Itching (Page 2)

Hi,

we seem to have a simialr problem. I am so far passed menopause I find this itching problem a major pain in the a__. You on the other hand are on the opposite end of the age spectrum.

I wish someone would come up with a reason for this and an an answer on how to get rid of it.

Good luck to you, and to the rest of us.

Terrics

I sure do agree with terrics that a "cure" would be nice!

I am 46 but other than the itching - which sometimes is so intense for an hour or so that I want to scream - I don't have any menopause symptoms. Like sabys mentioned I also get my period regularly, have not had a hot flash, etc.

I am keeping track of when it is the worst - so far it is when I am pms so it must be hormone related.

I believe I will see thr my last mense this year-end 2006. Juz started a having crazy itch sessions a week ago. Didnt think I will get it since I am on vitex agnus-castus 400mg per capsule for almost a year now. No, hormones still gone amok.

I am having itch relief if I take 2 epo (evening primrose oil) or a b-complex tablet. That gave me a 4hours relief and I seems to hit 6 epo capsules a day. (everyone still have to be careful with excessive consumption of epo)

i am going off wheat/flour for a week. I will report on this forum again. I have read much on the relief you can get if u abstain fr having wheat food items. That's a better alternative compared to loading epo & b-complexes. It is easier in the far east to remove wheat from our diet, we have lots of rice items.

Already I have avoided bread, wheatflour and felt better for 2days. Hope my suggestions would help people with severe itch sessions. My itch wasn't as serious as my mother and my sister at their menopause.

Knowledge wise, I believe the female body is switching to obtain estrogen from our skins (full of cholesterol) instead of getting from the ovaries. During this switch, body gone amok and resulting in skin itch.

Please dont tolerate menopausal itch, find a solution best suited to your body (creams & aqueous moisturers helps a lot). Itch often freak out your family and friends ok,

I am so glad I found this forum. I'm 44 and last year I had to have a hysterectomy due to a giant fibroid and also had to lose one of my ovaries. The hot flashes have eased up considerably but lately i've been itching so badly I feel like I can't stand it. I've slathered on the cortisone creams but its not helping much. Im going to go back to taking the herb maca which really helped my hot flashes. Its supposed to make ur body produce estrogen on its own and im going to start taking fish oil pills as well. Thanks for all of your help and advice. :d

I'm so glad I found your site - i've been going crazy for 6 months and couldn't find anyone who could help. I've been diagnosed as having wheat allergies, dairy allergies, psyllium reaction - never hormonal. I was suspicious because my daughter had the same symptoms when she was pregnant and nearly went insane with the itching all over her body. Mine started around my throat and chest, inner arms and shins. It's now gone to the tops of my hands and there's no relief in sight. The skin is covered in tiny lumps and my hands feel like they're on fire. At my worst, I looked like i'd been broiled and even when it subsided, there was a toughness to my previously soft skin. It's ok now but my hands are driving me nuts. I'm 53 and no other terrible symptoms so far. Does cortisone cream help? Annie

I have been itchy for the last year or so. I suspected that it was related to menopause. Went to my dermatologist and she said that dry skin was associated with the lack of estragen and that I needed to go to my gyn to check hormone levels! Went to the gyn and she handed me 'estrasorb"- a hormone cream that she felt would be a cure-all, even gave me an estragen vaginal suppository to help with vaginal dryness. I haven't used either. I don't want to get on hormone replacement therapy for dry skin and itching!!! Especially when I don't have any other symptoms - no hot flashes etc.

They don't teach us about the impact of menopause and we are left to seek others like this. In the meantime, I am practically ripping the skin off my body by scratching, particularly on my torso, arms, shoulders. I end up having small scabs from scratching! Does anybody have a remedy? I really don't want to start using hormones but after reading everyone's replies I do believe it is menopause related.

Thanks

I,ve had a rash for 4 months and it's driving me crazy. I am a nurse and look like I could give my patients an illness versus curing or helping them. I have tried every doctor since I work at a medical center and nothing has changed. I've tried cream after cream and a no fail allergy plan to stop the hives and rash which has not worked. Prednisone ( oral dose) stopped it for a few days but the rebound rash was bad, maybe worse. I did have graves disease and had my thyroid taken out and some think that this might be related to a low thyroid level. Has anyone experienced this............ The rash consists of hives is raised, it itches like mad and especially during different times of the month. I have not missed a period yet but do believe that I have started into menopause. Thanks, jane

