Itching

Hi everyone, I had a rash and have gotten rid of it bye stopping the treatment of riba for a few days. Now i have this itch and can't sleep cause of it. It started with the rash.  I have it on my back, stomach and arms and chest. Anyone experincing or have had this itch and what did you do to stop it. My nurse practioner said i may need to see a dermatologist. I am back taking the riba but cut down the dos to 2 pills in the morn and 3 in the evening. All suggestions would be helpful, please. Thank you, BAW desperatly needing help with this one. Nothing I use seems to help.

[jmjm530]

At this point I would insist on seeing a dermatologist right away. Like tomorrow if possible. First, there's no reason to keep suffering like you are when a doctor can help you. Second, you don't want to run into another situation where you have to stop taking ribavirin. None of us are doctors here, but keeping your riba full-dose,  especially during the first 12 weeks is important, if at all possible. Don't wait, deal with this problem now. Skin problems are very common on treatment and for some it can be the worst side effect. Hope you get some relief soon.

-- Jim

[BayAreaWomen]

Yes, I really didn't want to cut back either, but if it will help me to stop itching had too. But the itching is still here. I can't stop scratching it either. I'm going into my 9th wk of tx too. I have to see my prem care dx to get a dermotologist to make an appointment with and this could take days. that's days of itching for me and not being able to sleep from it either.

[settecasi1]

Just curious.
Are you drinking the required amount or more of water?

[returntosender]

Did you get a flu shot recently.  If so you may be experiencing the dreaded flu shot riba itch reaction - two weeks of living hel!.  I think Riba and Peg set up this hypersensitivity in the body.  Look to anything you might be eating, taking, applying, wearing, washing with, as a possible source of the itch. Also watch for too much sun as well.  I had to practically become a monk when on tx, almost everything in my enviornment affected me somehow.

[mkeela]

It is horrible, but I personally don't want to decrease my meds in anyway, so I just suffer and itch, and scratch (the worst is the itching on the back I think). Not till I bleed and such, but I have also used alot of different things mentioned on here. I think that quite a few said use the green bottle of Gold Bond with the red cap. That seems to REALLY help.

[BayAreaWomen]

I am not drinking as much water as I did when I first started the treatment; when i started i was drinking 3 bott 32 oz bot a day; now i drink 1-1/2 bot; i starting to hate water; i try not to drink the setlzer water too then i can tolerate it. i just read about this on the internet: more commonly, itching can be a side effect of tx with interferon/ribavirin. Mkeela where can i find the Gold Bond. thank you all.

[mkeela]

I found it at Walgreens...but I just shouted out to a couple folks that I remember right off the top of my chembrained head that helped me through this...(along w/many others...to many to shout out to :)

[NYgirl]

Taking your riba on time and at full dose is just CRUCIAL during treatment.  Stopping it for a few days shouldn't really be done - especially because you have to build up a serum level in your blood and keep it there...to prevent the virus from replicating.

I had the rash / itch extremely bad in the beginning, the only thing that helped it at all was Gold Bond.  I still have scars from where I ripped my skin open scratching. I felt like a little kid I simply could NOT stop myself from scratching constantly - even in my sleep.  I'd wake up with bloody nails and cuts.

As I got used to the ribavirin it did go away pretty much.

Please ask your doctor what his intentions are for your treatment now.  If you've just gone off the riba GO BACK ON IMMEDIATELY - it's crucial you take full dose meds ON TIME.

I know it's almost impossible to tolerate, I really sympathize. But if you stop the riba - you've pretty much stopped treatment.  The treatment is Interferon And Ribavirin - not one or the other.

[NYgirl]

I thought you arleady knew - buy this:

Gold Bond Triple Threat Anti Itch Medication (Green Bottle, Red Top) at the local pharmacy or CVS.  It has a menthol in it which seems to help soothe the itch somewhat and also it's very thick and doesn't come off easily.  

Put it on your entire body at least twice a day. Keeping the skin REALLY hydrated this way is about the best way possible to keep the itch / rash gone.

NOTHING worked at all for me until my daughter brought this home. I used it for 3 days and the rash/itch was TOTALLY GONE.  so then I stopped using it - and it came back.  As soon as I used it again - GONE.

MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR SKIN TOTALLY COVERED WITH THE GB and chances are you will feel totally better in just a short time.

