Crazy Painful itching all over body in winter

Hey everyone, ive had a similar problem to all of you for about 7 years now (im 17), but most of you say this only happens in winter, for me this happens 10 - 50 times a day, EVERYDAY, i hate it, the itching is so damn painfull and it makes me have these terrible mood swings. Alike to all of you, it happens when im nervous/excited/too hot etc etc iv been to my gp about 20 times in the past 3 months because of it, and all she is doing is taking ALOT of blood samples and keeps putting me on antihistamines (which do absolutely nothing but when i stop taking them the withdrawl makes the itching more severe), she told me that after ive been put on several different antihistamines (1 type for 1 month) and given dozens of blood samples THEN she will refere me to a dermatologist, which i find is rather unfair coz this is gunna take like another damn year, and iv waited long enough. So ANYBODY with ANY help please please tell me! Oh and does anybody know if this itching problem is genetic? i pray to god that my son doesnt get it too.

I know this thread was started a long time ago, but people still seem to be discussing it. Anyways, I started having this exact same problem (incredible itching all over, started by anything from exercise to nervousness during the winter) about a year ago. I suffered through it last Fall/Winter/Spring, but this year I decided to try and do something about it. One of the things I thought it could be, was that the body was releasing histamines. I tested the theory by taking an antihistamine (allergy med) and sure enough, it went away almost instantly! I'm still trying to figure out how often to take these antihistamines, but it does seem to be working!

guys i have the same problem first i do is to wear only t-shirts in winters its hard but u can try and best way to get this problem solve is to WAX ur body some one try and then u will realise its a new way but i advice have waxing with professionall or if do at home like some one do for you do with wax machine to hot a wax not with old technique to hot it on gas u will end up burning ur skin try this is work wax ur chest hardest thing ever but onces u wax ,wax urself frequently so to that the growth get less and with less hair on body u will feel less iching or no if u r full body wax.tc i did it it works

Trying to find a common denominator with all the respondents here (except for maybe the body waxer who must be kidding). Please let me know if any of you:
1) are vegetarians, or at least avoid red meat (iron deficiency?)
2) Have Raynaud's or similar symptoms of poor circulation in hands (e.g. blue fingers even in mildly cool weather)

I'm 23 now and I've had this for about 11 years. It's absolutely hurrendous in the Winter. It's pretty much non existent during the summer cos the humidity seems to force sweat out and so the itching deterioates dramatically. I remember when this first started happenning to me when I was about 12 years old. I would go as far to say that this condition shaped my personality which I have today. It just started to completely dominate my every day life and also absolutely destroyed my confidence as a teenager. It shaped my personality in the sense that I would always be incredibly on edge which in turn conditioned my behaviour towards other people. It effected my academically throughout my school year, with my grades effected badly cos this thing had pretty much taken over my life. Couldn't concentrate on anything. I went throughout my whole school years not knowing what the hell was going on and when I did discuss it with doctors they treated it as such a trivial complaint that I stopped going and just basically had to put up with it. I was just hoping that it would clear up on its own one day.

As I got older, around 20, it was still as bad as it had ever been and so I decided to start seeing a doctor again in the hope that I could explain this condition more coherently now I was an adult. I am from the UK and every doctor I have seen from the age of 20 has absolutely no idea what it going on. All I have ever been prescribed is antihistimines which are completely useless and one doctor even went as far to say it was all in my head. As you can imagine this was terribly depressing, but I eventually I literally had to demand to be referred to a dermatologist. The dermatologist diagnosed it as Cholinergic Urticaria, although I'm still not entirely convinced by this cos I don't have any visible symptoms. I was wrong in thinking the dermatologist would have a stronger treatment because all he did was prescribe me a higher dose of antihistamines. I was completely gutted.

As it is I'm still searching for answers and I can completely sympathise with anyone who has this terrible condition. It is horrid and what makes it even worse is that you feel completely alone cos people just look at you as though your mental when you describe what's going on. If anyone wants to chat about this, feel free to contact me on my email - ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed **
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I have the same problem. At least, there are many people who know how it feels like. I thought i am the only one, the mutant(not funny - for sure right). I think the best solution for it is to exercise, eat healthy, and be hygienic.

