Desperately Seeking Your Best OTC Treatment For Poison Ivy

Ok, not that I would be silly enough to do this, but SOMEONE walked through a knee high patch of poison ivy while wearing sneaker w/o socks. lol to keep from crying. scream. SO, if you have a really great treatment for poison ivy, I could REALLY use it about now.

Tecnu

You can get it at Walgreens or Osco but most pharmacies carry it. If you can't go pick it up yourself, get a friend or a neighbor to go for you. Apply it liberally and then take a shower. You need to draw out as much of the oils as possible. You poor thing.

I've always heard to stay away from water for something like this. That the water can cause the oil to spread. What doesTecnu do?

Definitely, Tecnu (Oak-n-Ivy brand), it is a life-saver!

Directions for after the rash has appeared: "Rub Tecnu on affected skin and surrounding areas for 2 minutes. Avoid breaking skin. For best results apply to entire body. Rinse off with cool running water (not a bath) to remove Tecnu and poison oils. If itching persists, reapply, then rinse in a very warm shower (not a bath.) Towel dry gently. Repeat as needed and before retiring." (Good thing I haven't retired yet, lol.)

The same brand also sells CalaGel, an anti-itch gel that is wonderful as a follow-up to the Tecnu.

I don't remember now where I read this, but the guy who developed it was actullay trying to find something for people to clean themselves of radioactive wastes or something (people who work with the stuff.) It didn't work, but his wife accidentally discovered it was absolutely terrific at cleaning off the oils from poison ivy and poison oak.

Equilibrium, maggiemoo, THANK YOU so much! That sounds like just what I need.

Yep, I have it BAD! Covering Large portion of one leg from knee to foot. Some swelling. Severe itching but can't scratch as skin is on fire! Serves me right though. I knew it was there, but I wanted to go where it was. Needed to prune my camellias. Didn't have time to get rid of it. Should have taken time to atleast cover it. Thought I was immune.lol again to keep from crying. This should teach me!

Thanks again for product and application info.

Oh scutler, I can feel your pain and itching just reading about it. Don't have any remedies for you but I can tell you about the best way I have found to clear the stuff out of the garden.
There is a product called Vine-X that comes in a bottle with a little brush on top. You paint this stuff on the bottom 6" of the vine and it dies. I the rarely use chemicals but will make an exception for this one as I feel I can safely use it and still maintain the environment. You never have to touch the plant yourself and the herbicide is specific to the plants you paint. I also use it on smilax. I have destroyed really thick vines that went up 100' into the trees.
Feel better soon. alice

Scutler, I hope you have relief very soon. Poison ivy is absolutely miserable, I found out the hard way that I am now allergic to it (didn't used to be.) One thing I forgot to mention about the CalaGel is that it also acts to dry up the wound and stops the "weeping" that can spread it to other parts of your body.

Ardesia, thanks for the info on Vine-X. I have been using RoundUp, but really hate that stuff (I only use it for poison ivy, but still hate it.)

Keep in mind that the oil that causes all the problems can still be present in the dead plant for a year or so. I was advised to kill the ivy, leave it for about two weeks to get good and brown (and allow the roots to lose a little grip in the soil), and then pull the vines out and directly into a plastic garbage bag for disposal. Of course, if you can't even be near the stuff even when covered head to toe, get someone else to do that for you.

Thank you, alice, I was just looking online for info on removal. I will look for that product this weekend and start painting - as I surely don't want to come into contact with the poison ivy ever again. Am at work right now, dreaming of my after work trip to the drugstore to get that Tecnu!

Thanks, maggie. I will look for the CallaGel, too. I need all the help I can get. : (
I'll do as you suggested, paint it and leave it for a while. When I go to remove it, I'm going to wear a HazMat suit. lol

LOL, HazMat suit is right!

We are experiencing a bumper crop of PI down here. No winter to slow things down this year. A neighbor can't seem to get rid of a PI rash; I am going to buy her a bottle of Tecnu and see how that works for her; she may be spreading that oil around instead of eliminating it. She has been so miserable; thanks for that tip.

