Help! Itchy crawly feeling

[ItchyCrawly]

I am at my wits end with this. For the last week or so I've been getting increasingly itchy. It's now all I can think about and it's making me so anxious I'm not sleeping.

What could it be? Sometimes it's redness all around my neck and scalp (I've checked for lice), most often it's hives on my neck and face (come out really red and itchy and settle within an hour into a pimple or nothing at all). Occasionally looks like bites with a red pinprick in the middle. Sometimes a patch of pimples that looks like dermatitis. Sometimes just a crawly feeling that feels like I have mites walking on my skin. My clothes also feel "prickly" .

We don't have pets and I'm checking for bed bugs continuously (my biggest fear) but I can't find anything. Nothing that looks like scabies either.

What could this be? Looking at my MN history I have posted a couple of times about itchiness and single hives in the last few months so it's not completely new but this week it's gotten much worse.

I don't really have anything to show a GP and I'm also wondering if it's all in my head at this point (anxiety/OCD). Any ideas? The not knowing is the worse it's now consuming my every thought!

Perhaps look up scabies? Seems to be a lot about at the moment.

Get your thyroid and anti thyroid antibodies checked. I felt like this and was diagnosed with Hashimotoes Disease.

Thank you so much. @HarissaPasty I definitely thought of scabies but that seems the least likely (which I'm glad about!). No marks on my skin that stay for more than 24 hours, and not in the usual expected scabies areas.

Thank you @ProfTeeCee I do think that would be possible for the itchy crawly all over feeling. But i wonder if you also got actual hives/spots with it? That's what I'm worried might be bugs of some sort but I can't find anything.

@ProfTeeCee looking into hashimoto more is a bit of a revelation. I seem to tick most things on the list. I've also had weird joint paint that comes and goes, constipation (never had this issue before), heavier periods, heightened insomnia and anxiety. I've also had bad chilblains for a few months which I never used to get, and my hair keeps falling out (used to be seasonal, now it's all the time). It seems they could be related too?

Vitamin B deficiency?

Take some antihistamine?

Anaemia, I had loads of weird rashes when I was deficient

How old are you? Could it be the peri menopause?

Peri menopause - if you are the right age. I had this from 40+

I had this with peri menopause- another lovely symptom to deal with

Did you all get physical rashes/spots with the peri menopause too or just generalised itchiness?

I'm 39 so could be possible I suppose.

I had a better, less itchy day today which cheered me up but its just come back with a vengeance and hives along my jawline. So random!

Itching can also be a sign of liver problems.

I have hashimotos and have terrible hives and itching sometimes when my thyroid antibodies must be higher. Also on my jaw, neck and behind my ears. I take fexofenadine and that helps.

My BIL had similar, and it turned out to be a shellfish allergy.

This is a symptom of scalp psoriasis. It was exactly how mine started triggered by an infection, as if ants were crawling on my scalp.

Yep, absolutely covered in hives due to being peri menopausal at 40 😩😩😩

Yes, lots behind my ears too! I have read about "Hashimoto flare ups" does that mean symptoms can come and go? And if I got a blood test when not "in a flare", would it go undetected?

I did have a blood test to check for thyroid issues after DC1 was born 6 years ago. I had about half of the symptoms I have now and it came back normal but I wonder if it might have just been early warning signs then and I should have a blood test again.

Thank you all, it gives me some things to look into. I was talking to DH earlier and hives were appearing and disappearing in front of his eyes, he was like "what is going on?!". They're usually in the morning after he's left for work and I'm not quite sure he believed me/thought I was exaggerating. Now he knows I wasn't!

Yes indeed it can. You need to see your GP.

mine turned out to be eczema

Literally this is how my guttate psoriasis started

Did you ever find out what was causing this for you itchy?

I could have written your entire OP myself. I've been driving myself crazy looking for bedbugs or fleas. Wondering whether it's in my head or a medical issue.

How itchy? If it’s patchy and/or mainly your back it could be allergy to your clothes washing liquid. Fairy or Tesco non bio powder is best.