When it comes to exercising, you do not have to run or work hard, just do push-up or pull-up or some resistance exercise in your home till you sweat and it's all good for a day. I know its hard in winter but there is no other best solution than exercising. Even, i heard doing yoga also helps. However, if you cannot exercise, sauna is perfect replacement, cause you sweat which is same as exercising.

Cutting significant amount of meat, junk food, fast food, high level carb or fat food and dairy products from diet and eating more raw food such as vegetables, fruits with whole grain or any food with significant amount of fiber also lessens the effect. It doesn't completely cure it but minimizes the effect or stop the effect till you stick with it. You will see the difference once you start making these healthy choices.

One reason might be due to dry skin. Cold shower is best, but taking shower in lukewarm or mildly hot water might be other option. Removing the dead cells and clogging pores by scrubbing thoroughly twice a thrice a week also helps a lot. Drinking lot of water and keeping your skin moist by applying natural oil(no junk chemicals or perfume - cooking evo olive oil is best) before you go to bed or take shower would also make skin moist. It worked tremendously, so please do try it.

I do not think there is a permanent cure for it, I literally searched everywhere in internet and talked to so many doctors about it, nobody had right answers. Even if you go to doctor, he would still prescribe you a medicine which would suppress the symptom, but would not cure it.

Funny thing, even in winter season, wearing cotton or silk t-shirt before jacket, sweat shirt or hoods would also somewhat reduces the effect. I do not recommend to wear woolen or polyester clothes, because it doesn't circulate heat as silk and cotton does, worsening the effect.

I have not tried magnesium supplement which is in my shopping list this week. Hope it works. Deeply thinking, I realized that this disease is a blessing in disguise. Regular workout, eating healthy and being hygienic not only suppress the effect of the disease, but also makes you healthy which is of course better than eating junk and not working out.

And, now after several years , i realized that i have to live with it, so i stopped caring about it which believe it or not, has also reduced the effective. Long story short, it has brought mental and physical awareness to different level, making us improve our choice when it comes to healthy living and mentally being stable and calm. By the way, name of the disease is Cholinergic urticaria (hives), search for it and post if you find something interesting.

This situation is amazingly sad, but is somewhat comforting for me...I for so long thought that I was the only one to have experienced this hellish curse!!! Hearing you guys talking about it gave me strength to fight back 'cause I now know that I'm not alone in this. I'm a 19 years old male. And to save time I will not repeat the symptoms as they have been widely described by people who posted right before me, but what bothers me the most is that it appears to me as if this winter that feeling is even stronger, so I decided to proceed in a METHODIC way in order to overcome this problem. In my researches through various sources I came to the conclusion that these "one hundred thousand needles and pins" or those "winter crazy itch" are in fact called Cholinergic Uticaria, just look it up on wikipedia and you'll see the description of the condition. I was astonished that there was a medical name for it. That stuff is totally driving me insane in the literal sense of the term, I can't behave like a normal person, I fear the sun...I can't do any kind of sports, if I'm stubborn enough to try and exercise I have first to scratch myself like crazy for about 10 minutes, I totally can't go out at all when there's the sun and if it's cold outside when I come back in where it's a little bit warmer...the slaughter begins!!! So I am going to be the guinea pig, I am going to try absolutely every and anything in order to overcome this sh*t...I'll let you know what I find out about it...
Oh by the way I have come to notice that the condition was becoming something of a mental condition, when I think about how bad it humiliates me, how bad it hurts, I get stressed and then the little itching devils start ...so what I would recommend is to try to forget about them and relativize, it kind of helped me, I hope I'll come up with something that really works for all of you guys 'cause I know the pain, I feel the pain.

look towards east for mysterious............... cheapest solution u can get.....
just go to any desi (indian stores)................. ask them to give u COCONUT oil, it always comes in standard blue color plastic bottle..........

take it...........and rub the oil all over BODY.............. use it as regularly as possible, (its cheap in india) and then problem is gone..............
if ur bathing with hot water...... apply this coconut oil b4 bathing.........then the problem is reduced alot


enjoy try and tell me if it works

it freakin sucks!!!! thousands of pricks?no more like millions in a small spot!!! its called winter itch caused by dry skin...not really much you can do except live with it :/ i've had it for about a year now!! and i cant even go outside anymore w/out getting it!!