Another good calming/cooling lotion is Aveeno Anti Itch. We also have a bumper crop of sand gnats chewing on us this year and the Aveeno really helped the grandbabies when they were visiting over Easter.

Hi, I posted almost the same thing a month ago - here are suggestions there
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/587122/
(hope this works the first time)

I think caladyl lotion and/or an over the counter itch cream combined with 1 benedryl (sp) tablet a day worked just great in dealing with it for me. Water is ok - you need to wash off the oil. Avoid heat, they say, but I did take super hot showers after working hard outside. If you can, soak in a lukewarm baking soda bath. Baking soda is really relieving.

Also, avoid rubbing your eyes. What I had on my face was the most annoying.

Feel better! (uhm, who ever has it)

I'll remember the tecnu for next time. I'm sure it will work the same for oak as ivy, yes?
Laura

This message was edited Apr 21, 2006 8:04 AM

oooh - I can really feel for you. I am so allergic to PI that I can just look at it and get it! I had it last summer, Poison Oak actually that I didn't recognize, and I had it all over me in no time. I ended up going to the doctor. The nurse took one look at me and said that the outbreak had become systemic and beyond all topical treatment. She gave me a shot and the whole ugly mess was gone in a few days. I still have some scars on my forearms but they serve as a reminder to me to leave the stuff alone.

My DH can pull the stuff up by the handfull and never get a single bump - but then he has to go take a shower before he can come near me - or I will I will get a reaction to him!

Anyway, if you have it really bad you may want to go get the shot instead of suffering through the weekend!
Cindy

I'm at work right now so have to keep it brief. Thanks very much to all who responded and for all of the suggestions. As the combination of pain and itching was so distracting, I went out a few hours ago in search of the Tecnu. The store I went to did not have it but said Zanfel was the same thing. I got that. It was $35 for a 1oz tube! We have showers at work, so I did the application here. By the time I returned to my desk, I could already tell a difference! Previously the area behind my knee hurt considerably due to heat build-up at the joint. After application, no more pain, no more itching. In fact, I have all but forgotten that I have PI. Wow! I am impressed. More later.

I have never had trouble with poison ivy, but since there is a ton of it in the woods around my house, I know that it could always happen for the first time. I do however, have family members who are sensitive. One thing that they have learned is that if your pet is running through the poison ivy, that the oils will cling to their fur and then get transfered to you. Something to be cautious of.

I have put notes on the poison ivy treatment in the medicine cabinet. I always try to have something on hand in case I have guests that don't listen and walk through it.

Scutler, I'm glad you found some relief.

I used to get PI really badly when I was a child. Knock on wood - I don't anymore. I used to have to take baths with some Clorox in the water. So the swimming pool always helped and so did swimming in the ocean. I think it helps to dry it up.

The last time my Dad got it was from the mulch that was delivered. I've been told that it also stays on your clothes. So if you don't wash them immediately you can spread it some more. A co-worker's husband is a landscaper and she gets poison ivy from his clothes. He now has to wash his work clothes.

Scutler, glad you got some releif, but boy is that stuff expensive! I don't remember the Tecnu being that pricey. If I were you I would still try to find some to have around. You can also use it to "decontaminate" your clothes and pets. I have a friend whose husband always washes up with it whenever he's been in the woods, just in case.

marie, yes, i read up on PI today and learned that the oil can apparently last roughly a lifetime (kidding only slightly). This is one of the few times I'm glad to be in a humid environment, in which case the oil is ONLY viable for about a YEAR or so. That includes wherever it is: clothes, pets, or any other surface. OUCH!

elsie, despite having read up on the stuff as described above, I forgot about my clothes. now, in light of the misery I've endured, I'm inclined to put them in a plastic bag, mark with a bioHazard symbol, and toss in the trash. kidding. But I might have to get out the kitchen tongs and a bioHazard suit to handle the laundry. Glad you mentioned this, though. Otherwise, I probably would have gotten a 2nd crop of the stuff on my upper body while carrying the clothes to the washer. Ouch again.

