Itchy skin

Good morning, @megwill100. I am Rosemary, I believe we met briefly yesterday. I had severe itching during my time with progressing liver failure. I found that a lotion called "Sarna" worked pretty well for me. It is for itchy skin relief. I slathered it on generously. Another thing that gave me some relief is some of the "Aveeno" brand products. One I recall was an oatmeal colloidal bath soak was relaxing and a temporary relief. My GI also had me on a specific med that is used for my particular liver/bile duct condition. Got to go for now. Rosemary

@megwill, I just learned that my itchy skin is associated to kidney failure and Sarna was recommended. What a godsend! It works better than anything else I have tried, and I have tried a LOT! Before finding Sarna the best relief I found was lotions with menthol in them. I had also heard that vinegar baths could help and tried one. It did help a little bit for a little while. The dermatologist was not excited about that idea too much and recommended limiting it to no more than one a week. I hope this helps you out and you get relief.

I get crazy itchy skin at times. The first time this occurred my primary physician just wrote it off as dry skin. I knew that was not the answer so I went to a dermatologist. He told me my histamines were out of whack and then prescribed a low-dose antihistamine. It was amazing what a difference it made! It did make me a little doozy so I took it at night and eventually I started cutting the pill in half in half in then in quarters. I was then able to stop taking it altogether. I hope you find a solution too. Good luck.

@macarl, I'm interested in your itch problem, which I have as well. You undoubtedly noticed above that a couple of our associates here had itching related to reduced kidney function, and I intend to look into that. The possibility that my immune system's histamines may be the cause is fascinating. What can you tell me about how your dermatologist identified a problem with your histamines?

He didn't perform any tests. He just examined my skin as I recall. Perhaps he was simply working on a hunch and followed the easiest and least expensive course of action to see if that would alleviate my symptoms. The antihistamine he prescribed was Amitriptyline. I found relief rather quickly.

@predictable, This does not relate to itching, but I'm going to share anyway. When I was undergoing dialysis prior to my transplant, my nurses recommended a lotion named 'VaniCeam". I don't know if there is a version for itching, but it is a good soothing lotion and made in Minnesota. Rosemary

@predictable and @rosemarya, I also had VaniCream recommended to me several years ago. VaniCream comes in lotion and cream, but I did not get the relief that I found with 'mentholated' lotions, and now with Sarna.

Hi @megwill100! I'm a little surprised to see your concern about itching in the Kidney and Bladder discussion, yet nothing seems to get less enduring attention than the itch. Maybe that's because itching seems to be far more discomforting than it is hazardous. In my case, the cause of interminable itching is still unknown, and we're not doing anything right now to identify the cause. In this discussion, we've dealt with chronic kidney disease and allergy histamines -- apparently without much success.

We started instead with the standard dry air of winter as the cause, despite the excellent humidifier on my heating system. No luck. Then we checked out soaps, both laundry and personal bath soap and shampoo and cosmetics, looking for the ingredient Isothiazolinone (a "biocide" or pesticide that soap manufacturers add to extend shelf life by preventing biochemical reactions -- the name is usually prefixed by such chemical signs as "metho-," "benz-," "octyl-," or "chloromethyl-"). A non-allergenic soap helped somewhat, but not enough.

So a dermatologist took a look, threw in the towel without any contact tests, and prescribed: an anti-itch salve to eliminate the symptoms, but only for a few weeks before it's limit on extended use kicked in. After that, the final tactic in the sequence has been shorter, cooler showers along with skin moisturizer lotions. Waiting now for Spring and higher humidities in the atmosphere. Fortunately, the itches are less intense and limited now to arms, legs, and belt line. If it continues in the summer, we'll take another pass at my kidney disease and histamine sensitivity with contact tests of my skin this time.

@predictable, ive been itching for over 10 years during all seasons. Especially if i become over heated. I have another dr appt on Monday and i have absolutely no hope of anything good happening for me on the itching front. Every dr ive had since my itching began has kind of said meh....and done nothing. I have read you can itch with hepatitis, lupus, fibromyalgia which i have, type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, heart disease. Im just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hope i can get my life insurance nailed down befor im diagnosed with something that will preclude my being able to even get any insurance. Bah humbug, Judy

Hi, I'm new here, and have CKD with Lupus. I had the horrible itching problem head to toe for over a year. It drove me nearly insane and I have scars from scratching. After being hospitalized and getting my potassium and phosphorus levels under control, the itching is almost gone! I believe I have read that extreme itching can be a side effect of the high blood phosophorus levels. I take a phosphate binder for now and avoid all dairy and foods with high phosphates. Hope you get some relief soon.