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Avatar universal

The itch is driving me crazy.....

Out of the blue, I have this terrible itchiness all over my arms and legs and I find
myself scratching away. It's driving me crazy. I had this in my third trimester in my last pregnancy
and it only disappeared when i delivered my daughter. My OB told me that was
due to hormone changes and only a handful of women get it in the third
tri. But it looks like I am one of the rare species getting it in the second tri. No
meds can be taken for this as it will only go away after delivery and I have er.....another
23 weeks to go???? Aaaaarrgggghh
13 Responses
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1173196 tn?1292916490
That could be. I don't usually have allergies but everything changes with pregnancy.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
my itching just went away a couple weeks ago.  I don't take any medicine no more.  Your symptoms are just like mine when I was 4 weeks till 28 weeks.  I think we just got allergy like my doctor said.
Helpful - 0
1173196 tn?1292916490
I dug this up. I'm itching like crazy again. I'm scratching until I get those little red spots all over. It feels like I have bugs crawling on me. Even my fingertips itch! It seems to worse on my ankles, feet and hands.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This is not PUPPP.  Don't worry, just enjoy our PG.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Write something on it? LOL! No I havent tried. But I have left behind some ugly scratch marks and lots of dried scabs (I scratched till I bled too) Wow it sounds like we are so similar in all that. This am took my Cetirizine, but despite that I had some slight itch at both arms but it went away after I applied Palmer's Oil which does help to relieve the itch. Dermaveen lotion is not bad too. Arrgghh.. but at least this is way better than last week when I didnt have the mes, and I was like a mad monkey scratching everywhere no matter where I was, or what I was doing. I wish we didnt have this PUPPP but in this horrible way it tells us we are pg! LOL!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yours is exactly what's i going on.  I turn red all over when I scratch.  Before it comes, I just feel so itching and some little bumps coming up LOL.  As long as I scratch It looks like hives.....horrible and red all over.  Have you ever try to write some thing on your body?  Mine can be read  a couple minutes after written.  I'm still have all symtoms if I don't take the pills.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Karendiane, Well if I do scratch terribly hard, yes I will get this ugly hive patches. Before the itching starts i can feel this prickly itch coming up and if I look at it I see some little bumps coming up which is why I feel this "prickly feeling" then when I start to really scratch - ah thats when I get the hives-look alike pacthes and I am red all over.

Babywanted556, I couldnt take it anymore - I called my Ob and he prescribed the same as what you are taking Cetirizine. I just took one pill this pm and the itching has stopped so far. I didnt get a chance to ask my Ob if this can be taken till delivery but I will ask him the next time i see him. From what you said I dread to think if I skipped a day's dosage. Horrors!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I"m taking CETIRIZINE(Zyrtec) daily and don't feel itching any more.  If I try to skip just one day, it comes back.  Doctor said I need it unitl give birth and will do more tests to find out or it could go away itself, no other choice.  I have to live with it.
Helpful - 0
1173196 tn?1292916490
Do you have hives with your itching? I don't. There's nothing to see until I start scratching and I'm bright red all over.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Well  appaarently we have this thing called PUPPP. Or known as Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), known in United Kingdom as polymorphic eruption of pregnancy (PEP),[1] is a chronic hives-like rash that strikes some women during pregnancy. Although extremely annoying for its sufferers (because of the itch), it presents no long-term risk for either the mother or unborn child. PUPPP frequently begins on the stomach and spreads to the legs, feet, arms, chest, and neck. In the majority of cases, PUPPP resolves spontaneously within a week of delivery. However, a few women continue to experience symptoms long into the postpartum period.

Well thats it  - I am going nuts.

Babywanted556, I cant imagine you had it since 4 weeks - my goodness. How do you manage to get through each day. I just got it on week 17 and its pure craziness. I feel like scratching my skin off sometimes when the itch just gets too much. Sometimes I feel like crying out of anger not out of sadness - know what I mean?

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The itching hit me when I'm 4 weeks till now 17weeks and maybe till birth. I could not survive with either benedryl or CETIRIZINE(Zyrtec).
My doctor said I got urticaria.  First I got itching on my palm then foot then whole body which turn red and a lot of bumps, hives, scratchs....you name it.  NoOne could tell me why I got it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm sorry to hear that for you both! It's hard enough with the other discomforts!

I had a week of crazy itchiness too, around week 17 I think. I think mine was hives which I haven't had since forever. I don't know if it was hormones or something I ate. I was worried too it would last the whole pregnancy, but it did go away. I used a lot of cortisone cream, tried to take cooler showers than normal, etc. You could probably take an Aveeno bath too. Benedryl is on the acceptable list of things to take, I took it only one night and it make things a little better but I still had it 5 more days. Each day was slllooowly less. Benedryl (sp?) makes a cream too.
Helpful - 0
1173196 tn?1292916490
I've been having the same thing. I didn't get it with any of my other pregnancies though. Sometimes I itch so bad that I can't sleep.
Helpful - 0
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