Anybody know what I should use to do the laundry to be sure the oil is REALLY, REALLY gone - and doesn't spread to my other clothes? Red Devil Lye? Hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid?

Today at work, people kept saying, "Just get some calamine lotion." CLEARLY, these are not people who have had a serious brush with PI anytime lately. Yeah, I used a bottle of that stuff over the past few days. Another thing I learned today while reading up on PI, the size and severity of the reaction appears to be relative to the size of the exposure. I walked through a bed of the stuff! And the plant needs to be damaged to release the poison which is contained in the sap - before I walked through it I pulled a few handfuls (wearing gloves), then realized that it would take all day to pull it all; so having thus damaged the leaves, stems and roots in a number of places, I walked through it!

maggie (and all who suggested Technu), I REALLY, REALLY wanted to get that today. When I went out to the store, I was riding with others - including my customer - and was constrained by their choices. They were going to SuperWalmart which didn't have Technu. I bought the stuff I did as a stop-gap measure to get through the day. I'm going to go out tomorrow and get the Technu. I am eager to have it around so that I can use it immediately for the next exposure - like after I spray the ivy patch and again after I remove the dead ivy weeks later.

I am also eager to see if Technu has the same major ingredient. Today I read the ingredients on the label of the product I bought. I recognized one of them and found it VERY interesting. Am curious to see if it is used in Technu.

Although I don't seem to react to PI, I am in the habit of undressing in the laundry room and putting my suspect clothing directly into the washing machine so that I don't need to touch it again. Then it's a sprint to scrub up in the shower. I have heard that the very act of washing well with soap immediately after possible exposure is the best thing that you can do.

I just use regular laundry detergent.....with hot water.....and a long cycle. Bleach in the water would guarantee that the oils would be gone, I would think.

My husband once used the old lawn mower to mow the area on either side of our long rural driveway, and along the road side ditches. Well, the mower ended up clogged, and he used his bare hands to clear out the green, juicy stuff.........which was apparently full of pulverized Poison Ivy. It didn't take long before he was on his way to the emergency room. I wish that I could say that the damage was confined to his hands only. It wasn't pretty. He's never done that again.

Scutler, the ingredients of Tecnu are deodorized mineral spirits, water, propylene glycol, octylphenoxy-polythoxyethanol, mixed fatty acid soap, and fragrance. Mmm, sounds good enough to eat...?

Glad you found relief, too! My friends swear by Zanfel. It is expensive, but it cleared up my friend's husband's terrible poison ivy rash from his leg, and did so within an evening's time. It was amazing and such a blessing to the poor guy!

Iverest...Can get it at Wal-Mart or any of the chain drug stores. About $4.50 per 2 ounce tube..

Larkie

I'm surprised nobody's yet mentioned Jewelweed...usually found growing near PI.

http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/hydro/jewelwed.htm

Knock on wood I'm not "allergic" to PI - I've never gotten it, despite lots of time spent in the woods and garden. My DH is one of those folks who just has to look at the stuff to get a rash. But he refuses to try this folk remedy. He uses Ivarest.

I believe it, though, because jewelweed is usually found right nearby where PI is growing. Nature's antidote.

With that all said...there's a small PI vine growing up a tree in our front yard and I've been staring at it for the past week or so, considering the best method to deal with it, trying to screw up my courage... ;)

Oh, marie_, my condolences to your DH. Now that I've learned a little about how painful PI can be when done right (or wrong), I almost FEEL his pain - and I don't for a minute doubt that this thing can be far worse than what I'm dealing with. As I mentioned, damage to the plant liberates the oil, and the reaction is relative to (among other things) the amount. Given my current level of pain, I can't fathom the horror of contact with PI that has essentially been put through a Cuisinart - set on puree!

Hmmm, maggie, too bad I already ate. Based on that list, Tecnu does NOT sound like the same thing as the stuff I bought - which makes sense because the one I bought is patented as I suspect Tecnu is also.

