Does anyone know

ANYTHING that can relieve poison ivy?
I was out in the yard last week and I have a REALLY bad outbreak on both my arms, patches on my legs, and (of all places) my stomach.
I'm absolutely miserable. I HATE how it looks, hate even more that I'm up at 2 am running my arms under hot water (bad I know, but it's the only thing that helps right now) to stop the itching.

I've tried everying from Aveeno Oatmeal Baths, to $40 Zanfel Cream to the tried and trusted Calamine and NOTHING seems to be working. If anything I think that it looks like it's getting a lot worse.

I made an appointment to see a doctor on Monday but any tips that might offer some sort of solution through the weekend and I'd be most grateful.

FH has a really really bad reaction to poison ivy. He went to the doc got a shot and pills which worked great. Also I know this is going to sound strange put bleach works to get rid of the itch. FH was a little nervous to do that but he broke down. Last year he had it so bad he couldnt leave the house. He still has scars from it.

Salt water works to. His doc told him to go the the beach and walk in the water.

I'm sorry, but I don't remember what relieves it except time and patience but I just want to warn you...I got poison ivy when I was 14 and I went to a stupid doctor who diagnosed it wrong and gave me these pills that made it spread all over my face, and I swelled up so much my eye closed - it was HORRIBLE! Just a warning so you make sure your Dr. knows what he/she's doing. Feel better soon!

I would try to get to the Dr sooner too. Tell them it is an EMERGENCY!! Tell them the rash is spreading all over If you take claritin or some antihistamine it will help the itching. The best thing (Rx) is Prednisone...it will clear it up the quickest

Feel Better

Susans i hope you feel better

I just emailed you but here are some remedies:

Get cozy with darlin' calamine. The time-honored mainstay in poison treatment is calamine lotion, a popular skin protectant with a soothing action 'that produces cooling and distracts your skin from the itching sensation,' says Robert Rietschel, M.D., chairman of the Department of Dermatology at New Orleans' Ochsner Clinic in Louisiana, and clinical professor of dermatology at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. 'In poison ivy and poison oak, the blood vessels develop gaps that leak fluid through the skin, causing blisters and oozing,' he explains. 'When you cool the skin, the vessels constrict and don't leak as much.'

Calamine lotion also leaves a powdery residue that absorbs the oozing, develops a crust, and keeps it from sticking to your clothes, Dr. Rietschel notes. He suggests applying calamine lotion three or four times a day. To keep your rash from getting too dry and making the itch even worse, stop using calamine when the oozing stops, he says.


Pop a pill. Oral antihistamines, however, are a different story. In fact, they're high up on Dr. Rietschel's list. There are two over-the-counter brands to choose from: Chlor-Trimeton, which contains the active ingredient chlorpheniramine maleate, and Benadryl, which contains the active ingredient diphenhydramine hydrochloride. 'You could take your hay fever medicine if it happens to be an antihistamine,' Dr. Rietschel says.

Cover with a compress. Put a cotton cloth soaked in cool water over the rash and let a fan blow over it, Dr. Rietschel advises. The cooling/evaporating effect works the same as calamine lotion, although there's no residue to soak up the oozing.

Irritate it to distraction. 'Counterirritants like menthol and phenol confuse the nerve endings in the skin and give a cooling sensation,' Dr. Rietschel says. 'But they can sting and sometimes aren't sufficient to give you the relief you need.' Menthol and phenol are available in anti-itch creams.

fh had poison ivy 2 years ago. he tried everything to get it to stop itching. he refused to go to the doctor until it got so bad his foot blew up. so the only thing i would recommend to you is to go to the doctor for a prescription before it gets really bad.

i hope you feel better.

Go to the doctor if it's really bad. You may need steroids or antibiotics to help clear it up.

Oops...just read that you're going to the dr. on Monday. Have you thought about a walk-in clinic? They may give you the shot right then and there.