I have tried everything, cool showers, doctors, no one understands the painful driving itch. I got it yesterday for 2 hours after my shower. I took a zyrtec, xanax, valuim, nothing worked. Ice for 1 hour on my legs, finally i took another 2 benedryl, which seemed to quiet it, or it ran its course for the day. What use to work for me was to take a bath at night. When its humid out, I can't even take a shower!!
I have had the same itching problem for ca. 15 years now (I am 30 years old). What itches is almost exclusively my legs but sometimes some other parts of the body itch too.
As Maymie states, my main (and only) relief comes from taking a very hot shower (as hot as you can stand). This eliminates the itching completely. However, the water need not be at that temperature all the time, 5-10 min just before leaving the bathroom are sufficient.
To furher avoid itching, I should prevent sweating or getting wet once I have dried myself after the shower for the next half an hour or so, i.e. I should not stay in the humid bathroom or at a very hot place that would make me sweat after the shower.
Finishing the shower by 1-2 min of cool water after the 5-10 min of hot water sometimes helps avoid sweating immediately afterwards.
It is nice to know that I am not the only one and that there are solutions to the problem.
Amazing how many of us suffer from this weird ailment. Couple things I've tried: It is intermittent with me and came on strong a couple weeks ago. Drives me crazy when it occurs. I made two changes that have helped reduce eiiminate it for the present: 1) stopped taking aspirin as I was taking one a night as a sleep aid (natural sedative) around the time itching started. Thought there might be a connection. 2) started doing hot/cold/hot/cold hydrotherapy in the shower before leaving shower. After I'm done washing I make water as hot as I can stand for about 1-2 minutes rotating to hit all parts of my body. Then I make it cold for 1-2 minutes, then hot again and finally cold again. Then exit. Thinking maybe shocking the nerves will confuse them or?... Seems to be working, unless it was the aspirin or some other unknown factor...
This is so frustrating. I am a 23 yr old female from NY who has suffered from this issue for about 4 years (unbearable itching after the shower!). I am so tired of trying everything to make this stop. I am conforted by all of your posts to know that I am NOT crazy. Like some of you who have experienced this with the change of seasons, that is what I feel is happenning to me. It is definitely worse during the colder months and I just experienced the whole summer (May/June/July/August) free of this problem. The only thing I have found considerably helpful is taking 1 benadryl at night and another in the morning before I shower. However, if I shave my legs I am squirming around for about 45 minutes until it stops. I have started putting sweatpants on right away out of the shower so that I don't tear the skin off my legs. I have tried non-allergetic soaps, shampoos etc. I thought that maybe it wasn't being caused by an external source such as the soap etc but was an internal problem. I have gone to neurologists, dermotologists, heart doctors and my primary care and no one knows what is going on. I have had MRIS, nerve and brain studies. NOTHING. All that I got from those tests were two hospital visits from fainting during blood draws. I have found that when my anxiety is high or if I have something stressful going on in my life the problem gets worse. Many have suggested that it may be entirely an issue of anxiety. Although that may contribute to the issue, I find it hard to believe that it causes it entirely when for the past four years it has occurred in the same way around the same time of year. It was helpful to find the fitting diagnosis of Aquagenic Pruitis, however... WHAT will help it?! there seems to be no answer and I feel so helpless. If ANYONE finds ANY solution please help here.
Sincerely,
Inconvenienced Itcher
micxtape wrote:
This is so frustrating. I am a 23 yr old female from NY who has suffered from this issue for about 4 years (unbearable itching after the shower!). I am so tired of trying everything to make this stop. I am conforted by all of your posts to know that I am NOT crazy. Like some of you who have experienced this with the change of seasons, that is what I feel is happenning to me. It is definitely worse during the colder months and I just experienced the whole summer (May/June/July/August) free of this problem. The only thing I have found considerably helpful is taking 1 benadryl at night and another in the morning before I shower. However, if I shave my legs I am squirming around for about 45 minutes until it stops. I have started putting sweatpants on right away out of the shower so that I don't tear the skin off my legs. I have tried non-allergetic soaps, shampoos etc. I thought that maybe it wasn't being caused by an external source such as the soap etc but was an internal problem. I have gone to neurologists, dermotologists, heart doctors and my primary care and no one knows what is going on. I have had MRIS, nerve and brain studies. NOTHING. All that I got from those tests were two hospital visits from fainting during blood draws. I have found that when my anxiety is high or if I have something stressful going on in my life the problem gets worse. Many have suggested that it may be entirely an issue of anxiety. Although that may contribute to the issue, I find it hard to believe that it causes it entirely when for the past four years it has occurred in the same way around the same time of year. It was helpful to find the fitting diagnosis of Aquagenic Pruitis, however... WHAT will help it?! there seems to be no answer and I feel so helpless. If ANYONE finds ANY solution please help here.
