Connect
Severe full body itching after Covid vacine.
Since I had the
Astrazeneca vacine in Nov 2021 I have been suffering with severe full body skin itching without a rash. I have seen so many specialists and done so many tests but everything is normal. The only abnormality is that I have very high levels of B12.
I have tried various medications including Predesilone, Omalizumab, Hydroxychloroquine, SIngulair, Gabapentin to name a few but nothing has worked. Even tried UV light therapy.
It seems that most foods and particularly exercise worsens the itching. Unfortunately it has caused severe mental health issues due its persistency. If anyone has any ideas on what can help or what else to investigate please let me know.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Skin Health Support Group.
Connect
@whamman Welcome To Mayo Clinic Connect. That must be pretty frustrating for you to have been going through "the itchies" for almost 18 months now!
I am not a medical doctor, and will not be able to give you medical advice. In my own experience, reducing the amount of Vit B12 taken helped. Where I was doing a supplement everyday, we moved it to 3 times a week. Also, I watched my niacin intake in supplements.
Another thing to explore is environmental causes, seeing it has been so long. A new apartment/house/living situation. New cleaning products. Different fibers in your clothes/bedding. Pollution factors in the environment you are in. Changes in medications/supplements you are taking. When you say it is worse with foods and exercise, that leads me to think that raising your internal body temperature is producing a histamine/allergic type reaction. Have you tried something like diphenhydramine [brand name Benadryl] for the worst symptoms?
Ginger
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI also have major itch issues…from change in temperature and water contact…with no visible skin changes.
On a Facebook group for water contact itch, someone discovered that when they worked out, they didn’t itch…it turned out that it was the preworkout supplement they were taking and isolated it to Beta Alanine.
I buy the NOW brand on Amazon and take 750 mg every four hours as needed…
Here is a link to a Stanford paper on the subject. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33170524/
I have RA and I had the same intense severe debilitating itch after having 4 full dose Covid vaccines made worse by the addition of Humira, then Renvoq. Nothing helped to relieve the itch all day/night even after taking Atarax 3 x a day, I would only get temp relief for a few hours. . I also tried Gabapentin, which created a very dark mood and depression. I have been to several dermatologists who frankly were useless and of no help what’s so ever. Finally I was given a referral to a Mayo trained Dermatologist who knew her stuff and gave me an antidepressant called Doxepin 10 mg. I started with 10 mg but can take up to 3 per day! ! AMAZINGLY the next morning (after a full night of sleep) I woke up with barely any itch!!!!
A godsend in my book and may be worth a try. She also referred me to the Mayo Clinic to be followed by Rheumatology and Dermatology.
I should add that I’ve only been taking this for 2 weeks now but the relief is promising and I can always increase the dose if needed.