I've got poison ivy - now what?

[+TrailGators]

If you get it you want to dry it out. Do not put moisturizers on it unless you want it to last a lot longer. I use a product called Ivy Dry when I get it and it drys it up in a couple of days. One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that the Poison Ivy/Oak oils can get on the fur of your dog, your clothes, your backpack, eyc. and then be transferred to you. I try my best to identify it and avoid it, but I still get it.

[+DeRock & The Psychic Cacher]

I'm with TailGators- I use Ivy Dry and Super Ivy Dry. It's available in the pharmacy dept. as an over the counter remedy. You blot it on two or three times a day. It actually stops the poison ivy right in its tracks. Blisters will be gone in 3-4 days. It stings when applied and I believe it dries it out. Life was hell before the Psychic Cacher found this stuff. Now I swear by it.

 

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

[+BigWhiteTruck]

Cacheopedia - Poison Ivy

[mloser]

Someone asked what is the worst season to get PI, and I would have to respond--EARLY SPRING. Not because the plants are more poisonous at that time, but because they are harder to recognize before they get their telltale shiny red leaves. One spring I dug the ground away from a benchmark I had found. There was no PI in sight, yet I am now sure the roots I was digging off the mark were poison ivy roots. I ended up taking a day off work for that mistake as well as taking some steroids. I am getting much smarter as time goes on though. Although i don't think I could recognize just the roots, I am good at telling which vines are PI and which aren't. Look for "hairy" vines! Also be aware that poison ivy is not just a climbing vine. I spent about 2 hours last weekend walking around in a patch of the stuff that had shoots coming up between 2 and 3 feet high, with tiny red leaf buds on them. Yep, I knew it the whole time, but that is what we do for our hobbies.

 

Once again I will tout the merits of Tecnu. After each of my adventures I went home and washed carefully with Tecnu, cleaning my hands, arms, face, and other areas I may have touched (does anyone really need a picture?). I currently have a couple of spots that are trying to break out, but nothing has succeeded yet. And if they do, they will be much better than if I had done nothing. Note that I didn't rush home to wash up. In the first case it was over 6 hours until I broke out the Tecnu. In the second case it was well over 3 hours after I had touched PI. To someone like me who has gotten poison ivy all their life Tecnu is a magic formula.

 

I think the reason bleach may be successful (and I had a doctor tell me to use it today!) is because it does something similar to Tecnu. Or possibly because it kills the top layers of skin, where the oil has penetrated. I will stick with Tecnu for the time being.

[+Wadcutter]

Along with Trailgators and DeRock get some Ivy Dry. You might have to ask for it at your pharamcy as it may be kept behind the counter. Don't know why or what's in it but around these parts that's where it's found. It doesn't require a prescription. I've used Ivy Dry for close to 50 yrs. It works.

[+Instant Coffee]

I have used Zanfel for some cases of poison ivy or if I think I have touched it. I have also used Tecnu as well. I started to use Zanfel at the suggestion of a pharmacist.

 

I did have a bad case of it last year where my leg swelled up to the point where it hurt. I went to my doctor and get some oral steroids (methylprednisone I think) and topical steroid as well. About 24 hours on the oral steroid the itching stopped, 48 hours I noticed a difference in my skin. However it did take a few weeks for my skin to look normal again and there was no scaring.

 

Does anyone know it the poison ivy blockers work?

[+MMarshall]

Start with The Poison Ivy Information Center and Poison-vy, org. Even the FDA has some info on it.

 

Thanks for the links, but now I'm even more confused!

 

One site I read said the rash appears in about 8 HOURS?? Is that about right? Then I don't have poison ivy!!

 

I made the mistake of bushwacking in some thorny stuff with short sleeves. Had pain almost immediately, I just assumed it was the poking, but it didn't go away like I thought it would. BIG bumps appeared on my forearms and wrists within TEN MINUTES!! I was standing tall at this time, the affected areas were never below waist level.

 

Now, about ten hours later, the bumps are gone, or nearly so. Very little sign of anything, just looking at it. Considerable pain sometimes, can almost ignore it most of the time though.

 

So, is this poison ivy, or something else???

 

Mike

O-

[Dinoprophet]

Injections is how they treated me...but I didn't inhale it.

"Me either"

[+MMarshall]

 

So, is this poison ivy, or something else???

