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Severe Itching Head to Toe!
I have this severe itch that has lasted a few months off and on which starts at the top of my head and goes to my feet. I see no rash except I do see some little red dots or little red bumps. It's worse on my back, legs, arms, scalp, Sometimes I feel as though something is crawling on me or sometimes I feel as though I cannot keep my arms and legs still. I cannot sleep because of this. It is worse at night but I do occassionally have it during the day (like right now). it's the kind of itch that you scratch but cannot ever relieve. I have tried everything.....creams, moisterizers...bath and body stuff....sometimes it helps and sometimes it makes it worse. I also itch up my butt and up my front. The itching feels like a prickley itch and feels like i have a very mild sunburn. I just don't know what to do about this or even what this is. I just know that I need to get some sleep! Please help me.
A related discussion, Horrible Itching All Over - What is It? was started.
I am a 28 year old male and I have extreme itching to where I cannot sleep only after tanning.
My mother and most of my family suffer from RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome). It feels like things crawling under the skin, and usually hits at night. You have to keep moving your legs to get any relief. Mom took Sinemet, and it helped for the last two years of her life, but the price you pay is that when the symptoms return, they return with greater intensity. A lot of doctors have never heard of this problem, so your doctor may not know about it.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
My friend had these same symptoms he was finally diagnosed with a gluten allergy, after eliminating gluten from his diet he has been itch free!!
Hi There ... I posted this to another question earlier ... it might be of interest to some of you so I copied it here for you ...
... I too am searching for relief from the itching. I have seen allergists, dermatologists and doctors to no avail.
Searching the net I came across some others suffering the same symptoms ... one mentioned large doses of niacin (B-3) ... I researhced this and found sufficient information that I myself felt confident to start taking it.
Note ... taking large does of nicin can be dangerous ... you should likely clear everything with your doctor ... they will have to do ongoing liver function tests to make sure you are not damaging yourself. Also, many papers warn against the time release form of niacin ... this apparently has damaged peoples livers.
Personally ... I take 1500 mg niacin x 3 times a day (every 8 hours). This is 3 x 500 mg pills ... they cost about $35 for 500 pills up here in Canada ... and you can get it over the counter ... it is not a prescription drug. Also ... at night I also take 1 benadryl and 1 allegra. If I miss the niacin by even 1 hour I start itching. Do not start at 1500 mg ... start at either 500 or 1000 mg ... only move up if you absolutely have to. My doctor told me that the maximum daily dose I can go up to is 6000 mg per day ... I am a 200 lb male.
I also found reference to this treatment under something like orthomolecular therapy having to do with megadoses of vitamins ... it has been used to treat schizophrenics and alcoholics among other things. See Dr Hoffer's research. I do not have the exact web page ... but you might want to start searching from ...
http://www.islandnet.com/~hoffer/hofferhp.htm
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:3xIHgG62QRwC:www.orthomed.org/links/papers/hofschz.htm+hoffer+niacin+saskatchewan+manitoba&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Also ... please be aware, especially the first time, that you will experience a nicin rush ... you are not dying or having some fatal attack ... although some won't get this ... you will likely feel an extremely warm feeling emanating from your forhead and going down your limbs and trunk. After the first few days you will not feel this anymore. Actually the first time it was quite a rush ... I sort of wish it would happen all the time :)
Once you have gotten past this keep taking it every 8 hours like clockwork ... otherwise you will feel some itching.
As to washing ... I only use Pears soap (everything else makes me too itchy) and I only wash my privates, underarms and feet ... I use Nizoral on my hair (and occassionally on my pubic hair and eyelids). The rest of my body I only rinse with warm water. I have found that my itching is also less if I soak in a clean tub of clear water without using any soap.
I have to keep pants or sweatpants on all the time as my legs get very itchy otherwise ... as the moisture or sweat evaporates.
Prior to this treatment, at one point a fan was blowing across my legs at it was extremely painful.
I have had this since approximately 1987-1988 ... it has been extremely taxing ... I have gone many nights and days without sleep.
