Is their any miraculous anti itch for poison ivy that I don’t know about?

[Indigo Blue]

I’m dying. Amazon is rush delivering some calamine lotion, but half the time when I request rush, it fails me. I’m hoping so badly it comes in a few hours. I’m going to put some lavender essential oil on right now. It works great for fire ant bites, so I’m going go to try that. The hydrocortisone cream just isn’t helping. It’s so much worse at night. More new spots keep popping up and it’s been days. 

[TexasProud]

Whenever mine gets that bad, I have to get steroid shots. 

[saraha]

Benedryl cream has worked for us, we buy it at the dollar store

Edited June 26, 2022 by saraha

[prairiewindmomma]

Technu is the best wash to make sure all of the oil is removed from you and the clothing. Technu Extreme helps with the rash and itching but you can’t use it if you have already used hydrocortisone because hydrocortisone thins the skin.

[Acorn]

You might consider  if it might be time for a steroid shot. I say that but I’ve never taken my own advice. I did deliver my dh to his doctor for one once. The doctor look at his half body rash, said woah, I bet your wife thinks you should have been here sooner.

[Indigo Blue]

Well, at least the calamine lotion has arrived! It made it!

[Indigo Blue]

Interesting….I never knew calamine lotion contains lavender and rosemary oil.

[Scarlett]

1 minute ago, Indigo Blue said:

Well, at least the calamine lotion has arrived! It made it!

Definitely go to urgent care and get a shot.  If you can’t do that then you just have to reapply very very often until it dries up.  
I have never had poison Ivy but have dealt with plenty of family who has.  

[TexasProud]

Just now, Scarlett said:

Definitely go to urgent care and get a shot.  If you can’t do that then you just have to reapply very very often until it dries up.  
I have never had poison Ivy but have dealt with plenty of family who has.  

Yeah, once the cortisone and benadryl quit working, there isn't really any other choice.

[jen3kids]

Domeboro medicated soaks.  Amazing relief!

[retiredHSmom]

from health central.com

This was very successful for me when I had poison ivy.

A hot bath or shower often produces relief in that heat releases histamine, the substance in the skin that causes intense itching. Therefore, a hot shower will cause intense itching as the histamine is being released. The heat should be gradually increased to the maximum tolerable and continued until the itching subsides. This process will deplete the cells of histamine, and the patient will obtain up to 8 hours of relief from itching.

[MercyA]

I am super allergic to poison ivy. It ranks right up there with kidney stones and childbirth for me. My best tips:

1. Take a combination of Zyretc and Benadryl around the clock, unless the Benadryl keeps you up.

2. Calamine lotion never worked for me. Rhuli gel is the best. It's clear and has camphor and menthol in it. Sometimes I also use a clear Benadryl gel, but I can't use it at night or it keeps me up. (Truly! It absorbs through the skin.)

3. Stay as cool as possible. Air conditioning, cotton clothes.

4. I'll join the chorus--go get a steroid shot. 

5. Change your sheets, pillowcases, towels often. I know they say you can't "recatch" it from the seeping sores and that when you do recatch it it's from residual oils. I don't believe them. 😉 It's happened too many times after I've scrubbed very well. 

Hope you feel better soon. Hugs to you.

Edited June 26, 2022 by MercyA

[MercyA]

8 minutes ago, jen3kids said:

Domeboro medicated soaks.  Amazing relief!

Yes. These are great. I just don't see them around a lot anymore.

[MercyA]

8 minutes ago, retiredHSmom said:

from health central.com

This was very successful for me when I had poison ivy.

A hot bath or shower often produces relief in that heat releases histamine, the substance in the skin that causes intense itching. Therefore, a hot shower will cause intense itching as the histamine is being released. The heat should be gradually increased to the maximum tolerable and continued until the itching subsides. This process will deplete the cells of histamine, and the patient will obtain up to 8 hours of relief from itching.

I have done this when truly desperate, followed by cold water. It does work for a little while. I've never had it work for 8 hours. 

[cintinative]

17 minutes ago, jen3kids said:

Domeboro medicated soaks.  Amazing relief!

I second this, although I have not used it for poison ivy. it really helped for chiggers

[EKS]

If poison ivy works the same way as poison oak, a short course of prednisone will fix you right up.

