how do I stop itchy legs

4.02 in the morning and I'm out of bed at my computer with itchy legs which stop me sleeping and how will I function properly tomorrow? I ate some chocolate before I went to bed and used some ungentuum cream : could the cream make it worse, could the sugar trigger it?


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

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

There are many causes for itching. I would like to ask you some questions to narrow the diagnoses:

Is the itching generalised or localised to a particular area?

How long have you had this itching?

Do you have any wounds/rashes/pits at the sites?

Do you have any other skin disorder?

Do you have reason to believe that there are specific substances which may have caused this?

Do you have any stress or any pressure from work or home?

As far as chocolate or the cream is concerned, I would say its less likely that any substance would have caused it unless you are allergic to it and this itching is constantly linked to the substance.

You may use some OTC anti-histamines, emollients, moisturizers to help you in the meantime. You may visit your doctor to help you with this.

Keep us posted on your health and let me know if you may have any other queries.

Best regards

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

Do you have any known allergies?

Is there any visible rash on your legs?

If yes, how would you describe the rash?

Is it flat or elevated?

Is this the first time this happened?

At this point, we can not definitely say what could have triggered the rash.If the rash was not present prior to eating the chocolates or applying the cream then this may be due to something else. But if it occurred after applying the cream and taking the chocolates,then these may be associated with the rash. A cold compress over the extremities to relieve the itchiness may be able to help. You may ask your primary physician with regards to taking antihistamines .An allergic reaction or hives is the primary differential.

If you have any known allergies,it is best to discuss this with your physician.You may need oral medications.Watch for any difficulty of breathing or swallowing.If these are present I suggest you seek immediate consult.

[tomjoad33]

My daughters & I have trouble with itchy legs.  It seems to be triggered by the hot water in the shower but does not happen with every shower.  We have also found that heat can stop it.  One of my daughters uses the blow dryer on the itchy area to stop it.  It helps her but does not always stop mine.  We have tried spray on Benadryl, different creams and have found very little help.

[sleepless1000]

Sleepless 1000 eventually found her own solution, which was dabbing   itchy and sore patches on her legs with neat Dettol once a day. I reckon what happens is that you  get colonies of bacteria on the surface  of the skin., Warmth encourages their growth. A warm shower makes matters worse. A hot shower and soap destroys the colonies  -  why nurses wash their hands in the hospital! If you treat it like a simple surface infection
rather then something mysterious surging up from the inside - boiling tights rather than gentle washing - you begin to solve the problem. Also I would have thought beware of  thriving bacterial colonies in the very creams you keep in the warm moist bathroom into which  your poor tormented fingers have plunged! Doctors are alarmed by Dettol, though I can't think why,  perhaps best consult them. Or do a trial test - you try Dettol, your daughter doesn't .  You can't do much harm!

[itchmother]

I recently started having intense itching at night while trying to sleep.  It's mainly on my legs where it feels like I can feel each hair folicle.  I have been unable to get to sleep without benedryl or a shower and change of sheets and tons of soothing lotion.  I had this x2 before the worst being when I was pregnant and wanted to scratch all my leg skin off!  It seems like it might be summer related and also I have recently gone off Wellbutrin XL and Zoloft (which I was also off while pregnant).  Could this be a correlation?  
I live in Colorado and am 31 with extremely sensitive fair skin.  I feel like I am going nuts!  

[l1ly2011]

I know EXACTLY what you're going through. This "itching condition" that we speak of is effecting my quality of life. This itch has ruined my legs with scars and scabs to the point where I'm too shame to show off my legs in public because they're that ugly. It's five in the morning right now and I'm up because of one of my itching episodes.

I have allergies due to dust mites, so you could have allergies to something. I do think that my allergies play part in this itchiness, but I think there's more to it. It could be due to ingrown hairs from shaving because I do have ingrown hairs. So it might be the bacteria from my razor. But I shave the CORRECT way now and clean it the way I'm supposed to, but that isn't working...

I have actually stopped shaving for a week once and I still had the itchy episodes. I could be walking around and get itchy or be sleeping at 3 in the morning and all of a sudden I would wake up and start scratching.

I can't figure out what it is, but it has got to be some kind of ingrown hairs or just plain allergies... but I was prescribed with two creams called Bactroban and another cream that I can't remember the name at the moment. But I was prescribed these by my allergist when I mentioned that my legs were super itchy. I showed him my scars and he said that they weren't "scarred", just discolations.

The only thing I can think of is ingrown hairs, but I'm not sure since it's only concentrated on the lower part of both my legs and from time to time my upper legs, but most of the itching occurs on the lower part. I'm not sure if it's the weather, but I live in Hawaii and it's usually warm here, but it's winter now and it's been raining here and it's super cold and I'm STILL itching.

I found relief when I took some kind of anti-histamine like Benedryl. Also, running my legs under COLD water helps a lot. Hot or warm helps too at first, but that's a common mistake since it's gonna aggravate your legs to itch more. I read a lot of stories like this and I'm shocked to find how much people have the same thing as us and we can't find any answers :( What's the problem????