I've been lucky enough to avoid the stuff so far but some of the more sensitive/prone to finding poison ivy folk on my crew this summer highly recommended TechNu.
It'll help stop the rash from spreading and may reduce the outbreak although I'd go with what somebody else suggested and take an antihistimine and cortisone.
I do believe you need to use something special to get the oils off your skin so it doesn't spread, I may be remembering tomato juice or something like that...? a food item, I'm sure..
My favorite stuff for any itch is called Ivarest, it's mentholated, it's available in most pharmacies, and works on those itches that have no right to be so itchy. ;)
If you mix oatmeal and baking soda to form a thick paste, and place it on the areas affected, it will help dry out the blisters and take away a bit of the itch... also, rotating this with ice packs helps draw blood away from the affected area and takes away swelling, etc.
Calagel is cheap and you can find it at any drug store or target,walmart,etc. It's a clear gel (unlike the pink) and helps to take away the itch. I recommend this highly. Also take some benedryl. Benedryl takes away the histamines and will also reduce the itch immensely until you can visit a doctor.
I hope this helps (I've been in the ER twice for poision ivy, and have had it probably 8+ times since January -including right now- in addition to poison sumac, so I totally feel your pain). The doctor will probably give you steroids or a strong antihistamine, and a topical for the itch, but sometimes these cost a lot, so if you get it in the future and it's not insanely bad, the Calagel and Benedryl combo help a lot!
** i should add that the oatmeal/baking soda paste is best with warm water... any oatmeal works (plain of course) and helps to soothe if it's lukewarm and thick enough to stay on the skin without dripping.
it's not particularly 'natural'... but chlorine is really what's going to dry out the blisters and help the rash. Go swimming in a public pool if you can... or, not around your face, of course, but on your less sensetive areas, put a little bleach on a q-tip and rub it on for a second... it will start to sting, then wash it off. Repeat that a few times a day and you'll find it gone in no time at all. I once got poison ivy so bad that I ate through a straw and was on steroid shots so I've learned how *not* to have it spread since.
bleach can irritate some people and cause infection, not to mention scars. i have coworkers who used this method and have scars pretty bad (they also used to put out their cigarettes on their poison ivy - not recommended much either)...
I've always caught it very quickly since that one really bad time and now find a public pool (like at the YMCA) is the best thing for it... you *do* have to be REALLY careful with the bleach, but it's all I've found to keep my contact dermatitis at bay if I don't have a pool handy... and I take a wee bit of bleach on camping trips for that reason now, too. Better that than steroid shots ever again!
yeah, in moderation i assume bleach probably works pretty well... and the pool thing is a good idea too - i'll have to remember that! though i think when it's a large area of skin affected, it's best not to bleach yourself out like michael jackson lol. i was tempted to do *anything* this past month to ease my poison sumac on the entire length of the back of my right leg, but even without doing anything but calamine lotion, it looks like i had third degree burns after it's healed. all those poison plants are the devil for archaeologists.
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It's allah 'bout the armchair anthropology.
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http://www.teclabsinc.com/pro_tecnu.html
It'll help stop the rash from spreading and may reduce the outbreak although I'd go with what somebody else suggested and take an antihistimine and cortisone.
Reply
My favorite stuff for any itch is called Ivarest, it's mentholated, it's available in most pharmacies, and works on those itches that have no right to be so itchy. ;)
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Calagel is cheap and you can find it at any drug store or target,walmart,etc. It's a clear gel (unlike the pink) and helps to take away the itch. I recommend this highly. Also take some benedryl. Benedryl takes away the histamines and will also reduce the itch immensely until you can visit a doctor.
I hope this helps (I've been in the ER twice for poision ivy, and have had it probably 8+ times since January -including right now- in addition to poison sumac, so I totally feel your pain). The doctor will probably give you steroids or a strong antihistamine, and a topical for the itch, but sometimes these cost a lot, so if you get it in the future and it's not insanely bad, the Calagel and Benedryl combo help a lot!
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Good luck!!!
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I've always caught it very quickly since that one really bad time and now find a public pool (like at the YMCA) is the best thing for it... you *do* have to be REALLY careful with the bleach, but it's all I've found to keep my contact dermatitis at bay if I don't have a pool handy... and I take a wee bit of bleach on camping trips for that reason now, too. Better that than steroid shots ever again!
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