poison ivy

I have poison ivy it covered my back, chest, arms, ears, face, hair. I was given a shot of prednisone. then 5 mg of prednisone. 5 pills the first day, titrate to one in 5 days. Along with 2 benadryls every 6 hours and zyrtec. The rash went down a lil. But as soon as I quit taking the prednisone it seemed the rash got twice as bad. Went back to doc and got 10 mgs of prednisone, take 3 for 3 days, then 2 for 3 days, then one. The rash went away a lil more. Now it seems as if the rash may be coming back again. My question is will taking to small of a dose, or not taking the prednisone until the rash clears up. Will that cause the rash to come back?

[blackcat95]

Well went to another doc today. 25 days of steroids, steroid cream and vistiril. throwing out pillows only thing i can think of i havent cleaned and got new ones

[blackcat95]

and not sure if it is poison ivy

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be due to poison ivy or hives. The rash that results from the poison plants is a form of allergic contact dermatitis. Symptoms include redness and itching of the skin, development of rash and sometimes development of blisters from rash.

Once it begins, the rash will usually clear on its own by 14-21 days. Treatment is directed at controlling the itching. Apart from oral steroids, You may take oral antihistaminics like benadryl or zyrtec.Also apply calamine lotion as it has a soothing effect on the skin. You can apply OTC steroid cream but it is only helpful if applied right away, before blisters appear, or much later, when the blisters have dried up. Compresses with cool water or Burrow’s solution (available without prescription) can help dry the ooze faster.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[blackcat95]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. This rash has been going on for about 2 months. Im not sure if I was re infecting myself or whats going on. I have went thru numerous bottles of calamine. Then found the zinc oxide seemed to provide longer relief and better looking results. I initially thought I had burned myself with hair dye, because it burned. I usually dont get around the poison in the wooded part of my yard. But I have an indoor weeine dog and a teen son that loves cleaning up the leaves and such to make burn piles. No we will definatly not be burning anymore....And oh yes the cold compress were a God send. Thanks alot again for your time and knowledge