Itchy Help!

Is it possible to develop a side effect of being incredibly itchy? I itch from head to toe and it was so bad last night that I was up most of the night. Strangely, after I took Ibuprofen for a headache, the itching stopped enough for me to sleep. I am sitting here itchy again. It has been going on for about two weeks.

My meds:
Depakote
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Fluoxetine
propanolol
Ziprasidone (geodon)
Trazodone
Levothyroxine

and every three weeks I get ECT which is a whole host of meds to put me to sleep for the procedure.

Yes, it certainly can, BNLsMOM. I'd get in touch with my psychiatrist right away and request help with that. It can develop into something serious.

Hydrate really well during the interim.

Hope you feel better quickly after informing your psychiatrist and getting assistance.

I itch all over! But it is not from the meds! It is ... from my cat Maddy - I have fleas! I've been itching for weeks. Benadryl does not do much for me any more.

yes you can get itchy from meds. i get itchy from things like this percocet from the dentist for pain. i used to be able to take that without itchiness, so it could be a sign there are too many meds in my system is what i'm thinking.

tell pdoc so you can make sure you don't have a toxic level of something going on.

I have a call in to pdoc, but she is out of town until Monday. They said that she has so many phone calls to return that she will get to me as fast as she can.

Wow, I hope I am not toxic on something. That'll just piss me off. I wish I could go off this poison altogether, but it is keeping me sane.

My other alternative is to have a permanent I.V. installed and have ECT more often. (I have crap for veins)

Could I have an allergy after being on these meds for so long?

Hamster, we had fleas last summer. I didn't get them, but they were biting my son. It was awful. This year he got scabies. Fun stuff.

Yes, BNLsMOM, anyone can develop an allergy to a drug. I've read that the longer a drug is used the more likely it will be the one that has built into an allergy. So I guess it might be smart to think about lowering the dosage of the longest drug you've been accustomed to using until your psychiatrist gets back and can confirm or disregard the allergy assumption. That's not a be-all or end-all recommendation at all.

Since it appears shortly after ECT treatments, it could be the injection to put you to sleep while the electro-therapy is being administered. There's just no way to know unless you get rid of what's causing it.

If one of the analgesics helps stop the itching, maybe you'd be smart to continue to use one until you can see your psychotherapist again.

Take care; I know that keeping well hydrated with purified water can help reduce the symptoms of an allergy--temporarily.

Genetic

Thanks, Genetic. I try to have a big 16-32 oz of water with lemon every morning.

Also, Could the itching be detox from moving to a raw vegan diet?

I'll take the Ibuprofen in the meantime and on monday I'll call pdoc's office again to put myself closer to the top of the list. I had originally called for something else that was not an emergency. I don't think this is yet, but I have read how these things can develop and progress quickly.

Ack... what a pain.

I have been extremely itchy for years now. Mainly hair/ head/ face. At night I itch all over though and some nights its so bad that it prevents me from sleeping. I take Hydroxyzine for the itchiness. Some nights it helps but other times the itch is so bad that no meds helps.

I looked up the meds on my list and out of them all, only three didn't list itching as a serious side effect. I thought my side effect days were over.

Oh, Good, BNLsMOM,

The lemon water is excellent for your liver, kidneys, and brain. Its benefit is firmly in the reduction of acidity, so you're safe there.

Raw vegetables are not likely the cause.

It's more likely one of your medications or a developing allergy to something like an atmospheric allergen. (I'm terribly allergic to atmospheric mold-- present outside and everywhere,-- no matter how carefully or diligently we clean our homes.) It causes itching at times. I take shots for it.

So can dust mites (also prevalent in all homes, no matter how carefully and even professionally one has her home cleaned.) This time of year with changing climate, falling leaves in massive numbers, moving into the dampness and coldness of fall and winter, mold allergy might be suspect.
Be sure you're changing your air-conditioner and furnace filters about once every month or so.

Do you have a good antihistamine that you might take--such as Zyrtec (10mg) or a prescribed antihistamine like Xyzal (5 mg)?--that one really knocks out the histaminic reaction, but a doctor must prescribe it. If an antihistamine (Zyrtec is an over-the-counter one) stops the itching, you can rely on a sensitivity to something--either an allergen in the atmosphere or a medication sensitivity.

I just feel (not think) that it may be an emerging medication allergy, but only your doctor should advise you regarding that.

You aren't allergic to citrus fruits, are you? Oranges? If you are sensitive to oranges you might be sensitive to lemons, but I rather doubt that this is what's happening. You would know long before now if you couldn't eat oranges.

Keep up the good diet thing and tell me how you get along.

Have a good upcoming Sunday.

Genetic

I'm itchy too. Then again, I've got the trifecta of diabetes, dried-out skin from years in the sun, plus bipolar meds......I'm surprised I have any skin left after clawing myself to ribbons every day. I'm not a fan of creams or lotions, so that's not really a solution; neither are antihistamines, because they give me horrific nightmares and make me feel like a bomb went off in my head the next morning. I just put up with the itching and keep a long-handled scratcher in every room, the car, and my office.

As far as I know, I have no food allergies, so I doubt it is a sensitivity to citrus...

I have had sensitivities to meds before, so that could be likely. It would be nice if it were an ordinary environmental allergy that would respond to an antihistamine. I'll start investigating with my doctors.

I itch when I get stressed out or anxious about something. I noticed years ago, whenever someting would stress me to the limits, would start itching all over. My face, arms, legs, stomach, and back. It makes me crazy.

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Smart lady, BNLsMOM. That's the way to go.

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I love your sense of humor, BipolaRNurse; you're one for the books!

It's really nice.

Thanks, too.

Genetic

It may not even be your meds. Have you switched laundry detergent, new soap, new clothes, new linens? How about a new lotion, different furniture, anything like that? I know one time i broke out in a rash from trying on new clothes because of something it was treated with. Also, any new meds? Anything with morphine in it makes me itch. Some antibiotics as well. Could even be something as simple as dry skin since the seasons are changing.

I did send out some laundry to be washed when my son had scabies, so it could be something they used...

There is no rash, though. Usually if I am sensitive to detergent, I get a rash.

Aww heck, it could be anything.

If your son had scabies do you think there's a chance you could too? That would explain your itch in a big way! Allergies usually cause itch with a rash. Medications would usually cause itch if they were new (except in the case of morphine which causes itch in a lot of people). A reaction to medication is definitely something that should be excluded, but scabies is highly contagious and if you've been exposed...

There is a possibility, but the whole family was treated along with him to prevent it. I don't see anything on my skin either and scabies leave little burrow marks on the skin. My son's skin is all torn up from his scratching too, and I could see the burrows too. There is a nasty rash with scabies and it lasts weeks even after the treatment. Also we were treated twice per direction of the doctors.

Of course, it could be that too... so many possibilities.

Then again, there is that itch in my throat, so far down that coughing doesn't help. It almost feels like the top of my lungs itch.