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Itch Relief…

I just posted this in my comments on the post below, but decided to make it a post too for anyone that might wonder or might have more information to share.

I had allergy testing done because every year I have sinus problems (to the point I’ve asked a doctor before if they could just cut them out) – and any time I end up congested from allergies, I then end up with a sinus infection – or this last time I ended up with tonsillitis. We know it is allergies because Claritin helps keep the congestion away. I’ve had swollen glands most of the fall & winter this year and my doctor suspected it is also due to allergies. Now that we have tested me and found out what my allergies are, they will mix up a special serum just for me and I will go in once a week for injections. (I think it is once a week – maybe once every two weeks?) This will help me build up immunities to my allergies – hopefully preventing the sinus infections and tonsillitis of my past.

My family doctor just gave me Claritin constantly to fight my allergies, without ever testing to see what they were. I went to an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist for my tonsillitis though, and he is the one that recommended it (I’ve always wondered why no one did it in the past). Now that we know what we’re fighting, we can fight it better.

On a positive note, I called my doctor’s office this afternoon and she had me come in so they could check my itchy arms. They hooked me up with some special prescription ointment that made the itch go away. For now. Cannabis products from https://d8superstore.com/category/cbg may also help reduce the effects of allergies like swelling or inflammation. If stress is what triggers your allergies or any other health conditions, Dab Pens offers products that may help relieve your stress.

By Christine

Christine is an Avenger of Sexiness. Her Superpower is helping Hot Mamas grow their Confidence by rediscovering their Beauty. She lives in the Heights in Houston, Texas, works as a boudoir photographer, and writes about running a Business of Awesome. In her spare time, she loves to knit, especially when she travels. She & her husband Mike have a food blog at Spoon & Knife.

1,336 replies on “Itch Relief…”

From the MRI that was done, I found that I do have compressed 5,6.7 cervical vertebrae. Given the prescription of neurontin has finally helped make my sleep and following days tolerable. Seems that the disks have caused nerve damage in the arms, caused nerve endings to go nuts, and also has caused this on and off for years. Presently, I am taking 600 mgs. of this drug at night only. Also, one of my disks is bulging from this same condition. Hopefully, you all can also find relief.

Judy, from 11/26 post, by reading this forum you can see that your itching is from your spine (neck) and is not related to skin problems. You need to change your way of thinking and make changes to your situation as it affects your neck. Try a neck pillow, posture change, keep using ice, don’t use that nasty stuff under the sink because if we ever fix this, your skin will be messed permanently. Maybe try physical therapy. You will find something to help since you now know what the problem is.

I never expected to find this many people with itchy arms and no rash. Mine started about 2 years ago. It only affects my forearms–both of them. My thyroid is normal and the itching doesn’t seem to have anything to do with sun exposure or neck problems. I am blond with blue eyes, in my late forties. I couldn’t believe my doctor had never heard of this–especially after finding this site!
I will check back periodically to see if a cure has been found! Thanks!

Hi everyone, I have been reading here for the last week…My itchy arms (both arms) started 1 week ago. I live in NSW Australia & recently took a holiday in Fiji & Noosa, QLD. I noticed the itch start as my tan started to fade and my skin looked dry. I have found great relief in drinking loads of water & using organic RAW coconut oil on my skin…My partner gave me a deep neck massage last night, I did some yoga stretches & slept on four pillows so my head & neck were raised. I slept soundly all night. I will write more tomorrow.

Judy sounds much like I used to feel, almost suicidal. I finally gave up on all the ‘healthy’ approaches. I’d spent a fortune on different therapies, accupuncture, massage, chiropractor etc., with NO affect. I already eat very healthy, am physically fit, and have no known allergies. I’d gone for x-rays and an MRI with only ‘mild to moderate degeneration’ shown. It is what we all know it is, Brachial Radial Pruritis, there’s no know cause and there’s no known cure. Although I do believe we can find a commonality if we all work together, there is a treatment for those of us that are unable to carry on with life. I am now a druggy, I’m 45 and have barely ever taken drugs but as my neurologist said there are a lot of illnesses that we still don’t have a cure for. Sometimes a treatment is the only approach. I have had great success with Lyrica (pregabalin). I had to build up to two 75mg tabs twice a day over two weeks and then it worked! For that first two weeks I felt a little ‘funny’ but that’s disappated now and I feel just fine, great in fact. I sleep like a log, that’s the best part. The only down side is that it’s expensive if you have to pay 100% as I do but the other therapies were not cheap either. I don’t mean to sound like a pusher, but if you’re feeling like Judy and I or the ‘fluffy’ solutions are not working for you, you might give it a try.

