He's often asked to provide snakebite kits for people planning to walk the Appalachian Trail. Just don't mess with snakes. It's not that they don't work. It's just that if not done properly, he says, they can cause more harm than good. Instead, head for the nearest hospital.
Most people bitten repair pretty well.
Antivenom ideally should be administered within six hours after a bite, and no more than 12 hours. But most snakebite victims don't receive antivenom, Kitchen says. That's because most snake venom isn't that toxic. For instance, Kitchens says, pygmy rattlesnake or copperhead bites aren't usually treated. Still, the traditional horse-blood antivenom serum has its drawbacks.