still itching day 8

[BJK7493@aol.com]

I have been off the Minicylline now for 8 days and I still keep itching.  It's terrible!  My scalp, under my arms and my trunk area are affected. I am on a tapering dose of steroids, an antihistamine and benedryl 3x day and visteral.  Does anyone have any suggestions to help me! I have scratched myself so much that I have tiny sores now! This is so miserable!

Julie

[Oluvtree]

Hi Julie,

I am suffering as well from this excruciating itch! I do not have any miracle remedies. I was wondering if you find it worse at night. I wonder if it is just in my head but as soon as I try to relax and get some sleep I feel like my body is being invaded by a colony of biting ants. My sleep is severely compromised and I feel like I am going to go insane!

A fellow scratcher:P
Heidi

[BJK7493@aol.com]

Yes it is much worse at night! I have scratched my scalp almost raw in places. I'm so frustrated! I thought it was the antibiotic so I went off of it but it appears that is not the case so now I have all the swelling and redness and pain that I did before the AP therapy!  Do you have Dermatomyositis?  It is very humid and hot here in the midwest and I think that is making it worse!

Julie

[Oluvtree]

Hi Julie!

Well that is a relief to know that I am not as insane as I thought, that it is in fact worse at night! I have Dermatomyositis, and presently the rashes are the worst bit. Even though my upper body is emaciated I do not have the same tenderness, stiffness or weakness as I did initially.

I am not receiving any treatment right now as I just returned home to Canada after teaching overseas for over 2 years. I am trying to find an AP Doctor. It does not look hopeful and I am almost tempted to just get someone overseas to ship me the antibiotics because you can buy them cheap and over the counter there without a script!

Heidi

[BJK7493@aol.com]

Heidi, Have you considered see Dr. S in Ida Grove Iowa? He is so awesome! I know it is quite a jont from where you live but it is a very small town and the people are great! He is always available via phone or e-mail. He is such a caring and gentle man.

Have you been on AP therapy in the past? I just got started on all this in May when I thought my Rheumatoligst was trying to kill me with all the Methotrexate ect.  I had done great until this little episode appeared 8 days ago!

 

Julie  

[mkbeeliever]

I wanted to chime in about the itching issue.  If you search above for “itching” or “itch” you'll find a wealth of threads regarding this topic.  I don't know what your DX is but my mom has scleroderma and she itched like mad…for a very long time.  It was terrible for her, nothing really helped.  It does go away.  She had a triple whammy…scleroderma skin itches, kidney failure skin itches and so does skin that is getting better and detoxing.  So we aren't sure what it was attributed to but my gut tells me it was her skin getting better and detoxing thru her skin that made her itch so much.

Blessings,
Michelle

[BJK7493@aol.com]

Thanks you for responding to me.  I also wondered if it was a way my skin was getting rid of toxins.  It's just so miserable to deal with! I hope your mom has quit itching!  I have dermatomyositis.

 

Julie

[PhilC]

Hi Julie,

What other drugs and/or supplements are you taking?

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[BJK7493@aol.com]

Phil, I take probiotics, Vit D and fish oil along with my everyday thyroid, high blood pressure and cholesterol med. I also take an aspirin daily due to the vasculitis in my fingers. Any ideas to why I itch so bad? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Julie

[PhilC]

[user=2307]BJK7493@aol.com[/user] wrote:

my everyday thyroid, high blood pressure and cholesterol med.

Hi Julie,

What are the names of those drugs and how long have you been taking them?

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[A Friend]

[user=2307]BJK7493@aol.com[/user] wrote:

I have been off the Minicylline now for 8 days and I still keep itching.  It's terrible!  My scalp, under my arms and my trunk area are affected. I am on a tapering dose of steroids, an antihistamine and benedryl 3x day and visteral.  Does anyone have any suggestions to help me! I have scratched myself so much that I have tiny sores now! This is so miserable!

Julie

Julie,

It would be worth a try to use a 1 lb. (or larger) box of Arm & Hammer baking soda in a tub of comfortably hot water and submerge yourself.  Soak for at least 20 minutes.  If this helps, you could do this as often as needed.   

Another plan that could be helpful:  Drinking a half-teaspoon of baking soda dissolved thoroughly in 8 ounces of cold water when you first wake up.  Wait at least 30 minutes before eating breakfast.  If this seems to help, then you might want to drink it again mid-day sometime.  And then again at bedtime.  Baking soda is really good for neutralizing excess acids stored in the body, that can give us hives, etc.  These acids can be the source of itching.

You don't want to driink the soda water close to your meds, or right after you eat. 

Hope you get relief from your itching soon. 

AF

[BJK7493@aol.com]

Phil. I take synthroid 25mcg for 8 years, simvastatin 40mg for 6 years and hydrochlorithiazide 25mg for 6 years.  Do you think it is one of my regular drugs I am allergic to?
julie

[BJK7493@aol.com]

Thank you Thank you Thank you! I took a bath in backing soda this am and It is helping! Still get a few zingers now and then but much better then it was!

Julie

[A Friend]

[user=2307]BJK7493@aol.com[/user] wrote:

Thank you Thank you Thank you! I took a bath in backing soda this am and It is helping! Still get a few zingers now and then but much better then it was!

Julie

Julie, I am so glad you are getting some relief.  I had a couple of reactions to meds several years ago, and I can remember being miserable for a few days.  I've learned so much the past year or two about the great uses for soda — and I'd read/researched every day for quite a few years.   Some of the really huge benefits of it were apparently a well-kept secret (from me anyway) until Doug Kaufmann posted an audio/video clip on his web site (Know the Cause) a couple of years ago. 

Here is a link you may enjoy reading about uses for soda:

http://www.healthtruthrevealed.com/articles/12502533712/article

Best… AF

[PhilC]

Hi Julie,

It's really hard to say. There's a possibility that it could be the simvastatin, but I kind of doubt it because you've been on it for six years. Another possibility is that you have a build up of toxins that your body is having trouble getting rid of. What happens is that the liver tries to get rid the toxins by dumping them into the duodenum with the bile. The problem is that they then get reabsorbed in the GI tract and end up back in the blood. The process is called enterohepatic recirculation. It's the same process that causes some drugs to have a longer half-life. The solution to this problem is to take something that will bind the toxins and prevent them from being reabsorbed. One of the substances used for this purpose is activated charcoal.

Here is some information that may be helpful:

Activated charcoal absorbs fat-soluble porphyrins. Treatment with oral activated charcoal, which itself is nonabsorbable, binds these porphyrins in the gastrointestinal tract and hence prevents them from being reabsorbed in the small intestine. Start with 2 grams (eight 250 mg capsules) of activated charcoal taken three times per day on an empty stomach (i.e., 2 hours after and 2 hours before a meal). Gradually increase this to 4 grams taken three times per day. Much more activated charcoal can be safely taken; up to 20 grams six time a day for nine months has been taken without any adverse side effects. It is important that this charcoal be taken on a completely empty stomach without any food, vitamins, or medications taken within 2 hours before or 2 hours after charcoal ingestion as the charcoal may absorb the food, vitamins, or drugs as well as the porphyrins.

I found that information on this page:
http://www.cpnhelp.org/secondaryporphyria

Since activated charcoal is an effective treatment for at least one type of pruritus (itching), it seems like it would be worth trying.

Phil

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert Einstein

[Author]

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