Itching

[Bub]

Dialysis for five months.  Itching 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for five months.  Cant hardly sleep.  I am going crazy.  My phosphorus is low, doc gave me something-morizine for itching and it doesnt work. Tried ever over the counter lotion the pharmacy has nothing works. I would welcome any suggestions.

[Wallyz]

Do you have diabetes?  If so you may have neuropathy and you are sadly out of luck.

[jbeany]

Even when my labs show low phos in my blood levels, I will notice a bout of itching when I have a high phos meal, especially when I eat a large amount of chocolate.  Have you tried avoiding all high phos foods for a couple of days to see if it helps?

Other than that - is your skin dry?  Keeping it moisturized can't hurt.  Use a humidifier as well.

Wally is right about the neuropathy, though - there a few numbing creams that might help a little, though.  Tight control on bloodsugars can help a little as well - at least keep it from getting worse.

[dwcrawford]

isn't neuropathy more like prickly pins and needles?  I don't do dialysis yet so I don't know about that kind of itching, but I had an itchy rash on my leg that kept returning and my doctor recommended an Aveeno cream

[Wallyz]

Neuropathy can be itching, pins and needles, cold or hot or numbness.  I have cold an pain in my toes form neuropathy.

[dwcrawford]

Wally, I used to have the pins and needles but now I have hot sensations in the legs.  My sugars have been good for quite a while.  Could the neuropathy be comeing back?  Could it be related to kidney failure?

[kitkatz]

Try this link. Also look at the dry skin threads.

http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=402.msg3593;topicseen#msg3593

[Wallyz]

Could be.  See your endocrinologist.  It's harder to get your sugars down when your BUN and creatinine are high.

[Sunny]

I have neuropathy and I don't have diabetes, so toxin buildup can be a cause too. I also get intense itching when I eat too much phosphorous rich foods. Try cutting back as others have suggested. In the mean time, see if a creamy lotion helps. (ex.,Cetaphyl).

[paddbear0000]

Maybe you are allergic to the dialysis filter? It seems kind of funny that you started itching as soon as you started dialysis.

Do you have diabetes?  If so you may have neuropathy and you are sadly out of luck.

Actually, that's not true. There is a drug called Lyrica that is now being prescribed for diabetic neuropathy.

[Wallyz]

It's an anti anxiety medication, and whiel the drug company studies say it works for neuropathy, I have yet to have it work for me, or any other type 1 diabetic.

[paddbear0000]

My Mom's neighbor is taking it for diabetic neuropathy and it works great for him. Are you sure it's an anti-anxiety med? It suppresses nerve stimulation and circuitry.

[Dan.Larrabee]

I am a type I diabetic and take Lyrica for the leg pain and it works, however I don’t take it all the time because one of the side effects is itching.

See this link for great info on Lyrica and what its used for.
http://www.drugs.com/lyrica.html

I can’t find it, but recently I read the post about being allergic to the filter. Didn’t it say something about itching being a sign of the allergic reaction?

[kristina]

Sorry about your itching. Have you had an allergy-test done to find out what it is all about? I hope it stops soon! Best wishes from Kristina.

[BobN]

Hey Bub,

Here's my take on the itching problem.

There are some things you can do to alleviate the problem, many of which have been touched on in this thread.

Part of the issue may be dry skin.  It's especially acute in the winter months.

After you shower, apply moisturizer right away.  Showering in hot water can dry out your skin, which can make itching worse.

Remember to do it right after you dry off, it will help capture your body's natural moisturizers before they have a chance to escape and evaporate.

The other thing you have to do is avoid the high phosphorous foods, and be religious about taking your binders.

Now the bad news.  I do all these things, my phosphorous is low, and yet I still have occasional bouts of itching while I'm on the machine.

It doesn't happen all the time, and since I started being regimented about the above routine, it has gotten better.

So this is a treatment, not a cure.  But try to do all of the above, and if it persists, talk to your doctor again.

Bets wishes.  Take care.