Sincerely,
Inconvenienced Itcher
hi i have had this condition for over 25 years maybe longer,have tried everything.mine does not change due to seasons it is always there after a shower.it is far worse in the morning.morning showers are almost impossible.its much much better if you shower in the late evening who knows why.medications do nothing for it.the 1 sure way of stopping it is by having sunbeds moderatley.not the best recommendation for obvious reasons but works a dream.i never get it when i go on hols to ibiza, costa del sol,anywhere warm.i wonder if it has any thing to do with vitamin d in the sun or maybe the pores in the skin.
That's an astute observation about suntan beds and exposure to sun alleviating symptoms and the possibility Vitamin D might play a factor. I've posted two comments previously here. My itching is intermittent. I'm a firm believer all conditions are a result of disharmony in the body and if only the imbalance can be identified and steps taken naturally to support it, health and balance can be restored with symptoms disappearing or lessening at least.
Others have mentioned suntan beds helped. I associated this with the UVA rays that sunbeds mostly generate which are the longer wave radiation that penetrates deeper into the skin stimulating the melanin - figured this was temporarily affecting the nerves or something alleviating the symptoms. (This type of radiation may do more serious damage to your skin since it can damage the cell from deep inside versus UVB rays which are shorter wavelengths and bounce off the skin and are responsible for the sunburn, but do more shallow thus superficial damage.) BUT your observation about Vitamin D and your lack of the itching condition while on holiday in sunny locals is intriguing.
Prevailing medical wisdom is that most of us are deficient in Vitamin D and that it is a potent immune support vitamin. Supplementing with this vitamin is generally recommended and would be something for itching sufferers to consider. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it can accumulate in the body if taken in excessive amounts and cause adverse reactions, so follow the recommendations on the label of any brand you purchase. Vitamin D3 is considered the best form to be taken. Standard dosing is 1,000 - 2,000 IU/day. 10,000 IU/day is the upper limit. Again - follow the label unless under doctor supervision...
Since there can be many different causes of imbalance among individuals resulting in similar symptoms but having different origins, any natural remedy may work for some and not others. So trial and error is the best approach, knowing there is no sure fix for everyone. If anyone has any positive effects from taking Vitamin D, it would be interesting and helpful to others to post them here. And any natural remedy is going to take time, so be persistent and consistent since you are trying to normalize your body that has been out of balance for likely many years… I would expect if Vitamin D had any affect it would materialize within a few days to a few weeks of supplementation and if no change, then may not be a factor or the sole factor in your case (if it is in anyone’s…?) I’m going to try it – I’ve been inconsistent with supplementing it (I do off and on for general health) and my itching did return in the last few weeks after a long hiatus.
davidcj wrote:
micxtape wrote:
This is so frustrating. I am a 23 yr old female from NY who has suffered from this issue for about 4 years (unbearable itching after the shower!). I am so tired of trying everything to make this stop. I am conforted by all of your posts to know that I am NOT crazy. Like some of you who have experienced this with the change of seasons, that is what I feel is happenning to me. It is definitely worse during the colder months and I just experienced the whole summer (May/June/July/August) free of this problem. The only thing I have found considerably helpful is taking 1 benadryl at night and another in the morning before I shower. However, if I shave my legs I am squirming around for about 45 minutes until it stops. I have started putting sweatpants on right away out of the shower so that I don't tear the skin off my legs. I have tried non-allergetic soaps, shampoos etc. I thought that maybe it wasn't being caused by an external source such as the soap etc but was an internal problem. I have gone to neurologists, dermotologists, heart doctors and my primary care and no one knows what is going on. I have had MRIS, nerve and brain studies. NOTHING. All that I got from those tests were two hospital visits from fainting during blood draws. I have found that when my anxiety is high or if I have something stressful going on in my life the problem gets worse. Many have suggested that it may be entirely an issue of anxiety. Although that may contribute to the issue, I find it hard to believe that it causes it entirely when for the past four years it has occurred in the same way around the same time of year. It was helpful to find the fitting diagnosis of Aquagenic Pruitis, however... WHAT will help it?! there seems to be no answer and I feel so helpless. If ANYONE finds ANY solution please help here.
Sincerely,
Inconvenienced Itcher
hi i have had this condition for over 25 years maybe longer,have tried everything.mine does not change due to seasons it is always there after a shower.it is far worse in the morning.morning showers are almost impossible.its much much better if you shower in the late evening who knows why.medications do nothing for it.the 1 sure way of stopping it is by having sunbeds moderatley.not the best recommendation for obvious reasons but works a dream.i never get it when i go on hols to ibiza, costa del sol,anywhere warm.i wonder if it has any thing to do with vitamin d in the sun or maybe the pores in the skin.That's an astute observation about suntan beds and exposure to sun alleviating symptoms and the possibility Vitamin D might play a factor. I've posted two comments previously here. My itching is intermittent. I'm a firm believer all conditions are a result of disharmony in the body and if only the imbalance can be identified and steps taken naturally to support it, health and balance can be restored with symptoms disappearing or lessening at least.
Others have mentioned suntan beds helped. I associated this with the UVA rays that sunbeds mostly generate which are the longer wave radiation that penetrates deeper into the skin stimulating the melanin - figured this was temporarily affecting the nerves or something alleviating the symptoms. (This type of radiation may do more serious damage to your skin since it can damage the cell from deep inside versus UVB rays which are shorter wavelengths and bounce off the skin and are responsible for the sunburn, but do more shallow thus superficial damage.) BUT your observation about Vitamin D and your lack of the itching condition while on holiday in sunny locals is intriguing.
Prevailing medical wisdom is that most of us are deficient in Vitamin D and that it is a potent immune support vitamin. Supplementing with this vitamin is generally recommended and would be something for itching sufferers to consider. It is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it can accumulate in the body if taken in excessive amounts and cause adverse reactions, so follow the recommendations on the label of any brand you purchase. Vitamin D3 is considered the best form to be taken. Standard dosing is 1,000 - 2,000 IU/day. 10,000 IU/day is the upper limit. Again - follow the label unless under doctor supervision...
Since there can be many different causes of imbalance among individuals resulting in similar symptoms but having different origins, any natural remedy may work for some and not others. So trial and error is the best approach, knowing there is no sure fix for everyone. If anyone has any positive effects from taking Vitamin D, it would be interesting and helpful to others to post them here. And any natural remedy is going to take time, so be persistent and consistent since you are trying to normalize your body that has been out of balance for likely many years… I would expect if Vitamin D had any affect it would materialize within a few days to a few weeks of supplementation and if no change, then may not be a factor or the sole factor in your case (if it is in anyone’s…?) I’m going to try it – I’ve been inconsistent with supplementing it (I do off and on for general health) and my itching did return in the last few weeks after a long hiatus.
i have started supplementing with vitamin d3,so will post in a few weeks of the changes if any.hope it works as it drives me crazy.
My lower legs between the knees to the ankles flared up in the last week with intense itching after showering. So I applied the hot/cold/hot/cold shower therapy (hydrotherapy) which seemed to reduce it by about 80% - a huge improvement.
Hot/cold hydrotherapy is regularly practiced in the east, along with intense scrubbing and exfoliating of the skin - which increases superficial circulation. Now as we all know who suffer itching after showering, shaving or scrubbing the skin during showering tends to make the itch worse after. However there are known therapeutic benefits to these practices.
Alternating hot/cold water has been shown to increase circulation and white blood cell count strengthening the immune response. So these are age tested practices. How I these apply to my itching problem follows:
After finishing my normal shower, which I try to keep short, I then make the water as hot as comfortably possible and let it bead down on all parts of my body that itch after showering: arms, chest, back and most recently legs between knees to ankles - I do this for 60-120 seconds total for all - not each part. Then I change the water temp to as cool as possible and repeat, then as hot as possible and repeat, then as cool as possible and repeat then turn off the shower - always ending on cool. I dry and exit. You can repeat a 3rd time if desired.
Each cycle will allow the water to get hotter on hot and colder on cold as your nerves acclimate to the temperature changes. I think the brain actually gets confused so the nerves response is "deadened" or desensitized allowing you to handle greater temperature extremes comfortably after each cycle. This neutralizing of the nerve response is why I believe this helps to reduce itching after showering. And of course it has a host of other health benefits.
