Itchy skin driving me mad!!

Everyday living
1

Hi

Over the last 2 days i have had really itchy skin that comes and goes. It occurs any where on my body and is driving me mad! There is no rash or anything there and it keeps me awake at night. Has anyone else experienced this? I have been on Tecfidera for 5 months now. Is itchy skin a symptom of MS?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :slight_smile:

Becky

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Hi Becky,

Ive suffered itchy skin for years, and have been known to scratch until I bleed, my skins not dry or spotty and hasn’t got any rashes. The only things I can suggest are antihistamine tablets, keeping the skin cool, a cotton wool pad soaked in witch hazel and applied on the patch that itches or calamine lotion used in the same way, that works by blocking the air from your skin but leaves a white residue on everything!

I can’t think of anything else that could help. I’ve been muddling through for years and have found all of the above remedies have helped.

If you’ve got an MS nurse make sure you discuss this with them because they’ll know if you might need medication for it as it’s effecting your sleep.

I’m not taking DMDs so in my case it’s not side effect of Tecfidera.

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Itchy skin can be a side effect of Tecfidera. It falls within the category of a ‘flush’. It essentially mimics an allergic reaction.

I had an episode of it at around week three of starting Tecfidera, before i was even on full dose. It is quite possible that it has decided to pick on you now.

Patches of the most intense itching would come out of no where; usually on the hands and wrists, but also in the pits and other hairy bits

Fear not… The cure, which was always fast and highly effective, came in the form of anti-histamines. Nothing fancy; just your bog standard, off the supermarket shelf anti-histamine.

After about three days, the moments of itchiness passed and they haven’t returned since (about 18 months) but i still keep the pills handy… just in case.

Good luck! And please let us know how you get on.

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Hello Becky,

Here’s a conversation I had with my MS nurse a few days ago.

  • Hi Liz,
  • Do you know the sensation that is described as Fizzing, Ants Crawling about under the skin or Flesh Creeping? It's like an itch on the inside. I've had it for years but it it's been getting a lot worse recently.
  • Anthony
  • Dear Anthony,
  • It is quite a common problem for people with MS. It is an altered sensation that must be quite unpleasant. The medication that may help would be the Pregabelin (Lyrica) and Amitriptyline that you are already taking for neuropathic pain.

I showed my GP this yesterday and started taking Pregabalin 75mg twice a day this afternoon.

I’ll let you know how well it works.

Anthony

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I get itchy skin over and under, also burning particularly on the feet. The one that wakes me up is the itching under the skin around the spine area, as if some messages are trying to get through then having nowhere to go.

I have kept it at bay this summer by bathing twice a day (which helps my feet anyway), rubbing my skin with exfoliants beforehand, rubbing with rough towels to help circulation and skin health and then using oil either in the bath or after. This has helped a great deal and if I can’t be bothered or leave it for a few days, then it starts up again. Sometimes just the a bit of massage and the oil before sleep is good enough.

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