Any gud news?! or from any1?

so this is my second year with it... absolutely sick of it... same symptons as the rest and im a 20 male... so anyway, i have been sick to death of waiting for someone to find a cure or preventative so i decided to do it myself. have so far tried zirtek allergy relief tablets, which seemed to work the first time not since though, tried the solution too wasnt much help/// have tried e45 itch relief cream.. again worked the first time and that was it... nothing seems to work any lenght of time. im drinking loads of water and trying to exercise so il sweat,. but i just seem to itch more when i try to do things... bring on spring, or an increase in temperatures

GOOD NEWS ! GOOD NEWS !!!! FOR ITCHING IN THE WINTER (HOT ITCHING)

I'M 48 YEARS OLD LIVING IN SUBURBAN OF PHILADELPHIA. I HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME YOURS THAT I HAS BEEN SUFFERING 7 YEARS. EVERYTIME IN THE WINTER WHEN MY BODY GET HOT MY SKIN STARTS ITCH LIKE MILLION NEEDLES IS POKING ME. ALSO, WHEN I EAT SPICY, GET NERVOUS, ANGRY OR SNEEZ, I GET ITCHY ON MY FACE, HEAD AND ENTIRE MY BODY. IN THE NIGHT TIME, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SLEEP WELL BECAUSE WHEN MY BODY GET HEAT, THE ITHCING ATTACK .

I HAVE USED MANY KIND OF LOTION, AND GO TO SEE LOT OF DOCTORS, NO ONE CANNOT HELP! :x , UNTIL 5 DAYS AGO I TRIED TO GO ONLINE TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE CAN HELP. I SAW ONE COMMENT ABOUT USING COCONUT OID AND I TRIED IT.

IT'S VERY SIMPLE AND CHEAP, BUT IT'S WONDERFUL TO HELP. FIRST OF ALL, I APPLIED COCONUT OID ON MY BACK, CHEST AND SHOULDERS ONLY. IN THAT NIGHT WHEN I SLEEP DURING THE NIGHT MY BACK/BODY DID NOT FEEL ANY ITCHING. IN THE MORING, WHEN I SNEEZE MY BODY NO ITCH AS BEFORE, BUT MY FACE, FORHEAD AND HEAD STILL ITCH. I FIGURE OUT THAT LAST NIGHT I DID NOT APPLY COCONUT OID ON MY FACE, HEAD. AND I TRY TO PUT SOME COCONUT OIL ON MY FACE AND A COUPLE HOURS LATE, I ATE SPICY FOOD AND I SNEEZED TOO, BUT I DIDN'T FEEL ITCHING.

I HAVE USED COCONUT OIL 5 DAYS, I FEEL MUCH BETTER, THANK YOU GOD ! IT HELP ME SOLVE ABOUT 90%THIS PROBLEM. I USE 2 TIMES PER DAY, AFTER TAKE SHOWER AND IN THE MORING BEFORE GO TO WORK.

I'M VERY SYMPATHY WITH ALL OF YOU. I FEEL MUCH BETTER WITH COCONUT OID AND I THINK IT CAN HELP YOU TOO. JUST TRY, IT DOSEN'T HURT. YOU CAN BYE IT IN THE INDIAN GROCERY STORE ABOUT 5 DOLLARS A BOTTLE 500ML ( BLUE PLASTIC BOTTLE).

MY NAME IS LI, ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed **
Please read our Terms of Use

BY THE WAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH SAIRAM WHO POSTED THIS SOLUTION, BIG BIG HELP !

GOOD LUCK !

