very itchy skin
Posted , 15 users are following.
My skin itches like mad...different areas for different lengths of time..The Rheum said...".Nothing to do with sjogrens " ( currrently I am on remission from sjogren syndromes and so off the Plaquenil)
I did have Pityriasis Rosea but even that didn't itch (cleared up after 4 months) I have noticed when I get hot my skin starts to prickle and then the itching starts..sometimes my feet get a 'nervous' tingling ....(similar sensation to a nervous stomach before an interview or something ) not a pleasant sensation...(never my hands)
I dont have dry skin but have still tried heavy moisturisers ...my diet hasnt changed...has anybody else experienced this?
Should i see a dermatologist or revisit a rheumatologist ? Both have long waiting lists..
0 likes, 33 replies
wetfish shaq26875
Posted
I too have Sjogrens and also get itchy skin, mainly on my scalp and strangely on my fingertips!! I am not sure whether this is sjogren related or not but would like to know.
The tingling you mention may be peripheral neuropathy as I suffer with this in both my hands and feet and I sometimes get tingling in all sorts of places at times.
Hope this may help.
Regards x
shaq26875 wetfish
Posted
What causes the peripheral neuropathy ? Do you take anthing for it or just is it just 1 of those things
wetfish shaq26875
Posted
One website example is: http://www.hopkinssjogrens.org/disease-information/sjogrens-syndrome/neurologic-complications/
I take nortriptyline for it, I was on amatriptyline at first but it just meant that I couldn't function at all from the side effects but nortriptyline seems to help a bit but I can only take one tablet as with more I get side effects. There are other medications that can be used. Maybe it's a trip to the doctor to see what they think.
Regards.x
lily65668 shaq26875
Posted
Don't know about the itching, though I've a feeling a lot of people have mentioned it on this site. I don't suffer from generalised itching, except on my arms and legs when getting out of the bath - but that's quite a common condition, and not SS-related. However, I'm currently in a flare-up of RA, and I've noticed that the skin over the affected joints sometimes gets hot and itchy.
shaq26875 wetfish
Posted
currently I dont live in the UK and we dont have GPs here...have to go to private hospitals and see specialists...and all hospitals dont have all specialties so 3 hospitals have my different records and no coordination between them.
shaq26875 lily65668
Posted
mandy95 shaq26875
Posted
I also get the itchy skin but I also have Sjorgrens. I just take a Claritin tablet for allergies and this seems to stop it.
I did you know that you were in remission from Sjorgrens?
regards,
Mandy x
shaq26875 mandy95
Posted
I supposed I went into remission as my saliva returned and my swollen knuckles, wrists returned to normal ( opthamologist said I didnt have dry eyes but had secondary cataract in my left eye) ..I was just fed up with taking 8 different meds for various things including predisolone (also recently diagnosed with osteoporosis)..some of them 3 times a day...so I stopped everything (except Adcal for osteoporosis)
lily65668 shaq26875
Posted
The only exception to this rule is if you're on a short-term burst of steroids. In this case, they won't have knocked out your body's own steroid production so it's safe to stop suddenly.
I'm currently considering going on short-term prednisolone myself. Some days the pain in my arms, back and shoulders from the combination of RA, polymyalgia rheumatica and now (somewhat mysteriously) tendinitis, is really disabling. Anyone else get tendinitis as a symptom of SS? Never heard of that one before.
Anyway, I've rejected NSAIDs. They can cause terrible side-effects, they only mask the pain and not only do they not cure the condition, there's increasing evidence that they further damage the joints. My doctor has therefore suggested short-term prednisolone in an attempt to reduce the inflammation. Although I've never taken it before, I think I'd actually prefer it to NSAIDs. We're going to wait till the latest blood results come back.
mandy95 lily65668
Posted
I currently have tendinitis in my shoulder, had it for months now waiting on Physio appt. This is to do with the connective tissue disease that goes along with Sjorgrens. I take a short low dose course of prednisolone when Sjorgrens affects the lungs..
Regards,
Mandy
lily65668 mandy95
Posted
I'm sorry to hear SS affects your lungs too. I thought it was only scleroderma that did that. As you probably know, that's another of the trilogy of connective tissue auto-immune conditions, the third being lupus. I suppose I shouldn't complain about being in pain, as at least SS has never affected my internal organs.
mandy95 lily65668
Posted
My eyes are the worst at the moment though. Lungs are fine. Sharp stabbing pain like someone is sticking a needle in my eye. Had it checked out thought and eye Dr confirmed that it is the nerve of my eye being exposed to the air that is causing the pain. Just advised to use more drops.
Regards,
Mandy
lily65668 mandy95
Posted
I rarely get seriously dry eyes these days, apart from a little attack a few months ago. Ditto dry mouth. My mouth often feels uncomfortable, with my lower lip sticking to my gums, and I wake unable to even swallow in the night. But I haven't had problems eating for years now.
I'm always intrigued as to how the symptoms of Sjogrens move around my body. It started out more than 20 years ago with severe dry mouth - split and bleeding at the corners too, so I could barely open my mouth to eat. Then that more or less cleared up and I had 10 years of peripheral neuropathy. Once that subsided, the Reynaud's syndrome kicked in - at age 60 and for the first time in my life. Then came the dry eyes, after which I more or less went into remission for about six years. During this time, I only had occasional assorted symptoms, and even the rheumatoid arthritis - which had started 15 years before the SS, when I was only about 35 - settled down to a few background aches and pains.
Then, just when I was starting to congratulate myself on beating the thing, it comes back in yet another form - polymyalgia and tendinitis this time! This thing is a kind of Hydra, isn't it?
shira75032 shaq26875
Posted
Turns out it was an allergic reaction to the strangest things.
The SJS just made my skin hypersensitive.
Figuring out the triggers really helped. When all else fails, try an antihistamine.
aveline shaq26875
Posted
Good Luck!
shaq26875 aveline
Posted