POISON IVY!!! HELP!

[DaFABRICATA]

Yeah.......I went up north to help my friends Grandmother move some stuff and ended up doing some yard work for her.....well now I've got poison ivy between my pinky finger and whatever finger next to it!!! IT SUCKS!!!

I've taken a needle and popped the blisters and also used a razor blade to scrape them open and then used rubbing alcohol to help dry it out. Next I used Calomine lotion.....these directions were given to me by the person working behind the counter at a local CVS.

ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS?????
(
I am very open to anything short of virgins blood and goat urin baths)

I think I'm gonna tie my hand to something to avoid touching my naughty parts while I sleep!:thumbsdow......THAT WOULD SUCK!!!!

 

[fieldops]

Try Lanacane Maximum strength. It has 20% Benzocaine. The regular Lanacane only has like 6%. I have serious Atopic Dermatitis (Like having poison ivy forever). The Lanacane does work. it gives a few hours of relief, especially when trying to sleep. A capsule of Benadryl (Diphenhydramine 25mg) also helps at the same time. Good luck. Hope it clears up soon

 

[half-watt]

Yeah.......I went up north to help my friends Grandmother move some stuff and ended up doing some yard work for her.....well now I've got poison ivy between my pinky finger and whatever finger next to it!!! IT SUCKS!!!

I've taken a needle and popped the blisters and also used a razor blade to scrape them open and then used rubbing alcohol to help dry it out. Next I used Calomine lotion.....these directions were given to me by the person working behind the counter at a local CVS.

ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS?????
(
I am very open to anything short of virgins blood and goat urin baths)

I think I'm gonna tie my hand to something to avoid touching my naughty parts while I sleep!:thumbsdow......THAT WOULD SUCK!!!!

here's what very often works and takes typically, in my experience with just a few cases, including my two children, over the last 35yrs, 24h to 48h to resolve most or all of the rashes and itching.

rather than give the directions for preparation here, i'm be surprised if a web search does NOT turn up directions for making the salve.

two plants (used separately) both have an excellent track record (one i have growing in a lower area on one side of my backyard a couple hundred feet from the house.

that plant is "Jewel-weed" or "Touch-me-not".

the other plant is "Sweet Fern".

do a web search on either or both of these together with "poison ivy" and see what you come up with.

keep in mind that as with any natural remedy, the chemical concentrations of the active ingredients in these plants vary throughout their growing season and the precise chemical composition of the soil in which they are growing. this accounts for some degree of variablilty in terms of results obtained as does how soon after the appearance of symptoms the salve is used. this last point, however, is true of many medications - natural or synthesized.

 

[Scottiver]

Well. first off...Quit popping and scraping at the blisters! The more you mess with it the worse it gets. And as long as you've washed off the oil from the plant the chances of it spreading through touching other body parts is slim.
Sounds like you've got a pretty mild case. I've had my entire forearm completely covered in blisters which wasn't fun.
Just try not to scratch it, use some sort of cortisone cream and you should be fine in a week.

 

[Art Vandelay]

An over-the-counter antihistamine like Benadryl works for me.

 

[MarNav1]

Forget the Calamine lotion, waste of time. I have skin that is very sensitive to these plants, probably have had it 30 times at least. I know it's hard but leave it alone. Benedryl and Caladryl work well for the itch but they will make you sleepy. Go to your doctor and see if he will give you a little Prednisone and that should dry it up quickly. Stay out of the sun until it dries up, the sun and sweating will aggravate it. Learn what the plants look like and try to avoid them.

 

[Greta]

Benadryl has a topical lotion out now. Look in the anti-itch cream section. It works well. Also ask your pharmacist for some stuff called Domboro's solution. It's a bit pricey but it WORKS! It's not prescription... but it is behind the counter. It is a powder that you mix with water and use as a soak. My husband is EXTREMELY allergic to poison oak and in 25 years, this is the only stuff we've found that truly does dry it up and help it heal. The topical Benadryl does absorb into the body to have an antihistamine affect but it doesn't make you sleepy like the oral stuff does.

