chronic Itchy legs (Page 1)

I get this exact same thing! My legs always itch on my calves and shins and sometimes my ankles, and almost always at night. I have scratches and scars all over my legs now because I HAVE to scratch! I've tried every lotion and moisturizer in the book, and also changed soaps a few times. I've never met anyone else with this problem, and still haven't found an explanation!

My dad has this and he said that it stops if he puts Hans Sanitizer on it. He took Doxycycl HYC (an antibiotic) for something and it cleared up the itching for almost 4 months! Now when the itching starts he takes the Doxycycl HYC and it will be gone in about 3 days. Doc has no clue what's up but said keep doing what he's doing because it seems to work. Don't know if it matters that he has type II diabetes also. The Doxycycl HYC is a prescription that he always has on hand for colon problems.

Hello, a few years ago I had a microscopic parasite that made my legs itchy so when it happened again I went to my Doctor but he told me there were no holes so it was probably an allergic reaction, he gave me a cream that helped a little but didn't stop it.
I searched the net and someone said it might be due to something in bread so I stopped eating bread, then I stopped cakes and even schnitzel and crumbed fish, this did help but I still had it sometimes.
Finally I searched the net again and found it can be caused by lack or water, I realized I had been drinking a lot more coffee so I cut back the coffee and drank more water and it has stopped, my legs finally don't itch and I can eat bread again.
It is simple to test and it worked for me so I hope it helps you because I do understand how this can drive you crazy.

My nan has itchy legs and she wants to know why can you help me?

For the last few years I have been having a lower leg itching problem also. Tried several home remedies and doctor prescribed medicines. I am currently itch free and did the following to get there.
1. After showering and have dried off completely I use another dry towel just for my lower legs and dry them again.
2. The towels that I use are washed with hot water not warm or cold to save money.
3. I used Mycolog II cream (prescribed by Doctor) for 3 days only.
4. I applied Village Naturals Therapy For The Bath "Aches and Pains" therapeutic formula (wifes suggestion) on my lower legs for 3 days only, after I showered and while in the tub.
I continue to do numbers 1 and 2 everyday and have not had anymore problems (the last 4 months now). Hope this works for someone else.

The best thing ever that cured mine was going to an indoor tanning bed. I went for one month 3 times a week for 9 minutes. My doctor suggested it. The UV light totally cured the legs up and no more massive itching. He told me they constantly refer people with eczema and psoriasis for treatment in UV light. Thank goodness because as the rest of you know this itching is horrendous!

I think you've hit the nail on the head with your UV light. I have suffered with this problem for over 10
years. But it seems to be mainly in the winter when the
outside temperature drops below freezing. I am quietly
convinced that it is related to the lack of natural
sunlight, but I will also try the Folic acid as someone
else recommended. Will keep you posted.

I am really going to have to try this!!! I have the exact same problem, but I have had red bumps and red scaly spots showing up lately...this only happens in the winter. In the summer I am fine. Hope this helps, it has been driving me insane!!!

sounds daft but short term use of germaloids (pile cream) can give temporary relief

I get this too, recently went to a Neurolink/Physio/Oesteopath for an aching lower back who said that maybe the nerves to my calf area were slightly pinched in my spine, which would release Histamines - which can cause itchiness as the lowest form of pain! So a trip to the GP for Anti-histamines may be an answer.
Good Luck

I get this too, recently went to a Neurolink/Physio/Oesteopath for an aching lower back who said that maybe the nerves to my calf area were slightly pinched in my spine, which would release Histamines - which can cause itchiness as the lowest form of pain! So a trip to the GP for Anti-histamines may be an answer.
Good Luck

but I just started looking. You guys summed it up, I am wondering it's been for about 1year or more, wonder if BT cotton has anything to do with it (Genetically Modified by Monsanto)

I have the same thing it started at my legs,but now it's on my ankles and feet.your right when it gets ta itchin you almost can't stop.i'v tried everything to and even went to the emergency room when i first noticed and they thought i was going crazy because they couldn't find anything wrong they did blood work skin graph and didn't find anything.i have never met or heard of anybody else with this problem until i had to go to this treatment facility as a student.well why we were having group meeting with the impactient and out pacient clients there was a girl itching like crazy but she was itching all over.she was going to town on herself and she had told the group that the reason she itched so bad all over was because she had hepitias c.that scared the crap out of me so i went to the doctor and told him my symptoms and told him about that girl and he still didn't find anything wrong with me.

I have itching just like this I scratch until i rip skin and bruse myself! I can't seem to cure the itch but, I have found a little releif that slightly helps. When, I shave my legs I use creamy baby oil, I take a little cooler showers and after my shower i rub my legs with warm grapeseed oil which feels soooo good.I now also occasionally spray my legs with tanning oil which feels good but, it's just for the moisture. Started drinking more water and taking vitamins too.

