Itching driving me insane

[Rey1989]

Hello everybody,

I suffer from anxiety, and last friday i started experiencing the following symptoms:

•generalized itching with no visible rash or anything. Feet, legs, arms, elbows, back, scalp, around eyebrows, hands, EVERYWHERE!
•it has woken me up from my sleep a couple of times.
•when I go to the gym and start sweating it gets much much worse, i feel like tiny pins and needles all over my arms, back, and legs to name a few
•burning sensation, the kind you would get from a sunburn, but thats impossible to be the cause at the moment because of where I live.

Dr told me it was due to "dry skin" but I doubt it... something feels off in my opinion. Could anxiety cause these ongoing and severe symptoms?

I am starting to fear the worse, some type of lymphoma or something of that sort... can anybody relate? Should i pursue further investigations?

Thank you in advance!

[Rey1989]

Anybody?

[bottleblond]

Hi Rey

It doesn't sound like dry skin to me either to be honest but I certainly wouldn't panic about it or think it's anything untoward.

A few years ago now. Out of the blue, I developed similar itching but mine did come with a rash. It was a few months after my dad passed away and the doctor could only put it down to anxiety/delayed shock.

I itched from head to toe constantly until they managed to put together a combination of medication to treat it.

Silly question but you haven't been trying new foods, Soap powders or shampoos etc?

Lisa

---------- Post added at 20:28 ---------- Previous post was at 20:16 ----------

P.s

•when I go to the gym and start sweating it gets much much worse, i feel like tiny pins and needles all over my arms, back, and legs to name a few

You'll probably find it's not because you're sweating that the symptoms are getting worse but because your body temperature is becoming a lot hotter due to the exercise. I was always told to keep my skin as cool as possible because of this.

[Rey1989]

Hi Rey

It doesn't sound like dry skin to me either to be honest but I certainly wouldn't panic about it or think it's anything untoward.

A few years ago now. Out of the blue, I developed similar itching but mine did come with a rash. It was a few months after my dad passed away and the doctor could only put it down to anxiety/delayed shock.

I itched from head to toe constantly until they managed to put together a combination of medication to treat it.

Silly question but you haven't been trying new foods, Soap powders or shampoos etc?

Lisa

---------- Post added at 20:28 ---------- Previous post was at 20:16 ----------

P.s

•when I go to the gym and start sweating it gets much much worse, i feel like tiny pins and needles all over my arms, back, and legs to name a few

You'll probably find it's not because you're sweating that the symptoms are getting worse but because your body temperature is becoming a lot hotter due to the exercise. I was always told to keep my skin as cool as possible because of this.


Thank you so much for taking the time to answer to my post. I havent really tried any new detergents or soaps or anything of that sort...

I do notice it more when my body temperature is higher, such as at the gym or when i get really anxious and my body temp raises. I dont feel like my dr is paying attention to my symptoms, and is just dismissing my comments with "dry skin" if it was only in a couple of spots i'd understand, but being generalized like im describing it to him makes no sense.

His last email literally said this:
"It's dry skin precipitating histamine release and he needs to keep up w the moisturizer and can add a non drowsy antihistamine available OTC"

But i cant help to think it is related to something else, something internal like hodgkings disease, or something similar...

Im going down an anxious spiral really fast over this one, as I trully feel its sonrthing more than just dry skin, i hope these are only irrational thoughts commonly seen in HA.

Cheers,

Rey

[bottleblond]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer to my post. I havent really tried any new detergents or soaps or anything of that sort...

I do notice it more when my body temperature is higher, such as at the gym or when i get really anxious and my body temp raises. I dont feel like my dr is paying attention to my symptoms, and is just dismissing my comments with "dry skin" if it was only in a couple of spots i'd understand, but being generalized like im describing it to him makes no sense.

His last email literally said this:
"It's dry skin precipitating histamine release and he needs to keep up w the moisturizer and can add a non drowsy antihistamine available OTC"

But i cant help to think it is related to something else, something internal like hodgkings disease, or something similar...

Im going down an anxious spiral really fast over this one, as I trully feel its sonrthing more than just dry skin, i hope these are only irrational thoughts commonly seen in HA.

Cheers,

Rey

As anxious people, we do tend to jump the gun and think along the irrational route but it's never usually the case. Unfortunately, it's just how our minds work.

Do you have dry skin at all? :hugs:

[Rey1989]

Haha yup, apparently I have dry skin....

Cant shake off the thought of having something else thats causing this itching...

Ive never had itching so constant and so intense so its all new to me, but the dr doesnt seem concerned at all, so I dont know...

