Poison Ivy Help?!?!?!

My son is very allergic to poison ivy and the only thing that really clears his up is ivarest. It is an over the counter medication found near the calamine lotion. The best part is you will see a noticable difference immediately.

H.,

I am so sorry to hear about you and the weed wacker not seeing eye to eye. LOL. I keep Burts Bees Poison Ivy Bar Soap on hand when we go into the woods. This stuff is really great. You can get it at most grocery stores i.e. Central Market, Whole Foods.

I hope that you will find something that helps you out and cures your poison ivy.

Dene' H.

H.,

My 16 year old son just had poison ivy for the first time. While it somewhat responded to a topical medication called Zanfel, it became systemic because of a scratch on his wrist and invaded much of his body. He was so miserable (and this is an accident prone kid who can handle more pain than anyone can imagine!) that he finally asked to see our pediatrician . The doctor gave him a fairly potent series of steroids due to the severity of the rash. While there were some side-effects from the steroids, mainly becoming over-heated -- which our pediatrician had prepared him for and told him what to do -- the poison ivy responded beautifully. However, my son will probably have some scarring on the worst place on his wrist where the cut was orginally and the poison ivy enter his system.

So, a very long story to say -- you might want to visit your doctor.

Take care,
R.

I have two words for you: Rhus Toxicodendron

You can go to Sprouts in Flower Mound or Abundant Life in Lewisville or The Cupboard Natural Foods in Denton. They will all have it in their homeopathic section. Homeopathy works by teaching your body how to heal itself - there's no side effects. Rhus Toxicodendron is actually made from poison ivy so it prompts the healing response. I use only homeopathy and natural cures with my children. Good luck! (oh and oatmeal baths help too!)

H.,

My husband was very outdoorsy growing up and he was really allergic to poison ivy and oak. One time he got poison sumac and both of his eyes swelled shut. Anyway, he got it like five or six times in a two year span and then never got it again. I guess his immune system built up an immunity to it. Anyway, he says he swears by chlorine. He said a swimming pool will help, but that the BEST thing you can do (I know it sucks because it's summer time) is to find a hot tub. He said the combination of the heat and the chlorine will kill it off faster. The last two times he got it, he was able to do this and it went away in just a few days. It will turn purple and start to dry up. You can also try a bath in like apple vinegar...that helps a little but you will smell pretty strong for a few days. The best would be to find a hot tub asap. You don't need drugs etc...Hope that helps!!!

Provided your skin is not broken from scratching, the easiest way to dry up poison ivy is by using rubbing alcohol. Simply use a cotton ball with a good amount of isopropyl alcohol and cover the area. I usually let it air dry (careful not to touch it and spread the oil to other areas). You will probably need to do it a few times since you say it has spread. Forget creams or topical ointments and Benadryl will only work for mild itching. You need to dry up the area and this is the fastest way to do it. If your skin is broken, I would be cautious of using the alcohol because it will hurt! I had poison ivy for the first time in my life last fall and using alcohol dried it up in 2 days. Hope this helps!

Hi H., Yes, I have a great remedy for you. Melaleuca oil!(Tea Tree oil)Make sure you get a really good quality one. It will literally dry it up and heal it ASAP! Let me know if you have any other questions and hope it heals quickly for you! Blessings, J.

I truely feel your pain! I am recovering from my first case of poison ivy as well. The thing that helped me the most was the steroid pack I got from my doctor. I actually went through 2 of them. As soon as I finished the first it came back and spread even more... not fun. Another product I used besides calamine lotion was something called Rusto lotion. It was extremely hard to find but you can purchase it online. www.hmedicine.com or www.homeopathyworks.com. My Mom told me about it and I got it from a pharmacy in the small town in Oklahoma where she lives. It doesn't smell real great but it seemed to help dry it up as well as with the itch. I've also heard warm baths offer some relief but I know with kids that's sometimes hard to do. Hang in there... I know it will seem live forever but it will eventually go away.

I am allergic - the best topical medication is Benedryl's Itch Stopping Gel. Be sure to get the Gel (not cream).

Unfortunately, if you are that allergic, you may need a cortizone (sp?) shot. My husband is severely allergic and, when he gets it, it is really bad unless he gets a shot. Once you get the shot, it clears up really quickly. Good luck!

I got poison oak about 2 weeks ago, and it got so bad that I ended up going to the Doctor. I tried the caladryl route, but it didn't seem to work much and it was getting so gross looking. He prescribed some cream, pills for itching (Hyrdroxyzine), and another pill for the infection (Prednisone). The pill for the infection worked wonders and it finally dried up.

Good luck.
C.

H.,
I am so sorry about this! Wow.

You have great treatment advice- I am just going to add a bit of information:
Put on gloves and remove your shoelaces (if you had any) and make sure you wash them w/ the clothes. The oils from poison ivy can stay on those so you will get re-exposed every time you touch them.

You can purchase some citrus anti-grease hand scrub from the automotive section of walmart. Make sure it is for the removal of grease. Anytime you MAY have been exposed to poison ivy wash really well with that- it will absorb the oils and hopefully keep it from spreading.

Good luck- heal quickly!

You need some oral prednisone ASAP! If it is as bad as you say it is, there is not much to do over the counter. Domborough soaks can help "dry it up" but once the body starts making rash, it likes to continue to make rash..... I can work you in tomorrow at the office if you like. Please see the web site at
northdallasderm.com

It has been a few days now, but I wanted to thank you for your question. I broke out with that itchy rash on Tuesday and wanted to try over the counter things first before I gave into the shot or prednisone prescription. I usually get 1 or 2 cases of poison ivy per year that require a shot. The Ivarest was good and benadryl at night was helpful. Rash is not gone yet but the itching is subsiding. I have not needed the prescriptions. Thanks again to the moms!

I was just catching up on my email and saw your post. You were asking about a home remedy. The idea is to dry out the area as much as possible. You can purchase ivy dry, which is a spray you can by at your local pharmacy. It can sometimes help. It has tannic acid in it or at least it use to. This is the same tannic acid that is in tea. You use to be able to get tannic acid at a pharmacy in dry form, but I don't know if you can get it anymore. You would probably be able to find it, only at a pharmacy that mixes medicines on site. My dad would mix tannic acid and white vinegar together into a paste and put it on the area. My dad was highly allergic to it. He lost his voice one time, when he had it. A pharmacist gave him the remedy. If you can't find tannic acid, you can still use white vinegar to help dry it out. Put some on a cotton ball and dab it on the area. Wash your hands after touching the area and make sure and wash your clothes after wearing them, so you don't reinfect the area or any other area.