I am so glad that I have found this site.....it makes me feel less of a "freak"! I am 56 and thought I had sailed through the menopause completely symptom free, and as I had my last period Sept 2003 really thought that I had a "charmed life" However, then came THE ITCH...it arrived one afternoon, on my upper arm, like a small electric pricking sensation, then it itched, I scratched, it hurt, it burned and tingled, I thought ouch! It then arrived at night, around midnight, and stayed until around 4am intense, unbelievable itching, that was like a million ants crawling under my skin (now know that it is called formication) scratching the surface was no good at all, as the itch was kind of underneath my skin, scratching the surface made it really hurt, burn and increase the pain of the itch....then the other upper arm started, and I have now has this for over 3 weeks and it is driving me crazy! I feel so tired and apprehansive about going to bed as that is when it starts to kick off, when I read that some of you have had this condition for years it really frightens me.......why don't the doctors recognise this as a real symptom of the menopause, they either tell you that it is your washing powder or an allergy!!My G.P has given me diprobase cream and oilatum, to keep the area moisturised, and told me to apply the Diprobase as frequently as I can - not really a viable option as I work in a Bank and the cream is like sump oil dribbling down my sleeve! Sweats and flashes are all recognised, so why not the itching? Can we not all join forces and come up with a simple cure, as we are all suffering here!

Gee, I thought I was the only one! I am 40 and had a total hysterectomy 6 weeks ago and started ithching all over 3 weeks post op. I was put on cortisones, anti-itch pills, HRT, allergy meds....all which offered no relief. I also rewashed all my clothes in allergen free detergents and bought soap for sensitive skin and took Aveeno baths all of which offered no relief.

At 5 weeks post op got an itchy, painful rash on the inside of my upper arm and around my armpit. I was daignosed with shingles, which was apparently brought on by the stress of surgery, even though I did not have any blisters. I was given Medrol for that which cleared it up, but I still have intense itching, especially at night, on my shins, upper arms, chest, waistline and my sides near the breasts. I can't take this itching much longer!

I have also tried 3 different doses of HRT as well as no HRT and that did not help either. At this point I believe it may still be hormone related, but perhaps something in the diet as well. I am going to look into gluten, wheat, whey and dairy and possibly have allergy testing done. Thanks for all the posts!

Hi Ladies! If anyone has any suggestions on how to cool down and how to control itching please let me know. I'm 50 and still having periods every other month. I itch daily, pretty much all over but especially my arms, chest, neck, inner arm and stomach and a bit on the legs and behind the knees. I don't experience hot flashes in the usual way. Oh no, not me! My inner body temperature is escalated all of the time and as the weather heats up...watch out! Acupuncture has helped quite a bit but since it isn't covered by insurance companies yet.....I've run out of money to afford this luxury. I take an Allegra daily but its effects do not last 24 hours and I'm ready to jump out of my skin again. Any thoughts, suggestions and words of encouragement are welcome!

It is great to know I am not alone with this dreaded itch. I have had it for 3yrs and only since starting medication with the Menopause Institute, have I had any type of relief. I used to sit on my bed and cry for an hour and could only shower at night, as the itch seemed to intensify after showering. My medication is made specially for me by a compounding chemist. Estrogen and Progesterone in troche form. Now that I feel better and have the itch under control, a major newspaper claims that the Menopause Institute has lied about the product they prescibed for me. The paper said the natural hormones I have been taking do nothing that they say they do. Now my husband wants me to stop paying $100.00 per month for something that's a placebo. I don't want to get ripped off but I don't want the itch back either. I might put my 50th birthday celebrations for this year on hold, guess it's back to crying on my bed again.
HELP

Ladies,

So good to share in our collective misery! I'm 48, and would give my "kingdom for a hot flash"! No, instead of usual hot flashes, I get itching from (literally) head to toe! My best girlfriend has nicknamed me "Pup" for the constant itching.

Two things that have worked: Acupuncture - within a few hours of the doc placing the small needle (looks like a tiny bandaid) inside my ear, the itching disappeared for several months. Secondly, since this last itching flare-up, (and let me tell you, I itch where it is not politically correct to SCRATCH!) my friend suggested Witch Hazel to soothe the itching.

Here's the best idea I've had so far: I put the Witch Hazel in a couple body splash spray bottles. One I put in the refrigerator, the other I'm going to start carrying with me. When the itching starts to flare up, if I'm with a client during work hours, I excuse myself to the bathroom and quickly spray my back, chest and arms. The same goes at home, except that the Witch Hazel is cold, so it's even more soothing. For those of you with the combinations of hot flashes and itching, this solution will kill two birds with one stone.

Give me some feedback if you decide to give this solution a shot.

Best to all!

Hello ladies!
My theory is this may be connected to the chicken pox virus, and or it's cousin herpes. I've suffered from herpes over the past years and the presentation of the itching is very similar. At it's most intolerable, my nerve cells seem to be aggrivated, and it's accompanied by a low level fever (hot flash?) I've been treating my fevers with ibprofen (800mgs a day) for inflammation, cold, wet towels on the rash and Valtrex, daily. I do not find that there's any connection to anxiety problems other than the virus lay dormant in the nerve cells and may become active and aggrivated during menopause, and the on set of aging skin, nerves and hormones. It feels like there's a systemic "party" under my skin.
My deepest sympathy to everyone who suffers from this maddening condition, and realize that your not crazy, and not alone!!

