Sudden appearance of rash over entire body

[CWSINGER]

50 year old female, history of skin tags, many moles, and occasional itching mostly on legs, three pre-cancers removed in last ten years. Under treatment for migraines with Topamax. Other meds are Allegra, Celebrex, Calcium.  History of mild arthritis in lower back.  For last 3 weeks have had severe itching over entire body incl. genit., with tiny bumps(pin head size)not red rash, just bumps. No bumps on genit.  Am scheduled with MD in two weeks for Dermat. exam, went to local clinic and tried stopping Celebrex and Allegra and took Hydroxizine.  No help so far and I am getting crazy, cannot sleep. No aquatic/marine exposure (don't swim or use hot tub)  Can you please render input of possibilities, recall that I AM going to see doctors, too, BUT I would like your observations.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Thanks for thorough history and good description of symptoms and signs.  I assume you have taken Celebrex and Allegra for at least a few months, and therefore a drug allergy is not likely (and therefore it isn't surprising that stopping these medications hasn't helped.

Topical allergies (soaps, detergents, etc.) are likewise uncommon in my expereince, and would in any case produce scaly patches of eczema, not lots of tiny bumps.

Another possibility is a viral illness, whether or not it is producing any other systemic symptoms (like cough, nausea, etc.)

My advice while waiting for the MD's exam is to treat the symptoms with antihistamines (Benadryl 25 milligrams at bedtime, frequent application of Sarna lotion, oatmeal baths--all these need no prescription.)

It would not surpirse me in the least if your symptoms disappear entirely before your appointment.  If they don't, the doctor may obtain blood or other tests to see what's going on.  If the itch goes away, though, such testing won't be needed.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[CWSINGER]

Condition has not changed/to worse....I think we need to go to a medical center specializing in overall diagnostics, we are former patients at Mayo Clinic, but is there an analog to it in Utah or Las Vegas?   We need somewhere that can be comprehensive i.e.like what a patholoigst (or CDC) does..it seems silly to find out piecemeal and keep up the agony for weeks...we live in Utah--from cwsinger husband

[awayawhile]

How utterly bizarre. I have recently experienced (am still experiencing) the exact same symptoms you describe. I am a 20-year-old female, no known allergies. Current medication: Bactrim (for acne). All of a sudden a week ago, I began to itch unbearably. All over except for genitals, face, posterior, hands, feet. Had not eaten anything totally new (tried new brand of wasabi, but don't think a little of that stuff would make me this itchy for this long). Am calling dermatologist tomorrow....

[bond]

i been smoking about 8 years but i quit about 2years ago. that was some time in  july summertime. after i quit smoking few days later i start to seeing little red rashs on my back of forarms and  behind my back butt. then it becomes little round red and black rashs then becomes light round black spot. is this reaction cause by quitting smoking maybe my body is damage internlly or maybe i got the diases when i went to the fishing around those weeks. the fishing area and the water is kind of dirty. because when the low tide  i see some rats behind the big rocks and area was kind of very dirty. i had this rashes for about 1 year and half. is it very serious ?

[drew00629]

"How utterly bizarre. I have recently experienced (am still experiencing) the exact same symptoms you describe. I am a 20-year-old female, no known allergies. Current medication: Bactrim (for acne). All of a sudden a week ago, I began to itch unbearably. All over except for genitals, face, posterior, hands, feet. Had not eaten anything totally new (tried new brand of wasabi, but don't think a little of that stuff would make me this itchy for this long). Am calling dermatologist tomorrow...."

Im having that as well. I was in  a grocery store then, wammo! My back felt like there were thousands of needles (or pins, whatever you prefer), poking my back. i could hardly  walk. I somehow managed to pay for my food, and make it home. I ran to the mirror, and noticed a bunch of hive looking things. I took a shower, but as soon as i got out, my stomach/chest/and back were covered with little bumps. I thought that maybe i used a different soap, but it was the same irish springs and head and sshoulders ive grown so fond of. The next few days, were on again off again.. About 3 days later, it just stopped all together. The rash was shrinking, the bumps went almost flat, so i figured im good to go.
Well, i thought i was, but week later, wammo, same feeling, different senario, (taco bell, not grocery store). I noticed that it doesnt itch at all if im cold or have dry skin, but if i walk into a sauna, I feel like my entire body is one big itch.  If I take a cold shower in the morning, and a cold shower before i call it a night, it helps a little. I have had a **** load of things going on (college, college, college, and i think professor sheppard, WANTS TO FAIL ME!.. :-(  so it could be stress.

oh yeah, background might help.
21.. umm, im a guy, ive worked out 3-4 times a week for the last 4years...umm, back in the day, i used protection, but now, i have no sex life thanks to professor sheppard WHO WANTS TO FAIL ME!... i also eat major amounts of junkfood. snickers, better cheddars, easy cheese, nachos, tacos, a wide assortment of cereal with marshmallows (Lucky charms, froot loops with marshmallows, boobery, count chocula), my metabolism is super quick. I eat roughly 4 meals a day, and snacks all day long. im 5' 11" 165lbs and i finally can bench 178lbs (~go me!~). someone should send this story to a publisher. sorry its so long.

[jay33]

hi, im 17 male and for about a month now i'v noticed to be very itchy all over my body except for my face and the bottoms of my feet...i mostly itch at night and it occurs mostly all over my legs, my chest area, my stomach and now my back, it keeps occuring in more and more places as time passes and i cant stand it anymore, i want to know what it wrong with me. my hands and fingers get itchy too and wherever i scratch on my body i get little red bumps all over and it turns red but eventually will go away after not scratching and then keeps returning. I have ended up scratching my self leaving red marks from doing it so hard and have even got cuts on my legs from scratching, what do i do? and why is this happening now? what do you think it is? i'v stopped using soap for awhile now and am trying to take only luke wark baths or showers but its not helping...how long will this continue? i just font hope its a serious problem that may kill me or something bad, please give whatever advice you can, thanks, or e-mail me

[redhot]

last fall i had the intense itching on my upper arms and near arm pits only. no bumps, but i cut my nails as not to dig myself raw. thought it was dry skin from all the sun-tanning.  it lasted about a month.  this summer, mid summer about july, it started  happeneing again, then, spread the under breast line and nipple area.  such intense itching i HAVE dug my self to bleed. now, its the entire chest, arms, including forearms, upper back...last week spread to buttocks, lower back, and legs. i guess my face and bottom of my feet are all that do not itch. it is such an INTENSE itch...unexplainable...cold is good. if i sweat, i have to immediately tear my clothes off and either shower, powder, or dig my self raw...went to doc. 3 dif meds, and steriods and cortizone, etc later, and it is only the same, if not worse.  i cant sleep and wake my husband w/the itching...so now i dont even sleep in the bed.  it is 90* outside, and i cant wear shorts or a tank top. HELP, i cnat stand it. i need my body back, i need sleep!

[dkaz]

Is the itching more intense at night? I've often wondered if the itching only seems more intense because we are still. If you can, are you able to lay down during the day just to see if it is the stillness that makes us realize that there is something unusual going on?

  I used to tell my derm doc the very same thing about heat, I live in Arizona (so you know I'm indoor all of the time) and he wasn't impressed with this at all. I don't know what will.


  I can tell you that antihistamines help control my itching and too many topical steriods can make your skin do strange things. Even Caladryl or Calamine. So be careful of what you load on top of your skin.

  Let me know about the stillness, I'm very curious. Thanks.