# Fastest way to get rid of poisen oak!



## DJskeet (Oct 19, 2007)

Whats the best and fastest way to get rid of poisen oak?


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## Joules (Oct 12, 2005)

if it's bad enough to get a doc to give you a corticosteroid, do that.

if it's just an inconvenience zanfel works pretty well, at least for me. You wash the area with it, which supposedly removes bonded urshol. you may have to ask the pharmacy to order it for you.


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## road dirt (Feb 17, 2007)

I'm a fan of Tecnu. Some use dish soap and water. Anything you know of that will dry your skin out. Change your bed sheets then wash your full length PJ's daily. It'll stop spreading and go away much faster. The Dermatologist is your friend.... Good luck.


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## Little Miss Sunshine (Nov 19, 2007)

Back in Nov. I crashed and landed in the middle of a bunch of poison oak. I broke out so bad I went to the doc and got a cortisone shot and it made the blisters go away within 24hrs. But then in about 3-4 days I broke out in hives from my neck down to my waist. Went back to the doc and was told that a cortisone shot usually just suppresses the reaction to poison oak and that eventually within a few days is shows up again in a different form such as hives. So I was put on prednisone pills that tapered down over 9 days. Maybe not everyone will react the same way to poison oak, but to be on the safe side ask your doc (if you go) if they suggest a shot or pills. Good luck. Poison Oak sucks!


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## EclipseRoadie (Oct 7, 2007)

Yeah, good advice above. Get some doctor approved medication and skip the wives tales.
Or just take a both in spicy nacho sauce.. heard it works wonders, and cleans your colon.
-ER


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## robdamanii (Sep 27, 2005)

Cheese grater.


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## DJskeet (Oct 19, 2007)

Thanks guys. What sucks is I also got my Wisdome Teeth out too, about the same time I started breaking out.

I can't wash my sheets in just one day and I only have one sweatshirt to wear (its cold)

Thnaks for the help, Tecnu really did make the ich go away!


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## Sweeney (Nov 28, 2006)

Zanfel is the best. It has sand in it ,you scrub it into the blistered area and it dries it up. It feels great so don't scrub too hard. You can probably find it a the drugstore. Go get it. Relief is just around the corner.


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## Rockin (Apr 29, 2004)

Fastest is to never get it in the first place. Get some Ivy Block for next time.


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## Flat Ark (Oct 14, 2006)

Scratch the **** out of it.


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## robdamanii (Sep 27, 2005)

Flat Ark said:


> Scratch the **** out of it.


See post #6.


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## DJskeet (Oct 19, 2007)

Sweeney said:


> Zanfel is the best. It has sand in it ,you scrub it into the blistered area and it dries it up. It feels great so don't scrub too hard. You can probably find it a the drugstore. Go get it. Relief is just around the corner.


Ya I just got some of that stuff and its great, thanks!:thumbsup:


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

ask your physician for a script for 20 tabs of 100mg prednisone. be sure to tell him of any meds youre currently taking or pre-existing medical conditions you have.

generally the dosage is to take 100mg/day for 3 days, then 50mg for 2 or 3 days. it should be dried up and flaky (and completely itch/blister free) by then with the remaining redness clearing up in the following week or so. use topical products for itch/irritation control/relief while taking prednisone. keep the remaining tabs handy for the next outbreak.

if you know what it feels like when you start having a reaction to urushiol, start taking it immediately and it will nip the outbreak in the bud and the outbreak will not be as severe nor last as long.

dont worry about washing your sheets and clothes every day after you have initially throughly bathed and washed any affected clothing. the fluid that weeps from the blisters will not cause the outbreak to spread or intensify, nor does it spread by scratching the affected areas. you shouldnt scratch because it is an infection risk.


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## Nickt30 (Nov 22, 2007)

*ivy, oak, summac*

All the same oil from hell :madmax: in increasing concentrations. 50% of the population will show a response (rash to blister) with one nanogram of the oil. The oil is very water soluble and spreads with sweat. The primary spot will infect a secondary spot and so on. Each time it spreads it is diluted more and more. The oil is absorbed through the pores of the skin and gets trapped in there. The faster you can wash it off the less the pores will absorb.

Wash (rinse) with cold water for 15 to 30 min, hot water opens the pores up and allows the oil to get in faster. Some say soap helps other references say that it does not, I was with the all powerful "Dawn". Rinse with water with in the hour or so of being exposed.

The primary spot is the highest concentration and will show a rash first. The second is less and will show symtoms at a later date due to the lower concentration absorbed by the pores, and so on. This so called spreading of the rash for days on end is false. The oil is washed away during the first good 20 min shower but the amounts that sink into the pores is the damage that is already done. When i get it (very sensitive to it) a new rash will show up everyday up to 10 days later.

Once in your pores you are screwed. The rash must run its course. Some get red welts, some like me get nasty blisters.

Use Ivy block before ride, wash after yor ride with copious amounts of cold water, go swimming, get in the shower, and so but do it quickly (10 min to 2 hrs from ride).

:nono: Cortisone reduces the histimines produced by your body which effectivelly fight the infection by producing fluids to was out the oil from inside the pore of the skin.


