Any CURE for brachioradial pruritus? (besides ice as relief)

[steamboattracey]

Thousands of people are suffering with Brachioradial Pruritus, including myself, in my tenth year. It is the most maddening disease and I have learned of no cure. Ice is the ONLY thing to provide relief, and acupuncture has not been effective for me. I have tried all the expensive prescription and steroid creams to no avail. I am losing sleep, and my sanity, b/c it keeps me up all night. I am staying out of the sun, but every year, this persists until December or January. I have read countless articles and blogs about BRP, am sure that is what I have, but have yet to find a cure, and therefore some hope that I don't have to suffer with this every year for the rest of my life. Any new ideas/solutions/cures??? PLEASE?!!!!

[julsofthenile]

I have had BRP for about 4-5 years now. I am a 48yr old female in MA. Never a sun worshipper, but go to the beach on occasion. Always shows up in Aug and usually by December symptoms subside. Mostly its my upper arm(s), but i have had pain and itching in my left lower arm near my wrist and somewhat up a little higher on the top side. the left side is worse than the right- always. What i use: ICE! I also use mentholatum liquid lotion (similar to absorbine Jr type applications) which helps cuz of its cooling properties and less rubbing  cuz its a lotion, than vics vaporub and ointments with menthol or camphor. Lidocaine didnt help as it usually only helps subcutaneously or on membranes and not in-tact skin. I tried gabapentin until i went to speak and the words came out so slow, it was too freaky for me. I tried capsaicin and it did nothing until like 14 hrs later and then i started to burn like crazy when i was sleeping, like the nerves just woke up... i would never try that again. Last night i woke up and that area of my arms were numb to my touch, which was freaky. I am going to try benadryl tonight. see if that helps and maybe marijuana sometime...lol its horrible. I did buy a shoulder sling that holds ice packs in them so when its bad at work, i can just put them on my arms and still work instead of holding them with  the other hand. menthol/cooling products help somewhat so i use ice and those and i don't mind the smell. no other topical stuff i tried has worked. I do not have a formal diagnosis but i am making an appt so i can get one. I approached my PCP with the info and maybe he thought i was just looking for something to be wrong with me...lol but after going through this crazy itching you are desperate...and its a real condition. Dont know what causes it- spine or sun; mine came on after a trip to the beach and always comes at this time of year...so its not like i am doing acrobats every Aug. lol...more research needs to be done on it. I live in MASS. so its not a southern tropical climate and i dont work outdoors- i thought i had mites or an allergy and then i remembered once i had a small itchy spot on my shoulder the size of a dime and went to the DERM guy and he told me it was a nerve problem not a skin problem.  i then remembered it after itching for a whole season and started looking it up "itchy shoulders" and it was like i was reading what i experienced to a "T".  so i mentioned it to my Dr and he prescribed me GABAPENTIN. and off i went. and that was it. Im left ot my own devices now so off to the Dermatologist.

[Cassie6]

I have had this for several years.  I break out every April.  I have found only one doctor to diagnose and treat it effectively.  Have your doctor order betamethasone topical generic name is Diprosone.  The only treatment that has worked for me.

[Cassie6]

I have had this for several years.  I break out every April.  I have found only one doctor to diagnose and treat it effectively.  Have your doctor order betamethasone topical generic name is Diprosone.  The only treatment that has worked for me.

[wendy1202]

I aslo believe that diet helps it tremendously...No sugar and very low carb's

[wendy1202]

I have had this for about 10 yrs now, it is definately nerve damage from the sun (mine is anyways)...Live on a lake and it's hard to keep me out of the sun and water in the summers. Just tried the clorox thingy and it seems to help a bit. I have noticed also that if I cut out sugar and carb's I can keep the itch at bay....Does anyone else notice that if you eat certain foods that the itch is more severe?? There was only 1 summer that I had no itch and I was on the Belly Fat Diet where you eat NO sugar and your carb count is very low...NEVER itched once that fall..(usually comes on in Aug and last through Dec. or later)....Watch what you eat and see if the flare up is worse with different foods..I swear that it has a great deal to do with the itch..but it is from the sun and our nerve endings are going whacky...and since it takes forever for our nerve endings to grow back I believe that is why they itch until the next year (Jan or so)...And the winter helps also...and it's not just the sun but even inside and hot heat really gets it going also...That clorox thingy is helping though but am gonna go back on the No sugar Low Carb Diet also...Let me know if any of you guys notice if it gets worse with different foods...No processed foods at all..

[Feb1225]

Had this for years. Definitely feel it is related to cervical spine issues. Finally tried acupuncture, after 1 treatment 80% better. After 2nd totally gone for 3 years. Just started again 2 weeks ago. Going nuts tonight and sister-in-law let me try her cream TRIAMCINOLONE ACETONIDE CREAM, USP 0.1%-- it helped almost immediately. The first I've been itch free in 2 weeks. Nothing topical has ever worked before. I'm hopeful this will help.

[jonihula]

how did you find a good acupuncture place?

[Kiki0405]

Acupuncture didn't work for me and in fact made it so much worse.  Be careful with that.

[mouriana]

Hello!  I have had this condition for at least 10 years, but I was just diagnosed today.  Finding out, and finding info here and other places online has been SUCH a relief!  After so long of everyone telling me, "just stop scratching" and "put some lotion on it," I feel so validated!  Ice rarely worked for me, I'd tried that, cortisone creams, different lotions, changing soaps and laundry detergents, even heat.  NOTHING helped.  A couple of years ago I was desperate and someone said, as usual 'put some lotion on it.'  I have learned to at least LOOK cooperative, because people often are annoyed when you tell them it doesn't work, so I got a sample of Aveda's Stress Relief lotion I had received and put it on.  It kind of worked!  If I use it early enough in the itch cycle (before I scratch my arms into a frenzy), it helps more, and it's never 100%, but it helps some.  I figured it was possibly the high amounts of lavender in it (though I'm not a natural medicine person), so a month or so ago I got a stick of vitamin E moisturizer with high amounts of lavender oil in it.  That helps even more, though it leaves my arm greasy.  My belief on natural remedies is it depends on your individual physiology, but at least that has helped me.  I don't spend a ton of time in the sun, but I have always carried WAY too much tension in my neck (to the point that I had to have a bunch of physical therapy this year to treat the tension and the carpal tunnel I had developed), so I'm going to talk to my primary care doctor about getting a neurologist and doing an MRI of my neck and I'm going to try some capsacin cream.  I'm just so excited to have options!

[Kiki0405]

I use a lotion called Sarna that helps me.  I get it at Walgreens.  

[averybowers]

I have had this affliction for 38 years and ice packs were the only thing that helped. I tried cannabis infused coconut oil (1 teaspoon at night) and have been itch free for over 8 months. My neurologist tried 21 different medications on me, some were heavy anti-psychotic crossover meds that really made me feel horrible.
I never thought in a million years that cannabis would help eliminate my itching.
There is also another product that will give you temporary relief. It is Kwan Loong Pain Relieving Aromatic Oil available on Amazon for about $10.
Good luck!

[jonihula]

how do you infuse coconutoil with canabis?

[Kiki0405]

Where can you find cannabis infused coconut oil? In Denver only?

[Kiki0405]

Where can you find cannabis infused coconut oil? In Denver only