Re: Burning Reaction - URGENT

July 17, 2001

>I have just seen a 66-year-old woman who is in a desperate state. She

>complains of burning all over and constantly itching skin. Her skin is not

>hot to touch, but it is red and she has some bruising. The problem started in

>January, since when she hasn't been able to sleep or go out of the house. She

>is very tired and depressed.

>

>She had shingles with head pain in 1993, after which her occipital nerve was

>removed. This did not relieve the pain, so she was prescribed amitryptyline,

>which did help. She continued taking this until January 2001. Suddenly, when

>she started using an estradiol supplement (Sandrena gel) for sore breasts at

>the beginning of this year, she started getting extreme burning sensations.

>She has been prescribed a whole range of drugs including benzodiazepines, but

>has reacted to all of them in the same way. She is now only using diazepam at

>night to help her to sleep, but that also causes burning. She is now at the

>end of her tether.

>

>I tried giving her Valerian (10 gtt nocte) to help her to sleep, thinking

>that a cooling sedative would help, but that caused the same reaction. I also

>gave her dandelion coffee.

>

>Help needed urgently, please.

>

>Rodney Young

One possibility is one or more variants of porphyria which i have

seen cause terrible skin burning and are aggrevated by a wide variety

of medications, especially estrogens. simple urinary porphyrin

screens will not necessarily pick up the problem...enzyme tests are

necessary. its a possibility. if so, herbs will cause reaction too,

the Tx would be cease all medications and xenobioitic exposure,

first, take a high simple carb diet. ( lots of sugar !)

jonathan

--

jonathan treasure

medical herbalist

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