Help with persistant Itch

I have a problem itch that has been with me for 6-9 months.
The itch is in my legs and shins, down the centre of my back, around my wrists, and can occur almost anywhere on my body.
There is no itch to speak of under my armpits, in my scalp, or between my legs. It is not associated with warmth or body sweat.
The itch can be just on clear skin but is more often associated with small pimple patches. My persistent scratching often causes the raised pimples on my legs, wrists and back to bleed.
My doctor said it's probably scabies but it's not that as I have tried scabies treatments (that he prescribed) and my skin specialist said I definitely did not have scabies.
I sleep in the bed beside my wife and she has no itch or similar problem.

I have tried antibiotic creams and cortisone creams (Celeston) so far without any real benefit.

My medication is Dothep 75mg (Prothiaden) 1 tab a night and Temaze 1x 10mg per night.
My diet is quite mixed with plenty of salads and fresh vegies. There is nothing new in my diet that I can think of.
I take a few fish oil capsules but I tried stopping those and that had no effect.

I have no allergy I know of apart from Kiwi Fruit. Theses cause my mouth and throat to very quickly swell up and begin to burn. I can't handle one drop of the juice.
Lately I notice I have what appears to be dermatitis on my hands - especially the left.

Someone somewhere may have an idea about this or might suggest something I can try.

Have you had any recent allergy testing? It is possible to develope more sensitivities over time.

Have you tried an over the counter antihystamine like Benedryl to see if the itch eases any? It could be a sytemic allergy to a med, soup used, cream all sorts of things.


I was tested and found allergic to Soy 5 years ago. It took until this year for me to recognize a reaction to it and it is now getting more severe. (I keep getting exposed since soy is in SO many things)


hang in there! Hoping you can find an answer!!

Hi,

I was going to say and suggest the same thing. I used to scratch myself raw and I got the same bumps. It drove me to distraction.

I thought my Dr was going loopy when he suggested an allergy med, but it worked wonders in just one try.  I have since found I have intollerances to things that never bothered me before (wheats and external items).  I don't have to take an antihistamine all the time, only when I get itchy. 

Sounds weird but it really works.  

Good luck

 

My daughter has contact dermatitis to a kabillion things ...(well, maybe not a kabillion, but a lot!) and we found that eliminating laundry softener, using detergents with very little extra stuff (arm and hammer works best for her) helped a lot. We also discovered that she was allergic to latex so she had problems with elastic in underwear, socks, cuffs of some jackets and pj's. Another sensitivity she has is to aloe.. which is in positively EVERYTHING including shampoo and tissues and toilet paper!!! If you've developed a contact dermatitis to something then you will need to eliminate it from your environment. The kiwi allergy might be a tipoff... many products now contain fruit extracts to enhance their scent and cleaning power. Check for some of those things in your shower product, shampoo, anything that you come in contact with... Wish I could help more... It might be time for a back test for allergies.

---

~ Jeannie

"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn

I have suffered from itching for 4 years. Top to toe rashes,inflamed itching on hands and feet and sores on my arms and face.I've been to allergy dr and a dermatoligist,been tested for lupus 3 times,had core skin samples taken from my cheeks.The cost of treatment and depression from not sleeping because of intense itching has been awful.I have just found out that i have staphylococcus aureus(golden staff) in my nose that simply requires an antibiotic cream. A basic nose swab is all that is needed. This is apparently quite common. In my case it was from a maternity ward when I had my third child.Already in two days I am having great relief and I can not believe this was it when the specialists insisted it was an allergy.

JaquesOz,
Does this rash come and go? How long have you been on your current medications? Just some thoughts...have you discussed the possibility with your Dr. of this being from your med.'s, or anxiety? Sometimes when this is the cause, taking something as mentioned above, like Benadryl, or there are plenty of others for itching skin. Please let me know what you decide to do. Teri

---

"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas

My daughter has a problem with itching due to eczema...mostly caused by food allergies and allergies to dust mites.  Her allergist said there have been recent studies linking skin reactions with dust mite allergy.  I have encased her box springs, mattresses, and pillows with encasings whcih prevents the dust mite particles from getting out and this seems to help.  I also wash all her bedding each week in very hot water.  The best encasings are ones that have a mean pore size of 2-6...this is the size needed to prevent particles from escaping and to keep those items from being colonized by dist mites...they are also quite expensive...well some are, but it is worth it if it keeps those outbreaks down.  She is also allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, coconut, and sesame, and who knows what else...they haven't tested for everything of course...I am very careful but sometimes I think some of her outbreaks may be caused by sensitivites to foods that I am not aware she is allergic too.  Hope this helps.

Hello, no I don't experience any itching like your explaining. The only things that I can suggest are. Eczema, soaps irritation, possible bed bugs, laundry detergent irritation, some sort of Allergy. I would like someone else mention to see a Allergist, and have some allergy testing done. Good Luck!
Bed bugs are not only in beds they are in cushions of couches, curtains.
not saying you have any bugs in your bed.

Hi Jacques

I have been getting itches and rashes, gradually increasing in intensity and occurence in the last 12 months or so too.  I saw an allergist, and showed allergic reactions to everything I was tested for, including the control test

He prescribed antihistamines twice a day (Telfast 180mg morning Zyrtec 10mg evening), which works out to be quite expensive.  After a bit of trial and error, I decided that I would just take the Telfast when required, to reduce expense and also exposure to another medication.  This seems to work for me fairly well, but as you already have a nasty allergy to kiwi fruit, it's probably worth getting tested by an allergist to see if there are any other issues to consider.

I honestly believe my problems are caused by the existing medications I'm on, and will be attempting to reduce them in consultation with my doc.

Good luck with finding a solution.

 

---

They say life is a bowl of cherries........... we just have to learn how to spit out the pips!