I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: topazbeauty on December 02, 2009, 08:21:36 PM
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When I was at the dialysis unit today I mentioned that I'm really really itchy and the nurse mentioned a lotion called Sarna? Has anyone used it? I have really sensitive skin so I'm usually pretty cautious about lotions.
Thanks!
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Yes, I have heard of it. It is a very very old type of cream, altho I dont know what is in it. I think you would find it easier in a drugstore like Walgreens, rather than say, Wal-Mart. I have heard it works wonderfully, dont really know myself
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Are you taking your binders???
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What are binders? I guess that answers that I'm not, but I'm not sure that I've been told about it? Maybe that comes later in the process?
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What are binders? I guess that answers that I'm not, but I'm not sure that I've been told about it? Maybe that comes later in the process?
It should be one fo the first things in the process. I took binders even before I started dialysis. Ask your nephrologist. Binders are pills you take with food. They bind with the phosphorous in food so that less of it enters your bloodstream because dialysis can't remove it very well. One of the most common ones is Tums (calcium carbonate) another is Phoslo. Both are calcium based, so if your blood calcium is too high they might prescribe Renagel instead (a non calcium based binder).
High phosphorous causes itching.
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Sarna is used to relieve itching and pain (on skin only). It contains Pramoxine (SP ?) whicch
acts as a local anesthetic. It can be purchased online if you can't find it at your local Pharmacy.
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Residents at the nursing home I work at use Sarna for itchy skin. They say it works good.
Itchy skin is a side effect of one of blood levels being too high...... Potassium or Phrosphorus maybe...... or it could be you just have dry skin. Ask your nurses at the unit or the Dr. about checking your levels to see if everything is in the right range.
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I've got a fix that stops me itching quickly.
I strip off, put the a/c on cool and lay on my bed. The chilling turns off the itching in 5 mins. Well, it works for me.
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I've been on dialysis six or seven months now and do not take binders. They are for high phospherous or potassium (can't remember which) levels. I'm still trying to build mine up to normal.
I've always had dry itchy skin in winter time. Is this something new for you? Remember that symptoms, meds, treatments are all specific to you.
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Sarna is used to relieve itching and pain (on skin only). It contains Pramoxine (SP ?) whicch
acts as a local anesthetic. It can be purchased online if you can't find it at your local Pharmacy.
Sarna comes in two varieties:
Sarna Sensitive is the kind that contains the Pramoxine Hydrochloride, a topical antihistamine. I found that Sarna Sensitive can relieve my itching for a very short time.
Original Sarna does not contain this ingredient, and I found it to be ineffective.
But as others have said, it's important to find the specific cause of the itching (phosphorus, PTH, allergic reaction), and treat that.
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Sarna is super on itchy skin.I have used it. Walgreens carries it.
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I've always had dry itchy skin in winter time. Is this something new for you? Remember that symptoms, meds, treatments are all specific to you.
I always used to suffer from dry, itchy skin even before my kidneys failed.
Until I found an effective remedy: Fish oil. Adding omega-3 unsaturated oils to my diet--fish oil and Smart Balance Omega margarine--really moistened my skin from the inside out.
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HI :)
The post dialysis itches are normally a phosphate shift. Changing your diet can also help, less high phosphate foods and make sure you get the calcium / phosphate balance right in your bloods.
KC
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So the only problem is that my phosphate are normal. They haven't rose at all since I started dialysis, and actually went down last week. I started getting itchy when my CrCl rose so rapidly and was hoping that the dialysis would help it go away. But my itching has actually gotten worse since I started. I picked up some sarna so I'm trying that now. Hopefully it will breed good results.