Edited June 26, 2022 by EKS

[mominco]

 Here is a link https://www.dirtdoctor.com/garden/Ivy-Poison_vq2680.htm

I hope something on that page helps,lots of suggestions,

[kristin0713]

prednisone 

OTC - soap or lotion with jewelweed 

[Ottakee]

4 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

prednisone 

OTC - soap or lotion with jewelweed 

I was going to suggest jewelers if someone can find it for you.  My friend said you just tear open the stem and apply or make a tea with it to apply with a. Wash cloth

[4everHis]

Ivarest, calamine, staying away from heat. 

[Indigo Blue]

Thanks!!! The calamine is helping for now. I will try the hot water. I’ll go to doctor soon if needed. It’s very itchy, but it could be much worse. 

[retiredHSmom]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

I have done this when truly desperate, followed by cold water. It does work for a little while. I've never had it work for 8 hours. 

It worked for me for about two hours at a stretch. I had poison ivy from hip to ankle all the way around both legs and from wrist to shoulder all the way around both arms.

 

(We lost fourteen trees in our back yard during a hurricane.  We cut them all into logs to drag out to the front for pickup. My husband conceived of the idea of clearing the mud off them with a power washer. The sprayback that I spent the day washed in contained poison ivy oils)

Edited June 26, 2022 by retiredHSmom
fat finger typing

[KungFuPanda]

Have you tried hot water?  What you do is soak the area (in a basin or under a running tap) in water as hot as you can stand.  You can start with warm and gradually add heat until its as hot as you can take it.  Soak there for a few minutes.  Your going to go through some trauma.  You may even get mildly confused when there are moments of euphoria.  It's both horrible and amazing at the same time.  I can't explain it.  Do this for as long as you reasonably can.  I forget the science, but something about the poison ivy releasing histamine and the hot water releasing histamine and the combination of the two exhausting that histamine response and giving you a few blessed hours of relief.  If it's my arms, I do this in a stopped up sink.  If it's my ankles, I use the tub spigot.  Either way I start very warm and gradually crank up the heat.  If the water in your house is set so that it doesn't get that hot, you may need to use a sink and a tea kettle to gradually and very carefully bring up the temperature.

[math teacher]

3 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

I’m dying. Amazon is rush delivering some calamine lotion, but half the time when I request rush, it fails me. I’m hoping so badly it comes in a few hours. I’m going to put some lavender essential oil on right now. It works great for fire ant bites, so I’m going go to try that. The hydrocortisone cream just isn’t helping. It’s so much worse at night. More new spots keep popping up and it’s been days. 

I have used Caladryl, which is calamine with benadryl, but not sure if it's still around. Hope you get relief soon.

[Indigo Blue]

41 minutes ago, retiredHSmom said:

It worked for me for about two hours at a stretch. I had poison ivy from hip to ankle all the way around both legs and from wrist to shoulder all the way around both arms.

 

(We lost fourteen trees in our back yard during a hurricane.  We cut them all into logs to drag out to the front for pickup. My husband conceived of the idea of clearing the mud off them with a power washer. The sprayback that I spent the day washed in contained poison ivy oils)

Oh how miserable. 
 

When I was 15 or so, I pulled off the vines growing up the side of our metal shed. I thought they were ugly and wanted to neaten things up. I didn’t know it was poison ivy. I carried them in my arms and got rid of them. I got it all over, even in my arm pits. I had to register for classes that week in a hot gymnasium with no air conditioning, standing in long lines. (Back in the 80’s). I don’t have any memory of having gone to the doctor. If I did, I don’t remember. 
 

That may have been the most miserable I’ve ever been. 😬

[itsheresomewhere]

DH is severely allergic to it.  Wiping the skin soon after discovering your exposure with vodka stops it.  It can be done within 24 hours of exposure.  He appreciates the urgent care doctor who told him this.  It so far has kept him off steroids when he is exposed. 

[Lucy the Valiant]

Zanfel. $$$ but it works.

And Tecnu, best if you can use soap ASAP and then the spray.

[fairfarmhand]

3 hours ago, MercyA said:

I am super allergic to poison ivy. It ranks right up there with kidney stones and childbirth for me. My best tips:

1. Take a combination of Zyretc and Benadryl around the clock, unless the Benadryl keeps you up.

2. Calamine lotion never worked for me. Rhuli gel is the best. It's clear and has camphor and menthol in it. Sometimes I also use a clear Benadryl gel, but I can't use it at night or it keeps me up. (Truly! It absorbs through the skin.)

