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[PeriPagan]

Hi all,

Having some major health anxiety here.

Itchy skin is a big thing in my peri hell but it also makes me itch when I experience a light touch. I can't stand loose clothes or my hair touching me....it touches I itch. The sensitivity of my skin has gone through the roof! A door handle brushed my back and I  jumped out of my skin!
 There is a condition called alloknesis which is associated with dry skin where touch = itch but you know anxiety, logic is the first thing to go! 

And when I have an anxiety attack (like I am right now!) Or a bout of high emotion it gets even worse. The only place I've seen anything remotely like this discussed is on MS or fibro forums so obviously I'm 

Anyone else get this?  Guess I'm looking for some reassurance that I'm not dying or mad here 

[BlueButterfly]

Don't know if I can be the one to make you feel less mad or dying but yes I totally have that.

It seems to be when my nerves are at their worst. I had a friend, so kind, that told me it makes sense because when you are anxious, your nerves are just on edge and everything is overwhelmed already. When it happens, I cannot stand anything touching me...I don't wear a bra, where as little as clothing as possible (I obviously do not go out during this time if I can avoid it) and can't even stand anyone or anything touching me. It's awful. But it passes. I never thought to google it because my friend was so reassuring about it and after awhile I could see how it was connected to times I got a bit more stressed than normal.

As my anxiety has calmed, so has the extreme sensitivity.

Hope this was somewhat reassuring.

[Tc]

Peripagan. .I have often had itching (without rash) jumping about all over my body. You're scratching your head one minute and your feet the next  my mum saw me doing it and she said "it's your nerves". Which is similar to what your friend said.

As birdy says Itching can  be hormonal and in Meno we seem to  be so much more sensitive.
Sometimes my scalp is so sore I  cant bear to touch it.

Anxiety definitely heightens all the senses. I always find even  the slightest noise unbearably loud and I cant bear anyone to "cuddle me" or even hold my hand when  I'm realy bad.
So. You are not alone in these symptoms.
You are not dying .
Please try not to Google it anymore today.
Much love to you xx

[PeriPagan]

Thank you so much for your replies, you've reassured me & next time it gets bad I'll reread this thread rather than google it! 

Yes, i know I shouldn't google it (slaps own wrist) but you know how it is; a new symptom appears and here comes the health anxiety....

Strangely this isn't something that gets mentioned as a low oestrogen symptom, a search tends to lead to long winded research papers behind paywalls. It seems that this has only just become a 'fashionable' research topic.

Been to see a meno specialist today, so E levels will be increased with a switch to gel and as I'm clearly P intolerant i'm off the mini pill and onto Utro. Hopefully, these should help sort this. I've also got a dermatologist appointment in 3 weeks so at least i'm moving in the right direction again. I'm also going to try adding B vits to my impressive list of supplements to see if that helps, the meno & anxiety is a deadly combination for those nerves.

[PeriPagan]

I've been itchy for 3 years, but when my levels went into nose dive last year my skin went into a new level of itch: weather changes, humidity levels, temperature, if I sweat etc. makes it go nuts along with a flare of the pompholyx that emerged at the same time. I consider this to be the start of my peri rollercoaster. Doc today agreed.

The Oestrogen has helped, but my skin is still very dry and cold nights, warm days and fog is still very trying! Easter weekend was baaaaaaddddd!

Stellarjane, I don't take antihistamines because there isn't a single OTC brand that doesn't sedate me horrendously. When I work I'm a country ranger/Wildlife fieldworker and need to be able to operate machinery, No operating machinery= No job!

I'm also on sedating meds that will interact with them. I'm a very devil for side effects. My anti-D's were the 6th type I tried, all previous 5 hit me too hard (2 left me with PTSD). Fexofenadine is a possibility but my tricyclic Anti-D's also put enough strain on my heart without adding the risk added by fexo.  Anti-H's are a last option for me.

I'm considering a low histamine diet at the moment.

[PeriPagan]

Annamueller, thank you for those first two links, they're just what I've been looking for. I'll consider asking the dermatologist to do an histamine tolerance test in addition to the patch tests I was planning to ask for.


I'd already seen the press releases on Merkel cells being to alloknesis & touch itch, though they seem to be a long way from providing a treatment.

[Sheanie]

I think, and I may have misinterpreted this, but from reading the second article Anna posted, it seems that higher levels of oestrogen are associated with histamine release, which presumably would cause itching, and progesterone has an inhibitory effect. Asthma levels are higher in boys until puberty but then in girls/women afterwards, which indicates a link between higher oestrogen production and allergic reactions. (See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3537328/ esp the conclusion). Personally, I used to have terrible hay fever and skin itching/tingling when I was younger, which has dropped off to nothing as I've aged. With HRT, both are back; I've had hay fever for the first time in years these past few weeks and I noticed my legs were tingling the other day. I 'think' the itching/tingling may be caused by higher levels of oestrogen due to taking HRT.

