poison ivy

[korzmom]

i got poison ivy,i never had it before and i hate it,i'm so itchy--tried ivarest soap,oatmeal bath,hydracortisone cream. i cant take it anymore! any good remedies that really work? i've read about the oatmeal and the baking soda paste,any other ideas??

 

[scrapquitler]

if it is really really bad, call your doctor and get a prescription for Prednisone.

 

[Carnie]

Go to your local pharmacy and get Ivy Dry spray. No prescription needed and it works miracles.

My dad had debilitating poison ivy once and it's the only thing that helped.

 

[dis-happy]

Zanfel. Over the counter. It really works.

 

[manning]

Zanfel. Over the counter. It really works.

It works, My wife used it and relief was immediate

http://www.zanfel.com/help/

 

[twinklebug]

korzmom, I hope you're feeling a bit better.

Since Tuesday my 13 yo DS has had poison ivy rash that keeps spreading each time we think he's just about finished. It hit his face bad as well as one shoulder and inside of one elbow first. At first I thought it was just a batch of moquito bites - hate to admit I was relieved to find out it wasn't (EEE is in town).

Like you, we're finding it hard to find anything that stops the itch for very long. Tried cortisone 1% cream (it's worked the best), Aveno oatmeal bath (it does help, but enjoy the rest becuase the itches come back within 20 minutes.) Calamine Lotion will help dry up the oozing - they make a clear one now, so you don't have to look at pink.

For my DS, although the swelling in the face has gone down, it spread to his torso just this afternoon. I'm going to duct tape some oven mitts to that kid's hands - err once I buy some more duct tape...


Feel better!

 

[I Love Pluto]

I have had poison ivy more times than I have fingers & toes to count on. So --- let me answer your question.

Go to a dermatologist. I know this sounds wrong, but it's correct. The dermatologist will save you weeks of agony. The creams that they prescribe are better than anything else. Do yourself a favor and go --- you will be a lot happier.

I hope you're feeling a lot better!!

 

[Art 1]

I would go to the doctor and get a prescription.

 

[torinsmom]

I didn't have to go to the dermatologist. Got a cream called Elocon, which is a topical steroid. It dries the rash out almost overnight. The other thing that worked for me was Gold Bond cream(for the itching).

Make sure everything has been washed well. There could be poison ivy oil on his sheets, his clothing, shoes, etc. If he gets the oil on him and touches himself, he will keep recontaminating himself. The rash showing up on his trunk is not from scratching; scratching doesn't spread it. What happens is that more sensitive areas break out first, less sensitive areas take longer.

I always have to get prednisone, as the histamines in my body go crazy when I get exposed to poison ivy. It is all over my body in a matter of days because of that. The steroids combined with the above products make my life much more bearable when I do get it.

 

[lynxstch]

was Ivarrest..we got it at walmart..it's cream..it stopped the itch almost immediately for me and dried out the poison ivy fast
Hope you feel better soon!

 

[korzmom]

well its been 1 week since i got this poison and yesterday i finally broke down and called my doc,she ordered me some betamthasone cream and it has helped more in 1 day then all the other things i was trying for the past week.
sorry to hear about your son twinklebug,i know what he is going through. unfortunately you cant use this cream on your face,so it wouldnt work for him. mine is mainly on my arms and down on my lower legs. i suggest you call your doctor,the over the counter are good but not as good as the prescription. thanks for all the good wishes.

 

[heatherwillmom]

I am a Primary Care Provider & I treat a lot of poison ivy. Depending on how bad it is, I give a steroid shot, prescribe oral steroids & a prescription strength steroid cream. If it gets on the face, it can be very serious. It can actually get into your eyes & cause vision problems

 

[maslex]

My son had it BAD a few weeks ago and the nurse at the doctor's office told us to get a soap called Fels Naptha. I bought it but never used it since he got a prescription for Prednisone anyways for his asthma, so it was like killing two birds with one stone.

 

[ilovejack02]

DH has it now, for the first time ever in his life.

He is covered head to toe and miserable. He got a steroid shot on Monday , but it still spread like wildfire.

Day 7 now and is still getting new spots, but does over all seem to be coming out of it . I have washed the sheets everyday . I will go get a cpl of these things people have mentioned to have on hand. Hunting season is beginning and he will be out in the woods at least two days a week.

 

[twinklebug]

korzmom, I'm so glad to hear you got some relief!... It's no fun to be itching your own skin off.

DS is so much better today with the cortisone cream. So much so that I just sent him off with the scouts to camp for the weekend with a tube packed away. If there's trouble he knows to go to the scoutmaster and call home... mom will come to the rescue if needed - but you know boys

I would like to chime in for a moment about prednisone. I am aware of it's ability to block the itching and how it does so. I am also all too aware of the side effects from it's use as my eldest son is on it for life and both my youngest son and I have asthma. The drug is useful when used properly, and to me, that means when it's being used to save a life. Poison ivy rashes, unless severe don't qualify for it's use in my book when there are other external options available ... but then we each write our own book Please be careful when using the drug, some doctors pass out prescriptions to it as though it were a cure-all.

 

[heatherwillmom]

DH has it now, for the first time ever in his life.

He is covered head to toe and miserable. He got a steroid shot on Monday , but it still spread like wildfire.

The shots are short term relief & should be followed by the oral medication to completely get rid of it in bad cases

 

[heatherwillmom]

I would like to chime in for a moment about prednisone. I am aware of it's ability to block the itching and how it does so. I am also all too aware of the side effects from it's use as my eldest son is on it for life and both my youngest son and I have asthma. The drug is useful when used properly, and to me, that means when it's being used to save a life. Poison ivy rashes, unless severe don't qualify for it's use in my book when there are other external options available ... but then we each write our own book Please be careful when using the drug, some doctors pass out prescriptions to it as those it were a cure-all.[/QUOTE]

The side effects of a short term course of steroids are totally different than the long term use. Many times steroids are necessary for poison ivy. Someone can lose their vision if it infectes the eye. They can get a seroius skin infection from scratching if they open up the skin. Please don't criticize those of us who prescribe medications when they are necessary. We are in the business to help people, not harm them.

 

[torinsmom]

A short course of steroids is nothing like long term use. At the most, I feel kind of pumped on the highest dose days. It is not the itching that does me in; it is the swelling. I get a systemic reaction, because I am so allergic to it. I would most likely end up in the hospital if I stuck with external remedies.

 

[heatherwillmom]

A short course of steroids is nothing like long term use. At the most, I feel kind of pumped on the highest dose days. It is not the itching that does me in; it is the swelling. I get a systemic reaction, because I am so allergic to it. I would most likely end up in the hospital if I stuck with external remedies.

Many people have this severe of a reaction. For the vast majority of people, if the symptoms are severe enough that they come into my office, they are getting all 3 forms of steroids to prevent complications. They get the shot, the pills for 6 days, & a prescription strength creme

 

[torinsmom]

Many people have this severe of a reaction. For the vast majority of people, if the symptoms are severe enough that they come into my office, they are getting all 3 forms of steroids to prevent complications. They get the shot, the pills for 6 days, & a prescription strength creme

If I notice the first rash, and use the Elocon, I can sometimes avoid the big reaction. My doctor writes a new prescription for that stuff everytime I run out, just in case. You are not supposed to use it on your face, but I did once when I was desperate. Didn't seem to do any harm, and I got rid of the rash on my face overnight.