2022
Views: 497,692
Article SummaryX

The best way to survive a snake bite is to call emergency help and stay calm. Make a splint to restrict movement, and keep the area below the heart so the venom doesn't spread. Don't try to suck the venom out. Instead, allow the bite to bleed and cover it with a loosely wrapped bandage. Read on for more tips from our Surgical reviewer, including how to accurately tell the paramedics what type of snake bit you.

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