Previously, I tried switching laundry detergentsmultiple times,soaps,only showered because baths made me itch more unless i put grape seed oil in the bath water, blotted skin dry,

I have the same thing, but it's related to my birth control. I stopped taking the pills 3 days ago, and already, my itching is starting to go away. I tried lotions, I tried benadryl cream and sprays...they temporarily worked. Try taking a bowl of luke warm water, add baking soda and put a towel in it and use it as a compress.. this won't solve your problem but it helps.

I have this also. It started on my left foot, on the top, then the edges of the foot, then spread all up and down my leg to just below my buttcheek. It seems confined to the left leg, though. One thing that helps is massaging it with my fingertips whenever the itch hits me (often at night and in the morning). That does a very good job of making it go away temporarily.

I started itching about 6 months ago. I have tried everything I can think of. I have switched soaps, lotions, laundry detergents, I have tried every lotion i can imagine (oil based and water based). I started seeing a dermatologist about 3 1/2 months ago to no avail. Multiple antihistamines, perscription lotions and cremes and nothing helps!! The goldbond extra strength lotion helps for about 5 minutes and its back to the races. I have noticed though it only seems to occur at night. The only relief I get is to open my pores and rub on isopropyl alcohol and that seems to neutralize whatever is itching for about 2 days and.. well.. if you are here you know the rest. Multiple blood tests have revealed little more than that I am a healthy 20 year old but I am driving myself crazy itching!!

miniature insects that burrow in the skin. look it up. it is possible to keep getting them over and over. each time you get them they can last 2 weeks plus. unfortunalty there is not much you can do to kill them, just try to not get them.
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i have the same problem, chronic itchy skin. usually starts at my legs and at night, however sometimes my entire body, head-to-toe feels like my skin is crawling. Benadry works "excellent". it will make you sleepy which is okay since the itch happens at nightime for most of you. bathing in epson salt sometimes works also.

I have the same thing! It's been going on for over a decade for me now. I'm certain it's not chiggers like another poster suggested, because it's followed me around for so long.

Occasionally I'll find something that seems to help for a few days or couple of weeks, then it gets worse again. I've read a few things that make me think it's a form of eczema, but it's really hard to say for sure. I do know that me more hydrated I keep my legs, the better it is, as long as the lotions I use don't leave a thick film on my skin. That just makes it worse.

OMG....same here!!! i thought i was going nuts ive been going crazy cleaning my house and every surface i touch...
ive been sooo confused as to why its just on my calves and only sometimes...has anyone been to see a DR about RLS???

I was actually diagnosed with RLS, that was a completely different feeling for me.

Hi,
I hope that my experience may help someone looking for answers about this. Three years ago I developed what my doc called idiopathic (translates to "I have no idea") peripheral neuropathy when I described that when I got in bed at night, my lower legs itched wildly and felt like pins and needles when they heated up under the covers. The itch was UNDER the skin, there was no surface irritiation. My doc offered no help except to say that a lot of people have that and no one knows why. She offered me meds for Restless Leg Syndrome, which I declined. My sister is a nurse and when I mentioned it to her she told me that a patient of hers had been given folic acid for a lung issue, and it had also ended their itchy leg problem. I started taking folic acid and it REALLY helped. I could feel the itch start to subside about an hour after taking a 200 mg dose of folic acid.

That's not the end of my story. About 2 months ago I found out I have autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's - very common these days). When I found out I had an autoimmune disorder I wondered if something in my diet or environment was setting it off. I went on an exclusion diet for 5 weeks - no milk products, no eggs, meat, no wheat or grains at all. Basically I just ate fruits and vegetables. I felt completely different immediately. I was way less tired, the stiffness and joint aches after a hard bike ride went away completely (I though I was just getting old - not so!), my stomach didn't feel achy and overfull after I ate, and the itchy legs STOPPED! After 5 weeks I started testing adding foods back into my diet. When I got to wheat I got a big surprise. All those symptoms came back after just eating a couple of whole wheat rolls for dinner. Nothing else I added back had any perceivable effect. I have now been gluten-free for 2 months, and the itchy leg thing is COMPLETELY GONE.

I have no history of any kind of allergy, not even hay fever. If you are searching this forum for answers to a problem like mine, I urge you to test out the gluten thing.

I did not have chronic diahrrea or any other extreme symptoms of celiac, just the ones I described above. I have since read that antibodies to gluten often cause folic acid and B6 deficiency, which may be why the folic acid helped. Also autoimmune reaction sometimes attacks the peripheral nerves in the extremities and damages them. Good luck and I hope maybe I have helped you!