However, low oestrogen levels cause dry skin, which can be itchy.....🤔 To me, these are two different types of itching. Dry skin itching (caused by low oestrogen???) can be relieved by brushing and moisturising, whereas allergic reaction itching (caused by high oestrogen???) is deeper, more tingly, and I assume can be relieved by antihistamines.

[CLKD]

As oestrogen levels drop the body may become dry: inside and out!  Deep in the ears, skin, eyes, vagina  [read our threads on that one]; for me it was taking socks off at night and the insteps would itch, stepping into the bath eased it.  I would wake in the night scratching one instep with the other heel !  My eyes have been bothersome over the years.  Then VA ..........

Have you found that some textiles affect your skin more?   Also try changing your washing powders and make sure that it spins completely, if you can smell 'softener' it ain't doing so!  My washing never smells of powder as if necessary, I put it on an extra rinse cycle. 

[PeriPagan]

LOL CKLD, I've just been going at my insteps, that heat/sweat itch is a SOB! 

I've had itchy skin for 3 years now, I consider it to be the start of my peri hell (even though I didn't realise it until last November when the REALLY wild fluctuations started). As it emerged at the same time as the re-emergence of my eczema; a form linked to nickel allergy sufferers (I had contact dermatitis as a hormonal teen) I adjusted my life; Emollients, bathing protocols, scent free ecover laundry products & extra rinses, etc.etc.etc.

This is my new form of Eczema. I call it the unscratchable itch as the vesicles form between the dermis & epidermis and its the serum in the blisters that fires the itch https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pompholyx/ My triggers are stress & heat.

However, the dramatic drop in E has made me incredibly itchy, it was worse when I wasn't taking any HRT. As CKLD said i'm a dessicated husk and my skin doesn't seem to have any ability to hold moisture, I have a mask of dry skin on my face, and my arms, upper back & lower legs are the worst they've ever been. I've just had a bath & coated myself in a high glycerine gel (Aproderm Gel- I recommend it). I tend to feel most comfortable after this routine & the itch returns slowly after this. An application of high water content emollient also helps.

I saw an allergist several weeks ago and he didn't see any issues apart from the fact I needed to upgrade my steroid nasal spray to a stronger brand. My skin doesn't come up in hives or dermatographia. I get ****ly heat on my arms but thats transient & tends not to emerge if I use sunscreen!

My anxiety is predominantly somatic (has physical manifestations) & I forgot to mention i'm also Autistic which comes with sensory processing issues so I'm kinda F***ed on the sensation front. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it 

[CLKD]

You'll fit right in here then 

Using a good quality skin cream is essential, little and often.  Dear Husband uses Nivea on his legs every night after his bath.  I itch all the while, usually when I have my hands in water it's my eyes or nose that irritates ......... but I am aware all the while that I feel itchy in different places   

When I have a cold I get an itch deep under my rib cage on the left.  I was told as a child that it was imagination but ......... 

[Tc]

How about when it feels like under your nails is itching? Or the inner ear? You just cant get to it.
I've had some weird itching lately particularly in my legs and feet where it's so sudden and intense it makes me kick out or jump involuntarily. . Weird.  I do have restless leg syndrome though.
Peri. You seem to have found a skin regime which makes you comfortable. But I have to agree with you.about dryness.  My skin has never been so dry in my life.

[CLKD]

Bananas - cured my restless legs!

My skin background itches all the while  . 

[Tc]

Clkd. Bananas. Maybe it's the potassium.
My nan used to say "have an Andrew's liver salts, it cools the blood".
Bless her. She also had a big bottle of what she called "jollop" goodness knows what was in that, she said it was a "tonic". . And many times when  I was a kid she would bring out the "yellow bezelekin". To this day I ve never seen it since. When she passed away and we were going through her stuff the contents of her medicine box was straight out of the 1940s!!

[CLKD]

'Enos' anyone  ...... Zinc and caster oil in a tin for burns ....... salt for cramp .......... bicarb for burns, made into a paste and put over the area ......... Jnr Aspirin, nowt else, no calpol in my day  .  'Winkanas' - tonic?  11.00 a.m. without fail, 10 mins. - I have the small glass that was mine at Grandma's /.

[Tc]

 
Dont forget the smelling salts!!
I wonder what the yellow bezellekin realy was?