PN and Itching Skin
 

I've searched the forum and looked on-line and I'm not finding much information on this. I'm not even sure if my problem is PN related. A couple of weeks ago out of nowhere, my skin itches everywhere. No rash. No bumps. Nothing new in my diet or lotions, etc. It's driving me crazy and is almost worse than the PN pain I feel. Does anyone else have this and is there anything that can be done for it? I'm not sure if I'm more afraid this is progression of my PN or if it could be something even worse. It bothers me on and off during the day and is making sleeping near impossible at night.

Some drugs cause itching. (Niacin is a big culprit, but also opiates for pain may do this too.)

Some foods release or contain histamine and that can cause itching too. I have a histamine thread on the subforum here.

Some organ problems (liver and gall bladder) can cause itching.

Lymphoma can cause itching.

Try taking an antihistamine before your suspected itching begins and see if that helps.

Keeping a journal might help you identify the culprit.

As others will also attest, PN itch is a thing. I have it almost daily, though it seems not as intensely as you do. For years before my SFN broke out on the scene in an acute and obvious way, I had itching that was unexplained. Little did I know...

You're not alone when it comes to this symptom.

I've had this all over my legs and it made me feel insane. Yes it competes well with the pain element! I couldn't identify any pattern. It came on for a number of days and went away on a few occasions now. It hasn't yet been constant never ending if that makes you feel better.

Very interesting reading you posted on histamine Mrs. D. I was a little surprised when I read that an H2 blocker can help. Benadryl has done nothing, but it looks like I could try a Zantac at bedtime to see if it helps at all. Sadly, many of the "bad" foods are in my daily diet and could be an issue. I don't eat a lot, but what I do eat seems to all be on that list! No Kombachu for me today!

Dear Pixel, my SFN is what causes the itching, burning,tingling of my skin..
At the worst it also causes the sensation of needles sticking into my finger tips.

I have Profound PN, and there are issues, mostly ice cold feet, sometimes just one at a time.

You may well indeed have SFN if you have PN.

I have been taking a large dose of Gabapetin, the drug of choice for nerve pain.
But now that I am tapering down to see if my new 'problem' may be a side effect of the Gabapentin.

I am at half my original dose and the itching and burning is back, my face feels like a sun burn, and my lips and the tip of my tongue tingle. Sun falling on my arms and hands burns (I mean the feeling is of burning) so I have to keep everything covered.

Are you taking anything for nerve pain? I have to wear special 'sleeves to cover my arms' so I don't scratch in the night. I have Actinic Purpura and any scratching causes terrible purple blotches.

This isi the place to get the support you need to bear the discomfort and to find ways to cope. I find that antihistamine does help, but it may just calm me down!

Ask your doctor for something if you don' take anything now.

Hugs, ElaineD

Thanks Elaine. I re-started my Nortriptyline shortly after the itching began. I was trying to take less due to side effects. Gabapentin didn't agree with me when I tried taking that.

Last night I woke up many times and really never got much sleep at all. The itching seems to move around. Scalp, face, eyes, lips, mouth, neck, chest, arms, torso and so on…right to the very tips of my big toes. During the day it comes and goes, but it feels like I've been bitten by hundreds of mosquitos.

Odd thing is since I live in the Midwest, I do have mosquito bites…and my bites feel like they have bites on them!

I'm probably due to see the Neurologist since it's been well over a year, I'm just so hoping it is temporary and that maybe the Nortriptyline will kick in and help. I'll give it a little more time and then make a call if it doesn't improve.

I hope the Gabapentin helps with your new "problem." Just to stabilize would be a good thing!

PN and itching
 

Yes, I have the itching, legs, back, forearms--anywhere the Axonal PN is lurking. Comes and goes.

Argh the dreaded itch
 

It comes and goes. Some nights I have had to get up, shower and slather on moisturiser, it's been better since I switched to using Aveeno body wash for sensitive skin. Thinking about it makes it worse to the point I will ask my DB can he look closely at my skin and can he see anything... Yes, big red scratch marks where you've scratched!

Just a hint.... check everything you eat and make sure
you are not getting any MSG food additive. This can trigger the NMDA pain receptors and at least for me, I get blurred vision from it too. I can always tell if it has sneaked in thru restaurant food.

http://www.msgtruth.org/

Itching that comes and goes suggests that you are exposed to
"something" which is triggering it. Itching is a form of pain.

I'll put up this helpful graphic that shows the 4 types of nerve fibers of sensation:

Neuroscience For Kids - conduction velocity
according to this site, it is the "C" fibers which carry the sensation of itch.

And if you read this link carefully, you will see an explanation of the speed of each type of fiber. The fastest fibers can and do cover up the perception of the slow ones. And the C fibers are the slowest.
This is why you may feel C fibers the most when you are quiet, and not moving around.

PN is a complex condition, and in many cases, it is a result of the environment the person is exposed to. Foods, chemicals consumed, breathed in, or put on the skin, drugs, microbial infections and assaults, are often culprits in nerve damage.

There are genetic types of PN (CMT) which affect the mitochondria of the cells in the nerves. And there are metabolic causes...which are often alcohol and its congeners, diabetic types, and thyroid derangements, besides the environmental insults. This is why it is so complex to doctors and patients, to get help and relief.

Keeping a journal can be helpful. I will add that some skin products do contain gluten, and my son is especially sensitive to that situation.