I've always suffered bad from poison ivy, which is why I avoid it now. There were at least three times when I was growing up that I was actually bed ridden for a week at a time with poison ivy. One time I had to eat through a straw for three dyas and another I couldn't walk because my legs had swollen up. The tricky part is, my body seem to adjust to medicine in such a way that in many cases it will work on;y one (the first Advil I took, I actually felt high, now I can take 4 with hardly any effect at all) One time I had poison ivy mustard cleared it up. the next time the mustard didn't work so we used laundry detergent (you get it wet and paste it on the skin, it dries up the skin) the next time it didn't work. Benedril might help relieve the itchiness since it dries up the skin and slows down the swelling.

So far my kids have only had minor cases of poison ivy, in spite of frequent trip through a patch of it when we go to the creek. Long pant legs and shoes are always the rule, and if they happen to brush it, wash it immediately (within 5 minutes).