Hi again…just wanted to let everyone know that I continue to drink loads of water and yes I slept soundly again last night…My partner has had a dry patch around his eyes for years and he has noticed it also clearing up since drinking loads of water with me…I am reading a great book by Dr Batmanghelidj called, ‘Our bodies many cries for water’…I highly recommend it…I strongly believe our bodies are capable of healing themselves when given the right environment (ie: a more alkaline system by eating natural foods)…I also drink Green Smoothies every morning. You may want to research Natural Hygiene…If anyone is interested I can give you many Dr names in the USA, UK & AUSTRALIA that can help. I was ready to fast to get rid of my itch however after two days of drinking water constantly & visiting the bathroom constantly;-) my itchy arms are definately settling down…I will keep you all posted!

PS: go to http://www.watercure.com – an amazing & beautiful site…so much information! Grab a huge glass of water from your kitchen tap and enjoy your read. I believe strongly in treating the cause not the symptoms. NATRUAL HYGIENE: Pursuing a scientific approach to health based on the natural laws of life. I also wanted to add that I have not spent any money of treating my systems ie: chiro, GP etc etc. Simply massage by my partner and drinking drinking drinking water from my kitchen tap! Let me know if anyone else finds this helpful 😉

I have had itchy arms with a rash off and on for four years. Then about two months ago it was constant. Ice was the only fix. I went to two dermatologists, two internist, physical therapists, acupuncturist, you name it. I knew I had hit rock bottom in the grocery store when I grabbed two bags of frozen corn and stuffed them inside my jacket for arm relief! Finally, I went to a “Dr. House” kind of guy here in Southern California and he recommended a good dermatologist. She thinks I have brachioradial pruritus (from sun damage and neck problems) and recommended Capsacian cream – the hot pepper-like stuff that you get over-the-counter in the drugstore! I used it the first time and it burned bad, but that was so much better than an itch. It totally took it away for about two weeks! I have had only a few mild itch epidsodes since (with no rash mind you) and I use the cream and presto, it’s gone. And it doesn’t really burn anymore. I have had several people “fix your neck, the itchy rash will go away.” I am a 45-year-old white female who grew up in sunny Arizona who has herniated discs and degenerative disc disease in my neck. Hope this helps some of you!

Deena, 2 bags of corn in the supermarket!, I am sure this has caused a few chuckles for everyone who reads it, because we have all felt the same, thanks for sharing that gem I am sure on a positive note, that we could all share some funny ‘itchy moments’ I for one, always lean on the tiled bathroom wall while going to the toilet as they are always cool, and walk down my stairs rubbing my arm against the artex! I remind myself of a dog rubbing his back up the furniture! I have also grabbed a cold can of drink while waiting to pay the sandwich lady who visits my work place andrub it up and down my arm for relief! Hopefully soon the questionnaire will be up and running – we are just waiting for some final adjustments and will be all clearer on some aspects of our problem, although the more I read, the more I am sure it’s neck problem generated.

I too have had neck problems and back problems, tennis elbow too. I wrote earlier that I’ve been prescribed amitriptylene but since than, I’ve been back to the doc and put me on gabapentin(neurontin) amitriptylene was giving me restless leg syndrome and keeping me awake even though I was on a very low dose, as the same with gabapentin, also on a low dose maybe too low because it certainly is not letting me sleep at night. I wanted to add that and ask if anyone is exercising (mainly lifting weights) caused their arms to itch. Everytime I use weights it causes the same itch, not as bad but I believe I’ve also reached that time of year where it is getting a little better. But it seems to get inflamed along with a little ache and itch when I exercise. I can put my hand on the upper arm and feel the heat, just like I do when I have the itch. I am 5l, and said earlier in my post that I’ve had this for around 18 years on and off, along with some siblings that have had it to and now have severe arthritis. It almost makes me think that its starts off with this terrible itch and gradually might turn into arthritis, just my intake on this, anyone else?

My itching (shoulder to wrist) started 17 years ago at age 31. Have lived in No Calif all my life and adore the sun. Brown hair, blue eyes. Usually begins in August and this year is extending longer than normal. Worse in evenings but this year seems to be a problem during the day as well. I believe it is a combination of histamine build-up (all summer in the sun) and nerve problems in my neck. One doctor said it could be due to an extra rib I have in my neck. But why wouldn’t this be year-round? That’s why I think it’s got more than 1 origin. Chiropractic adjustments and neck massage can enhance the problem. I also can’t wear wool or other itchy fabrics. This year my neck started itching and the BOTTOM OF MY LEFT FOOT. My only remedy has been ice packs. Have tried all other OTC creams but no RX’s yet.

Thank you for this forum – it’s nice to know I am not alone!

