Posted: 4/4/2005 6:09:21 PM EDT
I worked in the back of the house last Wednesday and got into some nasty poison oak. I was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt and got completely covered. (Should have worn pants and a long sleeve) It is itching like crazy and I've tried cortisone creams and lotions, but it seems to still be spreading. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to get a shot to help me get rid of it. Anybody know any home remedies to help dry this crap up?!! 
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dont itch it.. the urishoil from the plant if on your cloths will keep active for over a year.. boil them.. the cortizone shot is bad for you the doctor gives.. but if your highly alergic, then you may not have much choice.. you will have a fun ride for up two 2 weeks with this crap.. DONT SCRATCH IT !!  ETA: keep it dry too.. try not to perspire... GOOD LUCK |
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Tecnu works very well, but only if you use it before the rash develops. I used a product called Zanfel that took care of it after the rash developed. I don;t know whats in it but its almost like lava soap. Feels like pure heaven on the rash. Its expensive but worth every penny, you can get it at eckerds. |
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Hubby swears by: www.zanfel.com/ PS, he says whatever you do, be sure to wash your hands well before using the bathroom. Don't want to get it on your........ |
| Eat oat meal, any flavor, as much as you can stand, it helps detoxify. Take a super hot bath with epsom salt. it will raise the effected area to the second stage of healing, the dreaded little blister. literaly while in the bath scrubb the blisters with a green scratch pad, and then apply a drying agent like calimine. wear long sleeves and sweats to bed. lo not let the wet blisters weep on other parts of your body. Wash literally four times a day. and keep the kalimine handy. Wash your hands!!! What you have is a chemical burn... The blisters are trying to repell the toxin burning you. mop it up as you weep it out, and it will not spread. Your shoe laces need to be baby powdered, along with any gloves or unwashed clothing. I am very alegic to this stuff, and I dread it. |
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Urushiol sap is extremly potent. You have to get at it quickly with soap to wash it off before it penetrates your skin. After that www.sumactin.com/ Lava soap is good because it also exfoliates. Dawn dish washing liquid is great at removing the urusiol sap too. Time is the key. |
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Technu is the answer right after exposure. Works like a charm. Also, after a couple of days you can relieve the itching by taking really hot baths/showers--as hot as you can stand them. It will itch like crazy for about 30 seconds, then it will feel much better for about 1 hour. Between that and cortizone cream I was able to save my sanity. I wouldn't do it for at least two or three days after exposure to get all the urishiol out of your skin. |
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Dude, I'm going to give you an answer that might sound strange but trust me, I've been riding and racing mountain bikes for 21 years now and I've had it all. It's well known in the mountain bike community that Monistat works wonders for Poison Ivy & Poison Oak. I generally use the 7 day stuff but the 3 day stuff seemed to work great when I had it last summer. |
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Benadryl will help the symptoms. Go to a health food store or call and tell them what you want. There are several products, one is Rhustox, another by Hyland is Poison Ivy/Oak. They have small amounts of RHUS adn HPUS toxins that will help you within hours and you will be much better by next day. These really work, my wife and friend at work get it really bad. I have only had one problem once, I took the latter and it never spread after I noticed it and was dried up the next morning. My friend at work gives the first out to any body that he hears about having a problem. These are like a small sugar pill with the medicine it it. Jay |
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Ps. I had to find the bottle to remember the name, you should be able to find a remedy at a health food store that does not cost much, no side effects, and they normally work very fast. Let me know if you try it an how it works. The lotions dont help my wife very much. Please dont scratch it and rub your eyes. You will be miserable. |
From what I've read, no. Seems like it should though. |
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My wife, a Girl Scout leader, is the expert on this, LOTS of experience (personal, and girls on campouts): 1) NO HOT BATHS!!! Bath with cool water. 2) Don't scratch, you can spread it, get it infected. 3) Caladryl lotion (Calamine and Benedryl) helps. 4) Follow up with a trip to the doctor. He'll probably give you a shot of cortisone. 5) Good luck! ---- Edited to add: Any clothes (and bath towels) you wore when you got it need to be washed in warm (warmest you can use) soapy water. |
| www.zanfel.com/ is your friend. Used just after exposure it will wash it away before it spreads. At $40 a tube ...expensive but worth it. If your already at the blister stage just go to the doctor and get it over with. Ivy Guard works well if you know your gonna be in the stuff before hand as does Tecnu. |
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My wife (The Girl Scout Cookie Queen) says go to this site: pediatrics.about.com/cs/conditions/a/poison_ivy.htm pediatrics.about.com/cs/conditions/a/poison_ivy_2.htm |
+1000 for Zanfel. It works, and I've used everything under the sun....without success. It's worth the price. |
| I worked briefly in Grass Valley CA. The poison oak is amazing there. If you get desperate enough call around there to find the pharmacist who compounds a special ointment for it. I was told about it by guys who work in the area and it should be easy to track it down. |
I have spread pi,po, ps by taking a hot bath or shower. It seems better if you talk a cool shower with Technu even after blistering. The area generally looks better almost imediately. I dont think it is a burn. Your body is reacting to the chemical in the plant. The blister are your bodies reaction to the chemical. Anti-histimanes (sp) can greatly reduce the reaction. |
bite your tonuge - Its what I used when in the army - do not do this....very bad. If I recall the blisters are NOT what causes it to spread, but rather the plant oils left on clothing/hands/or affected skin. Make sure to wash those areas and clothes extremely well- then do it again. And then rinse lather, repeat. Got it on my face once- no good- steroids worked wonders!! hmmm shoulda joined MLB... |
| I got in on my jimmy twice. Both times had to get a shot. The seond time I showed the doc my leg 20% covered. She said she wouldn't give me a shot unless in was on my face or groin. I asked her if she really needed to see it. She thought for a second, said no, and when to get the needle. |
Make sure you wash your hands well before applying lotion or ivy block. I have spread the stuff by putting on my boots and then applying sun block. It's great way to spread that stuff over a large portion of your body quickly. |
Well my wife went to Walgreens and got me some Oatmeal bath stuff, seems to have been pretty effective. I don't feel like I'm going to go crazy now from the itch. I have also been taking benedryl, using calamine lotion. I think all combined, it is starting to help. Also, + 1 on the super hot bath or shower. Feels great on the affected parts and helps relieve the itch.  Hopefully I'm on the downhill now. Poison Oak/Ivy is the DEVIL!!!!! 
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