Intense itchy legs making life of 18 year old miserable.

[HelpNeededNow1]

Hi, we’ve been to the dermatologist and GP about this already, nothing has helped so far. I’m wondering if anyone else has had this and what helped / fixed it?

My 18 year old daughter has intensely itchy legs. There is nothing on the skin, no visible rash or eczema, it’s an itch inside the leg. It’s affecting her life to the point she cannot do daily activities like college, work or going out with friends.

The GP has prescribed creams, but these don’t help as there’s no actual surface rash. She’s taken various antihistamines from both over the counter and prescription and this hasn’t helped either. We have changed washing powder and she’s improved her diet, that’s not helped either.

Has anyone had similar and how did you fix or help it?

Also being dehydrated

The other thing that could work is a food elimination diet.

I was sceptical when my mum had it done for her extreme itchy skin but it worked, she gradually reintroduced things like dairy, wheat etc and it worked.

I don't want to scare you OP, but persistent itchiness can be a sign of lymphoma (I know because I've had it!) Obviously this is pretty unlikely, but I did want to make you aware of this.

Does she have any other symptoms - fatigue, night sweats, lumps in her neck, armpits or groin, pain in her neck when she drinks alcohol, a persistent cough or chest pain?

She needs to have blood tests. Pruritis can indicate liver, pancreas and bile duct problems. Is there any jaundice at all? Do her eyes look slightly yellowish? Don’t be fobbed off. This sort of Itching is horrific.

I did, it was a long time ago now. It was so so itchy so I really sympathise. It did stop, but whether it was the homeopathy or something else, I don’t know. I had a whole load of allergy testing done but that showed nothing

I did, it was a long time ago now. It was so so itchy so I really sympathise. It did stop, but whether it was the homeopathy or something else, I don’t know. I had a whole load of allergy testing done but that showed nothing

Is it fragrance free? Usually it’s not bio detergent that’s the issue, it’s fragrance. Ecover and M&S both do fragrance free detergents.

Avoid fabric softener too, just don’t use it at all.

Also here to say she obviously needs further tests and what the hell is wrong with your GP.

Good luck!

@HelpNeededNow1

i’m a Dr (not dermatologist)- I assume there is no rash/dry skin/redness/flaking or visible skin changes? And nothing changed in terms of diet, medication or environment (house move, toiletry or soap change, new pet etc)? Is the itch all the time or episodic? Is it worse at any point if the day, or worse of hot/cold/ in bright light?

Assuming these factors have been looked at, and ruled out, then the next things to look at are bloods, if she has not had them. Pruritis (itch without rash) can have a lot of potential causes. It can be a sign of iron deficiency, liver dysfunction, diabetes or more advanced impaired glucose tolerance, thyroid disease. Of course kidney disease can- but tends to be at more advanced stages and would generally have other symptoms before itch. It could be an allergy, albeit not one causing a rash/dermatitis. Much more rarely is it a sign of peripheral nerve issues or nerve impingement and I would generally expect some other neuro symptoms.

If they have not already been done, I would ask that your GP check bloods for full blood count, ferritin/iron studies (potentially b12), liver and kidney function and glucose. The FBC should show eosinophils- a type of white blood cell which is raised in most case of allergy (assuming current exposure to allergen).

If these tests have been done already, you start to delve into less common conditions/more specific tests. For instance, it is possible to do RAST blood tests against many specific allergens if any are suspected. It is not a screening test- you really can only check for immunoglobulins against specific allergens because of the nature of the test. Though total IgE can give an indication as to whether there is an allergy to be found.

Skin circulating antibodies are less commonly done- more commonly checked in bullous skin conditions or conditions like lupus, dermatitis herpetiformis or other auto-immune disorders but I have seen them suggested in chronic pruritus where all other causes have been excluded. Again, I would usually expect some other symptoms suggesting an auto-immune condition.

To be fair, she has also seen a dermatologist and appears to have had some tests (although “medium” is not really a way I would describe liver function- it is either normal or abnormal, and then you define if mildly/moderately/severely deranged).

To be clear- I don’t just mean check for anaemia- itch could be caused by low iron levels without normal red blood cell count (I.e. without anaemia). Total iron is not the only thing- low ferritin or transferrin saturation can also indicate deficiency.

And as per a previous poster- I would agree to check for signs of enlarged lymph nodes and ask about joint or bone pain, fatigue, night sweats and any unexplained weight loss.

I can't offer advice as to the cause, but when I had very itchy legs (particularly at night) from around 26 weeks of pregnancy the only thing that gave me a tiny bit of relief was aveeno menthol moisturiser. It's not a miracle cure but it gave me enough relief to get to sleep.

Any signs of scabies? There was an outbreak in our halls of residence when I was at uni and it sounded so grim.

Mine was dreadful, always seemed worse in the evenings/night but not sure if it was because I was so busy during the day. Mine was stress related, anaemic and started with not being able to see anything, not being able to cope with a hot shower, not being able to focus or sleep. I spoke to doctors, tried creams, nothing worked and there was nothing to show. Then it got worse and now I have dermatographic urticaria, so where i scratch becomes raised like hives, I can literally gently scratch my skin with a word and within a minute it is raised abd readable for a couple of metres away. Moisturising has helped, but 3 fexofendine has been a godsend. I started on one tablet a day and then worked out that 3 was my magic dose, GP said i can go to 4 a day. I can't stay in the warm shower for too long and if I miss a day it's hell, shaving my legs isn't fun unless I take the meds not long before. I've also done some mindfulness and CBT which has helped to lower my stress levels.
Hope you're daughter can get to the bottom of it.

I suffered from this for years. I tried absolutely everything. Things only improved when I cut sugar out of my diet. I would pursue the other lines of questioning that PPs have suggested though, I think they sound more likely.

Try magnesium 💚

I have suffered with extreme itching on and off since being a teen -dad suffers too. I found it always worse after a shower and the itching was excruciating so I feel for your daughter. I have sometimes put cold wet towels round my
legs or placed them on cold floor tiles to get some respite! I remember thinking (this is extreme) that a knife would relieve it because it was that itchy - never acted on thay of course! but using as an example of the desperation you feel. I think there has some excellent advice here so definitely pursue bloods etc - if nothing comes from that I found dermol500 the only thing that wouldn’t itch after the shower. They do a body wash and a lotion and it’s in chemists.

let us know how you get on ultimately - it’s horrible. 💐

I had this about a year ago. No rash or dry skin but ridiculously itchy thighs that just kept getting worse and worse. In the end I sprayed “Jock Itch Spray” on twice per day for 3 weeks and it went away. It seems it was a yeast infection but definitely not typical symptoms. Obviously take it seriously and investigate further with the GP if you feel necessary but wouldn’t hurt to try the spray in the meantime. I got it from Amazon

Has the GP ever run any tests? Any allergy testing? She could have a parasite or some underlying allergy/intolerance for the itching which needs to be treated first. Pay to go private if you can

Save your money on homeopathy. Complete garbage that depends on the placebo effect. You might as well take the money you would have spent and rub that on her legs. Get blood work done starting with iron levels.

Came here to to say the same , it can be a sign of blood cancers. Obviously very unlikely but a normal blood test doesn't always pick it up .

Mine started as a teen and was also worse after a shower and particularly if I showered in the morning. Even though there was no visible dehydration I think huge amounts of water, limited showers and lots of emollient eventually helped (talking years)

I still rarely shower in morning - memory is so strong but pretty sure it would be fine

I had this with scabies. Horrific! Whole body but inner thighs worst. I had no rash or marks. My Husband had terrible lesions but his itching wasn't as bad.