Arms itch

My left or right arm (always one or the other-never the same time) will itch extremely bad -under the skin -Claritin or Benadryl will help some but it comes back within 12 hours. I wrapped my hand in a small towel and put pressure on the itching arm and it sibsided a little. Sometimes there will be no itching and then all of a sudden -a jerk kinda under the skin and itching. Could this be caused from some kind of nerve damage?  My skin looks normal except when I scratch it and I cause the redness. Thank you.

[pruritus]

look up brachialradial pruritus.  by the way, ice.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Well, your symptoms are typically suggestive of brachioradial pruritis. Brachioradial pruritis is an intense itching sensation of the arm usually between the shoulder and elbow of either or both arms. The itch can be so intense that sufferers will scratch their own skin to a bleeding condition.
No cure has been found. The only thing that seems to help most sufferers is the application of ice to the area until the itch is diminished. Other treatments include cooling lotions like those containing camphor or menthol, capsacain or local anesthetic creams, amitriptyline and gabapentin tablets and electrical cutaneous nerve field stimulation.

Please discuss this possibility and these options of treatment with your dermatologist
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.

[joannie1952]

I have suffered for years with this, but this summer it is worse and happens all the time and all day long and at night waking me up. I have six rotating ice packs and that is the only thing that works temporarily until the arm defrosts and starts itching again.
Went to Internal Medicine doc yesterday and he prescribed EMLA cream (generic = Lidocaine 2.5% Prolcaine 2.5%) that penetrates the skin and deadens the nerve endings. Today is the first relief I have had in ages...and last night I slept through the night. It does wear off after  8 hours and must be reapplied. You must have completely clean skin without any creams or oils present in order for it to soak into the skin. It seems to deaden the nerve endings just under the skin where all the itching starts. The drug insert calls it a skin analgesic mostly used for children when starting an IV to ease the pain. It warns not to use on skin that is not intact, or open sores, so this is definitely for those of us that have no visible rash or sores. It has relieved the "bee-sting" sensation and the infernal itching that follows. Hope this helps someone.