DUers allergic to poison ivy--

[lastlib]

What are your go-to remedies/treatments for the rash?

I got a nasty case of it on my arm a few days ago, even after taking all kinds of precautions. (My last case put me in the hospital for six days--CANNOT do that again!) I have tried calamine lotion, rubbing alcohol, dish soap, oatmeal bath, Benadryl, OTC remedies--the whole gamut. Still have the rash, it won't go away. What other suggestions do you have for it?

[mercuryblues]

1. go to a Dr

and get a prescription

[Tetrachloride]

2. A LOT of calamine.

[a kennedy]

3. Wow, six days in the hospital? Yikes......

I just got a prescription cream from a dermatologist in the urgent care dept of our clinic. Sorry, don’t know the name as I gave it to a neighbor who had it as well. Sorry, not very helpful, but hope folks here can help.

[EYESORE 9001]

4. I would try diluted essential oils

https://www.healthline.com/health/essential-oil-for-poison-ivy#methods

I’m not allergic, but I have family who are. My granddaughter’s rash got better using tea tree oil. I can’t imagine a doctor complaining about that, especially when it’s diluted.

[lastlib]

5. thanks! I'll look into it!

[EYESORE 9001]

8. Dilute! Dilute!

Sorry, I’ve read the entire label on bottles of Dr. Bronner’s soap

[wnylib]

9. Have you tried over the counter hydrocortisone cream?

I use it for skin allergies.

The reaction that people get to poison ivy is an allergic one. Ironically, although there are umpteen substances that I am allergic to, poison ivy is not one of them.

[ProfessorGAC]

41. If The Rash Is Bad...

...you may been prescription strength corticosteroid cream.
I've only had PI one time. Pretty mild case.
BTW: everyone is likely sensitive to poison ivy. Catechols are sensitizers, meaning the more one is exposed the less it takes to get a reaction. Or, at equal exposure worse outcomes.
Even for those of us not terribly sensitive, it's still possible to get a case of the rash.
You don't have to be allergic to it. In fact, much more often it's just a reaction to the chemical.
Obviously, it's worse if you have allergies to catechols or related compounds.

[wnylib]

44. I did not know for many years what

poison ivy looked like. Although I grew up in a city, I spent a lot of time in my childhood in the countryside visiting rural relatives like my grandfather's farm, which included a woods and creek, and my uncle's 10 acre home which also included a woods and creek.

I freely roamed through the woods on my way to creek beds to collect fossils, check out petrified tree trunks, and hunt for arrow and spear heads. Never got a poison ivy rash, although both my grandfather and uncle advised me that it grew in the areas I explored.

As an adult, I was helping my husband's aunt pick some blueberries on her farm. I was wearing shorts and acshort sleeved T shirt. She called out to me that I was standing in the middle of a poison ivy patch. I had been walking through it, exposing my arms and legs. I still did not know how to identify it compared to other wild plants. His aunt told me to go inside, take a shower, and she would put my clothes through the washer and dryer.

I did not take her advice. I wanted to finish berry picking first. When I finished, my husband and I took some of the berries home with us. It was hours after my exposure before I showered and changed clothes at home.

Never got a rash or any reaction to the poison ivy.

OTOH, if I just walk past a hemlock bush/tree too closely, I break out in an itchy rash. Same if I walk across grass with legs and feet exposed in spring when grasses are pollenating. When poplar trees release their fluffy white pollen into the air, I get serious asthma attacks. When tested with pollens by an allergist, I went into anaphylaxis in the office and needed epinephrine shots.

But I can walk barefoot and bare legged through poison ivy with no reaction.

[ProfessorGAC]

45. Not Everyone Is Susceptible

At least in early exposures. But, a sensitizing chemical will get all of us if we get exposed enough times.
One other note: catechols are soluble in water. Wet poison ivy, therefore, is more of a problem than dry, as the transfer from the leaves to our skin is way more efficient than when it's in a crystalline state.
So, even for those less susceptible, staying away from wet PI is a very good idea.

