ORIGINAL: mello_collins
DO NOT RUB
Straight bleach. I’m a RN and this is what I was told to use by an ER Dr and have for years. If it is on your arm or leg just pour on and let sit for a few min. Then blot to dry. DO NOT RUB WITH THE TOWEL TO DRY! For other areas just use a wad of tp soaked with bleach, again don’t rub, blot on and off. The bleach will denature the enzymes and proteins in the oils from the ivy, which causes the reaction.
mello
I agree completely with the bleach when it's fresh on, i just did an ER rotation and that's what my attending recommended.
If you don't know where you got it from, look at your kids, pets and clothes. Wash all of the above. If a dog gets into poison ivy and gets the oils on him, he can kee re-exposing you for over a week after he brushed it.
Once you have poison ivy and have showered, you're no longer contagious and you
cannot spread it anywhere on your body by scratching. The rash may spread as your body continues to react to the oils it was exposed to, but scratching and breaking a poison ivy blister will not spread it to another part of your body or to another person.
The best way to deal with it once you've got it is Benadryl as much as the bottle directs as often as directed and any sort of Calamine lotion. Any generic brand of Calamine is as good as any name brand, the only real difference is the price.
If the reaction is anywhere near your eyes, mouth or is over a large area (greater than say your forearm) or if the itching is driving you nuts, go see a doc and he/she will probably give you a short course of steroids which will calm the reaction down.