Excessive Night Time Itch

[BernardBrown]

I am a 51 year old, white male that has been suffering for over 21 years from what I call a now "excessive night time itch". This chronic itch has migrated over the years back and forth, mostly from neck, shoulders and arms occasional upper chest. It is almost exclusively to night, of that 90% after I lay down at night. This almost unbearable, life altering itch is hard to describe unlike insect bites, poison oak/ivy which I have had, nothing compares to this stinging type itch. Though the first occurrence happened some 21 plus years ago, it was after I had remolded a previously burned house that may or may not have had molded insulation, the debris of the insulation had fallen onto my shoulders, chest and back. Some have said some insulation could have gotten into my blood stream. This has been ruled out by almost every general practitioner and dermatologist I have ever seen. However that night after showering I broke out with a terrible itch and scratched my neck and mostly chest until it bled. I’m almost certain that this was the cause of that night’s frantic itch. After several weeks, the scars and scabs healed but I began itching on my arms and neck quite often and nothing seemed to help. I then made an appointment and was recommended to a dermatologist who could find nothing wrong. This crazy itch which was then on my forearms, wrists and neck, no creams, saves or ointments have ever given any relief other than ice packs to this day that is the only relief I can get. At one particular time I did have a shot, kenalog, which seemed to help this one incidence for 6 months I did not itch but since then I have had the shot numerous times and it has never again given me any relief. I have had allergy test, biopsy, and blood work but still no diagnosis and all of my tests have always been normal.

Though I almost never itch now where it began and where it was once the absolute worst, my chest and forearms it has been about 10 years since those areas have broken out, and the longest period I have ever gone since the beginning of this saga with out itching has been around 6 months. I seem to now only at the best get a couple of nights of not itching. But lately a couple of nights  is as much as I get and to this day ice is my only sort of relief. Though allergy test and blood work came back negative I have still tried to watch for any pattern of cause of this disease. I have avoided certain foods, detergents, sun, cold, and stress. I feel that I have tried every type of cream, ointment everything known to man, but nothing seems to get into the skin to the point of attack, if that makes sense. I have also taken countless oral prescribed medications as well as over the counter, those all have been ineffective. The most recent ones I can recall, hydroxyzine, doxepin, loratidine, and the most recent cyclosporine. I have never itched anywhere else other than these areas mentioned. I have used knives, forks, sticks, whatever I can get my hands on at times when this is at extreme breakout just to get the wound open, its like it breathes or something then I will have a period of relief in that area though briefly it will move maybe only a few inches away or maybe even to the other arm, almost to the identical location. Whether it be my upper chest, arm, back or shoulder. Usually if I have scratched to the point of an open sore, when the scab begins to fall off it will start to itch again. Though now by keeping ice packs on it  I have about avoided scratching it raw because of how bad the scars on my upper back, shoulders and arms look. I have never before this time, nor has any family member, had a history of skin type issues or medical history. Dermatologist have most all agreed that the house that I remodeled years ago had nothing to do with this condition that I have now and I cannot possibly have any trace of anything in my blood, such as insulation, which I had originally thought to be true. I have seen approx half dozen well known dermatologists who have claimed to have seen into the hundreds of thousands of patients and not one can diagnosis this much less offer a cure or even some relief. Everything has been ineffective other than that one time, kenalog shot and again the brief times of remission the kenalog was ineffective then, though I had hoped it was cured. Little did I know this would turn into a lifetime of misery and through the best years of my life. I am now 20 plus years of being ignorant to this and have been possibly been going to see the wrong type physicians. The heat, cold, summer, winter, sun, no sun, stress, no stress, seems to make no difference. I have been in frigid winter and extreme heat regardless but 95% of the time after night fall anywhere from 9pm-2 or 3am it’s almost sure to start itching. Please note, these symptoms are year round, prolonged heat, sun, or even exercise when sweating does seem to aggravate it more when I am having a breakout attack. I’m sure there has to be a person or physician that knows someone or others who has this type of dreadful condition. I’m growing tired an weary, I fight depression constantly I don’t want to get up in the mornings because I haven’t slept at night and any medication I may take just makes me tired or irritable the next day. I pray, scream, curse and cry at times, I cant even be in a normal relationship because of this sure to come itch at night. I refuse to loose faith or give up but I beg you for suggestions or anything that may help me. The only thing I can associate this with is inconsistence. Please help!!!

Also, please note after reading blogs on similar conditions I am going to see a physician and try zoztrix hp it seems to have helped some other people.

[Margaret0404]

Does anyone have any relief for sudden night time itching, btwn 9 and 2am....  nothing is helping and nobody seems to know what caused it or how to help me!  Please... any feedback will be greatly apprciated!!!  Thank you!

[authrjenn]

I could be crazy but sounds like scabies. Get the medicine, put it on and look for little black minute bugs the size of an needle tip. They all itch by 4pm and go till 7-8am. Hot water drives them crazy. You should have sores with them like impetigo from scratching. If this does not work, have your testostertone checked. Both can cause this.PS Dirty buildings are loaded with bugs and half the docs never pic up on them.
good luck