[wnylib]

49. According to Wikipedia,

the reaction to poison ivy is allergenic, caused by the urushiol in the plant. About 15% to 25 % of people do not get a reaction to it.

Because of my numerous allergies, I'm aware of how allergic reactions work. I know that it takes more than one exposure to develop an allergic reaction to a substance. I know that repeated exposures to something can result in an allergy eventually, when the immune system has identified the substance's protein structure.

I do not seek out poison ivy. But I am in my 70s now and have been exposed to it numerous times before I learned to recognize it. I guess it is still possible to develop an allergic reaction to it this late in my life, but, although I do not seek it out, I do not worry much about it after all these years.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_ivy

[sl8]

53. But the urushiol isn't soluble in water, so how does that work?

That's one of the issues with getting it off your skin, you need to use a good soap/detergent and scrub to get it off.

Not contradicting what you're saying about catechols, because I hadn't even heard of them until now.

[ProfessorGAC]

54. I Misspoke

A C15 catechol is not soluble in water. Only the catechols with a shorter substitution chain are.
My error.
The small chains like methyl or ethyl aryl diol crystallize, as the phenyl diol is the dominant functional group.
When the chain gets up as high as in urushiol (15 carbons), that makes it behave like an oil.
This actually better explains the "wet poison ivy" problem. It has a density of 0.98, so as an oil, it floats on water. The wet surface creates a nice thin film of concentrated urushiol. You'd then get more on a simple brush against the plant, then if it was dry.
My fault. Sorry for the confusion. Must have lost focus. I know a long chain alkyl diol is not water soluble. Duh!

[sl8]

55. Ah, OK. I get it, mostly. Thanks. nt

[sl8]

6. Hot water.

Last edited Wed Jun 21, 2023, 12:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Hot water, as hot as you can stand, will give temporary relief from the itching. Something to do with the release of histamines and antihistamines, I think.

[jmbar2]

19. I can attest to this!

Gives enormous short-term relief.

[KPN]

28. Works like a charm for a while. Once yiu start itching that itch, it only gets worse. So the key

is, don't start itching that tiny little itch that inevitably occurs some 15 minutes or so after the hot bath. Resist the small itch and you won't get the big itch!

[Silver Gaia]

7. I don't know if this plant grows where you live, but

when I lived in the hills of Tennessee many years ago, an herbalist told me to use jewel weed. I am highly allergic to poison ivy and this was the ONLY thing that ever worked for me. As I recall, it's a medium size wild plant with delicate, two-tone orange flowers. You have to break open the stems and rub the raw fluid onto the rash. Let it soak in and dry.

This link even mentions that use of it: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/impatiens_capensis.shtml#:~:text=Jewelweed%20has%20a%20long%20history,other%20skin%20sores%20and%20irritations.

[ret5hd]

15. That was very interesting. Thnx.

[KPN]

29. Jewel weed works well. My Dad showed me and my siblings that trick back in the early 60s. We'd go

to a little creek down the road and pick jewel weed in the riparian zone. The stems themselves are quite delicate and loaded with a cedar, cool fluid that we'd do exact;y that with. We'd sort of pinch the stems and fluid would run out that we'd then rub into the rash. Worked like a charm.

[Silver Gaia]

31. Yup. I used to use it preventatively, too.

If I knew I had touched poison ivy, I'd rub it on the contact area and it seemed to neutralize it. I lived on the bank of a creek, and it grew down around the creek bed, so it was easy for me to find.

[alfredo]

10. Urine, or broadleaf Plaintain

https://www.wildedible.com/wild-food-guide/plantain

[TwilightZone]

17. Urine is a myth

There is zero evidence that it will reduce itching or speed up the healing process. It can actually make it worse because of bacteria, viruses, etc.

[alfredo]

35. Thanks.

[GreenWave]

11. Vaseline on exposed areas. Then rub Human food grade DE into it.

Rejoice as the sucker "fizzles out". It's not nice to mess with diatoms! Will take about a month to heal the skin.

[snowybirdie]

12. We ended up selling

Our cottage on two acres on the river and moved to a pristine senior community that did the landscaping for us. I learned to stay away.

[SWBTATTReg]

14. Smart. Sometimes that is the best solution. You could salt the earth, to kill out the ivy, but

then you're left w/ the consequences. Don't burn it out as the ivy when burning will spread via the smoke and I've caught it that way (stood in the smoke accidently and caught it).

[SWBTATTReg]

13. I had an awful time w/ all of the poisonous plants, especially poison ivy. My remedies are:

(1) when you go fishing, stand in the cold water if the poison ivy is on your legs. It'll numb it to the point where the inch is no longer active/spreading;

(2) a baking soda paste, spread liberally over the affected areas;

(3) calamine lotion is also a good go to;

(4) wear very loose clothing, and then when you change, etc., toss the affected items to the side carefully not touching the affected areas, and wash w/ a mild bleach (mild) and lots of soap;

(5) take the pills for it if it drives you crazy (I had to take shots for building up my immunity for years, 3 times a week! They were running out of spots to inject me w/ the shots, but it did take after a bit, now when I get poison ivy, it stays in that same spot, doesn't spread;

(6) things not to do, don't touch your face!

(7) wear loose-fitting shirts etc., the breezy helps a little bit, keeps you from sweating so much.

(8) turn the thermostat down, way down. It reduces the body circulation and keeps the ivy from spreading as much.

Finally, don't go crazy w/ the itch and I wish you the best!

[BlueGreenLady]

16. Here's what's in my poison ivy home remedy kit

For severe allergic reaction to Poison ivy you must see a dermatologist.
If you develop a mild poison ivy rash
1. Be sure to scrub skin and wash clothing after any outing in nature- the urishiol in poison ivy is a colorless oil that sticks to your skin like tar.
2. Rub Jewelweed sap and flowers on blisters or Jewelweed salve help if you develop blisters. I usually find jewelweed growing in settings where poison ivy grows. You can also order the salve online.
3. I use a combination of Benedryl and famotidine (Pepcid AC) . Benedry is a histamine 1 blocker and famotidine is a histamine 2 blocker. The combination seems to really work. I only use this for a couple of days till the rash dries up.
4. Apply Benedryl lotion externally to the blistered skin and keep it covered with a bandage.
5. For severe allergic reaction you must see a dermatologist.

[vanlassie]

20. The Benedryl- just the lotion? Or with the Pepsid AC as a pill also?

[BlueGreenLady]

25. Yes both in pill form

Diphenhydramine (Benedryl) 25mg to 50mg. This will make you sleepy
Famotidine or Ranitidine 20mg to 40mg

I apply Jewelweed salve topically if I can find it. If not I apply Benedryl lotion topically and keep it covered with a banage, so I cannot itch at it.

[vanlassie]

34. I'm a mosquito magnet so I wonder if this would help the itching.

[lastlib]

39. want to repel mosquitos?

Vitamin B1 and bananas. I forget where I first saw it, it was a study by the Canadian army.

[vanlassie]

43. Thanks!!

[vanlassie]

52. Looks like bananas attract mosquitos! Maybe that's why I buy them and never eat them.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6315685/

[BlueGreenLady]

26. Ranitidine has been taken off the market so

you will have to buy Pepcid (famotidine) if you wish to try this.

[2naSalit]

37. I usually find jewelweed growing in settings where poison ivy grows.

My mentor used to tell me repeatedly that for any toxic plant, the antidote grows nearby. Could be other plants that can help. I'll check my reference...

[Lars39]

18. There is an old pre-op shot used to dry up secretions

before surgery. Sorry, can’t remember the name of it, but it started with a V.
An old pediatrician gave me a filled syringe to administer to my husband long ago. He is horribly allergic to poison ivy. That stuff dried it up overnight!