Also - when a spot got very very bad I'd use hydrocortizone .1% lotion on it to kill the itch.

It took me a long lot of pain to get this regimen down but it has helped us all a LOT.

[psychdoc]

I tried everything OTC, Gold Bond, cortisone etc. Nothing worked except a perscription called diprolene. It's very expensive but worth every cent!
Take care,
Barb

[nyc lady]

I would like to share an experience my friend is going thru....please pay attention to the itch....please get your doctor to run full tests of all your organs.  

My good friend has been going thru treatment.  She has had every possible side effect that can exist.  She had a rash, it would get better, then come back....about 32 weeks into treatment she went to the ER because of the rash...the ER doctors first reaction was a Riba rash, her own doctor was treating it as if it were excema....they stopped the riboviron continued tests and in reality the rash is being caused by the poisons in her body.  Apparently, the Hep C and or treatment has caused the bile duct of pancreas to become clogged.  She is unable to eat.  They are talking about surgery to open the duct, a feeding tube and a repeat surgery to remove the stint put in to open the duct of the pancreas because the stint can only stay in for 3 weeks.This is probably the only thing that will save her life, but do to other complications, we hope that they will be able to operate.

My purpose is not to scare anyone but to urge you all to listen to your body and pay attention to what it says.  Demand tests from your doctors, you need to be your own advocates.  While all these OTC things help and for most of you it is a Riba rash, discuss it with your doctor....if it isn't getting better, push for answers.

[NYgirl]

I think it's a very common product that we can find anywhere.  I tell you I felt like I smelled like a very old lady with it on...but I didn't even care it worked so GREAT!

:)

[BayAreaWomen]

Well the rash is gone after stopping the tx for 3 days; this was the advice of my dx. now back on the riba since last thursday and will take the shot this week. i feel like i'm going to have a seizure if i don't get something to stop the itch. i sitting here waiting for a call from my gastr dx and or a prescp for sleeping to be called in to the drug store. i think the only thing that will work for me is a prescp drug like you mention APKhaos, but since no one is calling me, i think i'll run and get the Gold Bond. I'll try anything rather to just sit here and stratch. you guys are more helpful to me than the dxs and nurses seems like. at least i can get info from you right away.  i call the dx office 2 hours ago, and have heard nothing. thank you - i promise i won't stop the tx again

[APKhaos]

There seem to be quite a few rash types and related itch problems reported here. Its a question of confirming which type of skin problem you have, and treating accordingly. Treatment that works brilliantly for one type of rash may not work at all for the others.

I had the killer rash and the killer itch. It started as a near-constant itch, plus a rash of small sharpish bumps on my arms, shoulders, chest & back. The rash got much worse quickly. Larger bumps, more bumps, and most of them torn & bleeding from constant manic scratching.

My dermo nailed it as Atopic Dermatitis, resulting from an allergic reaction to the SOC drugs. He had seen it many times before. A Cat2 corticosteroid cream [Lidex] twice daily plus Zertek [antihistamine] to reduce the itch completely cleared the rash and the itch in under two weeks. Sweet relief.

Its really worth seeing a dermo if you can. As I said, there are many variants of the rash/itch scenario.

It was not until after the rash & itch were gone that I realized how much energy it was sapping. Constant muscle tension and chronic sleep deprivation are perfect torture.

[PasoPerson]

I'm sorry, but didn't see your post until mkella sent me a note!  And like everyone else on here, this is just my opinion of what worked for me.  I was just like you - thought I was going to scratch myself raw all over from the terrible itching.

Then I remembered a prescription my doctor had given me awhile back, when I had some itching on my ankles and top of feet.  It is a prescription, <b>Lac-Hydrin 12%</b>.  Took the itch away within a few minutes.

The other "most used" lotion for me was <b>Sarna - for Sensititve Skin</b> lotion.  No prescription required.  I used the Lac-Hydrin for about a week or less, then switched to Sarna.  

An integral part of the "itch" remedy was also what I bathed in.  I used <b>Aveeno's body wash with collodial oatmeal</b> in it.  It is in a light beige tube with a light green band around the tube.  I've used oatmeal soap for years and years and knew it was good for what itched me, lol.  So, I simply switched to a body wash, instead of a bar of soap and it worked like a dream.

I hope this helps you.

God bless,
Carolyn

[Rastiss]

Water, water, water and don't scratch