I am a 40-year old male. My left arm started itching a year ago and it appears to have gotten progressively worse. It is confined to the left forearm (I occasionally itch my right arm but no more or less than my legs or any other body part). The left forearm itches from the elbow down to the hand but it appears to be along the blood vessels. This scared me so I started researching symptoms of Hodgkin’s Syndrome since I knew a person who was itching a lot and was diagnosed with this. I don’t mean to scare anyone on this board with this comment. I am however happy to have found out that I am not alone with this itching problem. I will definitely try to stop drinking coffee for a few days as that appears to help several of you. And perhaps set up a meeting with a chiropractor – that makes perfect sense!

I would appreciate to hear back from other people with itching confined to the left forearm. I’m beginning to wonder if it is related to a pinched nerve somewhere in my back.

An update: I continue to drink large glasses of tap water every morning, before & after eating & before bed…I also find stretching (especially my back & neck) helps. I lie on my bed with my head hanging over the end so I can see the floor & totally relax (meditate)…this allows water to flow to my neck & help heal any neck problems. I have found my arms start to tingle & itch when I lie on them in bed so I find sleeping on my back preferable. I believe poor posture (neck &/or back problems)& dehydration are the cause of the itch. Please please please try to treat the cause & not the symptoms. I am not itch free yet but it has eased so much that its not upsetting anymore. It can take months to hydrate your body. I highly recommend water as a cure. Try it!!! Some passages from Dr B’s book, ‘your body’s many cries for water’ –
“Every function of the body is monitored and pegged to the efficient flow of water.
Since water shortage in different areas of the body will manifest varying symptoms, signals, and complications now labeled as diseases, people may think water could not be offered as a natural solution. Water cures so many diseases? No way? Speaking thus, they shut their minds to the new possibility of preventing and possibly even curing so many different “diseases” that are dehydration produced. It does not occur to them that the only remedy for conditions that come about when the body begins to get dehydrated is water and nothing else.”
I highly recommend everyone reads this book, “your body’s many cries for water” I am getting this book for family members that suffer migranes, arthritis etc etc. So Cheers to everyone who can relax & enjoy huge glasses of water with me X

Yes Judith, processed food needs to be limited. We eat mostly organic fruit & vegies & lots of greens. I am probably 95% RAW so I don’t think additives are the cause of my itchy arms…Initially I stopped eating strawberries, drinking OJ etc as I thought I could have exceeded my bodies threshold with some food. Since the itch continued I’m back to eating all my lovely fruit & 1 glass of fresh OJ in the am. Water has been my only relief…I used to ice my arms too so I understand why everyone thinks this helps. I have not used any ice on my arms since I started drinking more water. I sincerly hope water can help everyone that is suffering X

Drinking an excess of water did not help me, but ice in the evening and neurontin at bedtime (600 mg) have been my salvation. No cream ever helped, in fact seemed to aggravate the problem. My neurologist told me not to have any more adjustments to my neck from the chiro. since I do have a bulging disk. I always eat a very healthy diet. I am afraid that all of us arm itchers have a problem with 5,6.7 disks, causing the nerves in our arms to react. Fortunately, not everyone in the world has the same reaction to these disks being compressed, otherwise we would have a world full of people constantly scratching their arms and not sleeping!! (I no longer need the ice since I am on the neurontin…actually I am on the drug called gabapentin which is the generic form of neurontin.) I think lyrica would also work, but my neurologist said that since it is a new drug, it is much more expensive and there is no generic for it. I take 300 mg. of gabapentin at bedtime and when I wake up again (usually in 4 hrs., I take another 300 mg.) No side effects except it makes you a little dopey for the first few days…well worth it. I thought I was going mad before and was itching, itching, itching and have been doing so off and on for 20 years. Hope I have helped some of you.

I have suffered from ichy forearms for at least 30 years, on and off. Sometimes it will clear up for as much as a year and then come back. Like everyone else, I have been to many doctors and had a biopsy, with no results.

Ice relieves the sever itching for a time. I have recently tried a Sally Hansen product called extrasoothe. It seems to provide some relief.

I have recently found a connection to itchy forearms and a condition called Candida. This is an excess of yeast in the intestine. There are various Probiotics on the market to treat this condition. I am currently trying one of them. Time will tell.

I have recently found that excessive amounts of sugar in the diet seems to aggravate the condition.

Arm itching shoulder forearms intense, deep, sometimes pin point stinging/itching.
Awful. Had for 5 years. Would wake me up at night. No rash, No associated activity, season, stress, etc.

I think I got cured. Cortisone shot: lasts one month. No itching. Then started itching again. Another cortisone shot. Then build up of hydroxizyl. 3 tabs/day/10 days, 2/day/another 10 days, 1 /day.