It is worth mentioning im going through very stressfull times, so could be because of it?

Idk, dr didnt even mention stress/anxiety even though he knows what im going through...

Thanks for your comments!

[MyNameIsTerry]

Antihistamines are very cheap to buy these days if you avoid the main brands...which remain a rip off!

You can have sweat yet still have dry skin. I have had skin issues since childhood yet I sweat.

Aside from what you GP has said, there are more options to explore with treatment if all he has give you is cream e.g. bath oils.

My mum has had many years of using treatments like this because her blood pressure meds cause her to have constant skin irritation. She gets relief from the cream & bath oils as well as some antihistamine use. But her itching is very intense when the meds are being experimented with i.e. up all night unable to sleep.

[Rey1989]

Antihistamines are very cheap to buy these days if you avoid the main brands...which remain a rip off!

You can have sweat yet still have dry skin. I have had skin issues since childhood yet I sweat.

Aside from what you GP has said, there are more options to explore with treatment if all he has give you is cream e.g. bath oils.

My mum has had many years of using treatments like this because her blood pressure meds cause her to have constant skin irritation. She gets relief from the cream & bath oils as well as some antihistamine use. But her itching is very intense when the meds are being experimented with i.e. up all night unable to sleep.

Thats my main concern. Ive never had this issue, im 28 so Im not taking any medication for my blood pressure that could be causing this, I literaly was at a friends house last friday when i began to feel more itchy than normal...

...last night i got woken up yet once again because of this. I dont know if its my mind playing tricks on me or what.. but i did notice i was hot when it happened, after that I went back to sleep no problem.

I am freaking out because i think its something more than just dry skin. In my mind i have convinced myself its due to an internal condition such as Hodgkin Lymphoma or something of that nature...I find it hard to trust my dr when hes saying its due to dry skin without ruling out other causes for generalized itching that wakes you up.

I would like to know if this coupd be caused by anxiety, to the extend of waking me up? Ive read thats not a good thing....

Rey

[bottleblond]

Absolutely 100% stress can in indeed cause this. However they do tend to threat it the same way. Give the antihistamines a try and see how you get on. Mine was stress related and I never had a previous skin problem in my life before that.

I to this day, have a fan running next to my bed because to keep the place just that bit cooler. Don't get me wrong, I live in Scotland and it's certainly not a hot country but having quilts etc on our beds heat us up even more which in turn starts the itching again.

Definitely try the antihistamines .
:yesyes:

[Rey1989]

Absolutely 100% stress can in indeed cause this. However they do tend to threat it the same way. Give the antihistamines a try and see how you get on. Mine was stress related and I never had a previous skin problem in my life before that.

I to this day, have a fan running next to my bed because to keep the place just that bit cooler. Don't get me wrong, I live in Scotland and it's certainly not a hot country but having quilts etc on our beds heat us up even more which in turn starts the itching again.

Definitely try the antihistamines .
:yesyes:


Thank you for your answer, i trully appreciate your time and effort answering my long posts!

I will try the antihistamines

Rey

[MyNameIsTerry]

Try to trust your GP, they see itching complaints all the time. There are plenty of reasons and the simplest are the most common.

Try the treatments and if it doesn't improve go back and he will try something stronger.

Remember he knows what symptoms to look for and what disproves what we may be worrying about.

[Rey1989]

I took Claratin, and Im doing just as bad. I keep convincing myself theres something else causing this itching... i hope im wrong.

I feel like crap, and Im depressed with all of this. Life sucks at the moment.

[bottleblond]

Rey, you may need something on prescription in that case. When I was at my worst, they had me on a combination or Loratadine, Fexofenadine and Ranitidine, but mine was chronic. You may just need something a little stronger than an over the counter antihistamine is what I'm trying to say. Lol

[Magic]

I have itching on scalp and face mostly. I have no dandruff. I have been so desperate sometimes I used calamine lotion on my scalp. It did stop the itching but I did not look a pretty sight. It comes back now and again.
I wake up every morning itching. I put my washer on for extra rinses just in case it's the detergent is coursing the itching. I have started putting baby oil on my skin at night. I think it is helping.
Rey maybe you need another visit to the doctors. It is surely getting you down.

[Rey1989]

Ive been emailing back and forth with my doc and hes saying its mild urticaria... which i seriously doubt because im not getting hives or any visible marks on my skin. It gets red if i scratch obviously, but i dont think thats what it is. If anything could be an allergic reaction to something but i dont know.

I hate not trusting what the dr is saying but it clearly feels like hes not paying attention to what ive been telling him.

Im extremely anxious about it, and I feel the dr is overlooking what trully is happening.