[paddbear0000]

I can’t find it, but recently I read the post about being allergic to the filter. Didn’t it say something about itching being a sign of the allergic reaction?

Yeah. I just mentioned that a few posts back:

Maybe you are allergic to the dialysis filter? It seems kind of funny that you started itching as soon as you started dialysis.

This is probably the other thread you are referring to: ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=13060.0

[RightSide]

In my case, the severe itching was due NOT to phosphorus, but due to a high PTH level. (Mine was 1,200 when I started dialysis).   The high PTH was sucking calcium out of my bones, which combined with phosphorus to produce crystals that got deposited in my skin.  The treatment for high PTH is either activated vitamin D (such as Zemplar); or, if that fails, Sensipar.

It takes months to get the PTH under control.  In the meantime, you might try Benadryl or Neurontin (gabapentin).

Some patients have reported control of their itching with UVB (ultraviolet-B) light treatments.  However, NOTE that UV light can damage the plastic HD catheters, so do NOT try UVB with a catheter.  I plan to try UVB myself as soon as my fistula is ready for use.

[RightSide]

Hey Bub,

Here's my take on the itching problem.

There are some things you can do to alleviate the problem, many of which have been touched on in this thread.

Part of the issue may be dry skin.  It's especially acute in the winter months.

After you shower, apply moisturizer right away.  Showering in hot water can dry out your skin, which can make itching worse.

Two points:

I cannot shower because I have an HD catheter.  And sitting in the tub for 20 minutes with the top part of my body wet gets it chapped, particularly in the dry winter months.

I have noticed that the skin on the upper right part of my body (within say six inches of the catheter site) is MUCH drier than any other part of my skin.  I'm wondering if hemodialysis itself filters out substances that normally help keep the skin supple.

I mentioned this to my dietitian, and she suggested fish oil capsules (omega-3 fatty acids) taken after dialysis might replenish those substances.  I just bought some but I haven't tried it yet.  I'll let you all know if it works for me--or if it doesn't!

[sueq123]

My doctor gave me Atarax 25 mg for itching and it really helps

[Yvonne]

John takes Piriton 4mg 4 times daily given by the Renal unit for his itching. They can make you feel drowsy but after a while you get use to them.  Also he has to avoid chocolate and cheese as this makes him itch even though he took the piriton. Hope this works for you as you sound so very feed up.

[Bub]

Thank you all for suggestions.  Alot to think about.  I am indeed diabetic but so far have had no problems with neuorpathy (I am aware of) but that is something I will indeed talk to my personal care physician about.  I am taking what I think is the generic for Atarax, I double the dosage given and it does allow me to get some sleep. Makes me too sleepy during day (I have a hard enough time dragging myself around all day anyway).  Again thanks guys for your help, so many replies in just one day.  Other than the itching and perpetual fatigue I am doing fairly well, still working and every now and then have a really great day.  Support from this forum helps a great deal.

[paddbear0000]

I have noticed that the skin on the upper right part of my body (within say six inches of the catheter site) is MUCH drier than any other part of my skin.  I'm wondering if hemodialysis itself filters out substances that normally help keep the skin supple.

I had the same problem when I had my cath. The dry area around the exit site is from all the taping and untaping of the bandaging to cover the catheter. Some days, my dry area was the exact size and shape of the Tegaderm the hospital clinic was using. No that the cath is gone, the problem finally went away.

[monsterman]

I just got my blood work back my Phosphorus level went from 6.9 - 10.4 in a months time. They were not to happy and have given my an rx to fill. I'll pick it up tomorrow not sure what its called but I was only taking Tums by mouth with each mail prior.. I hope I dont have to give up cheese...

[paddbear0000]

Yikes!!   6.9 is bad enough, but 10.4??? Holy crap! I'm surprised they didn't call you up the second they got the blood work back and demand you give up cheese!!

[monsterman]

Yeah I know what you mean! I am still learning all the "Do's and Dont's" I guess Cheese will be out of my diet for a long time unless I can get things back under control. From what I have heard though you just cant eat a lot of the things you used to anymore...