I have this problem itching problem and ive been gluten free for almost 7 years now

Wow! I am so excited about this post to try the gluten-free diet. I am a 27 yr old female in Louisville, Ky. I have suffered from itchy legs after showering or swimming for four years now. It spreads to my arms sometimes and only happens sporadically, almost seasonally. It lasts any where from 15-30 minutes and makes me want to scream and cry and scratch like crazy. I dread getting my legs wet because of this. Now my skin has started itching throughout the day sometimes.

It doesn't matter whether or not I shave, towel or air dry, use fragrance free lotions, soaps, detergents, or moisturize with petroleum or olive oil, or hemp products.

I have seen a dermatologist that prescribed benadryl pills. They just gave me a heat rash when I was in the sun that weekend. He said they couldn't have been the cause, but that was the only thing different in my entire routine. He gave me cortisone lotion and it didn't help either. I gave up on paying a doctor who was just as stumped as I was.

I have been searching these forums a few times a year for four years now and this is the only thing that even sounds plausible.

OMG! Im male but i get out of the shower and my lower legs itch a little and it goes away and this has happened for several years. but i just got out of the shower a while ago and my legs were itching like crazy. i was scratching them like mad and i was leaving cuts and scars. they are a little better now but still sting. this super-itchiness has never happened before and idk why it just happened

hi all, 39 year old female here...i have had this problem for about three or four months now, but i stopped shaving (which i am not thrilled about)but i gotta say i think this was causing the problem. i had recently switched to a double-edge razor (old fashioned razor where you replace the blades) which i loved, but the problem i think is that it shaves SO close that the hair growing back might be causing the itching. i'm almost itch-free...and trying to figure out if i can still use my beloved double-edge razor to shave my legs or if i have to go to something else.

the lower part of legs use itch at night time.this all started after when i had my son.over 2 years ago.
It only ever happen at night.So ithrought it was the electric blanket.So i stop using it.then i throught it was because i wasnt shaving my legs often enough,but it was happening every night around the same time.Now its all my lower half of my leg that itchy on both legs.Any slight of my legs becoming warm they start to itch bad and sometime i use objects to scratch my legs until they bleed.Then i thought i might have been the shaving cream i was using but it didnt make a difference,but it all comes down to my legs being warm.so when i go to bed i dont wear anything on my legs.I still itch every night and its getting really anouying.i think its time to go to the doctors.

I have the exact same thing, started when I was pregnant. My babe is 14 months and I still get it periodically. And it gets worse at night, especially when I wear pants to bed. I've never used an electric blanket and I don't use shaving cream either. I guess if you find anything out at the doc's, let us know. My doc said it was just seasonal dry skin but it's not seasonal and it still happens even when I moisturize a ton. Good Luck!

Ive been to 3 different doctors for the same itchy legs 3 times now. The 1st: prescribed a high strength benedryl which just made me super tired which cut down on the itching when I went to bed. 2nd: she told me it was my detergent 3rd time: I needed to moisturize more. I use Free & Clear detergent, I use Aveno & Cetaphil lotion, and Neutrogena unscented body oil when I get out of the shower. Its not because my legs are dry!! If anyone has a solution, my situation is exactly like Yecart & amberwoods post and its when my legs get hot under a blanket or warm in bed or out in the sun. I am a healthy 23 yo female. Thanks!

I too get itchy legs and do not know why. I have tried every cream, allegery med and I still itch. It mostly happens in the winter. Someone had recomended that I shave my legs to reduce or stop the itching. This seems to work, however bieng a male that shaves his legs almost every day has its own problems.

my legs are so scared now.if i remember to put cream on it i will but it doesnt really do anything for my legs.plus i have swap my blankets around on my bed think they were the reason but its not.at one stagei throught it was my mint blanket on bed doing it so i took it off and the itchy went away for a couple of days then it was back again...
im buggered if no what to do bout it.

I tried the creams and they do not work. Changed blankets, degertents, soap, etc... nothing else seems to work. I am open to any idea. I am tired of scratching.

uhhhh! to the original post... i have the exact same problem as you! the itch started on my lower legs (calves), now im itching mainly on the back of my thighs! this has been going on for about 6 months, and it is driving me crazy. i have not gone to the doctor about this (i probably should...) and i am beginning to think by reading all of the blogs on the internet, that doctors really dont have a cure for whatever this problem is. When the itch first came, i thought it was chiggers or some kind of mite that burrows under the skin- BUT, i have no red bumps, no skin "rash", or anything that resembles a sign of having chiggers. The only thing that is present on my skin where the itching occurs in a very small (pore-sized) skin-colored bump. My diet has been the same my whole life- so i dont think it has anything to do with that. I have never been allergic to anything and ive been using the same soaps and detergents for years. Im 24 years old and I am clueless as to what this could be! I hope i dont have a disease is all i know.