Have itched only a little for almost 6 weeks.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I finally went to see an Osteopath today (my itch flared up for the past 2 nights). My neck, shoulders, biceps & triceps were extremley tight. I also had no pulse when my left arm was raised above my head. The Osteopath said it was common to get an itch due to neck & back problems…she suggested a lot of massage to losen the area & believed the itch would disappear. I think I have been stressed & had bad posture during the day & night whilst sleeping which have all contributed to the tension in my muscles. I slept for 4hrs after the treatment (with no itch while sleeping on my side). I do feel more relaxed after a neck adjustment & deep massage. I will keep you all posted! Just wondering if the itch is related more to our activities rather than the seasons? A few posted that while on holidays in warm climates the itch was gone. Maybe due to more excerise & less stess from daily life???

Havent looked at this in awhile… i personally am not a sufferer, however my cousin has been for the past 2 years. I have researched it, and believe it to be BRP. This is nerve damage/disorder from various diseases and neck/back injuries, some also from the sun. The condition starts in the summer and usually goes away in winter. The BEST solution is a chiropractor. Ice does give relief, but please research that, as it causes MORE nerve damage, intensifying the problem over time. Not many doctors are aware of BRP, most will tell you its anxiety, skin, food allergy, etc. Please research BRP for yourself and decide if a chiropractor is the way to go, or seek a physician who treats this. good luck!

So are we all scratch aholics?
I thought I was alergic to my life! I have been itchy for 4 years
so I said to myself today! face yourself… go to a skin doctor
I called… The receptionest said I would not be able to get in for two months AH~ Please put me on the list for when someone cancels
WoW the power of thought and desire of now!
she said you have a 99.9% chance no one will cancel …
my reply is great I am the .1%
She called me back 30 min later and said, can you be here by 2;30 Today? some one canceled
yowza yes! Itchy itchy itchy I am the .1% great I will be cured they will know? So I get there the doc. says yep ~ you have BRP
there is no known cure it is incurable… Bells went off in my head I was just reading this book and incurable mean= curable from within…. So I started thinkin what have I changed in my life in the past 4 years ?
I stopped drinking alcohol 4 years ago I am 51 years of age and I stared eating chocolate in the past 4 years never before in my life have I ate chcolate… so I am going to Stop eating chcolate and all sweets first I will keep you all posted..

Tnxs for your reply Judith…I used to live on the Gold Coast. We are relocating to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast on 4th Jan 07 and I’m hoping the weather will help with the itch? I will be covering up in the sun from now on and I will definately treat myself to a deep tissue massage weekly until the itch is gone. I am also finding Aloe Vera Gel very soothing (I keep mine in the fridge so its nice & cold). Does anyone else find they loose their pulse in their arm when raised above the head?

Hi Nikki, I don’t find the sun affects me at all except that I might get a bit dehydrated. I find if I force down two glasses of water first thing in the morning, it makes a difference to my whole day. Coolum is lovely – I just love the SEQ climate.

I am 52 y.o. white male, 1st attack came while in Cuba/Guantanamo Bay, all the symptoms everyone describes: started then on both forearms(95% of the attacks now, are on the the left forearm). I was there for 3 months in 1995, returned to Ft. Polk La. in January, it went away, did not return till I moved to Florida November 1996.
Theories I postualated or heard then: it was a. the heat
b. the sun,
c. the high humidity
However, it’s after Christmas here, and I’ve had 4 weeks of some of the worst outbreaks, even though cooler and dryer. Like everyone else states: no bumps, no rash, like one guy did say, red and very hot, itching makes it worse.
I’ve traveled to Ohio and N.C. alot over the years, did not seem to help, though never there longer than a week.
Meds I have tried that did not work:
a. Gabapentin: great for my neck pain/bulging disks, did nothing for the itch.
b. Benadryl oral and lotion
c. Lidocaine jelly/oral solution: prescription
What has helped?
a. Ice…Ice…and more Ice!!!!
b. Sarna lotion, smells like pee, some relief
c. What seems to give, almost a cure is: open up Vistaril/Hydroxyzine capsules(2) and pour powder on top of Sarna lotion, add a little general lotion(keeps it thick and moist), rub it around mixing it all together on your foream, keep it on over night, or 2 hours in the day time.
d. Some relief, others have mention: Menthol from Icee Hot or Biofreeze(more potent, but harder to find, try ebay)…I trie to use this for little outbreaks at work, but this past Christmas weekend, it did nothing till I could grab the ice, at least I did not smell like pee, no offense to those that do, though(smile).
d. The Military never acknowledged this nor the VA, but if I had other than a desk job, I could not work with it, as I interview my patients in a Substance Treatment program, I keep my Icee Hot, and Vistaril capsules near by.
Anyone have any theories on Nutrasweet being the culprit. I have been addicted since early 80s’, use tons of it now, someone mentioned back in the 2002 blog, about formaldehyde? Nutrasweet is alledged to metabolize into that once ingested.
– my email is thomas-lance@excite.com
Good Luck to everyone!

