Poison Ivy

[Lightfoot]

I took my family on a hike last weekend and we walked through an area with heavy brush. Apparently there was some poison ivy mixed in somewhere because half of the group have broken out. The calamine lotion is helping some...any other ideas? I heard vinegar water can help dry it up.

 

[Chump]

Calamine is usually the best thing from what I hear. My grandmother use to take warm oatmeal baths to soothe itchy skin from that or chicken pox too.

 

[Shanna]

Try strong tea soaked washcloths that have been frozen. The tea makes the poison ivy dry because of the astringent properties of the tannic acid in the tea. The cold also helps to calm things down. you can also get lidocaine gel at the drug store to rub on to numb the area. I can't think of anything else at the moment but those two things do help me.

 

[greengrass]

Poison Ivy is awful. My whole family is very allergic to it especially my middle son. He breaks out terribly. The only thing that works for us is Calamine and time... Take a Benadryl at bedtime too.

 

[Reese]

I'm pretty sure that I am not allergic to it. I grew up running through the woods and never got a rash from poison ivy. You might try oatmeal baths or benadryl.

 

[climber4life]

Is the poison ivy still bad? Have you been to the doctor yet? My aunt just had terrible poison ivy and had to have a prednizone shot so that the itching would go down some.

 

[drake]

The only thing to be safe from poison ivy is prevention. Are there any poison ivy warning signs at the hiking site? It's best to identify a poison ivy plant before crossing its path. If I come in contact with a poison ivy, I would apply rubbing alcohol to the area that is affected, rinse the area with water then wash up with soap and warm water. I can also apply Calamine to reduce itching of the skin.

 

[lovelife]

Man, that really stinks! I would go with the Calamine lotion along with Benedryl. This is what I do when my kids get it. There is nothing worse than that itch!