3. Stay as cool as possible. Air conditioning, cotton clothes.

4. I'll join the chorus--go get a steroid shot. 

5. Change your sheets, pillowcases, towels often. I know they say you can't "recatch" it from the seeping sores and that when you do recatch it it's from residual oils. I don't believe them. 😉 It's happened too many times after I've scrubbed very well. 

Hope you feel better soon. Hugs to you.

My dh has a systemic reaction. Even though his spots don’t get weeping sores and I’ve changed sheets and everything he will continue to break out for 2-3 weeks in spots all over his body. He’s terribly allergic to it and needs steroids to recover from exposure 

[Paige]

When I get it they give me 2 shots in the butt (prednisone), plus a prednisone prescription and zantac+zyrtec by mouth. It really helps. If you don't want the shots, you could just try zantac and zyrtec OTC- you need to take both for the best results. I'm pretty sure they give me higher doses than OTC but it may be overkill. I break out pretty badly.

[Amy Gen]

It is crazy, but putting your blow dryer on hot, and hitting the rash with the hot air feels really good. 

[Matryoshka]

2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Have you tried hot water?  What you do is soak the area (in a basin or under a running tap) in water as hot as you can stand.  You can start with warm and gradually add heat until its as hot as you can take it.  Soak there for a few minutes.  Your going to go through some trauma.  You may even get mildly confused when there are moments of euphoria.  It's both horrible and amazing at the same time.  I can't explain it.  Do this for as long as you reasonably can.  I forget the science, but something about the poison ivy releasing histamine and the hot water releasing histamine and the combination of the two exhausting that histamine response and giving you a few blessed hours of relief.  If it's my arms, I do this in a stopped up sink.  If it's my ankles, I use the tub spigot.  Either way I start very warm and gradually crank up the heat.  If the water in your house is set so that it doesn't get that hot, you may need to use a sink and a tea kettle to gradually and very carefully bring up the temperature.

This. It's like freaking magic and lasts for hours and hours. More effective than any cream or lotion I've ever tried.

[fairfarmhand]

I’ve been known to put my poison it rashes on the hot black trim in my car (like when you first get in the car and it hasn’t cooled down yet) and roast it. It really does help.

[kbutton]

On 6/26/2022 at 6:10 PM, math teacher said:

I have used Caladryl, which is calamine with benadryl, but not sure if it's still around. Hope you get relief soon.

We like this too.

I think that tea tree oil soap helps a bit--a relatively mild one like Soap Works.

On 6/26/2022 at 6:57 PM, fairfarmhand said:

My dh has a systemic reaction. Even though his spots don’t get weeping sores and I’ve changed sheets and everything he will continue to break out for 2-3 weeks in spots all over his body. He’s terribly allergic to it and needs steroids to recover from exposure 

DH was like this for years, and then he stopped breaking out. He would get what looked like honey crusted lesions over entire limbs. It was awful.

He's generally okay now. 

[J-rap]

I haven't had poison ivy, but I've had a terrible case of poison oak.  I as able to get prescription pill for it (sorry, can't remember what it was), but what really helped was swimming in the ocean!  This was when I lived in California.  It made me wonder if a salt bath would work just as well.

[maize]

On 6/26/2022 at 1:46 PM, retiredHSmom said:

from health central.com

This was very successful for me when I had poison ivy.

A hot bath or shower often produces relief in that heat releases histamine, the substance in the skin that causes intense itching. Therefore, a hot shower will cause intense itching as the histamine is being released. The heat should be gradually increased to the maximum tolerable and continued until the itching subsides. This process will deplete the cells of histamine, and the patient will obtain up to 8 hours of relief from itching.

I'm so glad to have this explanation!

I hit on this by chance years ago as a way of dealing with mosquito bites and other itches, and it works really well. Awful itching while under the hot water, but immediate relief after.

A washcloth dipped in hot water can work for small areas that are hard to immerse.

[Matryoshka]

31 minutes ago, maize said:

I'm so glad to have this explanation!

I hit on this by chance years ago as a way of dealing with mosquito bites and other itches, and it works really well. Awful itching while under the hot water, but immediate relief after.

A washcloth dipped in hot water can work for small areas that are hard to immerse.

I first discovered this when I had an all over itchy rash when I was preggo with twins.  I'd jump in a super-hot shower. The magic hot water works for all/most itchy rashes (the histamine release makes perfect sense).

It actually itches more while it's under the hot water, but then blessed relief!

Edited June 28, 2022 by Matryoshka