Non-stop itching, no rash

[2silverwings]

I have never itched this bad in my life - My skin, everywhere, is unbelievably itchy. But there is no visible rash, my skin is dry but not out of the ordinary, and I have no idea what it's from. I've thought that it might be dairy making me feel this way but then I'll cut out dairy and it doesn't go away fully. Any ideas? Solutions? I use scent-free moisturizing lotion but it's not helping.

[Azaral]

Already gluten-free I'm assuming from your sig? Make sure to limit the amount of iodine in your diet, and make sure your soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotions and other skin treatments are gluten-free too.

Since I stopped eating gluten (9 months ago) my itching has gotten significantly better but I'm still looking for ways to make it go away forever.

[Unregistered]

I have been itching too lately. Everywhere and no rashes. It just started about two weeks ago. I have not changed medication or my eating habbits. So I can not see the things I have been eating are doing this. I have never itched like this before. Any clues? chammer @ kaycee.net

[Unregistered]

I have had the same problem now for about two months. Extreme itching with no rash or redmess (until after I scratch it. ) After I scratch it sometimes there is a rash but not usually. I had not changed anything in my diet, soaps, lotions, etc. I thought it might be dry skin, since it was winter, although it did not seem like my skin was dry. I tried about a dozen types of lotions for that, but nothing worked. I take benadryl at night, so I can sleep, but it doesn't always work. The itch seems much worse at night. I have tried different combinations of foods in case my body has changed and I am now allergic to something. Nothing seems to work. it is driving me crazy! Doctor said I must be allergic to something, so i switched to fragrance/color free soaps, laudry detergent. Still no relief. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. What homeopathic medicines worked for people? Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

[Unregistered]

That happened to me too! I linked it to non steroidal pain killers. But the docs thought I needed a shrink. They can be so ignorant.
Detox, detox, detox.

[Unregistered]

I had this last year and it turned out to be scabies. I had never heard of it but once I treated it I felt normal again. Good luck.

[Unregistered]

Itching is a sign of poor circulation or kidney failure also

[Unregistered]

Same problem here. I started itching about 3 weeks ago. It started on my fore-arms at first and moved from there, but never any rash. Eventually, everything was itching, scalp, face, even the palms of my hands. The itching seemed to be worse in areas that I sweat, but I still had some sort of itch in all areas. The only relief I could find was anything cool to the touch. I started taking Benadryl but it was useless. After 3 nights of no sleep, I went to see a doctor who didn't know what it was but prescribed a stronger antihistamine (Hydroxyzine). I was to take this every 6 hours. It did not help the itching whatsoever but did make me very tired. Unfortunately my tiredness could not counteract the extreme itching and 2 sleepless nights later I found myself back at a different doctor. This doctor said she believed it to be some sort of allergy and prescribed a steroid (Prednisone) in high doses, at first, and then slowly tapering off to nothing. Finally, the itch slowly went away and I was able to get some rest. My skin had become very irritated from the itch about 4 days after it first started. Red open sores developed, most likely from the irritation. During the itch-free period after the steroid treatment, the sores began to heal. Sadly, about a week after the last steroid treatment, my arms and more specifically arm pits began to itch again. Although not as intense and relatively localized, I was still concerned of it spreading. It since has spread to my chest and at times my legs. The itch seems different now. Not nearly as bad as the first time but still incredibly annoying. I am now going to see an allergist this coming Tuesday to be allergy tested. I'm hopeful that this is just an allergy and it can be corrected. If nothing is discovered, I suppose my next step will be to start getting some blood work done or have some doctors look at the condition of my immune system, liver, kidneys. There are some seriously scary diseases that can cause itching. I happened to be within the age range for some of them. Good luck everyone.

[Unregistered]

I Am The Same Way. My Doctor Decided That It Was My Nerves. I Have Been Itching For 4 Months. It Seems To Get The Worse At Night. It Is So Ironic, Since Hearing About The Liver And The Kidney Problems, That My Itching Started After I Had My Right Ovary Removed.( 4 Months Ago). Nothing That The Dr Has Described Me As Cured It. I Don't Know What To Do, But I Know That It Is Very Irritating.

[Unregistered]

Itching has many causes, some relatively short lived and benign, like itching from contact with poison ivy, and some more serious, such as as cancer or liver disease. If you have any itching conditions you should always have them evaluated by a doctor.

Itching may be caused by a variety of conditions including:

Fungal infections, such as vaginal infections and athlete's foot
Candiasis / other types of yeast overgrowth
Mold allergies
Vitamin A over load
Pregnancy - thought to be due to excess estrogen levels
Chemical irritation
Plant irritations like poison ivy and poison oak
Dust and pollen allergies
Just about every known disease of the liver
The one common link in many of the conditions that cause itching is that a significant number all seem to relate to functions of the liver. In fact, prolonged itching of the skin is a major sign of liver disease.

Among its many functions, the liver is responsible for:

Cleansing the body of toxic substances, parasites, fungi, yeast, mold and other unwanted microscopic life forms
Detoxifying and eliminating chemicals, poisons and other toxins
Metabolizing estrogen
Controlling blood sugar
Storage of nutrients, including vitamin A
I suspect most itching from liver disease is actually not due to the disease itself but by irritants on the skin that the liver normally takes care of but can't handle in a weakened state. Chemicals, toxins, fungus, parasites, and other substances may not bother most people because their livers dispose of them. I think people with a lot of itching problems and also those with highly sensitive skin "feel" things more because their livers can't handle the routine assaults form the outside world that most people with well functioning livers don't even notice.

One other reason for itchy skin from poor liver function is that when the liver is unable to properly neutralize chemicals, toxins and parasites in the body, a back up method of elimination is that the body may then try to get rid of these undesirable substances through the skin. This can result in itchy rashes and brown spots on the outside of the skin as the foreign substances are pushed out through the outer skin layers.

A lot of people think allergies and chemical sensitivities are something you are born with and are unable to control. I know from my personal experience and that of members of my family that many allergies and itchy skin conditions are actually controllable with diet, especially diets that help support the liver. In my family we have successfully used diet changes and environment modification to eliminate or reduce mold allergies, pollen allergies, latex allergies and chemical sensitivities.

In terms of chemical reactions, if you are sensitive to caffeine, part of the problem may be that your liver is unable to metabolize the caffeine properly, so it effects you more than other people by staying in your system longer. For caffeine sensitive people even one cup of coffee in the morning may be enough to interfere with sleep later on at night because the caffeine is still in your system, instead of being eliminated from your system by the liver like it is most people. (See my page on insomnia treatments for more on this topic.)

The good news is that the liver is one organ that can actually regenerate itself. So if you can reduce the number of assaults on the liver from the outside world and provide the proper nutrients to help support the liver from the inside, you may be able to improve the functioning of your liver, reduce your itching and clear up some of your allergies in the process.