 

[binky]

Domboro's is good to know about. I'll look into that myself.

I mountain bike in New England, which means ticks, mosquitos, and poison ivy are my environment. Lyme disease, encephalitis, and ivy rashes -- that's our "nature". Luckily, I'm not very alergic to the poison ivy, but when riding through a patch of it and getting all scratched up by it I've gotten tiger stripes of rashes.

Tecnu has worked very well for me. It smells like turpentine. (There's an MSDS at the Tec Labs site.) I haven't tried the newer "Extreme" homeopathic one. The point, as the other posts said above, is to wash off the oils. Then you can address the damage after that with something that's drying & soothing, but if you don't get rid of the oils you'll just suffer longer and depending on how allergic you are to the ivy stuff the rash will spread. You don't want that fer sure.

Good luck!

 

[RickyT]

I'll second the tecnu. I usually wind up getting into the ivy at least once a year no matter how hard I try. This stuff works great for me. Used asap it controls it almost completely no rash just minor itching.

It might be a little late for it to help with what's already appearing but it will prevent it from spreading.

I haven't tried the new medicated version yet either, which might be better for your case as the blisters have already appeared.

Walgreens should have it not sure about other sources.

 

[bitslammer]

Tecnu should stop any more spreading. By now it's too late to prevent the swelling/itching. I usually try and hit the shower with Tecnu within 2-4 hours of suspected contact even though I've never really had issue with Poison Ivy.


Wow I just about repeated the above post...duh!!! Next time I'll read harder before replying.

So to summarize +1 Tecnu

 

[CodeOfLight]

Call your Dr's office. They can prescribe a good anti itch pill for this. We have done it many times.

 

[binky]

BTW: Domeboro's described over at the Merck website...

"Astringents are liquid drying agents that narrow blood vessels. The most commonly used astringent solutions contain aluminum acetate (Burow's solution or Domeboro's solution). Usually applied with dressings or as soaks, astringents are used to treat infectious eczema, oozing skin lesions, and pressure sores. Witch hazel is also a popular OTC astringent."

So it's aluminum acetate and acts as a vaso-constrictor. Interesting. Seems like that could be used after cleaning with Tecnu as a good double-whammy.

 

[knot]

I sure am glad I'm not allergic to these plants.

 

[cheapo]

i had it a few weeks ago on both legs and both arms... all i did was i just DIDNT MESS WITH IT. Obviousely you want to clean the oil off, so as not to spread it, but after that dont even acknowledge it... it will itch at first but after a while, its not an issue.. of course, it looks kinda bad, but it clears up.

 

[speederino]

http://www.zanfel.com/

Pricey, but worth every penny. This stuff works!

Walgreens carries it, among other places.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

I'll third or fourth or whatever the Tecnu. I come in contact with poison oak and poison ivy often enough during the course of my work that I carry Tecnu on the truck. I find that if I can use Tecnu within a couple hours of exposure the poison ivy/oak doesn't even itch. Well worth keeping around. :buddies:

 

[Art Vandelay]

If you rub the area that was touched by the poison ivy with rubbing alcohol right away you may not have an allergic reaction at all. After you already itch it will not do as much good. Alcohol breaks down the oil faster than soap and water. And it is less likely to spread the oil around.

 

[Khaytsus]

You can get a reaction with as little as 20-30 minutes on the skin, so the sooner you get it off of you, the better.

If I suspect I've gotten into it I'll wipe my arms down with baby wipes and make sure I don't touch my face or eyes until I can wash down well. When you do wash, use COOL water and lots of soap, and generously wash.

If you get the rash, or can't wipe off, etc, and you routinely are into the stuff, it's worth getting the Zanfel.

 

[chmsam]

There are also compounds used for soaking in the bathtub to ease the itch. If nothing else Aveeno (an oatmeal soak) might help. Topical meds are the #1 way to go, of course, but a warm, soothing soak worked great for the kid when he got itchy and scatchy years ago.

And ditto for leaving the blisters alone.