Itchy Legs, No rash, Affects Mostly Women

[VJArnold]

Hey ladies! I'm 21 and been having the itchy leg problem too for about 3 months now; it's so awful that when I scratch in the middle of the night, I scratch so vigorously that I wake my boyfriend up and keep him awake for hours because the itching won't stop. I've tried Benadryl, anti itch creams, nothing works. I haven't been to the doctor yet, I'm waiting to talk to my dermatologist cousin first. But there's no rash, the only marks are from where I've been scratching, it'd worse at night, after showers, and in warmer places. I live in Atlanta and from everything I've read, this seems to be affecting just women. Is it possibly a hormonal thing? I read another lady's post about it being maybe being a geographical condition. Are we all in the southeast US? If anyone finds a cure, please help me! It's sometimes so awful I have to leave class just so I can go scratch my legs in the bathroom for 15 minutes or longer. :(


This discussion is related to Itchy legs, no sign of rash or irritation.

[wn899577]

I live in Eastern Canada and have the same problem. It's slowly developed over the course of the past 2 years but has been so bad for the past 5 months I haven't been wound free since then from all the scratching. I've been taking 2 histamine A and B blockers a day for about a month, since I had a systemic reaction after putting polysporin all over my calves to help with the scratch healing. I broke out in hives all over my body (starting on the legs), became jittery etc. I'm wondering if there was something in it that triggered it since I hadn't even showered that day? I'm on the list to have allergy testing to chemicals/ preservatives but it could be next year before I get in! I also went off birth control 6 months ago but I heard it can take a long time for your body to regulate itself again. When I eat healthier it seems to be better, but I can't pinpoint it (if it even is an allergy). Also, I just found out my friend had the same thing 4 years ago and hers is gone! She found out she was celiac at the same time and when she stopped eating wheat is mostly went away. She still gets it once in a while but not bad enough to cause the scratching that we all seem to experience. I wonder if it's something that is usually found in bread products? Going off gluten and/or wheat didn't seem to help me.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be due to cholinergic urticaria. It is a form of chronic hives that is caused by an increase in body temperature but can be idiopathic also. Take some antihistaminic like Benadryl or Claritin and apply some calamine lotion on the hives. If the symptoms persist then please get it examined from a dermatologist.
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.

[VJArnold]

Also, I have 3 long haired dogs. Is there something that the dogs might be picking up on their hair when they go outside that they're passing on to me?