I'm a medical doctor. Obviously the best option is to consult a doctor.
If you have brusies, ou redness (except that provoqued by scratching) you should definitly see a doctor.
having said that, it may be an allergy to something new... either environmental or new medication. Try a anti-histaminic for three days instead of the topic corticosteroid. Hidroxizine 25mg once before going to sleep might help.
This could be an allergic reaction to a medication (pain meds can often cause rashes on hands & lots of itching (w/or w/o a rash showing.) you could simply take an OTC med like Benadryl, or use cortisone cream to stop the itching. Watch to see if there is a pattern to when the itching starts (after eating a certain type of food, touching a cleaning product, taking a med, etc.) keep track in a note book to see if you can find the cause. If EVER your breathing starts to feel effected, seek emergsncy help ASAP. Good Luck! :)