Hi all — Still having episodes…Mostly if I try to wear a bra, not having itches much at night. Not needing ice but maybe a few times a month. Stopped Thalidomide, simply because after nearly two months it wasn’t changing any variables. I am terribly frightened of this late spring / summer. I am using fragrance free products and wearing strapless bras, cutting tags out of ALL shirts / jackets…and now avoiding wool / spandex as well, and I’m managing the itching okay, but I think those of us who get the itching ATTACKS seasonally understand as I do that none of this makes ANY difference when it’s the time for itching (in late summer)…I just wonder why it’s lasting this long for me this time. Usually I can revert back to everyday behavior by now (bras, tags, fragrances, etc.) but not this year. So so depressed about it, honestly. It changes your whole life when everything you do, wear, etc. affects you. I have found if I do ANY task using my arms repetitively for more than a few minutes or lift heavy things the itching comes on later that night, even now in the middle of winter. Dermatologist says there’s not much else he can do. ?!?! 7 years and counting, and it seems to be getting worse 🙁

Attention S.B. Ask your doctor about Gabapentin it seems to work for me, and they can prescribe a sauve (Menthol 1/4%,Phenol 1/4% in Uremol HC CR, thats what it says on my presription bottle)that can help relieve the itch,temporarly. Hope that helps, what country do you live in, I’m from Ontario,Canada, mine usually lasts Aug-Nov, but this year a little longer. I just wondered if it make a difference if you live somewhere with change of seasons, one person said a body adjusts from change of seasons,the most in summer to fall for us. Ontario definetly has 4 seasons.

Hi everyone:
Have not contributed for a while, but my itch has been quiet for several months. Just fleeting episodes. I have been through it all, medications, both OTC and prescriptions, acupuncture, chiro, everything, even to the point of abusing myself like clorox bleach, high pressure wands from the car wash, things that I could go on and on about. The biggest factor for me was staying completely out of the sun. I have gone from being a pleasantly tan skin to pale white and there is nothing I can do about it. It took about 2 months of staying out of the sun to make a difference, but once I did it made a whole world of difference.
I so wished the Thalidomide would help SB. I had been waiting to hear about your success with the drug. Sorry it didn’t cure all. I was on the verge of taking it when the sun thing kicked in.
I have no clothes with tags because they still can trigger an itch. Also wool is out and long sleeves are a thing of the past.
Going without a bra is heaven..
Right now I am OK, but you never know what tomorrow will bring.
Please people STAY OUT OF THE SUN. I have read many things on BRP being affected by sun and I never wanted to believe it, but for me it was true.
Happy abd itch free 2007.

Hi MT. Already tried it. Retail name is Neurontin. Lyrica is supposedly the new Neurontin. Tried that too. Also, salve does nothing for it, unfortunately, because it is the nerve endings. See earlier posts for all that I’ve tried. Just about the whole gamut. Wish it weren’t the case. I live in Tennessee. My itching usually stops in late November. Still going and it’s almost January. Wondering if milder temperatures have something to do with it? Strange thing, all of it. No rhyme or reason. Had an episode today simply because of the suit jacket shoulder pads. They rubbed my shoulders, so I am now at work with a boob tube on (the kind you get at target, all cotton, a halter with no straps at all) and my cotton overcoat on over it. I look like trenchcoat mafia, but i’m not itching. This has got to stop.

Already tried it. It’s called Neurontin here in the States. Also tried Lyrica, its new cousin drug. Nothing. Salves don’t work because it’s nerve endings. Anything put topically on the area makes the itching far worse. We have 4 seasons here in Tennessee, but for some reason this year, I’m still getting attacks. It’s unnerving. And I truly feel hopeless. 🙁

I don’t have the proof that sun makes it worse only myself and after six years of torture, staying completely out of the sun has certainly helped. Don’t get me wrong, I still get episodes and can’t wear wool, long sleeves, etc., but at least now I can tolerate it. I was in constant agony day and night and although I wasn’t in the sun constantly, I did like to play tennis and swim and sit on my deck in the sun, but now I do not get out until sun is down or sit in the shade. There are articles on the many sites I have read concerning BRP being exacerbated by the sun. I only know this worked somewhat for me. I can now live with the remnants of what I have.
Happy New Year to all

Sorry, never used nutrasweet. Believe me I have thought of everything. It used to be a constant thought on my mind. I would even stand in the shower and think of things that I had used or eaten because at the time I did not know that it was a neve thing and things from the outside did not help although I will say the sarna and vistaril capsules is an interesting treatment. Isn’t is amazing the things we come up with to treat this malady. Like me and the car wash wand.