Let's see, Mineral spirits is a paint thinner and brush cleaner for oil based paint. It breaks down oils so I imagine that is its purpose in this product. Octyl-blah-blah-blah is a surfactant, i.e.detergent. As such its molecules would aline themselves so as to "sit" on the surface of the water and would attach themselves to dirt, oil, grease, in this case likely the PI oil. The soap does essentially the same thing. Propylene glycol is anti-freeze; however, it is also used in small quantities in cosmetics as a humectant, do is probably in there to keep all that other stuff from drying your skin out too much. Looks like this one is designed to break down the offending oil and get it washed away.

The one I bought today had a scrubbing grains, a number of cosmetic products for moisturizing AND nonoxynol-9. I found that VERY interesting - from a scientific perspective. Does anyone recognize that last ingredient? Basically, it's used in "family planning". It breaks down the cell wall of some proteins. In this case, it appears to be used to break down the cell wall of the protein responsible for the PI reaction.

Thanks, Larkie. I also got Ivarest today as I was quite desperate. That is calamine and benedryl, or the same as Caladryl which I already had at thome. It is thicker than Caladryl and easier to apply, however. It didn't work for me. I think it depends on severity which depends in part on the amount of exposure. Someone just brushing by the plant might not get a heavy dose. Since I pulled a bunch of the stuff 1st then walked through it, I got a high dose.

Cindy, going to the doctor would probably have been the fastest and at this point even the least expensive solution, but I just hate that whole process so avoid it at all cost until they drag me in on a stretcher. I know that's bad, but it's me.

The Zanfel works GREAT. The itch stops completely in a matter of seconds. From what I have read, if you've waited some time (days) after exposure, Zanfel is probably the best bet at breaking the bonds between the PI oils and you skin. However, for a bad (lots of oil) exposure, you may have to reapply every 4-6 hours. From my experience with it, for 4-6 hours you don't know you have PI, then if the itch returns, you need to reapply.

Late Saturday, I realized that I am likely being reexposed. I took care of the clothing but forgot about the shoes (which I use every time I go in the garden and they are open clogs so insides were exposed), the sheets, sofa, dog, etc.

Over the weekend, I remembered that I had some prescrip steroid cream. Used that, too.Actually think Zanfel worked better in that Zanfel stops intense itching in some 30seconds. Steroid cream takes longer to act.

pkock
be careful. I thought I was immune! I've never had anything more than something like a mosquito bite. Best advise, wear clothing to cover all parts of body. wear rubber gloves, 2 pair! Probably best to spray or paint it with strong herbicide (Roundup) 1st as described above and wait a week or so for it to die 1st. Remember, the oil is effective for YEARS so even when it's dead, still treat it like a bioHazard! Stems and roots have much more oil than leaves. When you cut it you release the oils so best to kill it 1st I think. Most important, take a shower ASAP afterward, preferably in the 1st 10 minutes. If you have anything with scrubbing grains (facial scrub,etc) use that vigorously and and use lots of soap and water. Launder clothing AND shoes and laces ASAP. Clean tools!

the jewelweed sounds interesting, esp since it claims to neutralize the oil, but after what I've been through, I'm afraid to got back to the area where the PI lives for any reason including to look for jewelweed.

I discovered, the hard way, that poison ivy blends in very well with virginia creeper, which we have a lot of around here. We live "in the woods" between Blanco and Wimberley, N of SA and W of Austin. I feel like I'm an expert at this now (giving advice on PI) but believe me, this stuff WORKS. My 1st exp. w/ PI cost me a small fortune at the Dr's & pharmacy, PLUS I was still miserable for like 3 weeks!! My eyes were swollen shut, itchin' like mad from head to toe. The shot @ the Doc's helped w/the swollen eyes but not so much the itching. The Intense Itching. Sorry, had a flashback to a PI experience!
1st-as soon as you can (within 10-12 hrs), take a warm shower and use a good oil cutting soap to wash with. I use GoJo, the mechanics soap, but Dawn dishwashing soap can also be used. Get good & wet, turn off the water, scrub good with the soap( you want to break up and wash off as much of the PI oil as possible) then rinse it all off with a bit warmer water to get it all down the drain. You can remove almost all of the oil from your skin and not even break out into a rash , if you're really lucky!
IF you do break out in a rash, get to a health food store and pick up a homeopathic remedy made by Hyland's called Poison ivy/oak Remedy, this stuff is great! I think it costs less than $10 a tube (of pellets). The pellets taste like sugar and are dissolved under the tongue, and hard to believe how good it works, but it does!The itching may last a few days but not weeks!! That stuff works so good on me and my PI. I HIGHLY recommend it!! I've also bought it online from www.drugstore.com. Now I ALWAYS make sure there are at least 2 tubes of it here in the house!

