Severe Itching on arms

[Itchy Arms]

I have almost unbearable itching on my arms.  There are raised bumps, but they are not terribly noticeable until I have scratched them into bleeding and scabbing.  I've used Banadryl cream to no avail.  I have had some sun exposure (sunny Texas)but the rash preceded that.  I have had it for several months.

I have few allergies - Texas Mountain Cedar, cat dander, molds, but they typically present as respiratory or sinus complications, not dermatological.  I have an intolerance (not allergy) for ibuprophen, which caused me to have accute renal insufficiency several years ago (high levels of creatinine and BUN).

I am a 60 year-old, non-smoking female in very good health.  I do have managed hypertension.  I take three medications:  Premarin .625, Lisinopril-HCTZ 10/12.5, and Paxil 30 mg.  

Help!!

[Juliebug]

Finally someone who sympathizes with this awful itching.  After going to doctors, dermatologists, chiropractictors, acpuncturists, massages, and physical therapy I finally find this site with lots of people who understand!  I have used the ice packs, creams, aloe vera, and a hairbrush to scratch. NOTHING helps.  And again here I am awake at midnight looking for an answer.  I know I am allergic to Sulfa/sulfites.  I am on dieuretics for high blood pressure.  This arm itching started last year when I had gotten a sunburn all over, and  my arms started itching, but no where else.  I also started these blood pressure meds at the same time. I, too, have been told it's dry skin, excema, a pinched nerve, sunburn, and shingles.  I have also been told by doctors, "well, stop scratching."  That is really maddening as we all know....we can't!  And where is the compassion for this?  It seems that most if not all dieuretics must contain sulfites, because the two that I have taken say not to take them if you are allergic to sulfa.  If I drink wine in the United states, the itching gets worse since all wines made here or imported to here, have sulfites in them.  In Europe the wines have no sulfites so they don't make the itching worse.
I will keep watching this site to see if anyone comes up with anything new.

[poor me]

Hi. Really interested to hear other people suffer from this complaint. Mine started about 1 year ago since being on holiday in Spain when I was bitten by ants all over my legs. The itching drove me crazy.  I now get severe itching on my lower arms, when I start scratching white weals about half inch diameter can be seen clearly.   This is now spreading to other parts of my body. Even on my face when I wake in the morning, I can have a red itchy spot for no apparent reason.  I use hydrocortisone cream.  The doctor told me it was scabies, which I knew for a fact it wasnt, he gave me cream lyclear, for that but it had no effect as I knew it wouldnt.  Reading other comments. Think I will try drinking lots of water and cutting out caffeine.

[mariliz]

I'm glad to know that other people have what we call in my family "itchy arm disease."  Sorry for your suffering since I know it well, but glad to know my family is not alone in this.  I had my first bout with it about 27 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I had never had anything like it in my life but shortly before it started I'd had to get a smallpox booster for an overseas trip and that vaccination had itched worse than anything I'd ever imagined so I assumed that it had something to do with the subsequent problem. I had it pretty regularly for about twenty years, sometimes for months at a time and sometimes only once or twice a year. It did seem to have some relationship to sun exposure and dry skin. A few years ago in a conversation with my brothers and sisters I was surprised to discover that two of my brothers and one of my sisters had been dealing with the same problem for years so my vaccination obviously had nothing to do with it. All of us have allergies, mostly respiratory, but I think that may be a factor. Like other people who responded, doctors were unable to identify the cause.  I used all the remedies mentioned in the postings and found that ice was the only thing that really helped that itch that just about made me crazy. I've scratched with hair brushes and even fantasized about taking a fork to it, it can really, really made you nuts.  But I wanted to say that it apparently does not last forever because I haven't had it at all for about seven years. The doctors may not be able to treat it, but there is hope that it will go away eventually.

[Supersweet]

I have been reading a few questions on the severe itching on arms I also have this problem, just wanted to comment; I have been to see 7 doctors and no one has helped me yet.  Nothing besides an ice pack has provided lasting refiel until recently I had a toothache for which I used ora jeal and on impulse tried it on my arms which were itching as usual.  To my great surprise the itach stopped alomst immediately and stayed away for hours.  What a relief.

[KatieASU03]

I have had a SEVERE itch on my arm now for about 2 years. It comes and goes.  It will be bad for a couple weeks and disapear for a few months and come back.  It really frustrates me because I itch to the point where i bleed and get terrible scabs and when I tell people and even my Dr's(i have been to MANY) they tell me to "stop itching."  It is so bad I sometimes feel i would rather have my arms cut off!! It is so much more then an itch.  I dont even know how to describe this.  I truly beleive that this deserves more attention becuase many people are suffering from it and no one is getting help!  I cant sleep at night when i get it and it is on the back of my mind throughout the day.  I have actually been out with freinds and had to go home because i couldnt bare to sit there and itch in front of everyone like a maniac.  This is not mental, it is some kind of disease and i am DYING to know what it is!!! Please someone help!!!

[Asti]

My itching started several years ago when I lived in the Chicagoland area.  Most of my itching had been confined to my arms.  Thankfully, I have never itched to the point of bleeding, but like so many other stories I have read about itching, little bumps would start to appear after I started to scratch.  To find out why the itching occurred, I began to watch what I ate.  (It never occurred to me to go to a doctor.)  After my own little scientific experiment, I isolated the itching to my caffeine/decaf intake.  Once I quit drinking caffeine or decaf, and substituted lots of water the itching stopped.  I moved to Arizona four years ago and found myself missing coffee and started drinking it again.  Unfortunately, my system had not changed, it still was not happy being exposed to large amounts of caffeine/decaf, and I would begin to itch on not only my arms but my legs as well.  If the need for coffee/coke/tea/caffeine/decaf arises, I may still have some, but I drink lots of water to flush out my system, which thankfully still eliminates the itching.