Hello I'm writing on behalf of my 49 yr old mother who has been suffering an unexplained itch for approximately 1 year now.

The itching is primarily located to her arms, there is no sign of any skin problem the only detectable feature is the scratches she has caused by herself- no other signs.
She has seen her doctor numerous times for blood tests and nothing has shown up.
She first thought it may be an irritant around the house- however no-one else in the house has had similar problems. She has changed cleaning products and monitored her diet but to no success as her itch continued.
Various anti histamines were prescribed by her GP-but to no effect. Various blood test have been done as they thought it could be a liver problem- results negative. HRT was prescribed over a short period as it was though it could be a hormone imbalance-again the itch continued.
She was referred to a dermatologist who prescribed stronger anti-histamines combined with sun lamp treatment over a period of approx 12 weeks but the itch has still not resolved.
Finally she has been given a neck x-ray as her doctor has advised studies have shown neck problems may cause arm itching- she is still awaiting the result of this and the itch continues! I have to say my mother has had the odd neck pain in the morning but usually puts it down to sleeping awkwardly and this only occurs very occasionally.
Has anyone ever heard of this cause or suffered a similar thing? Any advice would be good as I am sick of watching her claw her arms every night.

thanks for any replies

Have you tried ezema cream (spelling bad)... its cheep and you can get it at any drug store... its for uncontrolled itch

Yeah I think she has had that- she's had so many lotions and potions its hard to keep track! She doesn't have any excema type lesions or any kind of skin lesions for that matter! Its bizarre!

Than could it possibly be that she's has an allergy to her soap..

I did that once. I went to 3 dermatologists and finally my girlfriend took me to the emergency room because she couldn't stand me scratching mr arms and wrists.
The ER doc took one look and said I had the 7 year itch,lol... i.e... Scabies. You could try Kwell and if it works, great. If it doesn't then no damage done. I never passed it on to anyone in the house , so that doesn't mean anything/ Is it worse at night? That's a key factor.

Yeah it is worse at night some days she can get peace from the itching but that's few and far between. No-one else in the house has the itching either. Would scabies not give you some sort of skin lesions- my mums arms are completely clear! Is Kwell a cream and do you know if its available in the UK?

IT depends on how hard she scratches if it is scabes then she could just scratch a little, scratch enough to break blood vesels under the skin or enough to actually open the skin. Scabies are no fun I hate to admit it but I did get it once when I was younger and I had to go to a dermotologist for different lotions. I agree with kathato I never passed it on to others in the house. I did however battle them going away for a while. I would bring this up to the dermetologist. Wish you and your grandma the best of luck!

I think you have to get a prescription, but don't know about UK. Look online.
I got so bad I was using a hairbrush on my arms! But the only marks you will see is from scratching, not from scabie creatures, they are microscopic.
I'm also wondering about hormone levels. Lack of can cause itching also.

The ER doc took one look and said I had the 7 year itch,lol..... i.e..... Scabies. You could try Kwell and if it works, great.

What did you/him mean by the 7 year itch anyway? Just curious and what is this Kwell cream for? I had to go to a dermatologist.

The 7 year itch is what people call Scabies. They are micoscopic little things that burrow under your skin and cause l lot of itching. Kwell is a crème you rub all over your body and then shower. It kills them instantly. You also wash all your clothes and bedding.

Cool just never heard of the 7 year itch lol thanks

Hey thanks for these replies- I'm feeding back all this info to my mum! I'm tending to think its not scabies as she has seen the dermotologist a few times and he has never suggested this, and surely he/she would be able to pick up on that straight away. However I've always said right from the beginning when the itch started that I think its hormone related- she is at that time of life?? Do u know anymore about that Kat?

I am 41 years old and an active duty military female. I have also had an uncontrollable itch on both of my arms, usually on the right arm above the elbow up to the shoulder bone. It is usually worse at night and heat seems to make it worse also. I have been to see military doctors and neurologists for this as it has been occurring now for over 3 years. Too much dismay, I too have had no luck in finding why it is happening, what it is or how to stop it. They have tried lotions/creams and pills, but nothing works. The ONLY relief I have found so far (as I am still searching) is an ice pack. I actually have to wrap an ice pack around the area that is itching and I secure it by tying a long thin cloth around it to hold it into place. It is so intense that I feel as if I am going to scream and cry. The more I scratch, the worse the itch becomes to add burning and wounds as if my arm is on fire and itching. I have made scabs from scratching so intensely. I have been searching online for some suggestions as to why this is occurring and am finding several sites that speak of this but provide no answers. A lot of what I am reading is that everyone that has this is getting the "crazy eye" from the doctors. A lot of other documents on line seem to suggest a possible neck injury which I have never included in any of theory’s, but I did have a terrible accident in January of 2005 and this is about the time that this became noticeable. I really believe now that this could be a triggering factor as others have mentioned neck problems. I am going to make an appointment again with or military doctors to include neurologist and see what I can find out. I so sympathize with your mother and any others out there that are agonizing over this. Now if we can find a medical staff/professional that will take us all serious as well! Best wishes and let me know how things work out for your mother. Ice/cold packs will allow her some comfort, but inform her to please be tolerant of the cold pack... that after a few minutes of feeling frozen, she will soon find it comforting.

