Itching all over my body for 3 months.

[Shin]

Hello,

Since a week or 10 i am suffering from itching skin ALL over my body, it started out when a friend of mine came to sleep over for two weeks. He had been suffering from itchy skin as well he told me. (not as bad as mine at the moment)

So after a week or so i noticed my skin started to itch randomly on random places. This stayed for over 3 weeks until i decided to ask him, he went to a skin doctor who could not find anything by him, he let himself be tested on skin deceases and conditions (he also had a case of psoriasis) At the moment he doesn't have itching problems.

Anyways my itching didn't pass and i went to the doctor here myself who checked my skin out and told me i wasn't suffering from any skin decease or condition because there were no signs (besides my own scratch marks) to be seen of any rash or condition. She explained me that if it would be a condition i would have symptoms before or alongside with the itching.

She gave me menthol creme. That creme didn't work out much and after two weeks it only got slowly worse and i went back.
Then she gave me hydroxyzine pills wich DO work but make me lazy and sleepy as hell throughout the day. Also when i stop the pills the itching comes back.

Mostly on the day i have little itchings but it gets worse in the evenings (before i go to bed) and it gets worse by the day and the most itching is on my head, upper legs, pube area, penis/foreskin (wich is incredibly annoying!!) shins, elbows, butt and hands. It itches so bad i just scratch and scratch allot, i even cut my nails so short i can only scratch myself for the minimum. But due to all the scratching i get allot of rashes and stains and marks on my body, on the upper legs and on the penis now as well. My foreskin itches so bad sometimes i just wanna cry!!

Still besides my scratch marks/stains i have no visible symptoms. But after 10 weeks Im going crazy, what could this be? What can i do??

Thanks ALLOT in advance!

[Dr.Deepak]

This could just be skin infestation by lice or scabies. scabies usually is accompanied by bumps on penis and severe itching during night. Do u have any bumps on penis..? Sometimes internal disease like liver disease,kidney disease, diabetes, thyroids disorders and blood disorders are also associated with itching without any visible signs. As you said it started right after your friend visit it probably might be lice or scabies. But for any itching without any visible rash detail systemic examination should be done to exclude internal disease. please take a second opinion from the doctor if itching is severe without any rash. if everything comes out normal than taking antihistamines ( anti-itch medications) and slowly decreasing over 3-4 months might help.

[Shin]

I do have 3 bumps now since 4 days, wich i actually reckon are due to the scratching. I told the doctor i suspected scabies but she ensured me i didnt because i didnt have the visible symptons and i read that there should be visible symptons of scabies after about 2-6 weeks and its been 3 months, im chexking my skin but cant find a thing, i also have a bedpartner who doesnt seem to have anything nor does my mother or brother.

One thing though, my dog itches just as much as i but i dont see a connection as i asked the vet if there could be something contagious between dogs and humans and she said no. The dog also has been checked multiple times thouroughly.

Also the sleepover guy was tested for scabies and was negative
Still i myself dont rule out scabies but i dont have the visible symptons...

I also didnt change shampoo or washing products for clothes or bed, notjing has changed but i defenitly know i got something :-/

[Shin]

Ive submitted a bloodtest at the hospital yesterday, ill get the result in 3 days (friday i hope) And tomorrow i have an appointment with the dermatologist.

But today, i have discovered flea infection by my dogs (both of them) quite severe. Could this be any connection to my own itching? I have read that flea's cannot survive on humans (flea's from dogs) and I've been checking my body thoroughly now but I'm not sure if that is possible.

Any idea about that?

Thank you

[vencasand]

ah, fleas, yes they can bite you then jump back on your dog. fleas can make you itch really bad. after you get rid of the fleas from your dogs, spray their beds with safe disinfectant. if you treat them with ingested flea killer the fleas that bite them die. bathe them well and safely. the topical flea killer we have here in the usa is really good. i don't know what is available in the netherlands.

[Dr.Deepak]

yea dog fleas might also be another cause of itching, other possible cause may be just dry skin, it might also be due to allergy to some foods u are taking or any medications. But as suggested above chronic itch without any visible rash might also be due to several internal disease. I guess u visited doctor today, let us know what he/she thinks.

[Dr.Saiyan]

By the way how old are u?merely dry skin can also cause itching problems, so try to maintain proper hydration of your skin by drinking lots of water.As u already to seem to rule out the possibility of scabies, i would also like to draw your attention for the possibility of internal diseases like diabetes,gastritis due to H.pylori and prostrate disorders in men along with liver,kidney and thyroid disorders.Dog mite can also cause itching of human skin but clear papular urticarial rashes are visible in that case.

[Shin]

By the way how old are u?merely dry skin can also cause itching problems, so try to maintain proper hydration of your skin by drinking lots of water.As u already to seem to rule out the possibility of scabies, i would also like to draw your attention for the possibility of internal diseases like diabetes,gastritis due to H.pylori and prostrate disorders in men along with liver,kidney and thyroid disorders.Dog mite can also cause itching of human skin but clear papular urticarial rashes are visible in that case.

I am male, 23 years old, I tend to drink allot of water whenever i can. But i don't rule out the possibility of internal deseases...


I went to see the dermatologist today, she said all the symptoms of scabies (the places i had itching, wrists, pube area, hands, fingers etc, but no dark spots or real tunnels) so she took some skin samples BUT could not find ANYTHING of scabies.

She went to get her supervisor, who also took more skin samples and checked them under the microscope. She also could not find anything, she checked for like 10 minutes with different scopes and could not find any trace of scabies on either of my skin samples.

Still she prescribed me with pills against scabies, wich are freaking expensive. Furthermore i find it more then odd that when 2 dermatologists find NO actual trace of scabies at a patient with itching and scabies LIKE (could also be exceem or other disorders, wich they didn't rule out) symptoms over 10 weeks (i know that scabies show around 2-4-6 weeks)to be prescribed with pills against scabies. She said we should try to rule out the possibility, but then i have to get pills for my mother, brother and bed partner who doesn't have ANY kind of symptoms and we are going already since 8 weeks together and he has no symptoms whatsoever.

I don't believe it's scabies or else they would have found a trace, but i think its not really good to still prescribe pills for it rather then checking for other possibilities, wich she realized there could be but 1st wanted to try scabies pills.

Tomorrow i will get the result of the bloodtest. And i will ask for a 2nd opinion at another dermatologist.

Maybe i can post a picture here if that would make anyone here get a clue about what I'm dealing with.

Thanks for answering again

[vencasand]

i am at a loss for the "pills for scabies" i have worked at a pharmacy for 35 years and i never have heard of pills for scabies. there are antihistamines for itching but none that i know of for scabies. now she is treating the whole family without a reason? please get the results from the blood tests. good luck, sending blessings.

[Shin]

The pills are called "Ivermectine" and seem to be quite new, only thing is they aren't ensured and cost allot.

I went to my doctor today and expained the situation, she found it weird that the dermatologist prescribed me with medication for scabies withouth actual scabies being diagnosed and merely based on my symptoms.

She would call the dermatologist and let me know, for now I'm awaiting a 2nd opinion from another dermatologist next week. My doctor advised me to wait for that and don't start treatment yet.

Nobody that is close around me has any symptoms and I'm itching for 10 weeks now, had it been scabies wouldn't it have been visible by now? Especially under a scope or by anyone close to me?

Btw the bloodresults shown no abnormalities, I'm perfectly healthy, so I'm kinda curious to see what else it might be then...

Could it be stress? *itching is quite severe at times*


Thanks for the blessings