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What do you use to relieve the itch of poison ivy? And mine is spreading. oooiiieee!

I don't catch poison ivy or oak, but my DH sure does. He uses Cortizone-10 ointment, dries it up in a few days. You can find it at Walmart.

Pattyo

I'm so sorry to hear you are suffering from the misery of poison ivy. I remember when my brothers chased me through a patch when we were children. I didn't have a reaction but they had a severe reaction. I still vividly remember how they suffered. My Grandma treated it with Calamine lotion. I copied the information listed below from the National Institutes of Health site. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline...y/article/000027.htm

First Aid

Wash the skin thoroughly with soap and warm water. Because the plant oil enters skin quickly, try to wash it off within 30 minutes.
Scrub under the fingernails with a brush to prevent the plant oil from spreading to other parts of the body.
Wash clothing and shoes with soap and hot water. The plant oils can linger on them.
Immediately bathe animals to remove the oils from their fur.
Body heat and sweating can aggravate the itching. Stay cool and apply cool compresses to your skin.
Calamine lotion and hydrocortisone cream can be applied to the skin to reduce itching and blistering.
Bathing in lukewarm water with an oatmeal bath product, available in drugstores, may soothe itchy skin. Aluminum acetate (Domeboro solution) soaks can help to dry the rash and reduce itching.
If creams, lotions, or bathing do not stop the itching, antihistamines may be helpful.
In severe cases, especially for a rash around the face or genitals, the health care provider may prescribe steroids, taken by mouth or given by injection.
Wash tools and other objects with a dilute bleach solution or rubbing alcohol.

DO NOT

Do NOT touch skin or clothing that still have the resins.
Do NOT burn poison ivy, oak, or sumac to get rid of it. The resins can be spread via smoke and can cause severe reactions in people who are far downwind.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call 911 or go to an emergency room if:

Someone is suffering a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or difficulty breathing, or has had a severe reaction in the past.
Someone has been exposed to the smoke of a burning plant.

Call your provider if:

Itching is severe and cannot be controlled.
The rash affects your face, lips, eyes, or genitals.
The rash shows signs of infection, such as pus, yellow fluid leaking from blisters, odor, or increased tenderness.

"Sister" you've already been given the advice I'd give, so I'll just say (((hugs))) and hopefully it will dry up for you.

Oh, forgot, there is one thing you can try...take a cool bath in baking soda. That seems to help with the itch too. I am very allergic to it myself.


ve

if it's really bad, you "may" have to resort to
the Doctor for a cortisone shot.
and benadryl helps.

invest in some "ivy block" wonderful stuff!

And to add to Vera's baking soda...you can also use epsom salts. I've had it BAD many, many times. Both of those will calm down the itch.

And one I always forget about...oatmeal! You can get oatmeal bath stuff.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ga.karen,

If you get the oil from Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac on your skin wash as soon as possible (within 30 minutes is best) and wash any clothing as well. For many years I have seen people suggest Fels Naptha soap, although I am not sure about that. Calamine lotion can be used to help with itching, dermitologists will tell you not to use any steroid containing product.
http://www.aad.org/skin-condit...ating-and-preventing

I feel your pain, er, itch--Sister! I don't get poison ivy, but I do get Virginia Creeper rash. It's rare that people are allergic to it, but I guess I'm just special like that! I brushed against it on Saturday and remember thinking, eek--I should go in and wash this off! Of course, I didn't, and within a day or two, noticed that very spot itching. Last time I had it, it took 5 MONTHS to clear up! Literally nothing works on it, because it doesn't have urushiol (SP?) like poison ivy, so none of the OTC medications work on it.

This time, I was smart (well, if I was smart, I'd have listed to my inner alarm in the first place! ) but I got a steroid shot at the doctor's yesterday. It's already feeling better! Good Luck with yours!!

Ugh! I just survived two rounds of it this year already. I used Tecmu when I showered and an anti-poison ivy cream, Ivarest? I think?? I think it's gone systemic on me. I don't have it now, but if I am around it and I don't even touch it, I'll get a few spots here and there where I had it before.

Nasty stuff!!

And, yeah a doctor will prescribe steriods if necessary.

You all are going to think I'm one crazy so & so. I was itching so bad last night - planned to go to the drug store today to pick up what you recommended - but last night I grabbed some clear nail polish & slathered it everywhere I had the itch. Have to say it worked. I actually reapplied some today & the itch is almost totally gone.

I've never tried the nail polish on it...I've only used that for chigger bites. I know it works on them.
Just a little dab of bleach on a cotton ball or qtip will work on skeeter bites too...and bee/wasp stings.

Cortizone-10 ointment. that should dp the job.

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