Poison Oak remedies.....HURRY!

[MarkV]

Sure could use some help with a good poison oak remedy. We have a new property now and have been doing a great deal of clearing. The wife got a case of poison oak and I was thinking how glad I was that I never get poison oak or ivy. Well, for the first time in my fifty plus years I understand what so many have complained about in the past. It got me good.

So anyone have some good old country remedies for poison oak? The doc put the wife on steroids and I am trying to avoid that.

MarkV

 

[cowboydoc]

Go get some Zanfel. I have had patients on everything from steroids to beta-histamine blockers and nothing I have found works like Zanfel and you don't even have to have a prescription for it. It says poison ivy but it works for poison oak, chiggers, etc. Great little product. www.zanfel.com

 

[BigIron]

Mark,

Like you, I never had these problems in youth. In recent years I have had to revert to numerous OTC remedies to contend with some small reactions to poison oak/ivy. I have found that nothing works better for me than Ivy Dry. Hope you find something that provides you some comfort.

Paul

 

[n6ckv]

Did not know that poison oak was a problem on the east coast. Having has is multiple times over my 50+ years, stick with the steroids. The dose should taper off in time. Once you start it is important to taper of the steroid, so you are stuck with it. Watch the mood swings, this is the worse problem. A short run (about 10 days) is not that bad, and makes it liveable. I have use other remedies and they really do not work, and they don't help with the livability issues (they do not remove the iching). Modt doctors try to avoid the internal use of steroids, most try to get by with the external application.

With the steroids it is about 10 days and you can sleep. With anything else it is 2 to 3 weeks and there is no sleep.
Good luck, just hang in there and be glad it is not you.

carl

 

[MarkV]

Well I said hurry and you guys sure did. Fifteen minutes and help is already coming. Thanks.

Richard, I am on the way to the drugstore as soon as I finish this post, appreciate the advice.

Thanks Paul, we have been using Ivy Dry and it has offered some short-term relief. This dang stuff sure can itch.

Ya Carl, we have our share of poison oak in the southeast. Our new property has a lot of baseball bat size vines growing on some of the trees. Being one of those fortunate people who never reacted before my identification skills are not top of the line. I believe I will spend a bit more time learning that skill. Hope the wife gets by with out the mood swings from the steroids. We sure don't need any more of that.

Thanks all,
MarkV

 

[Docsknotinn]

One thing I find that helps is to get in the shower and turn the water progressively hotter untill you cant stand it any more. Takes the itch away for a little bit /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Dave

 

[BigIron]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Did not know that poison oak was a problem on the east coast.)</font>

Yes ... Atlantic Poison-Oak (Toxicodendron pubescens) and Eastern Poison Oak (Toxicodendron toxicarium) to name two. My father-in-law once told me that his goats could eat the ivy scourge without being affected, but I thought it was folk lore until I just looked this up:
http://nac.tamu.edu/x075bb/caddo/frameidx.html

Best Regards,
Paul

 

[wichiwichi]

Depending on what area of the body it is i have a great cure (if not on sensitive areas) Roughen the area slightly, have something to grab onto, and then apply a generous dose of purple PVC primer. The rash will start to dry immediatley. Works great but it does burn.

 

[avorancher]

I'll 2nd the recommendation for "Zanfel". I had a similar experience last year when clearing some new property... had it really bad and bought every OTC remedy the local drug store had. Eyes swelled shut, arms swollen and crusted over, etc.

I finally discovered "Zanfel" and it started clearing up right away. It is a bit expensive, but cheap considering the alternatives. Not every drug store has it... and prices vary widely from store to store.

I also recognize the many forms of poison oak in the wild now, which is probably the best solution. Unfortunately, I still have acres of it.

When I know I'm going to be around it, I start with a product called "Ivy Block" on ankles and other delicate spots, then after the exposure I wash up with "Tecnu" and a cool shower with dish washing liquid soap to help remove the oil. Then, if a rash starts within a week, I quickly use the "Zanfel". Yes, I still get some spots here and there, but nothing out of control like my first experience.

My wife survived her first contact with no rash, but since then she has also developed sensitivity to it... so don't get overconfident.

 

[hazmat]

I guess the context driven ads are working. "Save 10% on Zanfal" is at the bottom of my screen. Cool. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif