Brachioradial pruritus. (severe itching on forearms and neck, no rash).

Posted by Patrick Cotter @patrickcotter, Mar 19, 2012

Does anyone know of this. I think its rare but does exist. My neurologist does not know about this. I have compression between my c5 and c6 cervical disk and have had alot of sun damage to my skin.

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@bonnie1969

Been to two dermatologist who think I have brachioradial pruritus because I told them I think I have it after doing research.,they cannot help me they did not know anything about it. I have an appointment scheduled for February with a neurologist. I have been waiting for this appointment since October. I call every day to try to get in sooner. I am going mad. I get maybe 3 hours of total sleep. I actually took a knife to my arm and made a cut. I was thinking cutting it off , but woke up and realized not a good idea. I am going crazy. I thought about going to ER , but they will not be able to help me. I know I will need MRI etc. My question is will it ever subside? Can they burn the nerves? I tried gabapentin, but made me too foggy so I stopped. I called the dr's crying . I believe the really do not care. I need help

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Please get back on the Gabapentin-you will adjust. I take one with breakfast, lunch, & before I get ready for bed. I shower fully every other day, but wash the needed areas the other days. Not getting the burning area in too much water seems to help( try to use cooler water). I’m seeing a Neurosurgeon on Thursday, so I will let you know what he says. Someone mentioned that Lexapro helps-maybe your regular doctor can help. I can’t imagine having to wait so long for help. Are there any large cities nearby where you could see a Neurosurgeon sooner? I have a hot/cold wrap that I keep in the freezer. This gives relief. Please keep in touch. I’m praying for you!

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@bjmart

Just had 3rd series of PIT shots. 3 1/2 weeks virtually itch free. Off Gabapentin for last 3 weeks for first time in over 5 years. Scheduled for 2 more series of shots this month. Too early to tell for sure, but extremely promising.

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Is it a drug they are injecting?

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@bonnie1969

Aren't pit injections mainly for joint pain?

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No, the calm the sensory nerves- used for nerve pain, which can include itching due to neurotic itch - inflammation at the sensory nerves can also cause itching.

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@bonnie1969

Been to two dermatologist who think I have brachioradial pruritus because I told them I think I have it after doing research.,they cannot help me they did not know anything about it. I have an appointment scheduled for February with a neurologist. I have been waiting for this appointment since October. I call every day to try to get in sooner. I am going mad. I get maybe 3 hours of total sleep. I actually took a knife to my arm and made a cut. I was thinking cutting it off , but woke up and realized not a good idea. I am going crazy. I thought about going to ER , but they will not be able to help me. I know I will need MRI etc. My question is will it ever subside? Can they burn the nerves? I tried gabapentin, but made me too foggy so I stopped. I called the dr's crying . I believe the really do not care. I need help

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Bonnie- google the Miami Itch Clinic - Dr. Gil Yosipovitch, MD. He is the itch guru- many docs are NOT up on this itching issue. I find myself having to educate them! Also google Dr. Yosipovitch on you tube this past November, 2018. He explains a lot!!! Currently however the best most MD’s do is prescribed a CNS med- you can try other ones besides gabapentin, like amitriptyline or others; and some dermatologists like Dr. Yosipovitch are well versed in compounded creams, that do work well for many.

The PIT injections may take time, so you need something to hold you over. Also you would need to find a skilled functional medicine doc trained in this treatment. I prefer a functional medicine MD but they are hard to find unless you are close to a larger city. There may be some very good DO’s or ND’s that have a successful track record with this.

Itching your arms is pointless. There isn’t anything external.....if it is a neurogenic itch, it is deep, and the scratching only makes it worse. Ice is also a good temporary measure. You can get those pea ice packs at cvs.

Also don’t be disappointed if you find nothing from the neurologist or neurosurgeon. That happened to me. I had spinal xrays and a spinal MRI. It showed some foraminal narrowing but I gave no joint pain and they only treat with medicines and surgery if you have joint pain. Finding nerve entrapment requires a neural MRI and that is a new technology. But my functional MD knows how to look for that by just applying pressure to specific nerves. He if the one giving me the PIT injections. I have only had one treatment and still need the compounded cream. I think I am getting gradual results but it is too early to tell for me.
.

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What are CNS meds? I don’t have itching. It’s more like burning or stinging.

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@needahelp

What are CNS meds? I don’t have itching. It’s more like burning or stinging.

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@needahelp CNS means Central Nervous System which is the brain and spinal cord. Those would be medicines that act on them. Itching is a pain impulse at the low end of the spectrum.

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@bobbiellen

Bonnie- google the Miami Itch Clinic - Dr. Gil Yosipovitch, MD. He is the itch guru- many docs are NOT up on this itching issue. I find myself having to educate them! Also google Dr. Yosipovitch on you tube this past November, 2018. He explains a lot!!! Currently however the best most MD’s do is prescribed a CNS med- you can try other ones besides gabapentin, like amitriptyline or others; and some dermatologists like Dr. Yosipovitch are well versed in compounded creams, that do work well for many.

The PIT injections may take time, so you need something to hold you over. Also you would need to find a skilled functional medicine doc trained in this treatment. I prefer a functional medicine MD but they are hard to find unless you are close to a larger city. There may be some very good DO’s or ND’s that have a successful track record with this.

Itching your arms is pointless. There isn’t anything external.....if it is a neurogenic itch, it is deep, and the scratching only makes it worse. Ice is also a good temporary measure. You can get those pea ice packs at cvs.

Also don’t be disappointed if you find nothing from the neurologist or neurosurgeon. That happened to me. I had spinal xrays and a spinal MRI. It showed some foraminal narrowing but I gave no joint pain and they only treat with medicines and surgery if you have joint pain. Finding nerve entrapment requires a neural MRI and that is a new technology. But my functional MD knows how to look for that by just applying pressure to specific nerves. He if the one giving me the PIT injections. I have only had one treatment and still need the compounded cream. I think I am getting gradual results but it is too early to tell for me.
.

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@bobbiellen Nerve entrapment can happen in the body because of tight muscles or fascia, and a physical therapist who does myofascial release work can find those and release them. There are some common places where nerves pass through small canals inbetween muscles, bones or joints. It's not the same thing as massage, but it is like a push when you knead bread dough and just hold the push against the body. That creates a shearing action which stretches the fascia, and you just hold it and wait until the fascia remodels and releases itself. The fascia is changing from a semi-solid to a liquid state to do this, and this is how yoga works when you hold a pose for a long time. Internal scar tissue can cause lots of problems like this, and can be treated with MFR therapy. I've done a lot of this with my physical therapist for thoracic outlet syndrome which is a nerve entrapment between the collar bone and rib cage. Some surgeons recommend this therapy, and others don't understand it, and sometimes surgery can be avoided altogether with MFR. See myofascialrelease.com for information.

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@bobbiellen

Bonnie- google the Miami Itch Clinic - Dr. Gil Yosipovitch, MD. He is the itch guru- many docs are NOT up on this itching issue. I find myself having to educate them! Also google Dr. Yosipovitch on you tube this past November, 2018. He explains a lot!!! Currently however the best most MD’s do is prescribed a CNS med- you can try other ones besides gabapentin, like amitriptyline or others; and some dermatologists like Dr. Yosipovitch are well versed in compounded creams, that do work well for many.

The PIT injections may take time, so you need something to hold you over. Also you would need to find a skilled functional medicine doc trained in this treatment. I prefer a functional medicine MD but they are hard to find unless you are close to a larger city. There may be some very good DO’s or ND’s that have a successful track record with this.

Itching your arms is pointless. There isn’t anything external.....if it is a neurogenic itch, it is deep, and the scratching only makes it worse. Ice is also a good temporary measure. You can get those pea ice packs at cvs.

Also don’t be disappointed if you find nothing from the neurologist or neurosurgeon. That happened to me. I had spinal xrays and a spinal MRI. It showed some foraminal narrowing but I gave no joint pain and they only treat with medicines and surgery if you have joint pain. Finding nerve entrapment requires a neural MRI and that is a new technology. But my functional MD knows how to look for that by just applying pressure to specific nerves. He if the one giving me the PIT injections. I have only had one treatment and still need the compounded cream. I think I am getting gradual results but it is too early to tell for me.
.

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Thank you for the feedback. What is a functional md?. I never heard of that. I live in Charlotte maybe I can look for one. I finally got an appointment with my neurologist Thursday. Hoping they do an MRI. You mentioned a specific MRI how is that different from a normal MRI. I know about the compound cream . I will have her write a script for it. Have you heard of pit injections? What are your thoughts?

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@jenniferhunter

@bobbiellen Nerve entrapment can happen in the body because of tight muscles or fascia, and a physical therapist who does myofascial release work can find those and release them. There are some common places where nerves pass through small canals inbetween muscles, bones or joints. It's not the same thing as massage, but it is like a push when you knead bread dough and just hold the push against the body. That creates a shearing action which stretches the fascia, and you just hold it and wait until the fascia remodels and releases itself. The fascia is changing from a semi-solid to a liquid state to do this, and this is how yoga works when you hold a pose for a long time. Internal scar tissue can cause lots of problems like this, and can be treated with MFR therapy. I've done a lot of this with my physical therapist for thoracic outlet syndrome which is a nerve entrapment between the collar bone and rib cage. Some surgeons recommend this therapy, and others don't understand it, and sometimes surgery can be avoided altogether with MFR. See myofascialrelease.com for information.

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That’s so encouraging! I had no idea! Thanks for the information.

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@needahelp

What are CNS meds? I don’t have itching. It’s more like burning or stinging.

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Yes I should clarify- it is burning and stinging for me too

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