Night Itching

[SusquMathGuy]

Just tonight it happened again - I suddenly awoke, feeling thirsty. It was five minutes to 4 AM. I took my pet with me downstairs (a chihuahua with whom I have slept for the past 6 years) so that she, too, may relieve herself of any thirst, and I fetched myself some orange juice. Not long after taking a few sips, however, my body was filled with itches. It was like something inside me poking my body with rapid and random pinpricks. I didn't have any rash or hives or any bug bites to which I'm aware. As I have done in the past, I quit fighting the itches by hand and jumped in the shower, where the itches were subdued after about 4 or 5 minutes.
This was not the first occurrence of these itches. The same incident occurred over the summer of 2011 and once again  prior to that. I tried looking for common factors in the incidents, but the only common factor that I can muster is the bed and pillow. Of course, I have changed and washed the sheets and such many times. I've also been sleeping on this bed and pillow for the past month since I've been home from college, and this is the first I've had the itches since summer.
What does this sound like? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[FurballsMom]

I agree that it's probably an allergy to oranges and/or citrus.  I have a medication allergy that is all itchy without visible hives.  I would take this warning your body is giving you and stop consuming oranges.  You definitely should see an allergist, because you may have some other allergies that you're unaware of.  

Be aware that you can test negative for things and still have a reaction.  If this is the case, you still have a sensitivity to oranges and/or citrus.  You still need to treat sensitivities as if they are true allergies or you will continue to have this reaction.  Sensitivities can become full blown allergies with the whole anaphylactic shock and list of allergies you didn't have before.  So, you would definitely want to listen to your body so you don't have worse reactions.

[kildeesweet]

This may sound totally off subject.  I too used to wake up in the middle of the night with horrible itcing off and on.  I didn't know what was causing it.  It ended up being a damaged nerve in my back.  You may want to change the way you are sleeping.  You may be pinching a nerve in your neck and when you get in the shower you are relaxing the muscles enough to release it.  A pinched nerve will cause your skin to itch.  I am on medication to control that now.  Just a suggestion.  Many people sleep wrong.  Good luck.  You may just need a new pillow!

[amieej]

begbugs, its sounds gross but millions of people have it and it could easily have been transported from anywhere youve visited or slept and then came back to your own home and bed and pillow. These pests will come out mainly at night and live off of your human blood they are small but they bite fill with blood and then retreat till the next night. I know its gross and sounds scary but if you have them they are not just in your bed most likely, they can live anywhere even in light sockets, there is a cure I guess you could call it its this cold heat they use to kill the bugs its, expensive but your local pest control would know more, they even have dogs that can smell out the bugs and where they are and if they are gone or present. They are very difficult to live with but if you have them they will not go away you must do something and just washing your clothing and bedding and even getting a new bed will not do it, its not enough, they hide in other things and then will come back out and get in the new things, good luck to you.

[AllergyPA]

If the itchiness presented after drinking the orange juice, it may be due to an allergy of orange  or a particular fungicide used in Brazil to treat oranges.  The FDA has stopped distribution of so-treated orange juice. But, in your post you also suggest this has occurred on multiple occasions; after drinking orange juice or not?  This is suspicious for allergy even in the absence of hives.  I would recommend you go see an allergist.