Poison Ivy (OMG I want to rip my skin off Pyramid Head style)

[Meresgi]

So I went and helped out the sister in law a week back with gardening, annnnnd apparently there was some poison ivy there. It started breaking out a couple days ago, and I thought it was just a spider bite at first, but as it spread and the way it looked I knew it was poison ivy.

Shit is all over the inside of my forearms, parts of my stomach (no clue how the fuck it got there) and back of my right hand.

Anyone got any good way to speed up getting rid of this shit or itch relief? I got some cortisone cream, but it's only 1% and I read that does jack shit compared to the 2% type, which I couldn't find at my CVS last night when I was going batshit insane.

Another technique I found was sticking the areas under a faucet and slowly turning on the hot water, leaving it under there till it went from relief to pain and then removing it, seems to work pretty well as the major parts don't itch right now. Blow dryer was the same thing, and I read it was a good use since it drys out all the afflicted area.

So what are some other methods you guys know/have used?

[Tekki]

Calamine lotion

I think thats what I used when I had a huge, widespread breakout on myself. It dried it up pretty quick. Mine was pretty severe.

[Cephius]

I got a severe breakout of poison ivy when I was a kid, to the point where it was all over my body. It lasted for weeks and it's pretty much made me immune to the stuff. Anyway, super hot showers and the blow dryer will help with the irritation but it won't speed up getting rid of the rash. Use the calamine lotion as long as you can stand, it'll help, but you really just have to wait it out. A lot of the products out there stop it from spreading but can't do anything once you already have the rash.

Also, make sure you wash or trash anything you came in contact with after you were gardening. The oil is very resilient and can cause more irritation (or spread to someone else) if you come in contact with it again.

[Meresgi]

Once it's gone into the rash phase it can't spread correct? All that I have read says that the breakouts are just a result of where the oil originally touched the skin and not the blisters bursting and spreading it around.

I'll have to go pick up some calamine today from the store I guess and plaster that shit on. Thankfully none of it got on my face, neck or crotch.

[Mizango]

Calamine lotion

^ Got into Poison ivy daily as a kid. Calamine is awesome.

[Krazy]

I had it bad in between my fingers before. I hopped over to the doctor's office and she prescribed me some pills that killed the poison ivy off in about two days.

[Titanss]

Man I got poison Ivy right now as well on the back of my fucking leg, shit just won't go away. And to the guy who had it between his fingers I used to get it there ALL the time (worst place). I can just be around the plant and get it I am so allergic (allegedly)

[Melena]

Calamine and oatmeal bath's is what my brother had to use as a kid.

[SephYuyX]

Ive been suing the hot water method for years..
It feels so orgasmic.

[Senji]

This works the best.

[Meresgi]

Fuck just noticed it's on my neck now and chest, no clue how the fuck it got there. I look like I have the goddamn T virus.

[Brill Weave]

Ivarest during the day. Tecnu Extreme Wash before sleep and after you get up.

[Brill Weave]

Be warned though, neither one of those are cheap.

[Mizango]

Fuck just noticed it's on my neck now and chest, no clue how the fuck it got there. I look like I have the goddamn T virus.

lol

[Meresgi]

lol

What's even worse is I have a cough from the cold I had last week, so i'm walking around in the Giant Food store coughing and covered in sores. I had one woman turn around and walk the other way in a hurry lol.

[mallister]

stop with the calamine lotion and folk remedies. may as well use a mud pack, it'll do about the same: cool it and make it feel better for about five minutes. go to the doctor, they have stuff that will dry up the reaction in about 2 days now. there is no need to suffer.

[Ghost_Wheel22]

If you have a pretty strong reaction to it you can stop by your local urgent care and get Prednisone or a hydrocortisone shot which will clear it up right quick. Also Technu applied several times daily with a hot shower will also break it down pretty quickly. Stuff isn't cheap but worth it, especially since you can use the stuff to clean your clothes and is an excellent mitigater if you use it right after if you think you've been rolling around in it. The sooner you can get the oils off the skin then less severe it can be.

I work innawoods in the the Pacific NW and while we don't get poison ivy we have old-growth poison oak and we've had guys that have literally needed to get carted off the hill and taken to the ER because they got head to toe rash and had blisters the size of silver dollars. Learn what the shit looks like, be smart about handling it, and be smart about getting exposure off you asap. It saves you a lot of grief.

[Mellema]

Man I got poison Ivy right now as well on the back of my fucking leg, shit just won't go away. And to the guy who had it between his fingers I used to get it there ALL the time (worst place). I can just be around the plant and get it I am so allergic (allegedly)

I'd say between the fingers is the 2nd worst place. I was helping a friend clear and burn some brush. It was too damn hot out, so I took off my shirt and hung it in some branches. When we were done I put my shirt back on and tucked it in. Apparently I had hung it on some poison oak and got it on my junk. I ended up getting a few steroid shots, pain pills, and some special ointment. Worst week of my life.

[Brill Weave]

Also Technu applied several times daily with a hot shower will also break it down pretty quickly.

This is pretty much the worst advice you can give in regards to poison ivy(at least according to what my doc had told me.) Hot showers make your pores open up. This enables the poison ivy to enter the skin much more easily which actually increases the severity of the outbreak. Cold/lukewarm showers only. Pat yourself dry with a towel afterwards, no rubbing obviously.

[Brill Weave]

I'm almost positive on the Tecnu bottle itself it says to avoid taking hot showers.