Guest guest Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Hi Trudy thanks for the reply. The only thing I found that really helps is a cream called Sarna. Sometimes it isn't on the pharmacy shelf & you have to ask the pharmacist to get it behind the counter. I have tried everything, steroid cream and all. Strong prescription steroid cream thinned my arm skin so much the slightest scratch makes me bleed. Cheryl in CA >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> away our moisture. I have two humidifiers going constantly and, I have to put layers of cream on. I didn't think the Avon Skin So Soft would help because there are so many creams on the market that clogs my pores and, make me itch ever more. Good luck with your itching to. Love Trudy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 MY DOC TOLD ME MY ITCHING IS DUE TO MY LIVER ENZYMES BEING OUT OF WACK ........ ROMIE I get this itching problem sometimes. I hate it! I scratch in my sleep & bleed on the sheets. Sometimes it feels like bugs under the skin, sometimeshives & blisters on the skin. It drives me nuts. I have ruined cloths withblood. Thanks for the info Cheryl in CA>>>>>>>>>Subject: Itching and LupusMost of the itching lupus patients endure is because of neuropathy (adisorder of the nervous system).it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2004 Report Share Posted February 4, 2004 I once read that the skin is the largest organ in the body. As such it is our first line of defense against toxins. When the liver isn't functioning properly, or is overloaded the skin will take over trying to excrete the toxins. Have you ever smelled the sweat of someone who's been drinking? When the liver is forced to work overtime it can also cause itching, not only from the toxins leaving the body, but from the excretion process itself (similar to the way sweats and hot flashes make your skin " prickle " ) My dad had it really bad and nothing helped much. Just touching the skin to confuse the nerves or light stroking. He finally resorted to percocet and if it didn't help the itch a lot it helped the pain and made him sleepy. > Cheryl, > I have autoimmune liver disease in addition to lupus and some other chronic illnesses. With any liver disease, itching is often one of the most common complaints. I can always tell when it is a 'liver itch', because I have no rash, no dry skin, and it just kind of feels different. Anyway, any type of itching can be miserable, no matter the cause. In the beginning, I'd take benadryl for the itching, but most of the time, even 50 mg of benadryl does not touch my 'liver itch'. The doctor prescribed atarax and I can take 1-2 tablets every 4 hours as needed. It works a lot better than benadryl, but I was having to take 2 tablets several times a day on many days. My internal med doc prescribed clarinex because it is longer acting than the atarax. It has been wonderful. I often go weeks at a time without having take any atarax. There are still times that even with the clarinex and atarax, the itching is just not going to go away. However, the clarinex and atarax do make it much better on most days. The problem with the 'liver itch' is that creams on the outside don't seem to have any effect. They used to think that the itching was caused by the bile not being properly excreted because the liver wasn't functioning well. That is what causes people with liver disease to become jaundiced (yellow). However, if the bile's not being excreted properly, the lab work will show an elevated bilirubin. They have now found out that it's not just excess bile that causes people with liver disease to itch since many people with liver disease can have very intense itching with totally normal bilirubin level in the blood. They think it probably has a lot to do with the fact that if your liver is not functioning at peak performance level, your body is not being cleared of toxins as well as it should be and the toxins are causing the itching. > > I posted this info because I thought some might find the clarinex (or other long acting antihistamine) helping with their itching. Also, for relatively quick acting short (about 4-6 hours) relief, the atarax can work wonders. I also posted this because unexplained itching and fatigue can be the first signs of liver disease. Now, just because you have itching and fatigue, don't run to the doctor and insist on a liver biopsy! Obviously, fatigue and itching can definitely go along with lupus and many other things. However, if you have fatigue, unexplained itching, and elevated liver enzymes, it certainly warrants demanding that your doctor investigate further. If your liver enzymes are only slightly elevated (less than 2 times the normal limit) then the first step would probably just be to repeat the blood work in a few weeks or so. > > Hope I haven't made anyone worry needlessly. As I've said before, I am probably overly cautious about people watching out for liver disease because of my situation. > > take care, > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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