Poison Ivy

[reichenbach]

I've gotten poison ivy my life and I have it again. I was wondering, with all of the accumulated wisdom on the forum, if anyone has a sure-fire remedy for wrath of this wicked weed? I've been washing it with dish soap to clear away the oil and then swabbing it with isopropyl to help dry it. Any help or commiseration will be appreciated.

 

[crpntr1]

Don't get into it to start with :mrgreen:

 

[pstlpkr]

You might try "White Vinegar" to neutralize the poison, it works on jelly-fish stings.
If it doesn't work at least you'll smell like a pickle. :D

 

[mp31guitar]

Take an S.O.S pad and while in the shower scrub the affected area till it almost bleeds. It'll get rid of the poison and itching.

 

[irishsmoker]

I used everclear. Not fun but works very well.

 

[tbradsim1]

Take benedryl.tablets also the old cajun

 

[barkar]

Now my spelling here is likely wrong but the best stuff is "Calamine lotion" it looks like a pinky brown milky lotion that you put on and wait a bit and it dries. Will take out the itch and stop infection. Its a must have here in the Great White North but having said that I don't have any at the moment...lol....good luck

 

[baronsamedi]

One thing that always helped me, is to buy a can of the Right Guard antiperspirant spray and hose the affected area heavily. It will dry it out and keep it dry. Use Benadryl and Cortizone to deal with the itching.

 

[barkar]

I will say this just in case you didn't know...make sure you was your hands before taking a leak!! Very important.... :lol:

 

[puffy]

I had it several years ago.Ended up going to the doctor.He gave me two shots and some pills that I took for a week.Since then I stay out of the woods.

 

[lankfordjl]

Poison Ivy contains an oil (i.e. urushiol) that will attach to your skin cells. It is a totally harmless substance (not a poison at all), but to those who are hypersensitive to the oil, a rash occurs. The rash is the bodies own immune response: itching, blistering, peeling, etc. The immune reaction is termed a "contact dermatitis". It does not enter the bloodstream...only when the oil touches different areas of your skin does it result in a rash (There are many old wives tales about poison ivy.) Wash all clothes that may contain the oil, since the oil can remain on the clothes and cause a rash days later. Hydrocortisone cream is probably the best over the counter relief; generic brands work fine.

 

[reichenbach]

Ok, thanks guys. I'm not sure pouring things from kitchen is going to do anymore good. And an SOS pad, yikes MP! Benedryl and cortisone I haven't tried yet this time around and maybe spraying Right Guard will keep me from sweating in that area so it'll stop weeping. Usually I keep a bottle of Technu on hand, but I didn't think I had been exposed to it. Thanks for all of your suggestions.

 

[acme]

Richenbach,

Listen to Lankfordjl.

Other than the calamine lotion, yikes is the right word for some of the suggestion, and the calamine lotion is a long drawn out, "God, I hate this," process.
The oil binds to the skin in just a few minutes. Only washing with a strong detergent, think laundry soap, can remove the oil in the brief period before it binds. Nothing gets it off after it binds. After the oil is used up, either joined with the skin cells or removed, the active rash can not be spread through contact.
anthony

 

[jwp159]

My wife makes a past of baking soda and vinegar . She applies this to the rash 3 or 4 times a day and it seams to dry it up in just a couple days and it helps with the itch.

 

[jcsnaps]

There is a product called Poison Ivy soap, made with jewelweed, that seems to really help stop the spreading of the urushiol. You can look it up at poisonivysoap.com

 

[dochudson]

Tecnu Extreme Medicated Poison Ivy Scrub this is about as good as it gets.

btw, you don't have to be in the woods to get it. be sure to wash anything you were wearing and beware of the dog if you have one. be damn sure you don't have any in a brush fire or camping fire as it will get in your eyes and lungs from the smoke.

 

[Perique]

I'm fortunate to not be allergic- good thing because with all the poison ivy around here you would think I was raising it up as a crop. When I was a kid, the old timers always put a wad of well chewed dip on a poison ivy burn. Can't vouch form the remedy, but they still swear by it for burns and stings.

 

[latenightsmokes]

When I was younger I used to play down by the river and found it on my ankles quite often. I found a wet cloth with a little bleach cleared it up quickly. Also, I spent a lot of time in the pool which my nurse of a grandmother told me would aliviate the itch. Hope one of the many suggestions help you.

 

[reichenbach]

I was concerned because I was thought that if the blisters burst, the rash spread. So just confirming that that is not the case is the greatest peace of mind. I can deal with the itching but the ever present rash is my concern. So again, thank you for the piece of mind.
dochudson: Funny you should mention a dog because it was a dog that got me into this mess. I was having dinner at my mom's house and a deer got into her boyfriend's orchard. The dog (an adorable boarder collie named Lou Lou) took off after the deer. Mind you she has killed two deer this year by running them into fence posts but this time the deer squared up to fight. The chase continued until the dog got tired and deer laid down in some tall grass. I grabbed a baseball and started beating around trying to flush it. Eventually we got the thing out but I ended up with poison ivy. However, I will weary of the dog from now on.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[shaintiques]

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