Several years ago I developed severe itching, which over a few months spread. It started on the left side below my shoulder blade (notalgia paresthetica), then my scalp, then on the edges of my face, then on my left lower back. Scratching felt good but didn't relieve the itch and irritated my skin. Topical creams didn't help. My dermatologist said my (otherwise sensitive) skin looked healthy.
He prescribed gabapentin, which I had to ease into to avoid side effects. The dermatologist said I could go to 900 mg 3 times a day if needed. I settled on 600 mg twice a day. Since then I've had no itch and it was wonderful--until this week. All of the itch is back bigtime. At night I'm waking up scratching. The gabapentin has stopped working! I can't afford expensive drugs like pregabalin (not covered by gov't insurance for seniors). I take a lot of meds & supplements, which generally play nice with each other.
From online discussions, I'm not hopeful that increasing the dose or frequency of gabapentin will help. What can I do? Ease off gabapentin, take an itchy break of a few months, and ease back into it? I want relief! Suggestions welcome!