LI

GOOD NEWS ! GOOD NEWS !!!! FOR ITCHING IN THE WINTER (HOT ITCHING) I'M 48 YEARS OLD LIVING IN SUBURBAN OF PHILADELPHIA. I HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME YOURS THAT I HAS BEEN SUFFERING 7 YEARS. EVERYTIME IN THE WINTER WHEN MY BODY GET HOT MY SKIN STARTS ITCH LIKE MILLION NEEDLES IS POKING ME. ALSO, WHEN I EAT SPICY, GET NERVOUS, ANGRY OR SNEEZ, I GET ITCHY ON MY FACE, HEAD AND ENTIRE MY BODY. IN THE NIGHT TIME, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SLEEP WELL BECAUSE WHEN MY BODY GET HEAT, THE ITHCING ATTACK . I HAVE USED MANY KIND OF LOTION, AND GO TO SEE LOT OF DOCTORS, NO ONE CANNOT HELP! , UNTIL 5 DAYS AGO I TRIED TO GO ONLINE TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE CAN HELP. I SAW ONE COMMENT ABOUT USING COCONUT OID AND I TRIED IT. IT'S VERY SIMPLE AND CHEAP, BUT IT'S WONDERFUL TO HELP. FIRST OF ALL, I APPLIED COCONUT OID ON MY BACK, CHEST AND SHOULDERS ONLY. IN THAT NIGHT WHEN I SLEEP DURING THE NIGHT MY BACK/BODY DID NOT FEEL ANY ITCHING. IN THE MORING, WHEN I SNEEZE MY BODY NO ITCH AS BEFORE, BUT MY FACE, FORHEAD AND HEAD STILL ITCH. I FIGURE OUT THAT LAST NIGHT I DID NOT APPLY COCONUT OID ON MY FACE, HEAD. AND I TRY TO PUT SOME COCONUT OIL ON MY FACE AND A COUPLE HOURS LATE, I ATE SPICY FOOD AND I SNEEZED TOO, BUT I DIDN'T FEEL ITCHING. I HAVE USED COCONUT OIL 5 DAYS, I FEEL MUCH BETTER, THANK YOU GOD ! IT HELP ME SOLVE ABOUT 90%THIS PROBLEM. I USE 2 TIMES PER DAY, AFTER TAKE SHOWER AND IN THE MORING BEFORE GO TO WORK OR YOU CAN USE IT BEFORE WORK OUT. I'M VERY SYMPATHY WITH ALL OF YOU. I FEEL MUCH BETTER WITH COCONUT OID AND I THINK IT CAN HELP YOU TOO. JUST TRY, IT DOSEN'T HURT. YOU CAN BUY IT IN THE INDIAN GROCERY STORE ABOUT 5 DOLLARS A BOTTLE 500ML ( BLUE PLASTIC BOTTLE). MY NAME IS LI, ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed ** Please read our Terms of Use BY THE WAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH SAIRAM WHO POSTED THIS SOLUTION, BIG BIG HELP ! GOOD LUCK ! LI

GOOD NEWS ! GOOD NEWS !!!! FOR ITCHING IN THE WINTER (HOT ITCHING)
I'M 48 YEARS OLD LIVING IN SUBURBAN OF PHILADELPHIA. I HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME YOURS THAT I HAS BEEN SUFFERING 7 YEARS. EVERYTIME IN THE WINTER WHEN MY BODY GET HOT MY SKIN STARTS ITCH LIKE MILLION NEEDLES IS POKING ME. ALSO, WHEN I EAT SPICY, GET NERVOUS, ANGRY, SNEEZ or COUGH, I GET ITCHY ON MY FACE, HEAD AND ENTIRE MY BODY. IN THE NIGHT TIME, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SLEEP WELL BECAUSE WHEN MY BODY GET HEAT, THE ITHCING ATTACKS . I HAVE USED MANY KIND OF LOTION, AND GO TO SEE LOT OF DOCTORS, NO ONE CANNOT HELP! , UNTIL 5 DAYS AGO I WENT TO ONLINE TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE CAN HELP. I SAW ONE COMMENT ABOUT USING COCONUT OID AND I TRIED IT. IT'S VERY SIMPLE AND CHEAP, BUT IT'S WONDERFUL TO HELP. FIRST OF ALL, I APPLIED COCONUT OID ON MY BACK, CHEST AND SHOULDERS ONLY. IN THAT NIGHT I SLEPT DURING THE NIGHT MY BACK/BODY DID NOT FEEL ANY ITCHING, BUT MY FACE AND HEAD DID. IN THE MORING, WHEN I SNEEZE MY BODY NO ITCH AS BEFORE, BUT MY FACE, FORHEAD AND HEAD DID ITCH. I FIGURE OUT THAT LAST NIGHT I DID NOT APPLY COCONUT OID ON MY FACE AND HEAD. AND I TRY TO PUT SOME COCONUT OIL ON MY FACE AND I ATE SPICY FOOD AND I SNEEZED, BUT I DIDN'T FEEL ITCHING. I REALLY SURPRISE AND VERY VERY HAPPY. I HAVE USED COCONUT OIL 5 DAYS, I FEEL MUCH BETTER, THANK YOU GOD ! FINALLY, IT HELP ME SOLVE THIS PROBLEM THAT I HAD BEEN SUFFERING 7 YRS. I USE 2 TIMES PER DAY, AFTER TAKE SHOWER AND IN THE MORING BEFORE GO TO WORK OR USE IT BEFORE WORK OUT. MY SKIN FEEL HEALTHY SMOOTH. HOWEVER, I AFFAID IT MAY HAVE A SIDEEFFECT AND I WENT TO ONLINE TO LOOK HOW GOOD/BAD IS COCONUT OIL. VERY SURPRISE LOT OF WEBSITES SAY GOOD BEBEFIT ABOUT COCONUT OID.