Whatd'ya think, my itchy armed sisters? By the way, I am 48 years young, and still have my period!

think about this when we get a yeast infection what happens. it itches right? just like that we can and do have yeast all over our body. I have had the same itching at my pre-menopausal age and i have recently discovered Doug Kaufman and his book"The Fungus Link" it makes so much sense. he believes it is all about the foods we eat. please,please check it out. i think there must be something to it. we are all full of yeast and fungus and we don't even know it. maybe this will help.

mtp

I have been to an internist and to my dermotologist for this intense itching on my legs arms stomach and chest. No one has seemed to identify the problem. I just googled menopause and itching and here I came - Thank you for validating this awful intense and ugly itch/rash. I am in outside sales and to be honest its not very polite to scratch in public - so this has affected my ability to do my job effectively.

Has anyone hear of any treatment for this that actually works? I have read also that it could be caused by being allergic to the progesterone - since that becomes stronger during menopause...HELP im scratching myself insane - Amy

I am amazed - I have the same symptoms. I just turned 35 and I haven't had a "cycle" since January 07 and just a few in 2006. My gyn told me that it was because I was taking the "depo" shot and that stopped my periods. I changed to Nuvaring hoping they would come back - no such luck...I have what I think are hot flashes and then probably the last 3 months I've developed the terrible itching legs, arms and trunk. Drs thought it was hives at first and I took a steroid, antihistimine and creams and it helped but didn't cure...AM I TO YOUNG TO GO THROUGH MENOPAUSE? I'm with Amy - HELP I'm scratching myself insane! - Penny

Hi ladies!
I've been itching for the past seven years-great is'nt it??!! It started at age 44-3yrs before a total hysterctomy for pre-cancerous ovaries.So,I'm guessing the ovaries weren't producing enough estrogen for those years and that's what triggered the itch.It is particularly bad after a shower and dependant on how long I stay in the water so now I only take very quick showers.Also I itch worse after a morning shower-it is much less later on in the day (have'nt figured this one out). I also get random itchiness throughout the day,mostly on arms and legs but can be anywhere.Nothing in the way of creams has helped,we've put a large filter on the water for the house-no joy-I don't use soaps of any kind on my skin.I own a health food store so have access to all manner of herbs,homeopathics,supplements,oilsetc-hav e taken the lot to no avail.I,ve spent a fortune at the naturopaths,doctor and recently at the natural hormone clinic.I have resisted taking them as I would much rather treat myself naturally but I'm getting a bit desperate.He's put me on Progesterone oil and Bi-est cream + Dhea15mg for 6 days of the week.Been using them now for 12 days and no change yet-will let you know.I do find Melatonin good for sleeping especially if you are itchy at night.I eat a very healthy diet and excersise and my general health is good but this itch truly is depressing.One supplement a customer suggested to me was Heliocare(polypodium leucotomas),he was finding it very good for Psoriasis so I ordered some online .I take 4 caps a day and it has helped the generalised itch but not the water itch.It may help some of you-it is very good for auto-immune disorders.
My heart goes out to all of you fellow sufferers-who would come back as a woman??!! No wonder the Buddhists say it's a curse!!

I read a posting on this web site 1 month ago about itching arms and menopause. Luetin was recommended from 1 person. I tried it in the form of Dermasilk, which is recommended for skin care and aging. It worked!!!!!! I had been itching on and off scense the beginning of my menopause 14 years ago. None of the Dr.s (skin & obgyn) new this was a symptom of menopause. I happened to read Suzanne Sommers book on aging and it was mentioned as a symtom. I can't tell you how relieved I am. This itching was driving me crazy and I could not sleep without a pill. Thank you who ever you are that recommended it. Webkin.

I love this forum, I thought I was the only person going insane with itchy scratching. I have had this for about 1 month now and it's getting worse and worse. It can start off just at my arms and then can move to my legs, it's a load of tiny white bumps and just moves around my body in one big itch!! I have been to the doctor as I thought I had signs of menopause - piling on weight for no reason, mood swings and feeling extremely tired all the time. I had the itching too, but didn't relate this to the menopausse. The doctor has done blood test for the menopause and it was negative, although there was a hormone imbalance of which I am waiting for the results. I will be 40 in a couple of months, has anybody else been told that they weren't going through the menopause but have all these symptoms? Or do you think maybe the doctor has got it wrong, or can imbalanced hormones do this to you too?
thanks - a very, itchy, scratchy person