Very Respectfully,
Night_Angel

Thanks for your reply, what you've been going through sound very similar to my mothers problem. She has had neck x-rays and is now awaiting results although she doesn't hold much hope. My mum has never had any accidents but around the time the itching started she lost a few family members and started the menopause- we thought these might have been possible triggers? She has however noticed that the episodes of intense itching is becoming fewer and far between so we are all holding out hope that it will burn itself out. I would really appreciate if you could keep me posted as to any diagnosis/resolution that you might find and I shall do the same.
really hope you get this sorted some time soon.
kind regards xx

I am going to the doctor tomorrow! I have been searching online and printing out everything I can find so that my doctor can see that not only an I NOT CRAZY, but to weed through the material and start some of his own research to find out what the underlying causes in all of us might be. Someone out there should really be paying attention to all the activity online and realize that this is a serious and growing but unexplained problem and that people are suffering. As for your mom... I would LOVE to say that it will burn itself out, and lets both allow her to have that hope, but the honest truth is that, yes, it does leave for weeks and sometimes months, but it does come back. As for menopause and stress... I just have to argue against that. I just had a hysterectomy on the 26th of June. My life is also better than it has ever been in 41 years. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we, together, will find the cause and a possible cure. I will keep you informed on everything that me and the military medical staff and specialist find or rule out. I am also going to attempt to see if my medical coverage will allow me to be referred to an acupuncture treatment. I have never been to one and have never even considered one, but I have a twin sister who I was telling about your story and we were catching up on mine, when she suggested giving it a try. Trust me; with the sleepless nights... I will try ANYTHING to find a resolve.
Best wishes to you and your mom XX

The arms are the easiest place to reach and scratch... no woman wants to scratch her face to shreds. I think there is a large psychological componed to this.

You are certainly no genuis! You need to read all of the information and research this online more to see just how many people are actually dealing with this painfully unexplained itching! No one here is crazy and this is by far NOT Psychological! I have found within just two days of research over 100 people who are currently attempting to find medical answers to this and some have been "SUFFERING and having to JUST DEAL" with it for over 13 years. Do some research before you accuse people of have psycological issues. That is just rude and VERY unthoughtful and inhumane!

People *suffer* from psychological conditions. Also, many people like to be unwell for their own various reasons. :)

I have similar itching in my feet and sometimes in my hands. The itching is inside. One doctor said it could be the beginning of nerve damage since I have diabetes. Others didn't know what was causing it. The itch is very real and so severe at time you will do anything to relieve the itch.

I have found that when the itching starts if I will ignore it (DON'T SCRATCH IT!) it will finally go away. When I scratch it gets worse and last for days. The itching is unbearable but scratching makes it worse.

Hi cheryl85

The trouble with itching is it's a vicious circle, the more you scratch, the more you want to.

There is actually a medical term for it, which escapes me for the moment.

I had a similar thing many years ago, but with me it was my back, it drove me crazy.

I went to the doctors, who perscribed... E.45 dry skin cream... available almost any where, with out a perscription, they also do a... E.45 itching cream now, as well.

THis did the trick... my doctor said it was all down to nerves and stress.

Try it it just might work..

My husband has had itching for almost a year now. The Drs have given up and now he goes to a Chiropracter he is getting better. I prefer an osteopath myself for treatments. Subluxation in the neck area can cause many different problems. You should check it out.:)

My son has had an itch on his forearms for over a year and a half. He has also developed a lump on his neck which appears to be a muscular problem as no problems show on an x-ray. He goes crazy itching at night but scabies medicine doesn't clear it. Nor any eczema medication, anti-histamine or cortisone products. I would really like to hear the results of your mothers' x-ray outcome as we are getting desperate.

This is abdullatif from saudi arabia
I think she should ventelate the house and put bed and bed linen in the sun for few hours if it is at all possible in your kind of weather.
Also making camomile tea every day once in the morning & once in the evening just the one cup.( small cup )
Put 50 grammes of camomile buds in pre heated water and wait for 10 minutes before adding to your bath tub where you should sit for 20 minutes.
If all does not work please correspond to ( [email protected] ) my e-mail for further suggestions all natural none chemical and free advice.

I to am experiencing a KILLER ITCH located on the top of my arms. So severe and nothing works! Itch is thought to be nuerogenic, as there are no apparent skin rashes, only marks from me clawing at my skin. I am currently looking into a disorder called "BRACHIORADIAL PRURITUS". Ask your dermatologist about this condition. It is thought to be connected with a neck problems. GOOD LUCK