I seem to have gotten a poison oak rash in winter - my cats seem to bring it in by brushing up against it - but my problem is, I don’t know what it looks like this time of year. It’s already blistering, past the point of most over-the-counter drugs. I pour hydrogyn peroxide on my arms, and rubbing alcohol when it REALLY itches. Any ideas??? Thanks.
I’m guessing that you don’t know what the BUSH looks like now, the rash will look the same. My brother is very sensitive to it, he has gotten it from brushing against the bare sticks in the winter. Try wiping the cats with a baby wipe, or the equilivent, when they come in from outside. Then wash your hands well and rinse with diluted bleach. Then rinse THAT off.
Calamine on the rash, try to keep it dry. IF it gets really bad, a Dr. can prescribe a steroid pill that works great.
Good luck.
Benadryl is a very good anti-itch med, and over the counter. Makes you real drowsy, though. If the itching is so bad, the trade-off may be worth it.
Visit my award-winning thread on poison ivy here. There are some good links, including a link to a little electronic device that is supposed to magically stop all kinds of itching. I am still waiting for somebody to buy one & tell me if it really works.
Last time I had a semi-serious outbreak, my dermatologist gave me a shot in the butt. It was well worth it- in stead of my being incapacitated for the usual 3-4 weeks, I was up & active again in just a few short days.
I just noticed that I neglected to mention this in the thread I linked.
Hot water is the best itch reliever I know of. Run hot water- as hot as you can stand it- over the rash. You will find that the rash briefly begins to itch, but quickly thereafter the hot water will create a feeling like the itch is being scratched. You will soon find yourself saying:
Ohhh… AHHHH…
At least for me, this is very satisfying. Keep running the hot water over the rash until all itching/scratching sensations have subsided. This will make you itch-free for 8-12 hours, possibly longer. I start with fairly hot water & gradually work my way hotter & hotter until I have shut off the cold water completely. I think I have my water heater set at ~142° but depending on how tolerant you are of the itching, you may not need the water to be as hot as I do. Repeat as needed.
I don’t know why the rash & surrounding skin doesn’t become burned/scallded when I do this. I would say that running scallding hot water over an itchy rash is uncomfortable at worst, but I’d gladly take 2-3 minutes of discomfort rather than a sleepless night of scratching myself.
Get some over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream, slather it on 3 or 4 times a day, take benadryl for the itch, it should start improving in 2 or 3 days. If it gets worse, see a doctor.
Qadgop, MD
I just went to the RX, they have tons of crap for itching. Looks like a lot of nice stuff you can use. However the cat & the poison oak is another matter. In the future its going to bring in more…
Other inteesting stuff there over the counter. Minoxidil the hair grower, $18 a month supply for generic, anti smoking patches, about $60/ week supply. Hmm.
Thanks to everyone with their ideas. I’ve had to do the cortico-steroid route before - and, blessedly, this attack seems isolated. Whew - I dodged a bullet! Thanks again - over-the-counter is working!