[Scrivener7]

21. Aren't all the remedies just to reduce the itch?

My understanding is that the rash has to run its course.

[ProfessorGAC]

46. Probably So

However, the C15 catechols in poison ivy are readily water soluble.
So, copious washing helps eliminate the catechols not already absorbed below the epidermis.
That actually attacks the problem, not the symptom but it has to be fairly early. Once absorbed, it's too late.

[Scrivener7]

48. I discovered the secret for getting the oils off

you better than the official poison ivy stuff. You use Dawn, but you have to also use a washcloth. There's a guy on YouTube who says you have to imagine it's like motor oil. You can't just dissolve it with the soap, you have to wipe it off.

This has worked really well for me this year. But it's only to get the oil off. It does nothing once the blisters rise.

[ProfessorGAC]

50. Dawn Is A VERY Good Product

They use a very effective blend of surfactants & the concentration of them is higher than competitive brands.
In objective testing, they almost ranked #1 in cleaning efficacy.
I can see why that works as you experienced.

[nevergiveup]

22. Several years ago

in the summer after walking through a briar patch wearing shorts I had scattered scratches and then without knowing it walked through a patch of poison ivy. My legs became so swollen I could barely walk. I went to the emergency room and they prescribed Prednisone. Within a couple of days I had vastly improved.

[lastlib]

40. I think I got prednisone when I was in the hospital with PI.

[Ocelot II]

23. I used to get patches of it on my feet and legs when I was a kid

and we played in the woods near my grandmother's house. It was never very bad; my brother reacted a lot worse than I did, and calamine lotion (that pink stuff, Caladryl - I can still smell it) did the trick pretty well. Poison ivy was also my early introduction to botany: it was the first wild plant I was able to identify!

[alfredo]

36. I got it on my hands. I'd get big blisters.

[Laffy Kat]

24. Prednisone. You'd have to go to your care provider to get an rx. nt

[MuseRider]

27. I now live in fear of the stuff!

I spent my entire childhood in the woods behind our house doing all kinds of things. When really little we used to swing on the thick vines not knowing it was poison ivy or wrapped with it. I could have bathed in it's oil and never known it. I have always had a woods around me. Last summer at the ripe age of 68 I got a raging course of it. It lasted for several months and drove me crazy. Now I know what everyone was talking about, I used to not take it seriously. HA ha, it got me back.

Good luck and be careful, mine was just uncomfortable and long lasting but as you read above it can get very serious.

[Donkees]

30. A Lidocaine Spray for anesthetic effect, and Domeboro Astringent Solution to dry oozing

[blue neen]

47. Yes! Domeboro really works well!

[Nay]

32. Tecnu Poison Ivy and Oak Cream, at any drugstore. This helped me tremendously. Using

it at the first sign of blisters is best.

My BIL got such a bad case of it that he went to the doc and got a shot -- I don't remember what it was, but it was probably a steroid of some kind -- and he was much better in just a few hours.

[lastlib]

33. Thanks for the replies, everybody!

I'm going to try a few things from here, and if they don't help, I'm going to the doctor. I dread it, but.....

[Pathwalker]

38. Put area under warm water flowing from faucet. Slowly turn up

the heat as hot as you can *comfortably* stand it. For every minute you keep it under the hot water, you'll get an hour's relief. This is not a cure, just relief. It works for me, and I am very allergic to poison ivy.

[diva77]

42. A friend had a severe case and was prescribed a steroid which solved the problem.

Also do NOT wash your clothes in your washing machine and do NOT put them in the dryer -- the irritant, I think it's called "urushiol" will get onto other clothing and your problem will persist!!!

Sorry that you are suffering -- might be worth it to see your physician about it...



ETA - this was my 7000th post! Glad it was about something that might help someone

[lastlib]

51. Congrats on 7K!

[diva77]

56. Thanks