 

Definitely something else!! Get up this morning, no pain at all, just a tingling sensation at the attack points.

 

So, anyone know what this is?

 

Thanks again!

 

Mike

[mloser]

That might have been stinging nettle. I walked through it once and it hurt like crazy for hours, then stopped.

 

Poison ivy can take up to 3 days to appear depending on where you touched it and now much oil you got on you.

 

I am not sure about the blockers but have heard from some foresters that they use them and they work. I have been considering them.

[Dinoprophet]

That might have been stinging nettle. I walked through it once and it hurt like crazy for hours, then stopped.

Yeah, that does sound like stinging nettle. Hairy stalks with short, oblong leaves. I hate that stuff! Though it only lasts a half hour or so for me. Some got me while I was weeding once. Out of revenge, I made tea out of it -- not bad. Nettles are very edible, they just have to be cooked to kill the sting.

Edited May 2, 2007 by Dinoprophet

[+fox-and-the-hound]

Wow, there's a bunch of good info in Mloser's post I'm lucky enough to be one of the ones completely immune to it. I sometimes get swollen skin around my eyes if I rub them after crawling through the stuff, but no itch or sores thank goodness. My mother is very, VERY susceptible to it and here are a few tricks she learned to deal with it:

 

1) If the dog gets into it, take it to a groomer and have him given a serious cut and shampoo. Turns out our pup had it and long hair. Shed hair floats around with the oil from the ivy on it for months in your home. It gets on carpet, furniture, curtains, you name it.

 

2) Wash your clothes immediately in hot water and Dish Soap like Dawn. The chemicals in dish soap break up the oils very quickly and keep it from getting into your other clothes, the washer and the dryer.

 

3) Take a hot shower (NOT A BATH!!!) and wash yourself vigorously with dish soap and an acti-bacterial shower gel. Be very careful around your eyes.

 

4) Pat yourself dry with a towel. DO NOT WIPE YOURSELF DRY!!! If you miss even the smallest spot and smear it across your fresh clean skin that is nice and warm with plenty of exposed sweat pores... you can guess.

 

5) Change your bed sheets and PJs daily for the next few days. You tend to go through skin layers very, very quickly and if you just keep cleaning your immediate environment you can recover in a remarkably fast period.

 

Other than don't go back in it, that's the best I can offer. Good luck

[+bosco7]

I've had poison ivy many times in my life and have tried many things. PI lasts about two itchy weeks. the latest product i've got is called 'All Stop" from www.dermatechrx.com/Poison-ivy. their website will explain all about it and you can sign up for update newsletters on other remedies for PI and other poisonious plants.

I also carry poison ivy wipes i found at wal-greens drug store. I use them every time i return from a cache in the woods. in addition to a spray for chiggers and ticks.

sorry if i sound like a commercial but for those of us who have had it...i don't want it anymore.

but that the price we pay for how we play.

bosco7

[ImpalaBob]

Ban Roll On Deodorant. Get a bottle and keep applying it to the area. It will dry it out quickly. Throw the bottle out or label it for Poison Ivy Only. Get a few pack of BUJI wash for your pack and use it next time you get into the stuff.

[+ShadowAce]

Start with The Poison Ivy Information Center and Poison-vy, org. Even the FDA has some info on it.

 

Thanks for the links, but now I'm even more confused!

 

One site I read said the rash appears in about 8 HOURS?? Is that about right? Then I don't have poison ivy!!

 

I made the mistake of bushwacking in some thorny stuff with short sleeves. Had pain almost immediately, I just assumed it was the poking, but it didn't go away like I thought it would. BIG bumps appeared on my forearms and wrists within TEN MINUTES!! I was standing tall at this time, the affected areas were never below waist level.

 

Now, about ten hours later, the bumps are gone, or nearly so. Very little sign of anything, just looking at it. Considerable pain sometimes, can almost ignore it most of the time though.

 

So, is this poison ivy, or something else???

 

Mike

O-

 

Stinging Nettle

 

and this article:

Taking the sting out of nettles

 

Did it look like these plants?

 

 

??

[+Wile E. Dragonfly]

My dermatologist prescribed Zyrtec for my PI. I get it BAD. If I take a single Zyrtec pill it will make the reaction go away and it doesn't come back. I can take it up until the point that the blisters form - pre-blister bumps and it works like a charm. I've also succesfuly used Allegra and I have no reason to believe that the over the coutner drug Claritin wouldn't work as well.