The other day I came across a web site and the person was found to have Sjogren's Syndrome ... I will have to get some testing to see if this is it (long shot). Researchers at the UNiversity of Toronto and Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto have potentially found a cure for Sjogren's ... but it will be a few years before it gets into clinical trials.
http://home.earthlink.net/~lynnec21/jolynnFrame1Source1.htm
http://www.sjogrens.org/research/news/resnews8_10.07.02.html
Good luck to all. Hopefully we can find a cure for this.
--------
Addition info
... the niacin also seems to increase libido a little ... at least for me ...
... niacin seems to dilate the capillaries ... the additional blood flow appears to flush histamines away from the skin's surface ... thus after the flush the itching reduces substantially and often will go away for long periods of time
... I too am searching for relief from the itching. I have seen allergists, dermatologists and doctors to no avail.
Searching the net I came across some others suffering the same symptoms ... one mentioned large doses of niacin (B-3) ... I researhced this and found sufficient information that I myself felt confident to start taking it.
Note ... taking large does of nicin can be dangerous ... you should likely clear everything with your doctor ... they will have to do ongoing liver function tests to make sure you are not damaging yourself. Also, many papers warn against the time release form of niacin ... this apparently has damaged peoples livers.
Personally ... I take 1500 mg niacin x 3 times a day (every 8 hours). This is 3 x 500 mg pills ... they cost about $35 for 500 pills up here in Canada ... and you can get it over the counter ... it is not a prescription drug. Also ... at night I also take 1 benadryl and 1 allegra. If I miss the niacin by even 1 hour I start itching. Do not start at 1500 mg ... start at either 500 or 1000 mg ... only move up if you absolutely have to. My doctor told me that the maximum daily dose I can go up to is 6000 mg per day ... I am a 200 lb male.
I also found reference to this treatment under something like orthomolecular therapy having to do with megadoses of vitamins ... it has been used to treat schizophrenics and alcoholics among other things. See Dr Hoffer's research. I do not have the exact web page ... but you might want to start searching from ...
http://www.islandnet.com/~hoffer/hofferhp.htm
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:3xIHgG62QRwC:www.orthomed.org/links/papers/hofschz.htm+hoffer+niacin+saskatchewan+manitoba&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Also ... please be aware, especially the first time, that you will experience a nicin rush ... you are not dying or having some fatal attack ... although some won't get this ... you will likely feel an extremely warm feeling emanating from your forhead and going down your limbs and trunk. After the first few days you will not feel this anymore. Actually the first time it was quite a rush ... I sort of wish it would happen all the time :)
Once you have gotten past this keep taking it every 8 hours like clockwork ... otherwise you will feel some itching.
As to washing ... I only use Pears soap (everything else makes me too itchy) and I only wash my privates, underarms and feet ... I use Nizoral on my hair (and occassionally on my pubic hair and eyelids). The rest of my body I only rinse with warm water. I have found that my itching is also less if I soak in a clean tub of clear water without using any soap.
I have to keep pants or sweatpants on all the time as my legs get very itchy otherwise ... as the moisture or sweat evaporates.
Prior to this treatment, at one point a fan was blowing across my legs at it was extremely painful.
I have had this since approximately 1987-1988 ... it has been extremely taxing ... I have gone many nights and days without sleep.
The other day I came across a web site and the person was found to have Sjogren's Syndrome ... I will have to get some testing to see if this is it (long shot). Researchers at the UNiversity of Toronto and Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto have potentially found a cure for Sjogren's ... but it will be a few years before it gets into clinical trials.
http://home.earthlink.net/~lynnec21/jolynnFrame1Source1.htm
http://www.sjogrens.org/research/news/resnews8_10.07.02.html
Good luck to all. Hopefully we can find a cure for this.
--------
Addition info
... the niacin also seems to increase libido a little ... at least for me ...
... niacin seems to dilate the capillaries ... the additional blood flow appears to flush histamines away from the skin's surface ... thus after the flush the itching reduces substantially and often will go away for long periods of time
I also suffer from severe itching. Iam up most of the night digging at my skin until it is red and raw. I have tried taking zyrtec, atrax, ect. But only get temp. relief. Iam now pregnant-which makes it that much worse..plus i have to be careful what i can and can not take. When i was on prozac i never noticed the itching...so could it be all neurological?? If anyone has any answeres please help! b/c i still have 4 more months until my baby is due and i dont know if i can take much more of this!
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