Liver disease itching: What helps?

I took lactulose and rifaxamin and that lessened the episodes in frequency but many times I woke in the hospital. Loss of memory is what got me the most.

Same here. I'm very forgetful now. If my wasn't attached I'd forget that too

Ask your doctor about trying Tremfya.

@mathewsw, I would like to welcome you back to Mayo Connect. I hope that you are doing well.

I had itching before my transplant, and so I know that members will appreciate reading your post. I had never heard of the drug Tremfya, so I did a quick search and learned that Guselkumab (Tremfya) is an injection is used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in patients who may benefit from receiving phototherapy (ultraviolet light treatment) or other treatments. Plaque psoriasis is a skin disease with red patches and white scales that do not go away.
Guselkumab injection is also used alone or with other medicines (eg, methotrexate) to treat active psoriatic arthritis,...

Do you have a liver condition along with plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis or other skin condition? Are you using Tremfya and has it brought you relief?

Hello. I was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis this year. Just finished my transplant workup a couple of weeks ago. I'm going back Monday Jan. 28. It was recommended to me that you would be a good person to talk to. Thanks.

I cannot seem to control the itching when I lay down at night. I have tried every cream or medicine that my liver doctor has prescribed. I am on the liver transplant list. My legs burn or seem to “ crawl “ when I try to sleep. Anyone experienced these things??

@ugadawg1067, Welcome to Connect. I requested that your post about liver related itching to be added to this discussion where other members have shared their concerns and also and also some solutions that they discovered to be helpful to them.
I am a transplant recipient and I also had severe itching as my liver disease progressed toward transplant.
My transplant, in 2009, was due to Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and hepatorenal failure. I remember that my itching began near the time that I was referred to the transplant department by my local GI who had managed my care for nearly 8 years. And I remember the terrible itch! The door frames in our house became my scratching posts - much like a bear uses a tree. I fortunately never broke any skin as I had read that some patients do.
I am so very sorry that you are having itching. I assure you that you are not alone.
Here is a list of some things - remedies - that I tried:
- Over-the-counter antihistamine
- When my itching became severe, my local GI wrote a prescription for Chlorestyramine, a bilebinder and that gave me the relief I needed. It was a powder that I added to a glass of water and drank.
- topical relief – I got some relief with Sarna anti itch lotion. It is an over the counter lotion.
- a warm bath in Aveeno bath treatment for itchy skin was helpful and soothing, but getting in and out of the tub, quickly became difficult as my body became swollen with ascites.

I don't remember when or why, but sometime during my pretransplant time, my itching eased as other bothersome symptoms took over.

Here is another discussion that has more itchy solutions:
Kidney & BladderItchy skin
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/itchy-skin-2ee1a9/

I want to suggest that you read thru this discussion and the one that I have posted. I also want to let you know that your questions and comments are welcomed anywhere. If you want to direct a question to any particular member, use their @name.

I don't know if there are any newer remedies available. I look forward to hearing from some members with any updates for itchy solutions.

@ugadawg1067 How long has your itching been going on? Have you tried a warm bath before bed?

@ugadawg1067 around the time I got listed my itching was about as bad as yours. When the cream and the cholestyramine drink powder stopped working one of the transplant hepatologists prescribed Zoloft for me to try. While the Zoloft did absolutely stop the itching, it came with some side effects that were not desirable. They backed me off of what they had originally prescribed which still worked with less intense side effects. You may want to ask about that, just make sure to ease into it with their guidance. Good luck, I know like many of us do what that intense itching was like. When it started ruining my sleep that was really the last straw. Keep us posted and we’ll all pray that you’ll get your transplant soon. That, seems to be the only cure for the itching.

Be well,

Bryan

I itched terribly for nearly 2 years. My hepatologist also prescribed Zoloft as it has an anti-itch side effect. It worked marginally for me, but also made me emotionally flat.
I tried every lotion & gel but always felt sticky. Sarna lotion helped, but I recommend the unscented version. I found that witch hazel helped, but it dries the skin. I would wake up at night multiple times and put witch hazel on a washcloth and just apply it to my skin for immediate relief. The other thing that helped were ice packs. I would sleep with large ice packs in my bed. I think the cold sensation trumped the terrible itching. I would put a towel between my skin and the ice packs.
I also recommend that you purchase simple white cotton gloves that you can wear to bed. These are available on Amazon and are inexpensive. I would scratch to the point of breaking my skin during my sleep, so the gloves helped.

One of the first things I noticed when I woke up post-transplant was that my itching was gone! Blessed Relief!

Hello

You have my sympathy. My itching was so bad on the front of my legs that I scratched them until they bled; I just could not help it. I tried everything recommended by my doctor but nothing helped until I tried E45 anti-itch cream. Different creams seem to work for different people but this was a life saver for me. Good luck.