 

My reactions are so severe that I have faint scars on my arms from the rash and hubby has killed all of the PI in the neighborhood (cats would bring the oil home to me, lovely creatures). Since I found my magic pills, I havn't had a reaction in many years. I KNOW that I have been in the midst and touched the PI - I'm a botanist so trust me, I know that I've been in it.

 

Try the pills, easy and cheap and they work!

[+eagletrek]

I have small out break of poison ivy on one wrist. Does anyone have any reccomendations to dry it out so it stops oozing?

 

If you can stand the pain, open the pores in the area contaminated with warm/hot water and then wipe it down with plain ole bleach. OUCH!!!!!!!! It will sting like hell for awhile, but the blisters will start to dry up within 24 hours. I've done this before and have suffered no lasting effects. Well, at least I think so.

[Cracker.]

Ok...I have to post, even though much of my experience has been already stated here by others.

 

One thing I want to say is, as soon as you think you may have been exposed, and in the early stages, DO NOT wash with hot water!!

Yes, hot water opens the pores. You DONT want to let this happen while you are first washing off the worst of the oils. Think about it....Opening your pores, while you still have the highest strength of uroshiol on your skin?

 

The Tecnu, Fels Naptha, and other strong soaps blend and combine with the uroshiol and help break it down, so it can be removed from your skin.

 

Say, you stick your hand in a pail of motor oil. Then you add a bunch of degreaser, or dish soap or whatever. Does the first washing completely remove all the oil?

Probably not. You would most likely have to wash, rinse, then wash again at least a couple of times to remove all the oil.

If you open your pores with hot water before ALL the uroshiol is broken down and washed away, you are inviting that still viable oil into your pores.

 

Your first washing at least, and I usually go for a couple days worth of showers, should be in luke warm to cool water. Yes, heat does help break down some oils. And too cold could slow the bonding process with the soaps.

(Then theres also the fact that I am usually hot, sweaty and overheating after exposure, since its usually summer when I get it, so a warm to cool shower feels much better anyway).

 

Next, the reason HOT water, bleach, isopropyl alcohol, and any other caustic substances seem to relieve the itch, is because they just deaden the nerve receptors, a seeming positive factor to healing. Although these substances also do help break down the uroshiol, they do more harm then good.

They dry and deaden the skin cells, which then cant heal (they'r DEAD!), they remove the top layers of skin leaving you open to other infections, and bleach probably IS bad if it gets into your bloodstream.

 

I have had PI BAD every year for the past 30 yrs, and suffered scarring which lasted almost 3yrs at one point. My parents did all the old home-brew remedies, which I find out now are some of the WORST things you could do, if not done properly.

First, calamine made it worse. Even after washing with Fels Naptha (a strong laundry bar soap containing naptha), using HOT water, there must have still been massive amounts of oil on my skin, because the calamine would harden, and end up holding the oils IN, which DID make it spread under the skin.

Then they encouraged me to swim in a chlorinated pool, and did use a lightly bleach-soaked paper towel to wash the rash with.

Also isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol was used. My rash was so bad, it resembled 3rd degree burns, and at nite I would have to cover it with gauze, which also made it worse, by holding in the oils, and changing it every morning (sometimes 2-3 times a day) would pull the scabs off, making it worse. It would last for 1-2 months.

 

Anyway, many years later, I've found the best methods that work for me, is Tecnu (when i remember to use it), to wash with, and Calagel (also made by Tecnu) to treat the bumps/blisters with.

I used to work for an electronics manufacturer, and we used to use 100% industrial isopropyl to clean circuit boards with...When the itching got bad enough every couple of hours, i would spray this on my rash. Worked great for getting rid of the itch while I couldnt do much else with it at work.

 

If I get it bad enough to where the skin becomes raw, I head to the doctor, where a quick conversation scores me oral prednisone, which usually gets the worst of it in a few days.

Prednisone is also available as an injection, but usually only reserved for severe cases. Being a steroid, you have to be careful with it.

And if I still had a chlorinated pool, I WOULD swim, since low levels of chlorine would be ok, and it DOES help breakdown the oil and dry up the blisters. If you have any decent oozing, or open sores, I WOULDNT recommend swimming, for already stated reasons.