This message was edited Apr 25, 2006 12:21 AM

I am terribly allergic to poison oak and used to get horrible cases when I was a kid. My entire body was affected and my eyes would swell shut for at least a week. I had to get cortisone shots -- but those didn't ever seem to alleviate the itching. It was awful. Now, as an adult, go waaaaay out of my way to avoid it (e.g., I won't live near the woods, I won't pet animals unless I'm positive they haven't been near p.o., etc., etc.) and I haven't had it in many years.

Keeping in mind that I haven't had p.o. since I was a kid, and am therefore not familiar with Tecnu or other "new" remedies, the best relief I ever found was from swimming/playing in the ocean! One time when I was about 12 (many yrs ago!) I had a small patch of p.o. on my leg that by some miracle hadn't spread to the rest of my body. My sis and I went down to the ocean to swim and goof around in the water a few hours. That evening I noticed that my p.o. had almost entirely dried up! We returned to the beach the next day, and that did the trick. Obviously, if you have poison oak all over your entire body, you won't feel like going to the beach. And if your eyes are swollen shut, it would be dangerous to go into the water. But if you just have some small patches of p.o., you might want to try a dip in the ocean. It worked for me!

Scutler, since you're near the ocean, you might want to try either getting in the water (is it warm? I hope so!), or having someone go get you a big ole container of ocean water that you could use to soak the affected parts of your body. Or maybe you could similate ocean water by adding salt to your bathwater? On the other hand, perhaps the Tecnu works good enough to rival or even surpass the effectiveness of ocean water -- that would be fantastic! I certainly hope you feel better soon, and am sending you out a lot of anti-itch vibes.

Scutler, I am so sorry. I know what you are going thru. I had it as a kid every year!

Good info. here and I guess I'll look for some Tecnu and/or Zanfel.

I keep a small bar of old fashioned lye soap on hand to scrub as I'm highly sensitive to PI, PO and a few others. I got the lye soap from local handmade soap crafters.

terracotta, I'm over THIS round of PI, but I will remember that for my next one, which may not be so far off since I still have to remove the patch of PI that caused the problem to begin with - it's right smack in my backyard cottage garden so it has to go. And now I've even found that i have another patch elsewhere in the garden. I might have thought this a strange "cure" except that while I was battling my PI, I found a website where people write in their favorite PI cure. In the OTC section, Technu and Zanfel were by far the largest. However, they had a section for salt water and ocean water because a number of people had written in to say that it worked for them. And you are right, I do live within 20min drive of the ocean. Since it's the right time of year, I just might try that next time.

dogmansis, a few days ago I went to drugstore.com and ordered one of almost everything they have for including Technu, CallaGel, Zanfel, and Hylands. Next time - and there will be a next time - I will be armed!

Now I'd like to tell all of you about MY favorite PI cure. When I was a kid I lived in a rural area and played in the woods and fields. I got PI often, but it was never, ever a problem - nothing like what i had recently. We had a "cure" that worked super fast and super well so I never feared PI; that's probably why I wasn't afraid to walk through it.

Now you are probably wondering why I didn't use this "cure". It is no longer available. : ( We used something called Blis-To-Sol liquid. You "painted" it on. It colored your skin an orange-red color, dried up the PI, and peeled the upper layer of skin off - problem solved! It did sting a bit when 1st applied, sometimes a lot, especially if you had scratched the area and broken the blisters. But even as a small child, I liked this stuff because it put a stop to the itching right away and sent the PI packing, usually with just one application. No scarring.

