# All over body itching without rash



## Piney Woods

My doctor and I can't seem to figure it out. I have lots of allergies but there's no rash with this itching. I've had it five months. I'm only on two meds, which I've taken for many years.

Anyone else have this issue and if so, did you get a diagnosis?


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## frankva

Change soap. Laundry and bath.

Dry skin? Winter...

I can get itchy from chemical "odor" like scented candles.

Aspirin products can do this I have read, but your doc should have thought of this.

Good luck.


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## Jaclynne

How's your liver?


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## calliemoonbeam

Jaclynne said:


> How's your liver?


Ding, ding, ding, lol. Indeterminate skin itching, if unable to be attributed to something else, can be a sign of liver issues. If you've had it this long, I'd check with your doctor, run a simple lab panel.

Some medications can cause itching too, however, like pain killers. Statin drugs and certain other medications, such as some antibiotics and antifungals, can cause a distrubance in liver function tests, which resolve after discontinuation of the medication.

It's probably nothing to worry about, but after this long it's time to check it. Prolonged liver imbalances can lead to serious problems. Good luck!


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## farmerj

I find it's from drying my skin out from the truck blower motor blowing hot air on me all the time.


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## SageLady

Dry skin makes me itchy....don't bathe as often and use a soap that is moisturizing for sensitive skin when you do shower/bathe.


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## frankva

farmerj said:


> I find it's from drying my skin out from the truck blower motor blowing hot air on me all the time.


I have had that happen after pulling windshield time with the heater on barbecue.


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## rockhound

If you're on city water, they can change or "adjust" the amount of chlorine they put in. This makes some people itch for a while.


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## Piney Woods

My doctor says liver enzymes are elevated but not bad. If I've been itching this bad for this long, wouldn't I be jaundiced? My fasting blood sugars in the morning are a little high, but not bad (130). I've been following a healthy, lower carb diet for a month now.

SED rate is normal - which is weird because I have painful arthritis. Cholesterol is normal. Blood pressure is normal. 

The two meds I take are for hypothyroidism and an anti-depressant to help with post menopause symptoms - both very low doses. I've been taking the same drugs for 10-12 years.

Lotions and moisturizers don't help. The one the doc recommended which was $10.50 at Walmart made me break out in a rash. I drink tons of water.

I'm beginning to wonder if there's something in the environment causing it. One dog died suddenly with heart and respiratory issues 3 weeks after moving into my house, I started itching exactly three months after moving in, and now my other dog's kidneys are failing.

Going back in for the third round of blood letting - already given six tubes. Ruled out any creepy crawlies in the house or bed. Also ruled out celiac disease.

Not expecting a doctor's diagnosis from HT, just wondering if anyone had the same issue, and if so, what they ended up getting as a diagnosis.


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## lathermaker

Could you have problems with mold in the house?


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## Christine81

My husband had something similar, and he finally narrowed down the cause to diet soda.


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## GBov

Never been to a dr about it but my granddad before me and I both itch lots all over, worse in winter but pretty much all year round.

Pure virgin olive oil rubbed all over helps HEAPS! Gives relief for days, if not weeks.

I always just thought we were an itchy lot but I do know that certain soaps and cleaning products make it MUCH worse.

Very scary about your dogs and that it started soon after moving into your new house. I saw once where there was a mom getting sick and then sicker and then at deaths door while no one else in the house was sick at all. Seems her chair in the living room backed up to the only wall in the house with black mold so as she sat relaxing in the evening she was the only one getting hit with a mega dose of the stuff.


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## TxGypsy

I'm suspecting it is a problem with your water. From the time frame of you beginning to itch after moving into your current house and what you are describing with the dogs, I have the feeling it is your water supply. Sometimes an allergy will develop after repeated exposure to the allergen. A good example is a beekeeper suddenly becoming allergic to bee stings after repeated exposure.

I recommend bathing and drinking purified bottled water for several weeks and see if that doesn't help. I'd give the pets bottled water as well. I am severely allergic to chlorine and fluoride does ugly things to my body. I don't drink tap water if I can possibly avoid it. 

I just had an interesting experience during an extended stay at a friends house with extremely hard water. I broke out in a very sensitive place. So much so that I started treating myself for a yeast infection...though I haven't taken anti-biotics or done anything else to cause that problem. Nothing helped! I was miserable. I left a couple of days ago and since my first shower in a hotel on my way home....I quit itching and everything went back to normal.


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## Piney Woods

I don't drink soda, diet or otherwise. Mold is possible although I don't see any. Usually any kind of mold gives me a rash. 

Spoke with the local representative of the EPA yesterday who assured me the contamination plume from the 1980s stayed on the other side of the main road in town and never crossed over into the area where I live. She also said they monitor them constantly so no recent spills. Eases my mind a tiny bit, not sure I believe everything I hear. Nevertheless, I bought bottled water last night.

The itching has backed off a little bit. Still there but less intense. Newest round of tests are still focused on liver, B12 and folate. Plus a urine sample. Not sure what else she's testing for. My cholesterol was 170 with HDL and LDL in good balance. If my liver was bad enough for this intense itching, I would think my cholesterol would show it. But I'm not a doctor and don't play one on TV. Best part of the visit is that I lost 7 pounds since January 10th - I've been trying.


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## BeeFree

It sounds like your water could be causing it. My parents had a cistern and had quit using it, but it still had water in it and they started watering the dogs out of it. Wasn't too long before the dogs became very sick, they got them to the vet and they had a sever infection from whatever was in the water. With meds they got well, but the cistern was never used again.


