Poison Ivy Remedy

[KaiserSoze]

Wow... I got poison ivy a week or so ago... not sure where I got it (either the river or the lake)... but damn I'm allergic to it... so i did some internet research... and found something that works GREAT!!! It's called Zanfel... $40/tube, but damn... wipes it out quickly... just wanted to share that in case any of you are extremely allergic to it too... no, i don't work for the company that makes it.

 

[Horny Ringman]

I was pretty allergic to it as a kid. Anytime I'd get it, I'd just scratch the **** out of the blisters to get it good and opened up. Then I'd jump in our pool and put the infected part up next to the jet and just let the water run on it for a while. Either the Chlorine cleared it up, or it just went away after that. I always assumed chlorine was the wonder drug.

 

[capnamerca]

Being myself hyper-allergic to poison ivy (codename - ******* bastard weed), I did some research a few years ago, and have discovered the truth. I'm not specifically familiar with Zanfel, but I can guarantee you I know what it is. First, some background.

Poison Ivy is a weed which has on it's leaves an oil called urushiol (sp varies, also seen as urisol). This oil is a severe irritant, and is what causes the blistering rash that people commonly call "poison ivy." The rash itself is NOT CONTAGIOUS - you read that correctly. The ***** part of poison ivy is that urishiol is devilishly hard to wash off - thus, as you scratch, you spread the latent oil around, and cause NEW rash. Even current rash can become re-activated by urishiol from the original area of contamination - even from the clothes worn that day (gloves, etc). The key to getting rid of poison ivy is to get rid of the urishiol on your skin. There are several soaps and washes made to specifically bond w/urishiol and wash it away when washed off. I use Tecnu, available at any drug store, and it works fantastically. If I know that I've come into contact w/ the bastard weed, I'll wash off w/the Tecnu ASAP. If the rash has already presented, I'll wash the affected area 2x daily. I've been using this for the last ~2 years, and not once has an outbreak lasted more than about 4 days from discovery, and not once has an outbreak spread to another part of my body.

The bottom line - the rash isn't your problem. It clears up on it's own 24-48 hours after the urishiol is gone. Just get rid of the oils, and you're on the road to recovery. Tecnu is great, but there are many, many other brands of the same style item on the shelves - experiment around and find what works for you. Yeah, they're expensive, but I'd pay any price to triumph over the ******* bastard weed.

Note that cortisone shots or benadryl shots really do help with the itching, if you've got a bad case of the rash. Consult your doctor ...

 

[KaiserSoze]

Yep-- that's exactly what Zanfel does... removes the urishiol.

 

[Mrmyke709]

Whizz in the creek at the Hornfans tailgate at your own peril.
The poison ivy vines there are as big around as your arm.

 

[Brak]

I've got a ton of poison oak in my yard. Last summer I didn't know it was poison oak and whacked it with the weed eater. Got covered from my knees to my ankles.

Hot water provided the best relief. For some people it apparently doesn't work. As hot as you can stand it. You will itch like crazy at first but afterwards I would get several hours of relief.

I am now an expert at identifying poison oak. I'm also an expert at getting in on my body.
Remedies