Calamine Lotion

[kdmcook]

My inventory has tons of bottles of calamine. Has anyone had a real use for this stuff? I know my mom used to want to put it on my poison ivy, but that was ridiculously not helpful.

Thanks,

Kat RN

[BonnieSc]

I had the same situation, and have used it very occasionally. Kids respond differently to different chemicals, and once in a while someone who still itched with Benadryl lotion and Caladryl Clear (my standard) stopped itching with calamine. It doesn't work as well for most people, and it leaves those icky splotches.

After my first summer, I threw out all but one or two of the bottles, along with a lot of other things I felt were just taking up space (mercurochrome, anyone?). It'd been a long time since we had any nurse for more than one summer, so a LOT of stuff just piled up and no one had bothered to sort through it.

[nurse_wannabe]

I get poison ivy every summer and Calamine lotion always makes me feel better! It also helps dry up the stuff. I have tried the Caladryl clear and it does help a little, but not as much as the pink kind. I would think a couple of bottles would be plenty, though.

Check the expiration dates & toss out any that's outdated. You could also add a bottle to each cabin's kit if they don't already have it.

I just hate to waste!