Help for poison ivy?

[karenbaco]

Got poison ivy for the first time in my life. This is so itchy. Anyone have a suggestion for relief? I don't want steroids. I've tried calamine lotion, Epsom salt bath, oatmeal bath, and Benadryl itch cream. Help! It started on Monday on my fingers and cheek and leg. Now my whole torso erupted in what looks like a measles rash but that part isn't itchy thank god. Only the blisters are super itchy and oozing.

 

[Judique]

Got poison ivy for the first time in my life. This is so itchy. Anyone have a suggestion for relief? I don't want steroids. I've tried calamine lotion, Epsom salt bath, oatmeal bath, and Benadryl itch cream. Help! It started on Monday on my fingers and cheek and leg. Now my whole torso erupted in what looks like a measles rash but that part isn't itchy thank god. Only the blisters are super itchy and oozing.

Steroids. Only thing that helped me. But I agree about not wanting them. I had such high doses I had anxiety from the steroid injections.

Showering a lot, and clean white sheets. I changed my sheets daily when I had it as it was so oozy. It flashed on me - one day a teeny bit, then all over my body. I was about a month before clearing up but I was a pretty extreme case.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Have you tried oral Benadryl? I have one son who deals with it a lot. And the oral stuff does help sometimes. The other things you're trying don't do a lot for him either--takes the edge off a bit, but not complete relief by any means!

Also, for future reference, keep some Tecnu wash on hand (we got it at CVS). It's a liquid soap that you can use after you're exposed, before breaking out. When you think you might have been exposed, wash the area with this stuff and it helps remove the oils from your skin. They also make a gel to put on the rash, but we found it wasn't a lot different than Calamine.

He has had to do steroids a couple times when it's gotten on his face, near his eyes, or when he's had a really, really bad case. The doctor will give him a short course--like five days--and it's enough to really start the healing process. I'm not a huge fan of steroids, but sometimes you just have to!

 

[Dizlvr]

You don't have to take oral steroids or have injections, you can just get a prescription steroid cream from the doc. My ds had a pretty severe case of poison ivy last month, he was put on prednisone and he was given a cream to use. It started working in less than 24 hours, but I can't say the cream would have worked alone because his PI was pretty bad.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

You don't have to take oral steroids or have injections, you can just get a prescription steroid cream from the doc. My ds had a pretty severe case of poison ivy last month, he was put on prednisone and he was given a cream to use. It started working in less than 24 hours, but I can't say the cream would have worked alone because his PI was pretty bad.

That's right! I forgot about the steroid cream. My son's used that as well and it also did help.

 

[Dizlvr]

That's right! I forgot about the steroid cream. My son's used that as well and it also did help.

She prescribed a pretty big tub of it and told him to use it immediately if he gets PI again, its good until 2017 Its nice to have that option in the medicine cabinet because none of the other remedies we have worked on him.

 

[Dentam]

I used to get poison ivy horribly - arm swollen twice its size horribly. Prednisone from the doctor didn't work, tecnu didn't work. The only thing I found that worked amazingly well was called Zanfel. It took the itch away immediately and allowed me to sleep for the first time in three nights. The itch did come back but I just washed with it again - after a few times it dried up my poison ivy rash completely. It is expensive but it was SO worth it to me to have relief at last. I discovered later that Walgreens sells a version of it called Walgreen's Poison Ivy Wash that works as well as Zanfel and is about half the price.

Thankfully I now live in a state where this awful plant doesn't grow!

Good luck!

 

[davper]

I get poison ivy at least twice a year. I just learned to ignore the itch and to gently wash if it oozes.

If you think you have been exposed, take a shower and use soap and a washcloth. Soap and all the other Poison Ivy washes do a poor job at removing the oil. You must use a washcloth.

 

[nordkin]

I used to get poison ivy horribly - arm swollen twice its size horribly. Prednisone from the doctor didn't work, tecnu didn't work. The only thing I found that worked amazingly well was called Zanfel. It took the itch away immediately and allowed me to sleep for the first time in three nights. The itch did come back but I just washed with it again - after a few times it dried up my poison ivy rash completely. It is expensive but it was SO worth it to me to have relief at last. I discovered later that Walgreens sells a version of it called Walgreen's Poison Ivy Wash that works as well as Zanfel and is about half the price.

Thankfully I now live in a state where this awful plant doesn't grow!

Good luck!

Agree about Zanfel. Our company issues it to everyone that works outside. It really does work.

 

[Dentam]

I get poison ivy at least twice a year. I just learned to ignore the itch and to gently wash if it oozes.

It sounds like you aren't highly allergic. For those who are, there is no way you can just ignore it. My arm was so swollen that it hurt and I couldn't sleep at all. Pure misery.

 

[Dentam]

If you think you have been exposed, take a shower and use soap and a washcloth. Soap and all the other Poison Ivy washes do a poor job at removing the oil. You must use a washcloth.

Actually, the Zanfel and Walgreens Poison Ivy wash do an excellent job at removing the Urushiol oils from your skin. You should give it a try next time!

 

[tiggerluver12]

When my husband got poison ivy, he went to the pharmacy. The pharmacist has something behind the counter specific to poison ivy they can give you. There is a bar soap for the infected areas and a cream that stops the itch. Cleared it up within a week or so.

 

[KristinU]

Tecnu for sure - both the wash and the topical spray (though I recently read that Go Jo hand cleaner is equally effective as the Tecnu wash). And also if you're game to try something homeopathic there is something called Rhus Tox. I happened to be in the throes of a PI reaction at my last check-in with my naturopath and I asked her if she had any recommendations before I went the steroid route. So she recommended trying Rhus Tox. Shockingly, it worked like a charm for me! Homeopathy is a little far out for me, but this was amazing, so I'm a little more open to the concept now.

 

[Puffy2]

Go to the doctor and get treated. PI can last a very long time...weeks! And itch the whole time.

 

[WannaGoDW]

I might be wrong, but when we used Tecnu before it was useless as you are supposed to use it right after exposure and using it later doesn't do anything. If you are not aware right away that you are exposed, it might not help

 

[Mickeypooh99]

Definitely Zanfel. It works the best for my family. I get horrible poison ivy. I even get it from washing my kids clothes after they were in the woods. The only other thing that works for me are oral steroids. The cream does nothing for me.

 

[MommyMK]

Mean Green hand scrub has the same active ingredient as zanfel but it's a fraction of the price. Check out the Amazon reviews. Zanfel is $40 for a tiny tube!!! It real is a miracle though. Stops the itching for hours.

 

[Dakota731]

For mild cases, you can use brewed coffee on the poison. It stops the itch for me immediately after one use.

 

[laughinplace199]

When I had it, the doctor told me to buy Domeboro packets - you dissolve it in water and then soak the affected areas. I also took Claritin every morning and Benadryl every night.

 

[ThunderMountainAlice]

Why is this even on the Disney Budget Board? Shouldn't you just consult a doctor? It's not Disney nor budget related...