I went 11 1/2 months without a twinge after eight years really bad itching five or six months of the year so I think my regime of water, not too much processed food and keeping unconstipated works. It started up again mildly in our summer and I again increased water intake. I try to have between 6-8 glasses a day, up to two on getting up and one before going to bed. (Interestingly, I find I have to make bathroom calls less than I used to so I must be using up the water.) Plus now only occasional accupuncture for spine damage. (I had twice a week for four weeks which really made a difference after two weeks.) If I have a lot of chocolate or honey, it starts up and some processed food but a drink of water pushes it away.

I don’t think there is a cure because a lot of us have a lot of structural damage but there is control.

I also think so many of us are on the edge of dehydration a lot of the time and probably the sun exacerbates this. I love tea and coffee but have learned to compensate by, during the day, having the equivalent amount of straight water.

And it is really important to keep unconstipated. I have upper and lower spine damage from bad accidents and I am quite surprised what a difference keeping cleaned out makes to comfort levels from these injuries. Thirty years of seeing doctors and natural therapists about the pain and no-one mentioned this.

Like M.T. says, my arms itched from Aug to late Nov. Now it’s gone one more time. I’ve done nothing different to make it go away. Once in awhile, if my skin gets very warm it may start up some, but it’s not the same as before, more like dry skin. One thing I found when my shoulders would itch badly was the shoulder seams of T-shirts, where they had sewn in a strip of clear plastic tape as an interfacing and after I had the shirt on for awhile my shoulders would get soooo itchy. I LOVE COTTON!
Happy New Year! D

I have been fine, but last night I woke up from a sleep with a very itchy spot on my neck, I was too warm in bed which sometimes causes it, other than that things have been good, I agree with Doreen about seams, shoulder area,also from overdoing it from exercising lifting weights etc. and it isn’t much I’m lifting. So I can’t figure what that has to do with the sun.
As I said in a very early post, this runs in my family too, and not all are sun seekers. Plus alot of psorisis (wrong spelling) shingles, escema, arthritis etc. I believe possibly these are some early signs of maybe ending up with arthritis someday or something similar. Anyways,Happy New Year Everyone.

Weightlifting causing anyone a problem? My shoulders have been calm since this is officially the itch off season. Last night was a bitch though. I started working out “again” last week and this seems to have awakened the itch in both shoulders. Lots of time when I am doing “lat pulldowns” I feel an itch with each rep, so I know this is causing some kind of aggravation.

MT, don’t know how I missed your post! Geez, & you are right on top of my post. I’ll tell you, at 45 it is hard enough to keep up with a lifting routine with all the age related “challenges”, not to mention my kids and wife (which of course come before the workout), but to know have this itching creeping into my workouts…. It all really sucks! I don’t know about you, but I am pretty certain my problem is related to stressed nerves in my neck/spine. It is not skin related or due to some freaky nerve disease. Good luck figuring your situation out!

I have had burning, tingling,itchy arms for 17 years and it started during my second pregnancy. My arms drove me crazy and I could barely sleep the doctor had no answers and told me to take bennadryl which didn’t make it go away but helped me sleep. I thought it was hormones or allergies. It never went away after my pregnancy and I have been suffering with it ever since. I have been to many doctors my GP, Gynocologist , many Deratoligist, Allergist and spoke to a Neurologist who suggested theat I could get test to see if I have any nerve damage. This may be my last shot with a doctor as I am so tired of spending money on test and getting no results. The best I’ve had so far is my last Dermatologist, he told me 5 years ago that it was nerve damage probally caused by the sun but I don’t understand why it’s only on the arms an nowhere else? He has perscribed different creams through the years. they haven’t worked and seem to aggrivate my arms.I use ice when they get bad and it seems to be the quickest relief but it’s only temporary. many doctors said maybe it’s allergies but I have allergies to mold and dust and have taken allergie pills claratin, allegra, and zyrtec they help my allergies but not my arms. My Gp gave me neurontin and I took it for a few months but i could not take it during the day as it made me to groggy and so I just took it at night and yes I did sleep which was great but it never went away totally and because of weight gain I stopped taking it and that was a couple of years ago. it does come and go I have thought it was seasonal it does seem to get worse at the end of the summer and last through out the spring but I live in Florida so it seems to come and go all the time sun and heat definatly aggervate it but I’ve been in cold climates and it can bother me. Materials, heat some foods with stimulantes like coffee, chocolate seem to. I went to a allergist a few months ago and had all the allergy test done and found out i was allergic to what I already knew pollen, dust and mold. The allergist thinks I should go to a neuroligist and mentioned maybe it could be comming through my neck so I will check it out. It’s been so bad lately I can’t stand it. I try not to scratch myself as it makes it worse but sometimes I can’t help it. I drive myself and my family crazy with it as it can get so bad at times like now. It can bother me day and night wakes me up makes me misserable and I’d like to tear my arms off sometimes. I’ts hard not to get sun on my arms living here keeping them covered sometimes help. I always use sunscreen there have been times when I have been in the sun and it doesn’t get bothered, but maybe this time of year is worse ? Who knows so far I have been told there is no cure and I have to live with it si thats what I try to do. it started when i was 32 and I am 49 now., it could be hormones since it started in a pregnancy. I have dark hair, green eyes and light skin that eventually tans . I have been to chiropracter for lower back pain and pinched nerves I have had now and then through the years but never thought it was connected with my arms as i have the arm thing almost allthe time in different degrees, but I will look into it with a neurologist. Who knows. I’m glad I found this sight and it has brought comfort that I’m not the only one with this for so many years I felt doctors and people thought i imagined it. I wish it was my imagination . If anyone can offer anymore help please let me know. Thanks

