My husband is covered (and in the most unfortunate of places) in poison ivy. It's in between his fingers and under his arms and down his legs. It's awful.
What do you guys recommend for help with the poison ivy? He is miserable. We are giving him benedry, calamine lotion, and hydrocortisone cream.
Anything else you can think of?
Thanks!
Thanks, Ladies.
I am trying to convince him to go to the Dr. for a steroid shot, even if it means the ER this weekend. Poor guy, he's laying naked in the middle of the bed with the ceiling fan on full blast. He's such a man, though. Even if he were bleeding from his eyeballs I'd still have to drag him to the Dr kicking and screaming.
If it's that bad (and he is really allergic) he should see a doctor for steroids. I tried everything before I did that last year (I had some on my hand and arm) and finally gave up and went to the doctor and the steroid cream and pills they gave me cleared it up in days. Nothing else worked for me. The itching was horrible and painful. Home remedies didn't even lessen it a bit for me.
When poison ivy is all over or any is on his face the doctor will prescribe Prednisone tablets for 10 days. It feels much better about 2 days later. In the mean time there is a gel CVS makes a copy off called Calohist lotion or simply "anti itch lotion", it is similar to Caladryl clear. You can slather than on since it is so liquid, not need to rub. Also, my doctor advised 2 oral benadryl around the clock as often as you are allowed on the label. The Prednisone made it hard for me to fall asleep so at night the doctor advised 2 Benadryl taken with a beer, it did the trick! Be careful in the future. when you have had such a reaction once, it may be that like me he is "systemically allergic". This means I can touch the plant with my big toe and no where else and still get it all over my body. Good luck.
My husband is hyper sensitive to poison oak/ivy, and we've discovered a skin cleaner called TECNU that does a fabulous job of removing the residual toxins from the skin even after the rash has set in. You rub the Tecnu in thoroughly and then rinse/shower it away.
This will seriously shorten the breakout – healing will start as soon as the botanical oil is out of his skin, and the itching and burning will stop right away. The only place he will have to avoid is anywhere that the skin is broken by the rash, unfortunately, but he can work carefully right up to those patches.
Tecnu is available in many larger drug stores.
Calamine SPRAY gets in the itchies better. Band Aid makes one- the can is white and green.
he needs to get a prednisone prescription if its that bad - you can go to a CVS minute clinic on Sundays and they can prescribe it.
My doctor gave me prescription cream and presc pills to calm the itch
There is some spendy cream that is on the market, that you should be able to pick up at a pharmacy/Target type store.
Or, go to a clinic. There are prescription steroids that can help. I had it on my face in July. There are prescription meds, and most of that other stuff doesn't touch it. I also found an online "remedy" that involves rubbing a baking soda and vinegar concoction on it then rinsing. Mine was much better after I used it, but I don't know if there was any direct relation. Do some online research on home remedies... you can probably find it.
I feel his pain!
I had a HORRIBLE case of poison ivy several years back and took QUERCITIN, which is an herbal for allergies and asthma. Poison Ivy is an allergic reaction. THIS STUFF WORKS. I didn't itch at ALL when I took it, therefore, I wasn't scratching and spreading. I knew exactly when it wore off and it was time to take more.
If there are open places, spray them w/ hairspray. The oxygen is what makes it itch. The hairspray seals it (and the alcohol from the hairspray helps dry it) and again, you don't itch quite as much. Cover what you can to help spread and help the itch.
burts bees poison ivy soap. it's AMAZING.
I am terribly allergic to poison ivy and I seem to get it every year. What I do is take an oatmeal bath. Aveeno has a powder called soothing oatmeal soak, but what you can also do is cut the leg off an old pair of pantyhose, fill it with oatmeal (not the instant kind) tie the end shut. Put it in the tub and run warm (NOT hot) water to fill the tub. Squeeze the oatmeal bag every once in awhile and let it soak in the water like a tea bag.The water will look white and very milky) Have your husband soak as long as he wants. Not only does this help with the itching but also dries it up! Good luck!
Seems like I have heard that washing with Fels-Naptha soap is good for it, but I have never tried it. (I am lucky to never have gotten poison ivy).
Walmart has an off-brand Anti-Itch cream. It's sold in a tube (in a box)... Pretty sure it's white and blue. It's actually just called anti-itch cream. It's only like $2 but OMG does it work like a friggin champ on poison ivy! My grandma had accidentally inhaled poison ivy a couple years ago and it got into her blood steam. Now if she even hears the words poison ivy she breaks out head to toe. Over everything the doctors gave her for the itching etc, this silly $2 off brand stuff helped the most with itching. Good luck!
If he has been doing the benadryll and cortisone creme and he is as covered as you say it is time to call the dr or go to the urgent care and get a perscripton drug. My husband got a bad exposure last year and after a couple of days it was still spreading. I dragged him into the urgent care and they basically told me that I had done the right thing that nothing but a perscription at that point would have worked. They also told me that he was probably the 2nd worse case they had ever seen. But if more than about 20% of his body is covered get him to a doctor.