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

Nickt30 said:


> All the same oil from hell :madmax: in increasing concentrations. 50% of the population will show a response (rash to blister) with one nanogram of the oil. The oil is very water soluble and spreads with sweat. The primary spot will infect a secondary spot and so on. Each time it spreads it is diluted more and more. The oil is absorbed through the pores of the skin and gets trapped in there. The faster you can wash it off the less the pores will absorb.
> 
> Wash (rinse) with cold water for 15 to 30 min, hot water opens the pores up and allows the oil to get in faster. Some say soap helps other references say that it does not, I was with the all powerful "Dawn". Rinse with water with in the hour or so of being exposed.
> 
> ...


a few notable clarifications of the above information...

the difference between poison ivy/oak/sumac in their form and fruiting rather than content or potency of the oil (urushiol) which causes irritation.

urushiol is NOT water soluble. that is why sweat facilitates the spreading of the oil from the direct contact area to non-contact areas. when the oil contacts sweaty skin the oil is dissipated (think oil slick from a tanker spill) and a very small amount is easily and quickly spread across a larger area than just the initial point of contact. the sweat evaporates and the oil doesnt, thus causing a larger affected area of urushiol contamination.

rinsing with cold water prior to skin penetration helps to shed the oil from the skin BECAUSE urushiol is not water soluble.

urushiol is absorbed into all surface skin cells, not just through pores. it passes through the dead layer of epithelial cells into the epidermis where it binds to live cells.

urushiol does not cause an infection, it causes an autoimmune reaction.

histamines are proteins and do not fight infection, leukocytes do. histamines role in the immune system/reaction is simply to enable leukocytes to reach the point of infection by promoting increased blood flow to the affected area via vaso-dilation.

anti-histamines are h1 receptor antagonists and work by blocking the histamine receptor sites rather than actually reducing the quantity of histamines.

urushiol is an allergen. once it is bound to live cells they become allergens as well. the body tries to rid itself of allergens by attacking the foreign invaders. the blistering and rash is caused by the body cannibalizing its own skin cells.

the blistering is not from the body producing fluids in an attempt to wash the urushiol from the pores, but rather is the by-product of an autoimmune response in which the body is destroying the antigens (i.e. the urushiol and the skin cells to which it is bound)

prednisone, cortisone, or any other corticosteriod do not reduce the histamines that are produced by the body, nor do anti-histamines. this is why neither are effective for treating severe anaphylactic shock, but epinephrine is. (they are, however, sometimes used in conjunction with epinephrine for treating anaphylaxis)

steriods greatly attenuate the bodys autoimmune response to allergens. this is why they are an appropriate and widely used treatment for urushiol contamination.


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## jmjones (Feb 24, 2006)

*What I use*

Immediately after a ride in which I even think I may have been exposed, I take a cold shower and wash with Fels Naptha soap (it comes in a bar). It really dries out the skin, but it seems to do a good job taking away the oils on the skin.


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## jcarney (Jan 1, 2005)

I've gotten it pretty bad. I'm very allergic to it. My course of prevention/treatment is as follows:

- use a heavy waterproof/sweatproof sunblock on legs/arms (shaved legs make this easier )
- try to avoid it as much as possible; not always an option, though, and I'm not about to give up riding
- after riding, once I get home, I rinse arms/legs with cold water to get dirt off. Then use Tecnu liberally. Rinse again with cool water. Shower.

If I do get it, it's off to the doc if bad enough. If not, I'll just use IVAREST and allergy meds.

I don't scratch. I use the hairdryer. On high. Oh yeah....


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## psych (Nov 17, 2007)

Is that poison ivy? I read that you can apply himilayan balm. (if you want an on-site quick-fix)

I have no idea how safe or effective it is - round here we get tons of himilayan balm on the riverbanks (its a non-native but highly invasive plant) , but thankfully no poison oak.


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## DrNickels (Jan 7, 2008)

Prednisone is the way to go. It will clear that **** up in about 2 days.


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

DrNickels said:


> Prednisone is the way to go. It will clear that **** up in about 2 days.


yeah, i think that was mentioned elsewhere in this thread too


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## rockcrawler53 (Dec 15, 2004)

*This stuff sucks!*

Well, I went our riding on Jan 26 and didn't realize I stomped through it so I didn't take a shower immediately after. I waited about 8 hours. (don't ask why) Well, I took a shoer not knowing that I had any so I just did the normal routine. After a 3 days, I noticed rashes breaking out. That's when i bought Tecnu and after I started using that my legs got sooo swollen and they haven't been relieved since. I'm not sure sure if I have a reaction to the tecnu, but today I went to the nurse and she gave me steroids. I haven't noticed any difference yet in my legs. Will I my legs start to un-swelling soon? I have a 9 day prescription. I totally F'....d up my legs and its horrible!


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## monogod (Feb 10, 2006)

rockcrawler53 said:


> Will I my legs start to un-swelling soon? I have a 9 day prescription.


see #13


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## woodrock (Jan 8, 2017)

See also
The poison oak this year, by fc


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## MountainHead (Apr 4, 2012)

Don't forget that 1% hydrocortisone cream is available over the counter. It's cheap, effective, and no side effects compared to oral steroids which have lots of side effects. You can try it before going to the doc for oral steroids.


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## White7 (Feb 9, 2015)

MountainHead said:


> Don't forget that 1% hydrocortisone cream is available over the counter. It's cheap, effective, and no side effects compared to oral steroids which have lots of side effects. You can try it before going to the doc for oral steroids.


It was 10 years ago,So I think he's got it under control by now


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## Rugerfan777 (Sep 7, 2017)

Goat milk after the dog has been fed poison oak get immunity.


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