Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Caladryl Gel For Poison Ivy Relief Reviewed

Relieve The Itching Of Poison Ivy

poison ivy
Poison Ivy Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
I'm currently suffering from a bout with poison ivy and am using Caladryl Gel to relieve the itching and pain associated with this nasty rash.

I don't know why but it seems we have a more than normal growth of this vining plant in our yard this year. I am usually extremely careful about not getting around it because I react to it very easily. Somehow, it snuck up and surprised me this year.

The only thing I can figure is that the oil from the plant must have been on some brush that I picked up to take to the curb for pick-up. I certainly didn't see any of the plants or I would have steered clear of it. Needless to say, no matter how careful I was; I ended up with a poison ivy rash on my midsection. Right were I was holding the brush as I carried it to the curb. I had gloves on so it didn't get on my hands but my poor tummy area wasn't so lucky.

If you have ever had the poison ivy rash, you know it itches like crazy and sometimes even becomes painful. I have always been super sensitive to the plant and try to avoid it as much as possible. We had just had some dead trees removed and I have a feeling some vines were disturbed in the process and it doesn't take much for me to react. I once had it on my face from the oil being airborne from a farmer mowing a ditch and all I did was stop to say hi with my window down. That is all it took.

When I was a kid, we used Calamine lotion. That pink stuff that looked awful but worked. Today, we have Caladryl that comes in a clear gel which is nice because it isn't so unsightly. It works the same relieving the itching, helps dry up the rash, and relieves the pain a little. I'm so sensitive that I also take some benadryl and an occasional Tylenol but you may not need that.

The rash is caused from an allergic reaction to the oil found on the leaves, stem and roots of the poison ivy plant. The rash will appear where the oil has come in contact with the skin. I always wear gloves and wash my hands immediately after working in the yard but I didn't consider that it might have gotten on my shirt while working with that brush. I had spent a couple of hours cleaning up the mess that the tree removal guys left and did remove the shirt and shower but apparently not soon enough. The oil had already began to work on my skin. Ugh! It isn't fun!

If you find you have had a reaction to poison ivy, sumac or oak; relief can be found with the Caladryl Gel. You can use it up to 3 or 4 times a day. Wash the area with warm soap and water, apply the gel and within 5 to 10 days you should see the rash starting to go away. Contrary to popular belief, you can not spread the rash by washing it or applying a lotion. It sometimes appears that it is spreading but that is more from the oil and your reaction. The area that was exposed the most will show up first and the area with less contact may take a little longer to show the rash. The little blisters in the rash do not contain the oil and will not spread the rash.

Be careful out there and try to not expose yourself to the plant but if you do, I hope this little review will help you with the rash.





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8 comments:

  1. I haven't had poison ivy in years. Hopefully it will stay that way but if I should need it that gel sounds great.

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  2. The gel sounds like the perfect thing to keep in your medicine cabinet. I haven't had poison ivy since childhood, but my son at age 8 got into poison oak in California and had a severe reaction (turned out he was allergic to poison oak). He required shots by the pediatrician, but this gel would have helped relieve some of the terrible itching he had while it ran its course! Poor kid had a terrible time with it.

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  3. It is miserable to suffer with a poison ivy rash! I would have grabbed the pink Calamine lotion myself and gone around looking like a pink polka dotted elephant. Good to know there is a clear gel alternative that actually works! Thanks for the review and recommendation.

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  4. So far I've managed to avoid getting the rash, even though we have a lot of poison oak on our property. The last person to clear it wasn't too bright and instead of bagging the stuff for disposal he shredded it and put it somewhere on the property. I wasn't present or I would have nixed this. Now I have no idea where he put it and I dare not work on that land anymore until I know. He's not sensitive to it. Perhaps I should get some of this in case I stumble upon some of this accidentally. Good to have around anyway, especially in winter when poison oak stems are bare and it's easy not to recognize it.

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  5. I had no idea Caldryl came in a clear gel. I like that option and thank you for sharing! I don't tend to get poison ivy, but my husband and sons certainly do and have even needed a doctor's attention in the past. My husband is very careful to keep the plants cleared out in areas where the oils could get on our dog as he has gotten the rash from her fur in the past.

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  6. Oh I'm so sorry that you had this happen to you. I have never had a run in with poison ivy, oak or sumac and I am not looking forward to that happening anytime soon. But I will make note of this lotion. Does it work for bites as well? I am super allergic to black fly bites and if this would help, maybe I'd go on more trips to the country.....

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    Replies
    1. The label says that it is good for bites, I haven't used it for that purpose but I would think it would work pretty well.

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  7. I've never had a poison ivy, and holy yikes wouldn't want to deal with this - good to know a cream to use for it in case we ever have to deal with it - the boys go on hikes once in a while

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