My whole body itches, help me soothe it before I rip my skin off

[IntentsAndPorpoises]

Started about a week ago and it has gradually got worse and now covers my whole body. A bit like hives/red bumpy rash, constant itching.

Been to Dr and they are investigating as it it might be related to a medication I take. But until they work it out what else can I do. It is driving me mad, I can't sleep and feel like ripping my skin off!

GP gave me an antihistamine (cetrizine) but it barely makes any difference. I've got base cream to mouisterise. I've tried oat bath.

What else can I do????

Cold compresses? Or even a cold bath?

I find eurax cream is instantly soothing

Bicarb bath? It helped for ds with chickenpox.

Calamine cream?

Oh god I feel for you op, I had similar last year and it lasted 3/4 months!! Completely undiagnosed as to what caused it and it eventually went away on its own.

I was prescribed loads but I found Atarax (Hydroxyzine) tablets the best for being able to get a itch free sleep at night.

I'd avoid inflammatory foods like dairy and sugar until you get on top of it.

I hope you get some relief soon

A not too hot bath about 30 minutes with 1 cup of baking powder added to the water is supposed to help, or vinegar applied directly or in the bath water.

Most likely the medication i hope youve stopped it

What about the chicken pox products- Poxclin mousse or Virasoothe? Poor you OP it sounds hideous.

Aqueous cream with menthol, like Dermacool. Your pharmacy may be able to make it up for you. When my mum was so itchy she couldn't even think, a dermatology consultant prescribed it and it was amazing

@Palaver1 nope, I have to stay on the medication until the blood tests confirm if it could be that. The implications of coming off the medication suddenly have to be weighed against my comfort. Grrr.

Will anti histamines help, they do with my eczema

Another vote for Eurax. It’s a marvellous cream. The itch will stop immediately.

Try piriton.

And every medication has an alternative.

If you can take it then Piriton is often the best for itchiness. These ones: www.boots.com/piriton-allergy-tablets-30-tablets-10032788

When my eczema makes me want to chew my skin off really cold water helps

I had this when I had an allergy to penicillin. It only lasted about a week or so - I was given anti-histamine tablets, and if memory serves, some sort of anti-histamine cream. I feel for you though, it's maddening.

I really do feel for you OP. Mine has been itchy for years, due to eczema, but more recently I found it was also due to anaemia. But before that, I would take anti histimines about an hour before bed, use germolene or sudocrem, only wear cotton pjs. But even doing all that some nights I would be in tears with frustration.
I hope you dr finds out what is going on and it gets sorted very soon.

I can bet its the medication from personal experience if it was as bad as mine was i didn't give a monkeys i stopped the medication. A couple of days after the itching went
Im of the belief if a medication causes this amount of discomfort its your body saying STOP

I've been on it for nearly 10 years. Ut this sort of itching can be a sign of toxicity. It's lithium, so there isn't a set dose it has to be tested by blood test to see how your body metabolises. I can't risk a full mental health breakdown from stopping it unfortunately. It's so tempting though!

When I went to the dr they were not particularly bothered. I had to nag for an ointment and tablets which seem to do ok. My skin is worse when I eat anything sweet! I have Diabetes type 2 and come out in a pimply rash of hard 'pimples' each time which itch until I scratch then get sore and bloody. I was given Eurax but have something different now. I also seem to have a sort of ezcema on my legs (but not like I have seen on some people I love the Baby Aveeno range for showering and a soothing relief cream to put on as well.

Eurax cream or lotion. Also get some pine tar soap (amazon or raymears.com).

With the soap, have a cool shower, lather up and leave it on your skin for two minutes, then wash it off.

Hold ice packs in any particularly itchy bits.

Scratch using a baby hairbrush so you don't break the skin and cause more damage.

Take a drowsy antihistamine e at night to help you sleep.

Hope you stop itching soon.

(I had obstetric cholestasis in my first pregnancy and went a Long time before getting diagnosed. I wouldn't wish constant itching on anyone. Absolute torture. Hope you are better soon).

My skin was like this after my c section - I used pure aloe vera from pharmacy after a cool shower and that really helped. Had to apply every few hours

I have this too, but no rash,it seems worse since the cold weather arrived, my back is the itchiest,i use a bath bruch with long handle to scratch it,when having a shower
I dont itch all over just some areas intermittently

was the lithium different brand?

No, the same brand.