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## whodunit

I seem to recollect there being something about being itchy and B vitamin deficiency. Might look into that.


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## Jokarva

Has your Dr mentioned checking you for Hodgkins? Itching can be an early sign, a friend's daughter had been itching for over a year and every routine test came up negative. She finally was dx with hodgkins and after her first few chemo treatments she finally stopped itching. She's fine today, just had her second baby in fact. 

I hope it's something simpler, but it may be something to at least ask about.


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## elliemaeg

Taking B vitamins will make you itch. My Brother has to take Benadryl about 30 mins before he bathes because the water makes him itch. Just a few thoughts.


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## motdaugrnds

I, too, experienced itching awhile back. Turned out it was from taking too much Vit B-3..I experimented by taking it one day...itching again...stopped it couple of days...itching stopped...took it again "one" day...itching began...stopped it...itching stopped. Thus, I'm wondering if you're taking a daily supplemental with B-3 in it...


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## Piney Woods

I take a daily multi-vitamin and a separate B-12 but I've done that long before the itching started. 

I asked the doctor specifically to consider Hodgkins and leukemia. Not because I want to have either, but if I do, I want to find out asap so we can possibly do something about it. Doctor told me they both "present" differently. Not sure I believe that, but she's the doctor. I hope she's right in this instance.


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## motdaugrnds

I just remember what the doctor told Mother when her body was itching....get a bottle of high quality "moisturizing body wash"; and stop using regular soap. I cannot remember the name of that body wash; but it was not cheap. It did work!


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## Piney Woods

I've tried several body washes, soaps, and no soap per my doctor. Just plain water. Itching still there. I put lotion on - that doesn't help either. Helps the dry winter skin, but it still itches.


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## mekasmom

Piney Woods said:


> The two meds I take are for hypothyroidism and an anti-depressant to help with post menopause symptoms - both very low doses. I've been taking the same drugs for 10-12 years.


It's the thyroid. Pruritis is a symptom of hypothyroidism.


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## Piney Woods

I take medication for my thyroid and it always runs a little bit high on the tests. If I take the next dose higher of medication, my heart beats out of my chest. I've had it for many years and didn't itch. Wonder why it would start now?


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## mekasmom

I just know that pruritus is a symptom of an underactive thyroid with or without synthroid support. You might read up on the subject on the web some more. Even if you take the medication the itching can continue in some cases. It's just a symptom of thyroid disease both hypo and hyper thyroidism.
http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&t...73,d.eWU&fp=b5d841bb1ab219dc&biw=1024&bih=663
Aspirin will help with itching because itching is a type of pain.


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## mekasmom

Piney Woods said:


> The two meds I take are for hypothyroidism and an anti-depressant to help with post menopause symptoms - both very low doses. I've been taking the same drugs for 10-12 years.


If your bp isn't too low, you might also ask your doctor about switching your post menopause medicine to Clonidine. It is fantastic for hot flashes, and would probably help with the itching too because it works on the brain itself instead of on the hormonal level. Since itching is a form of pain, the Clonidine would help to block that some. Plus it is a $4 med at WM that has been on the market since the 50s, so it is really safe. But, it does lower blood pressure, so if you have low bp, then that wouldn't be the med for you. It's just an idea.
Another idea might be to just go to a health food store and get some kelp. Supporting your thyroid with the extra iodine might help with the itching. Kelp runs about $12-15 a bottle.
clonidine links
[ame]http://www.google.com/search?q=clonidine+hot+flashes&oq=clonidine+hot+flashes&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8[/ame]


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## Piney Woods

Thanks, mekasmom. I don't think I could take Clonidine. My BP runs about 110/58. I take generic Celexa (citalopram) because as an SSRI it helps with brain fog and hot flashes. Only have to take 10 mg. Not much anxiety here, other than this dadblasted itching. Doctor is still stuck on believing it's my liver. Said we will revisit my thyroid in three months. My TSH was 5.65 and I'm thinking it's thyroid. B12 was high, folate was normal. And yet I'm exhausted all the time.


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## frankva

Different doctor. Just in case. Or just because.


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## GBov

frankva said:


> Different doctor. Just in case. Or just because.


Said it for me!

No offence to the VERY FEW truly good doctors out there but, just like there are good plumbers and bad plumbers, doctors are just the same so dont take the word of just one.

And trust yourself, if you think its your thyroid, get YOUR thyroid checked!


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## mekasmom

It doesn't matter if she is on synthroid or not. If her thyroid itself is low, not putting out enough hormone, she can itch. It's just one of the symptoms of a thyroid out of whack.
I would look for some kelp to help they thyroid itself recover. It's better for it to work rather than to have to rely on synthroid.

Clonidine is a bp medication, but it does get rid of hot flashes and is often used off label for that. But, if your bp is normal/low, you couldn't use it.


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## Piney Woods

Unfortunately, can't change doctors because I have no insurance. First time in 30 years without insurance.

Here's something weird - I had to have my sweet chihuahua put down yesterday because of failing kidneys. When he had passed, we discovered he had a huge mass on his liver. He had been itching too although he didn't seem to be going nuts like me. Just makes me worry about environment issues.


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## Piney Woods

Update - new lab results show liver enzymes are way down - much closer to normal. I've lost 18 pounds. Itching is much better the last few days and skin is healing. Although I wasn't sure she was right, apparently it was related to my liver.


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