<p>My 13-year-old son was out yesterday with several friends, and this morning he woke up with a rash on his face, arms, and legs. One of the friends was similarly afflicted. I don’t know about the other two; they are brothers and one of them is having a bar mitzvah at the moment. I hope that the bar mitzvah boy, at least, doesn’t have it. My son and the other friend are attending - one of the rare occasions when my son is dressed up with his hair combed, and he has to have this ugly rash on one side of his face!</p>
<p>Does anyone know of a cure that will work once the rash has come out? My son is on prescription antihistamines already for pollen allergies. I’ve heard that Burt’s Bees poison ivy soap is good, and I’m about to go out and buy some. Anything else?</p>
<p>I’ve found that Hyland’s Homeopathic Poison Ivy/Oak pills, which I get at my health food store, work almost immediately in eliminating the rash and itching.</p>
<p>My son got it three times this year from trail running. He was prescribed Benedryl on a regular schedule and calamine lotion. I also found a spray at Whole Foods that provided a little relief. When all else failed, he sat in front of a fan with a wet gauze sheet on It typically lasts 14/21 days. Some people are more allergic to it than others. Also, once you’ve gotten it you are more susceptible to catching it again.</p>
<p>Springtime/early summer is the prime season for poison oak/ivy so be careful in the garden too.</p>
<p>Thank you northstarmom for the suggestion of the pills! I plan to pick some up to have handy.</p>
<p>I suffer terribly from poison ivy rash and have tried pretty much everything available, athough luckily I haven’t had any problem since we moved to California 10 years ago (and since I haven’t yet learned how to identify poison oak, which is prevalent here, I’m likely to get experience with that sometime, too). Check this list for a fairly comprehensive set of relief options available commercially. I’ve used Rhuli, Technu right afterwards (not effective any later), and [url=<a href=“Tecnu, the Expert in Outdoor Itch Relief | Tec Labs”>www.teclabsinc.com/products.cfm?id=7088BA7C-AACE-1250-5B5229985B8E7AE4]CalaGel[/url</a>] (which is not listed on the page linked above), but Burt’s Bees Soap seems to get rave reviews. Good luck, it’s a nasty thing to put up with, and can be quite painful.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the suggestions. That’s a great website, mootmom! eireann, I believe that jewelweed is one of the ingredients in Burt’s Bees soap. </p>
<p>Late this afternoon I put Tecnu on my son and his friend (another friend’s mother had lent it to us). I was quite worried about the friend, because the rash on his arms was so bad that it looked like he’d been burned - large sections were bright red and quite swollen. He also had large red bumps on various parts of his body. This stuff is rubbed in for 2 minutes and then rinsed off. I didn’t know whether it would help or not, because it was more than 24 hours after the exposure, but it was quite effective. The swelling went down and the rash looked much better.</p>
<p>At the moment my son is showering with the Burt’s Bees.</p>
<p>As a three-time camp counselor, I have tried many remedies. Burt’s Bees is good, as is diluted witch hazel. Actually, witch hazel is like baking soda: it’s one of those (really cheap) products you can use on just about everything.</p>
<p>If it’s <em>really</em> bad, a trip to the doc is not a bad plan. Best is prevention – learn what it looks like and wash really really well with good soap after being in contact.</p>
<p>I have not had any success at making the rash disappear, but this is what I have found works to relieve the itching symptoms: run hot water on the affected areas (as hot as you can stand). This is not an off the wall treatment as there is some explanation of why this is effective involving histamines. I don’t remember the particulars, just that it works.</p>
<p>In scouts I found nothing worked better to get rid of it than “Ivy Dry” but I can’t seem to find it anymore</p>
<p>I break out really bad about once a year from mtn biking or whatnot and the doc always puts me on like benadryl pills and this steriod cream…seems to do the trick</p>
<p>I’ve found Zanfel quite effective. If you use it immediately upon known exposure, it washes all the poison out, and a rash never develops. Using it after the rash erupts gives you relief from the itching for a couple of hours after application, and helps to dry the rash out. It’s a little pricey ($35/tube), but well worth it - I keep some on supply at all times.</p>
<p>Clorox bleach, applied and allowed to dry has worked for me when I had it on my feet and ankles. There is a shot they give now that is supposed to knock it right out.</p>
<p>Both my boys got poison ivy last month – one had it all over his body! The other had some blotches here and there. Because of AP tests and finals, we knew we couldn’t just leave them to their itching. So… we had to bite the bullet and take them to the doctor. Both were put on oral steroids and steroid cream which took away the itching immediatedly. Too bad the doctor visits and the RX cost a bit. (The pills are taken in an odd way… 6 pills the first day, then 5, then on down.)</p>
<p>No, just sponge it on and let it dry. Obviously not for all body parts :). The drying action is the key to getting rid of poison ivy. Keep it from weeping and it won’t spread.</p>
<p>I had it last year – each time it is worse than the last…The most effective of the nondrowsing antihistimines for me was Zyrtec (unfortunately, itm requires a prescription and many health plans won’t cover it); Allegra may also be helpful. Prescription cortisone ointments are also helpful. What helped me with the itching, believe it or not, was to take a hairdryer (on hot) and wave it over the rash – feels great at the time, almost like scratching it – and the heat stops the itching temporarily (this works for mosquito bites too) – I guess on the same theory as the hot water someone above mentioned. I would be wary of using bleach in any dilution.</p>
<p>I am a serial poison ivy sufferer and have tried many treatments.
Technu is good and Zanfel is better but they don’t completely take away the rash. It may seem gross, but I read a recent post recommending preparation H. I tried it and it actually has helped to bring down the swelling and dry the rash out. Severe cases need to be seen by a doctor for oral steroids or a shot. A few years ago, i got a shot and it was great until 3 days later. The rash came back (big time)and I had to go on oral steroids. Made me hyperactive for a few days and then depressed. Would not recommend this treatment for kids taking SAT tests. Good luck!</p>
It typically lasts 14/21 days. Some people are more allergic to it than others. Also, once you’ve gotten it you are more susceptible to catching it again.</p>![http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.naturealmanac.com/natural_events/j/jewelweed.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.naturealmanac.com/natural_events/j/jewelweed.html&h=256&w=240&sz=18&tbnid=Sh8nCtckvbQEhM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=100&hl=en&start=8&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djewelweed%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN[/url]](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.naturealmanac.com/natural_events/j/jewelweed.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.naturealmanac.com/natural_events/j/jewelweed.html&h=256&w=240&sz=18&tbnid=Sh8nCtckvbQEhM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=100&hl=en&start=8&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djewelweed%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
