Suggest Treatment For Itchy Rashes Due To Contact With Poison Ivy

Posted on Wed, 26 Aug 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 26 Aug 2015 Answered on

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I got some poison ivy or oak or sumac which is very itchy. Tecnu has worked amazingly well for me in the past but not this time.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (31 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
add oral antihistamine, topical steroid , baking soda

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic

You may want to consider using an oral anti histamine as well. The older ones such as benadryl or dramamine (some persons also used for nausea) tend to work faster than the newer non drowsy meds (zyrtec, allegra, claritine).

Available over the counter.

You can also purchase a mild topical steroid such as hydrocortisone to apply to the rash. This would help to reduce the itching as well.

Baking soda is also helpful for itching either as a bath or paste. As a bath , one cup is used to a tub of water.
As a paste it is using a ratio of 1 part baking soda to 3 water

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar