My tai chi instructor got poison ivy recently and ended up taking prednisone. I was surprised by this, thinking of rubbing pink stuff on skin rather than having a strong corticosteroid inside.

Wow. I have systemic reactions to poison ivy (which is why I spend much of my outdoor life avoiding it: I overdosed massively at the age of four and it has never gotten better) and was never prescribed steroids. Something to keep in mind if I ever slip up hiking. Thank you.