 

Ok, so i want to thank the people who already stated some of the things I just re-iterated, and say that this is just MY experience. Some of these methods MAY or may NOT work for others.

 

I do want to say I am SURE you are better off NOT using the hot water at first though.

 

Whew!...Sorry for being longwinded...I seem to do that the later at nite that I post...LOL

Edited May 24, 2007 by Cracker.

[+Skytracker]

Thankfully we don't have Poison Ivy in our country, buy we do have stinging nettles, in fact I came across some recently at 2 cache sites. One of Nature's clever tricks is to often provide an antidote for something poisonous nearby and in the case of Stinging Nettle that antidote is Dock. Don't know if you have it in the US, but dock nearly always grows where Nettles grow and all you need to do for instant relief is scrunch the leaves up and rub the effected area with them. Pity there's not such a quick fix for PI.

[+Confucius' Cat]

Gross. I'm so very glad that I don't get poison ivy.

Well, I used to not get it...

[Cracker.]

One of Nature's clever tricks is to often provide an antidote for something poisonous nearby and in the case of Stinging Nettle that antidote is Dock.

 

Hmmm...I wonder if there is something like this for Giant Hogweed, which seems to be the NEW flora-from-hell in our area...???

[+TrailGators]

I have small out break of poison ivy on one wrist. Does anyone have any reccomendations to dry it out so it stops oozing?

 

If you can stand the pain, open the pores in the area contaminated with warm/hot water and then wipe it down with plain ole bleach. OUCH!!!!!!!! It will sting like hell for awhile, but the blisters will start to dry up within 24 hours. I've done this before and have suffered no lasting effects. Well, at least I think so.

This is the right idea. You want to dry it up! I use some stuff called Ivy Dry myself.

[GPS-Hermit]

Well this is a fun topic and alot of good info. I take the stuff pretty bad and if I don't do something it will hang around for 4 to 6 weeks. 1 corizone shot will do the trick for me in 3 days and I have never had to go back for a 2nd one no matter how bad the rash. I once cleared a creek bank, didn't notice it - chopped it all up and it covered both my arms,neck face and ankles. A friend sent to a country doctor that wasn't so busy and the nurse gave me the shot. I acsended from hell to heaven in 3 days. Even the 2nd day was greatly improved. Pain and iching was minor after the 3rd day. I have done that 4 other times and got the same exact results. The actual healing of the rash takes longer but the trama was gone in 3 days.

 

Also there is a plant called Jewel Weed - if you can learn that one, it is very effective to put on you. You want the water like stuff on the inside of the big stem - put it all over any exposed skins. It does work. You can buy stuff with Jewel Weed in it - not cheaply. I saw on the internet that rubbing a banana peel on the sore works. I tried it and it didn't work for me. Legs smell good.

 

If you have been in the stuff - get yourself cleaned off anyway you can as soon as possible - almost anything you do will help some. Just get the oil from the plant off of you. Greatly diluted bleach will do the trick but that stuff is hard on you so follow up by washing it off too. Hydrocorizone helps if you got it but very slow to work on me. I have heard several people say their PI went away when they went to the Beach. They were in salt water from the ocean, chorline from the pool and in the sun alot. I think all of those work well. Each person was pretty happy about it.

 

Remember - if people ahead of you are trampling the stuff - you will get it worse than they do. You can get it from your clothes, shoes, Dogs, and I once got it in the winter using a chain saw on a log with a vine on it. Geocachers get it because previous finders trample it and get it ready for you.

Never Never Never burn the stuff. People have died from that exposure.

 

Learn what it looks like and stay away - always expect to find around creek. It can be any size, shiny or dull doesn't matter, vine or not vine, Always three leaves. If you see the 5 leaf Virginia Creeper start looking for PI - they are often together. While you're at it - learn sting weed - another nasty plant that is easy to stay away from. You can get rememdy there by washing it off with anything. I used gator aid one time.

 

Kill it - any herbicide sprayed on the leaves only, 2 early mornings in a row will kill the PI and not bother anything else. I have had 100% success with that. Southern States carries stuff just for PI. Youcan do it during the day but it may take more time and leave behind more spray. None of the stuff I have killed has ever come back.