I'M VERY SYMPATHY WITH ALL OF YOU. I FEEL MUCH BETTER WITH COCONUT OID AND I THINK IT CAN HELP YOU TOO. JUST TRY, IT DOSEN'T HURT. YOU CAN BUY IT IN THE INDIAN GROCERY STORE ABOUT 5 DOLLARS A BOTTLE 500ML ( BLUE PLASTIC BOTTLE). BY THE WAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH SAIRAM WHO POSTED THIS SOLUTION, BIG BIG HELP ! IF YOU TRY AND FEEL GOOD PLEASE LET ME KNOW OR YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION ABOUT THIS PLEASE CALL ME AT 610 833 8274, I TRY TO GIVE EMAIL, BUT EMAIL NOT ALLOW TO POST UP HERE.
GOOD LUCK !

LI

I hope this helps everyone here....



The condition you all are most likely experiencing does have a name; it is called Cholinergic Urticaria.



'Cholinergic" which means “related to acetylcholine.” Acetylcholine is a chemical used in the parasympathic nervous system. It acts as a neurotransmitter. Acetylecholine seems to be involved in cholinergic urticaria reactions. It appears that when acetylcholine is released at the nerve endings in the skin, this can initiate a hives response.



“Urticaria” originates from the Latin word urtica, which means stinging nettle. A stinging nettle is the name of a plant that has small hair-like needles that sting if touched by humans. In urticaria, histamine is released which produces a very prickly and itchy feeling in the skin.



That describes what it feels like, sudden bursts or "attacks" of painful waves of what feels like millions of "stings" all over your body.

People you describe this to sometimes do not understand how painful it actually can be. It is equivelent to being stung by swarms of microscopic hornets.



Sometimes it can be called Soloar Urticaria, it seems to be triggeres in the winter, when you go out in the sun. Basically it is your body's thermoregulatory response trying to activate dormant sweat glands. For some reason this causes sudden histamine release and the prickly skin attacks.

Once yoour sweat gland begin producing sweat, the attack subsides. One of the best ways to prevent it is to work up a sweat before going outdoors. This probably only happens in the winter because the cooler temps, even indoors, and lack of humidity, make our sweat glands more dormant, so there is more of a sudden change at that level, with the clashing cold vs. bright sun.

There has been some success in taking H1 and H2 inhibitors together. H1 inhibitors are antihistamines, like Alavert and Claratin, which might help somewhat on their own, but not in many cases. H2 inhibitors are over the counter stomach acid reducers like Zantac and Tagamet.

More info:

Drug treatment is typically in the form of non-sedating antihistamines such as Loratadine, Desloratadine, Cetirizine, Levocetirizine and Fexofenadine. These drugs are H1-receptor antagonists, and when taken prophylactically on a regular basis will mask the symptoms of Cholinergic Urticaria in the majority of patients.

For some people, H2-receptor antagonists such as Cimetidine and Ranitidine can also help control symptoms either protectively or by lessening symptoms when an attack occurs. When taken in combination with an H1 antagonist it has been shown to have a synergistic effect which is more effective than either treatment alone.



The medicines are hit or miss. The best method seems to be regular excersizing to keep the sweat glands active, and working up a sweat before going into situations that usually end up in attacks. Also a good diet that controls insulin which seems to be a factor in all inflammatory problems can most likely help, including descreasing bad fats, and increases in Omega 3's.

But this is caused because of the condition surrounding histamines and the sweat glands, and thermoregulatory response.