Hi it has taken me 2 days to read through all the posts since the start of this thread to get to this point…I too have the same problem, itchy upper arm (right) no rash….travels sometimes to about 1 inch above my wrist with a sharp pinching feeling….at one point I thought this pinching feeling might be an in grown hair but nothing to show just that kind of feeling. (interesting to note that one guy had used hair removal with his wife’s epilator)

I have read and taken in all that has been talked about and suggested ….I have never used the ice method and have decided to avoid it due to the talk of further nerve damage it may cause.

Last night for the first time after reading this thread I tried a vapour rub….I didnt have Vicks…the only thing I had in the house was a little jar of ‘Snuffle babe’ (vapour rub for babies) and it did give me some relief….a few threads down….I read about the arm excercises….I tried it….it worked….I slept right through the night….itch is back this morning but Im trying to ignore it.

It started for me after I retuned from a holiday in Crete in 2005 ( I had a bad fall while on holiday, I slipped on the wet floor of the appartment and landed with a thump on the floor, which made a horrible noise and left me with a huge bruse on my right side below my Hip. The itch started about a week after our return, at first I thought it was just sun damage but it continued to bother me all through the cold months here until around May.

I went to the docs but he didnt have any answers, but as I was having pain in my wrists he thought perhaps because i had put a little weight on this may be the cause
(I was about a stone heavier than i had ever been)

I joined Curves (30 min circut gym) went on a healthy eating plan, drinking lots of water getting the 2ltr daily allowance …..I lost half a stone and the itch was gone…however it has returned and has been with me for about a month now.

I think as others have suggested many things work to releve it and many things agrivate it…..I have tended to drink less water in the colder months…….I have central heating which I only use from October to May (the same months I have the itch)its in the colder months that I itch….. I too feel it is a ‘Heat’ thing rather than a ‘Sun’ thing it is only my right arm that itches….I drive on the left(UK)
Oh …I will try the travel pillow & see how I get on with that.

Im 41 white female, dark hair, blue eyes
(although im not sure if any of this matters if its a nerve thing)

I would love to take the survey where do I find the link?

Thank you for this discussion page
Yvonne

I do think sun can make it worse, but I haven’t been in the sun without sleeves for at least six months. And still, I can hardly wear clothes on my shoulders/neck. And here in TN it’s below freezing some mornings! Thank God for COTTON, WONDERFUL 100% COTTON! It’s the ONLY thing I can wear without incident. Does ANYONE know of a 100% cotton bra?? I have seached everywhere and even when they claim to be 100% cotton, the straps have lycra in them, which makes my shoulders go NUTS. If I could sew, I would make one, I swear. Strapless bras do nothing, and I work in an environment where wearing a bra is a necessity (nice business environment). Also, for my two cents, DO NOT LIFT WEIGHTS AT ALL! My itching began after I had done small weights for about a year every day and started tapering off. I know the weight was only 2 pounds or so but the repetitive motion is what makes you itch. If I mop a floor, scrub someting for very long, a few hours later I’m itching like mad. Gotta avoid as much lifting of heavy objects, repetitve motions with hands/arms and your POSTURE! I know this for certain.

Well, now that I have finally read down to the bottom of this very, very long page, for which I thank God I have found, I should like to interject some of my own experiences with arm itching and also advise that it has only started this very last year (2006). Also, I appear to be one of the males on this site. I am not 73.5 yrs of age and in my youth performed all of the requisite parts of manhood which included a lot of weightlifting. This, of course, necessitated being out in the sun so as to impress young ladies.