Clearly be cautious about going too hot and burning your skin since each of us has different tolerances and if you have heart problems the sudden change from hot to cold may be dangerous since cold water constricts while hot water dilates - check with your doctor before trying this method. But for the rest of us, this is a viable treatment and it helps me significantly.
Note: when I do the hot water on my lower legs I actually feel my skin reacting with intense tingles of itching that increase and then diminish while the hot water beads on it. Then I switch to cool and it disappears, then back to hot it returns but diminished, then cool/cold it disappears again…
Final note: while we all suffer similar symptoms – insane itching after showering, the causes may vary among us, therefore the solutions may vary among us. And one solution/treatment or a combination of solutions/treatments may be needed. And since most health conditions do not result from a single act or moment like a broken bone does, but rather build over time until manifesting into visible symptoms, the “cure” likely will not be a one time fix either like casting the broken bone, but rather will require lifestyle changes that must be lasting and modified over time as our bodies change and evolve with age.
Hi All,
I have had this very same problem since i was 18, I'm now 22. It started when I went to college, at that time I started medication for hypothyroidism. I have had it on and off. There are periods of a few months when it wasn't an issue. At the start of this year I started not eating any wheat and the itchying went away, and then i started eating wheat again and it came back. I am slighty intolerant to wheat so I thought I finally found the cure to my problem. But I tried avoiding wheat again, but to no avail, the itchying after showers stayed. I have tried creams, different temperatures etc. among other 'tests'. However it is only now that I think I have found my cure, and hopefully a cure for some other sufferers. For the last two days after walking home from college(and i walk quite briskly) I took a shower as soon as I got home. I had zero itchying. Then today I didnt go to college and was sitting in bed on my laptop, I took a shower later in the evening and the intense itchying was back!! So I hope it isnt just a temperary solution. So if i need to shower in the morning i am going to take a walk(not sure yet if it has to be fast paced) before hand. I have suffered with this disease a lot, I became very scared to shower and avoided it whenever i could, it also made me very depressed each time the itchying would come back. So I don't know how helpful this will be for people who itch also from sweating. I think each individual has to test all possible causes and find their cure, i'm not sure there is one solution for all. Also to note i'm not an active person, or at least haven't been for a few years, so now with my personal discovery i'm joining a gym, to keep this itchying at bay!
Good luck everybody!
Hi there. I have found it so interesting reading your post. I have suffered from unbearably itching legs (and sometimes also arms) after showering (very seldom after bathing) on and off over the past 12 years to the point where the only thing that helps is rubbing them with my hairbrush! I have looked into what the problem can be and over the years have ruled out that it could be an allergy to my shower gel (have swapped and changed shower gels with no difference), then I looked into allergy to water but ruled that out when I didn't have the same problem when bathing. Also considered that it might be that the soap and shampoo runs down my body and dries on my legs which aren't always covered with water in a shower, but even rinsing my legs constantly in the shower doesn't help. I eventually went to see a doctor because I suffer from restless leg syndrome as well and figured there must be some connection and also must be a solution! Blood tests revealed severe hypothyroidism and I am now on medication to correct this, he also gave me antihistamine tablets which did not help enough for me to justify remembering to take one an hour before showering. Other than that I have had no consistent change to my itchy legs since being on my thyroid medication. When I read through your questions I had to laugh! Because I can answer yes to every single one of them. I am ALWAYS getting static shocks, even on my office chair every time I touch it. Two things that I have noticed do work though, is to make sure the shower is not too hot (which is hard in the colder months of the year) and also to my shower as short as possible (not always possible when washing my hair/shaving). Also dry brushing before I shower can sometimes help. So there are ways to prevent it but if I find it too cold to have a luke warm shower or cannot keep my shower to under 2 minutes, then I'm often in for a terrible time for about 15-20 minutes after my shower!
guys try to find a product which does not cotain sodium lauryl sulfate
i had this problem for years and today i read an article about it and tried a product with no such ingredient.
note : even the hair shampoo should not contain the stuff as the soap might drain off throughout the body while rinsing, or else wash it seperately
i tried it today and i really felt a difference.
also humidity affects the itching severity in my case :/
I stopped using shampoo and soap and started using a shower filter and it helped, I still like to use soap a few times a week, but even natural soap gives me the rash so I dread taking a shower, it's almost unbearable. I have been blotchy and itchy after showers for as long as I can remember I thought this was normal, but the last few years I have been getting hives and they burn and itch mostly on my upper arms, but also all over my neck, back, and stomach though rarely on my legs. This lasts about an hr or two then vanishes.