You can still buy a product by the same name that even LOOKS the same, but it is NOT the same. The current product is based on an antifungal medication. The old one contained salicylic acid and undecylic acid. The new one doesn't cause your skin to peel, and PI laughs at it. BTW, it is not marketed for PI; I don't know if the old one was or not.

When I was checking the website mentioned above, I found that a number of people claimed to get results using acne pads and lotions containing salicylic acid. When I placed my drugstore.com order, I also ordered these products. I don't know much about undecylic acid but I know that salicylic acid is related to aspirin. During my last PI attack, it seemed like I was getting re-exposed - likely because I failed to wash my garden clogs, gloves, and tools. I experimented by dissolving aspirin in just enough water to make a paste and then rubbing this into the effected area. It did stop the itch, did not cause my skin to peel, did seem to dry up the PI. The last blisters dried up and went away completely in 2 days using this method. They were new blisters in a new area, not the same ones that had already been treated using Zanfel. In fact, the whole problem dried up and went away after I treated all areas to this aspirin paste. For my next outbreak I'm going to start with the salicylic acid acne pads.

Here is the website I mentioned above: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/cures.html . I'm not sure if I read about it here or found it while looking up Zanfel. If I actually got the link from one of you "guys", sorry, I picked up so much information from so many places in such a short time it has all run together now.

I know this is a little late, but bleach will neutralize the urishol which is the chemical that causes the rash. If you have to work around poison ivy, spray it with a half water half bleach solution and it will render it inert. Also wipe off any tools that have been in contact with poison ivy/oak with the bleach solution .. for clothes that cannot be bleached, use 1 cup of sudsy ammonia in your wash water (actually I use ammonia with every wash .. neutralizes odors and gets rid of body oil) it will also render the urishol inert.

You can even use bleach on your skin .. 1 tbs to 1 cup of water of the concentrated bleach, dab it on with a cotton ball or spritz it on.

X

Thanks, Xeramtheum, that is useful info, and with 2 patches of the stuff in my back yard, it is not too late. On the website I listed, some people were using bleach on their skin. Most seemed to be using it undiluted but I like your idea much better. I had not heard about spraying the plants with a bleach solution. I think I'll try that before I remove the PI. How long do I need to wait for it to neutralize the poison - before I pull the vines up?

my method of attack has always been to quickly wash off with cold soapy water. If I catch it soon enough I avoid the rash. If I get a rash I usually take benadryl every 4-6hrs.

When I spray poison ivy with bleach I wait until the leaves start crinkleing up (see photo). On hot days it only takes a few hours. Be advised that some people may start jumping on your case and mine about using bleach in the garden .. bad for the ground etc. but what these know-it-alls apparently don't know is that bleach becomes inert once it dries and unless you pour a bucket of pure bleach on the ground it will not alter the Ph. of the soil.

X

Thank you, X, I'm going to try that. About what's good for the ground, PI is not good for ME.

Hi, kerry_in_ky, washing the stuff off as quickly as possible seems to be an important key.
If I take 1 Benedryl every 4-6 hrs, I will SLEEP through the entire PI attack! (My customer won't like that.) I'm not kidding either, if I take 1 pill (I think that's the child's dose), I cannot will myself to stay awake no matter how hard I try. : (

X, I have used bleach liked you described but I have never found it to kill the roots of plants; just the tops. With some weeds that is enough as they do not have enough strength to continute to grow very strong. Poison Ivy is another story (for me anyway) it must be the oil that irritates your skin also protects the plant. Round Up, no matter what the concentration, has had little effect on the PI around here it never seemed to completely kill the roots andthe PI re-sprouted in the same places.
I am going to re-recommend Vine-X (www.vine-x.com); that is the first product that has worked well for me; it is slow but very effective.
Now, if I could only stop the birds from dropping more PI seeds in my yard !!!!!! alice