Originally Posted by lburley

I also have brachial radial pruitus and have discovered that not only is this a rare disease, but most doctors haven't even heard of it. I bounced around for five years from family doctor to dermatologist to neurologist before I finally found some information on the internet and was able to diagnose myself. I took several articles I had found to my family doctor whoe read them and agreed that was what I had. I now take 100 MG Lyrica twice a day and that has helped tremendously, but I still need ice packs on some evenings. Here's what I know:

Symptoms: Severe itching on arms, shoulders, lower neck, upper back. Itching changes from year to year and always occurs in certain spots. This year, it's my upper arms. Last year, it was my lower arms. Itching cannot be satisfied by scratching and if you try it that way, you'll simply scratch until you bleed. My arms are covered with healed scratch marks. This disease is seasonal--itching begins mid-summer and lasts until January/February with decreasing intensity. The symptoms are also strongest in the evening and night time. Rarely bothers me during the day unless I have tight sleeves or am sweating (like during a workout).

Treatment: This is a nerve disease so trips to dermatologists are useless. The only thing that may work from their perspective is to numb your skin and that's just not practical on a nightly basis. I take Lyrica which is often prescribed for fibermyalgia patients. The nerves in my arms are damaged, most likely from some combination of too much sun and a genetic predisposal to this disease. But the damage is not severe enough to be felt as pain--my brain thinks my arms itch and it also feels like a burning just below the surface. That's not so bad--much better than the itching. I take 100 mg around 6:00 in the evening, just when the itching may start. I take another 100 mg at bedtime, around 10:30. This drug makes my life bearable again but does not completely fix the problem. I also take a bag of ice to bed with me because when I turn on my side, my arm often starts to itch. I'm guessing from both the warmth and the tightness. SOmetimes if I just get my arms out from under the covers, the itching subsides.

I wrote this blurb here in hopes that some day some one will see it who will know of a better way to treat this or maybe even a way to cure it. I tried hard to stay out of the sun this year but it made no difference. But I live in Arkansas, so it is very difficult to avoid sun. And maybe someone else who suffers from this will see it and finally be able to go to her doctor and say this may be what I need to do. I had one doctor tell me to wear mittens to bed because I was performing phantom scratching--I only THOUGHT my arms were itching. I had another doctor prescribe some useless cream and when I reported it didn't help, he said that was too bad. Hope you find a way to figure it out. Apparently, a lot of doctors don't think itching is much of a problem. Wish they could go 7 months every year, not being able to go to sleep for hours and then being woken up in the middle of the night and having no alternative but to get into a cold shower for relief. Or having to tell your lover you just can't touch my arms at all--try hugging that way. I tried to find a doctor in this state who had even heard of the disease, and so far, no luck. I'm just glad I have a family doctor who was willing to listen and try something else every time one treatment didn't work. It was his idea to try the Lrica and it has been wonderful. Hope the rest of you find some relief as well.