itchy arms

[woobs]

Thanks for all of your advice on itchy arms - I have suffered this problem for 30 years -it is getting much worse now as I get older - calamine lotion used to help years ago when it was mild -then i started taking antitistimines and they helped for a few years, but now at 55 even they no longer work.  It is much worse in the summer months. It also gets bad in the late afternoon and into the night time causing me to scratch myself till I bleed and suffer chronic insomnia as a result of the itching. I did not realise so many women suffered this complaint and I am going to try a lot of the remedies some have suggested. My sympathies to all of my itchy friend out there.  


This discussion is related to Severe Itching on arms.

[Jeromo]

I know it sound bad but I am so greatful I have found others with same problems and that  3 am starting time is so weird but same time for me every night and yes summer time. I thought it was humidity for me that causes it. A misquito bite yes that also will start mine after I was exempt or in remission for a long term. Then when it starts again the next summer I almost get depressed like not again PLEASE! I also get pimples from the burning that hurts deep within like a nerve burning. Yes I have back problems that they claim may be related to this but who knows what really is the cause and at this point of having it I just want relief that's all I care.. This can actually drive you insane its horrible....

[JuliusWillis]

But that's the thing - I'm okay!  It's like getting in a pool, except you're only in the tub for 10 minutes, and not hours on end.  And my friend who's been doing this for three years, twice a week, is fine.  And I've only had to do it 3 times total, and I'm done with the itch.  Idk, maybe t's a secret dermatologists may not want share, it'd be bad for business.  :)  

[caregiver222]

It is not a good idea to pour chlorox bleach in the bathtub. This potentially dangerous and life-threatening. Bleach is corrosive and can cause burns on the skin, genitalia and eyes as well as cause respiratory distress and lung damage.

[JuliusWillis]

I don't know how itchy arms happens but I found something that made the super itchiness in my arms stop.  A friend who's had a life-time of eczema told me about bleach baths. So I did as he advised, I took a cup of bleach (Clorox) and poured it in a bath tub of warm/hot water and got in it for 10 minutes.  The first time I did this ended all of the itching.  Four days later I did this bleach bath again because I thought I felt the itch returning and again it worked.  I've done three bleach baths so far, the last bath was a week ago, and the itch hasn't returned, and I suspect never will as long as I lotion up.  And be sure to lotion up after the baths, your skin will be dry.  How it works - the bleach kills bacteria and germs that cause the itching. And once you stop scratching, your skin will go back to normal like mine did.  My name is Julius Willis III and I approve of this message/method!  :)  Good luck.  Oh, and the lotion I use is CeraVe and sometimes Lubriderm.

[smiles598]

Every summer for the last few years I’ve had itching on both of my arms, one at a time.  This is the only place on my body that itches.  It is usually a spot near my elbow or wrist, but can be on my forearm or the area between my shoulder and elbow.  It usually happens in the night, or evening, occasionally it happens in the afternoon.  There is no real pattern.
It starts with a strange sensation, then it gets warm, and then itches, and if I touch it, it explodes into a relentless deep itch.  My only relief is ice, or an icy hot patch when it is mild.

I’ve had physicians watch it as it would start to happen.  For a while it would occur at about 3am every night.  (I worked swing shift.)  On those nights it would start with a strange sensation on my arm.  Then the area would turn red as the small area would get hotter and hotter.  The tingling sensation would start, and then the little itch would grow into an intolerable, relentless itch.  If I did scratch it, the area would grow quickly, usually just a few inches in total, but it would feel deep.  While the malady occurs, my blood pressure sky rockets.  

What makes it worse is if I put water on it, or fan to cool the area, or the a/c vent in my car, the moving air feels like fiberglass being rubbed into my arm.  No creams help.
  
When the itch is at its worse the joints in my wrist and elbow closest to the itch swell and hurt as if I had arthritis.  This part doesn’t always occur.  When I use ice to relieve the itch this swelling also goes away.  However, I have an overwhelming sense of irritability in my whole body when it is extremely bad.  

The suggestions from the various physicians that I have seen with have not helped.  I stopped caffeine, this didn’t help at all.  I have tried super cold showers, the sensation of the running water hurts my arm, and the shower doesn’t relieve the pain like an ice pack.

I live in Arizona where it is hot and dry.  This only affects me during the summer months.  Every summer I go to San Diego for a week, as soon as I get to California I notice when the itch occurs it is very mild, and goes away completely after I’ve spent time in the ocean.  I will have total relief for a few weeks after my trip.  I drink lots of caffeine and get lots of sun while I’m there…these are not the cause.

I have four sisters with the same problem.  None of us knew the others had it, until I was over and it started and made myself an ice pack.  Then this mysterious itch was described by all of my sisters, exactly the same.  The only relief is ice and sometimes Benadryl, but antihistamines make us all tired.  Our Mother also has the same problem.  It started at different ages for all of us, but somewhere between 25 and 35.

This is not a superficial itch, it feels as though it is coming from deep inside the tissue.  I’ve had a nerve check while it was occurring, and my nerves are not the cause.  The only unusual occurrence of note is mosquito bites.  This may be a simple coincidence, but it all starts shortly after I get my first mosquito bite of the summer.  About two years before this all started, I had been out at the lake and at dusk while packing to head home, I was bit by over 200 mosquitos.  Over the period of a week I grew sick and weak and the mosquito bites took days to fully emerge as bumps that oozed.  My joints swelled and I itched intensely.  I had what my general practitioner called a “severe allergic reaction”.

When it is mild I can get away with using an icy hot patch.  It takes a few minutes for it to take affect and during that time I want to scream, or rip my skin off.  I travel with ziplock bags because I know I can get a cup of ice at any convenience store, and sometimes I travel with an ice pack, just in case.  

[brian1717]

I've had this itch for 30 years too. I am a extreemly healthy athlete and spend my weekends outdoors or vacation in Costa Rica.
The sun will cause itching but the underlying problem may be a trapped or pinched nerve per my neurologist. I am seeing a chiropractor tomorrow and also get a MRI.
I have tried everything...
I have determined it is Brachioradial pruritus. Do a search on this and you may find relief as I have, doxepin,  Neurontin and I may try thalidomide. Doxepin will eventually stopp working and I went off for 2 weeks and started taking it again and it worked. Lyrica is another choice.
They call this the "ice pack syndrome" and this is a sign of this problem.
I was itch free for 2 months and I hurt my back in the gym. 2 days later is was back in full swing!!! Ice packs and now doxepin 100mg. make me feel like **** but the itching has subsided 70%
Visit this link to learn more:
http://www.****.com
good luck!
Brian