The result of the sun were various leasions (sic) on my body but almost 100% of them were on the upper body even though the requisite short bathing trunks were always used. Even today there are replacements growing after they are taken off my freezing them.

I bring these leasions (sic) up as it was only about a year ago that my dermatologist asked, “Say, do any of these itch?” We had moved from Los Angeles to Southern Oregon about 7.5 years ago. And here we use Well water which is highly filtered and refined; probably better than city water. I answered him, “No.”

Just about that time I noticed that my under forearms and arms (no hair) started to itch but only at night. At the time I used to sleep in my underwear. I started testing and found out that if I wore pjs it tending to not occur. But then it started getting worse..so I started using BeneDryl (sic)and for a while that worked.

Well, for the past few months it became really bad. I should interject that I have night sweats which are either part of the problem or perhaps the instigator…but I think that this conclusion is far from right. The main part of the sweating is from the neck down halfway in the back, and below the breastline in the front AND the arms. Now, here is the interesting thing. If I remove the upper Pj top and the undershirt, and place a new undershirt and Pj top it feels fine for about three minutes and then the itching starts on the places described on the arms above.

I was given Fexofenadine (Allegra) and a powerful anihistimine Hydroxyzine to be used once the itching started at night. DO NOT take Hydroxyzine during the day if you use any kind of life threatening machinery..it’ll put you to sleep.

Well, it works for me, but I have to make the decision whether to chance phneumonia because I do not change clothes, or go and attempt to read a book for about a half hour while the above two drugs work after changing clothes. I usually fall asleep in place with the book for 5 to 6 hours which is better than not treating it.

Ok. So, I lived this long and based upon my family lineage will live much longer. The above posts are interesting with regard to neck injury. Also, I have found that in using an electric razor recently when I have to move my face upward and sideward there has developed neck pain. Xrays show a mild arthritis but no displacement.

The comments on Chiropractic sound reasonable good. I have seen many profound results from it in other people.

Also, I should mention that in the last two years, I had a laser prostate surgery whichsolved a great problem, and also was diagnosed with a low platelet count (platelets are the part of the blood which do the coagulating or gell the blood and stop the bleeding). In some older people, low platelets are quite normal.

This was checked as far as a bone marrow extraction to check for cancerous cells and came out negative. I do not know (and I think that a Dr. would not know) if low platelet counts are compatible with itching.
If any of you out there have low platelet counts it would be an interesting input.

I shall look for your comments.

TM, your neck and a squeezed nerve is most likely the problem. Try the many remedies suggested on this forum. Forget the doctors for now. They typically have no idea what is going on. Something probably happened in your neck when you carried your baby.

Change your approach and use the suggestions above.

Good luck.

I agree with John D, forget the Dr’s, most of them know nothing about this problem. I spent so much money and time on a multitude of them only to find out what I had on the internet. I then took the information to them and had one say to me “I wonder how many times I have passed this up on patients” You have to have them for your prescriptions though.
I am sure there are the ones out there that would be interested in learning about this and would honestly try to help us, but finding them is another thing.
Someone, at one time had said something about a Dr. at John Hopkins that was doing some research into this. Has anyone heard about this?
In case I missed it, where is our questionaire? Maybe I haven’t paid enough attention, but I can’t remember seeing anthing about it.

Do any of you feel that you perspire too quickly for the energy that you displace? I have found that lately, the last 3 or 4 months, I perspire much more quickly than I used to and in amounts which cause itching on my inner arms and biceps area as well as any other area which is impinged by the perspiration. Dr. says that I may be one of the very few (less than 5%) who are allergic to their own perspiration. Hence the question about perspiring too quickly vs. energy expended. When I typed the above msg earlier this A.M. I was rather groggy from some of the medication and it looks as if I have made some typos.

Apparently, age does not make much difference to this malady. And most if not all of the writings above are from people who have either had this most of their life or who were hit with it later on in life; and, most of you are female.

I got hit very hard on my arms last night and I think that I can pintpoint the reason as too much consumption of Hershey’s choloate kisses.

Do any of you get hit right after you shower? That is my second major complaint.
The shower, in the morning, seems to generate much itching all over. I can mitigate it some by taking a half pill of Fexofenadine about 10 minutes before the shower. I have used Dove white for the soap bar for about 3 weeks now and have used ALL Free and Clear to wash undergarments and all other fabric…but to no avail. My wife who is 68 also used the previous cleaning products but has not come down with this at all.

We had been in L.A. over Christmas but that environment didn’t change a thing.

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