Relief from itching

[WormGuy]

Okay, here is what is going on. I itch, but not all the time. It happens when I turn over in bed (left or right), when I get in the truck to drive somewhere (my back), When I sit in the recliner,( back, legs, bottom). I have tried lotions to see if it's dry skin. I have switched to Dove soap two days ago. In bed it's my legs and arms, no where else. The legs are the worse. Sometimes I scratch so much they bleed, just a little tho. This only happens in the cooler months it seems. However, my back started itching after I had surgery 7 years ago. It quit for a long time and now it's back with a vengence. Any one have a magic formula?

 

 

 

John

[Deerslayer]

I don't know about herbs and such...but,

 

I have a condition that I call creeping bugs--dr calls it something that i can't pronounce--mine comes from having had neck surgery with all the nerves being cut--I feel like there are bugs crawling on me--esp my feet--I can stand in an ant den and can't tell the difference in real ants and my pretend ones--but it doesn't happen all the time--mainly when I am relaxing and more in the cold months. Could it be something like that???? There are meds for this condition--but I don't like a lot of meds--so I just live with it--and "knock" the bugs off sometimes--when they are really bugging me--I know--sounds crazy--but it works(probably just by changing positions)

 

or---have you thought about your laundry soap???? my dh is allergic to many of them esp the main brands like tide and gain--it really bothers him where his clothes really touch him-like his bum and legs from his jeans--his back when he sits in the car --etc. I have to be very careful about his laundry soap!!!

 

dh is also allergic to most soap--esp liquid soap has to use glyserin (sp?) kinds

 

 

Have you tried benedryl???--it works really well for itching and you can use the store brands--they work just as good--I take it most nights to keep from itching and it helps after a few nights

 

 

I know I haven't helped much--and I feel for you--itching can drive you crazy!!!!!!

[Becca_Anne]

It could be a lot of things, but since you mentioned it's worse in the cooler months I'm wondering if you might have eczema http://www.nationaleczema.org/

Try moisturizing right after you get out of the shower and see if that helps. Do you have hay fever or other allergies? It could also be allergy related.

[GirlNextDoor]

See an allergist, then a neurologist, WG.

[Mother]

John, it's possible that it's pressure hives (sometimes called Delayed Pressure Hives when its more serious). It sounds like it with you itching mainly where your skin is touching something.

 

I have them and though I have them at any time of the year they are worse when the weather is cold. I sometimes get them if I go barefoot, especially if I get up in the night and don't put my slippers on. They dont bother me until I get back in bed though and then the drive me nuts. I will get an actual welt when I lean my arm on anything and it will itch for sometimes an hour after or more. I also get them where my clothing is too tight or, like you, on the back of my legs or back when setting a certain way.

 

Here is only one of many sites that might help.

 

http://www.quickcare.org/skin/hives-at-night.html

 

(((((Wormguy))))

 

[esp]

There are a number of alternatives to benadryl. Vitamin C might be of benefit, along with such antioxidant flavonoids as Pycnogenol and quercetin. All are natural antihistamines, and they won't make you drowsy. Elliott Middleton Jr, M.D., who recently retired from the State University of New York, Buffalo, reported in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology (1995;107:435-6) that quercetin inhibits the activity of cells that release histamine, which causes allergic symptoms.6

 

 

The herb feverfew, rich in flavonoids, might also relieve allergies. And crazy as it might seem, bee pollen has a devoted following as a remedy for allergies. Senator Tom Harkin, a democrat from Iowa, suffered from severe pollen allergies until, on the advice of a friend, he began taking bee pollen.7 Solid scientific evidence to support bee pollen is hard to find - some older studies show benefits and others show people going into anaphylactic shock after taking pollen.8 Pollen advocates typically recommend consuming one granule of pollen daily and slowly upping the dose to avoid a negative reaction.

 

 

from: http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/10_alt...ives2drugs.html

[esp]

Quercetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid found in plant tissues such as apples, onions, tea and grapes. Its antioxidant properties protect the body from harmful free-radical damage.*

 

Quercetin supports healthy histamine levels, which promote proper immune function. It’s often combined with bromelain, an enzyme from pineapple, for immune system support. Some studies suggest that quercetin improves pain and other symptoms in men with chronic prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate).*

 

Pycnogenol is a natural, plant watery extract from the bark of the French maritime pine which is grown in coastal southwest france

 

Read more: http://science.kosmix.com/topic/Pycnogenol#ixzz0zVvaVI00

[Lilly]

I have a disease that causes severe intense itching. It is Dermatomyositis. Dr's can prescribe meds for itching. As for over the counter, hands down the best lotion is Sarna. Benedryl might help but will make you sleepy, so you could use it at night. I feel your pain. Before my diagnoses which took six months I was only sleeping about two hours a night. I was scratching until i bled in spots. I hope you find relief.

[Trudy]

When dh and I first married we bought a new mobile home, and it turned out that I had an alergy to the formaldehyde in it. Who would ever have guessed back then that they put so much formaldehyde in a trailor? That was sure a miserable time until we could sell and get moved! I found that caladryl lotion was the best thing to stop that terrible itch. (It's just topical benedryl lotion mixed with calamine lotion) You can mix some yourself, but I don't remember if it made me sleepy though. Hope you find a remedy quickly!

 

 

[WormGuy]

The itching has all but stopped thankfully, I'm wondering if it's the weather causing it. Jan. & Feb. are our coldest months.

 

 

 

John