 

I try to encourage cache hiders to not put their caches in/around the stuff - or at least eradicate it from the area. I haven't had much luck in response. It's a huge problem for us that get it. I don't wish it on anyone and would never hide a cache near it. I care about the folks that come to play and want them to have the best time ever.

[+Brik]

Ha, I'll throw in my 2cents.

 

Like has been said, you cant spread PI via oozing blisters. Once the oils have been cleaned off your skin there is no danger of spreading further. The oils CAN remain on clothes, boots, pets, GPSrs, hats, gloves, tools, etc. I have never gone to the trouble of cleaning tools and such. I do wash my clothes right away and maybe bathe my dog.

 

OK - My ole home remedy? Old lady next door. She would put white liquid shoe polish on my poison! I do not recall if it really worked, I was a kid and it was a long time ago. I used to get it really bad. Now I only get little spots here and there. I do not know if its because I am more aware of it or if I have built some type of immunity. I think a combination of both.

 

I do recall relief from something that started with a Z that was a competitor to calamine. It was in a green bottle. Not sure if its available any more, haven't seen it in a long while.

[+salmondan]

Another highly allergic person praising Tecnu. I carry Technu Extreme with my in my caching bag, always wash my exposed areas when I get to the car, and then take a shower in the soap when I return.

Haven't had a major outbreak since I started doing this, and after years of annual multi outbreaks it is such a relief!

[+AUTommyJ]

Growing up in Western Massachusetts, I was always getting into poison ivy but have never had a reaction. I do however avoid it at all costs just to be safe!

 

I remember as a child, my mother picking a plant called "Sweet Fern" which seemed to always grow next to thick packs of poison ivy (does poison ivy travel in packs? ). She claimed it was a natural remedy for the rash and used to boil it, cool it, and put it on her outbreaks. The stuff smelled actually smelled great.

 

I did a quick google search and found This page on Sweet Fern. Apparently used by Native Americans to treat poison ivy.

 

Just another interesting natural remedy to consider, if thats your thing!

Edited May 25, 2007 by AUTommyJ

[+TexasGringo]

Never got Poison Ivy. I always come home after geocaching and take a shower shampooing my hair and washing myself several times with liquid dishsoap to disolve and wash away anything on my skin.

[+gravechaser]

In our town I can only get Tecnu in a box package with Calagel. It's called a "trial size bottle". The trial sizer is 2 fl oz and the label says "stops irritants from spreading & decontaminates laundry, pets & tools".

 

It does it's best when used within 2 hours of exposure. From the directions: "1. Apply Tecnu to exposed, unwetted skin within 2 to 8 hours after exposure to poison plants. 2. Rub vigorously for 2 minutes to remove oils and other contaminates from skin. If hyper-sensitive, wash entire body with Tecnu. 3. Rinse skin with cool running water or wipe off with a cloth. Repeat."

 

If a rash has already appeared apply Tecnu to the entire body, lathering for 2 minutes then rinsing with cool water as above. If the itching persists, reapply Tecnu to affected area, lather up and "rinse in a very warm shower but not a bath".

 

I get PI easily, as do my kids. My husband didn't used to be affected by it until the last two years and Katie-bar-the-door! Now he gets it worse than I do. He treated the first rash with calamine lotion and it kinda helped. The next year his second rash resulted from mowing ditches along our fields during a dry spell. The tiny particles of the plants got into his socks and boots. He had it all over his feet. This Tecnu helped him tremendously. He got it on the back of his neck where the shirt didn't protect him and I missed this area with the Tecnu. Calamine didn't help him there but when the two older kids got Chicken Pox I made poultices with old-fashioned oatmeal. Those poultices gave them relief so I tried this with his neck. I had to change the sheets and pillowcases anyway so I sent him to bed each night with a fresh poultice behind his neck and that helped him better than the calamine lotion.

 

For our caching bag and the clothing that we wear when exposed my kids and I strip to the scivvies in the back room and I put everything including the canvas caching bag in the washer and set it to the hottest wash it will to and put a full load of detergent in. I wash our affected bag/clothes three times in hot water and extra detergent. So far doing this seems to take the oils off our stuff. But I go out of my way when possible to avoid PI because washing 3x ties up my washer. With 5 people (one a hog farmer) in the house I need that available at all times.

 

I'm interested in the Zyrtec and Claratin for myself. Are those prescription-only strength or the over-the-counter versions?

Edited May 28, 2007 by gravechaser