Hi, ladies! I'm desperate but don't really want to go to the dermatologist with "I'm itching all over!" so I thought I would pick your brains first.
Well...I'm itching--like crazy--all over. Most of the problem is on my neck, shoulders, and back, and it seems to be worse at night. It's especially bad while I'm in the shower--the hot water makes me scratch, and I get out with fingernail marks all over my neck and chest. There is no rash--just itching. After thinking about it for a while, I realized I had changed shampoo, body wash, and deodorant in the last month, so I went back to my standards, but it doesn't seem to be helping. It's continually become worse over the last two weeks. I haven't changed detergent.... The only other things I can think of is that I dyed my hair last month--but my head doesn't really itch--and I've been on a new birth control for about three months.
I just can't think of what would be causing this non-descript itching, and it's driving me nuts. It's very dry here in El Paso, but I do use lotion and my skin doesn't seem especially dry...except for my hands--which actually DO have a rash of itchy, flaky skin....
Please help!
It does sound like dry skin to me. Have you tried something like Gold Bond medicated lotion? Or a few doses of Benadryl? Good luck!
Instead of hot showers, take them as tepid or cool as you can stand them.
You can also try the oatmeal bath soak that Aveeno has. It's very soothing to the skin and helps relieve itching. The last few times I had a bad itch due to poison ivy I almost considered sleeping in the bathtub while soaking in this stuff it felt so good. I ultimately had to go to the Dr and he put me on a steroid series for a week - I was scratching my legs bloody in my sleep at night - it was the only thing that shut the poison ivy reaction down completely.
This doesn't just sound like dry skin. Dry skin should feel temporarily better in the shower. By "new birth control" do you mean a pill? If so, I would read the package insert to see if this is listed as a possible side effect. I've read that this can be a side effect of certain pills and maybe even other types of hormonal birth control.
go to wrongdiagnosis.com and type in pruritus.
The first thought i has was adrenal disease(low cortisol) . This can cause liver disease or kidney failure which are both causes of itching.
Candida overgrowth in the gut can also cause itching , especially on the back. If ther birth control is increasing your estrogen, that can feed a candida overgrowth. Tame the candida by reducing sugars, and carbs. Olive leaf and caprylic acid tabs, and even oregano oil under the toungue can help with candida.
If it is low cortisol, you can try the over the counter 1% hydrocotisone cream to see if that helps. (This is manmade cortisol). If that helps you might need cortisol replacement.
Maybe you should just go anyways? It could be something that could just get worse! Try using baby lotion until you get an appointment, it's less likely to irritate your skin further!
