I have no rash and no interactions w/medications/vitamins I take (have taken the same for approx 1 yr). This started 4 - 6 wks ago (no dry skin or sun damage). So far, I have tried Cortizone-10, Lamisil, Tinactin, Benedryl cream, Medline Skin Repair cream, Cetaphil, even Selsun Blue (known to clear up skin rashes when nothing else has(it's true, I've seen it)). To date I have had no change or relief. It has kept me awake at night which is extremely frustrating. I've even scratched my arms with a hairbrush (it was so itchy it was the only thing I could think of). Has anyone out there suffered with the same? Is there an OTC cream that works? I can go to my GP but my hours/days of research has shown that docs really don't know the answer and blame "stress". I have been through that before only to find sometime later that I did have something medical and was quickly treated and resolved, that was a bad experience and I don't want to go through that again... that in itself is very stressful! I am under no stress. I have not changed laundry soap, bath soap, perfume, lotions or eating habits. This came on sudden and has NOT gone away. If anyone has had these symptoms, any thoughts you may have is greatly appreciated! (FYI, I am a healthy, 49 yr old female, athletic w/healthy eating) Thank you
Has anyone experienced itchy forearms, from elbow to wrist, no reason?
Question posted by jcpayne04 on 21 July 2012
Last updated on 7 December 2021
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
53 Answers Page 3
Yes I am 59 and I am having the same problem especially in the region in front of the elbow. My skin gets so itchy I scratch until it bleeds. I also have no rash, blisters, pustules, Ecema, or psoriasis. The only thing I recall is this summer I was mowing the lawn and my arms burnt a little. However, I didn’t really start the itching till the fall but I am thinking it’s maybe some kind of reaction to sun damaged skin?? Did anyone else have a similar experience???
Hi... I've had the same symptoms and now take Citalapram 30mg every day and have osteopathic treatment once a month. It used to feel like an army of red hot ants was crawling under my skin and it is a neurological problem. I have scars all over my forearms from endlessly scratching in my sleep but it's much better now and might be worth a try. Good luck.
Brachioradial pruritus,,, is what I have found to probably be the name of what I am experiencing which sounds much like what you are experiencing... no dr. has told me this but no dr. has ever told me what I am dealing with. The issue has been with me for many years... it comes and it goes but sometimes stays for weeks/months and hard to get rid of. I have eruptions that will itch to the point I will do almost anything to get it to stop. Nothing has ever worked to stop the itch except for two things: ICE packs very cold and pressed onto the area for a few min. and the Second thing is an essential oil I buy called Lemongrass Essential oil. I use the Lemongrass oil constantly; keep a bottle beside my bed, use it day and night. It is the only thing I have ever found in all the years of having this that actually stops the itch within minutes!!! Yes, it is great but the itch will come back so it is never seeming to be healed.
It always comes back at some point, next year, next month and never any warning, never any understanding as to why. The name of this condition as I mentioned above is not proven to be the issue medically but it describes exactly what I have. I know of no cure. Ice and Lemongrass essential oil is the only thing I have ever found to bring relief. Sometimes I can't sleep because of it, my arms get torn up from my scratching because I cannot stand the itch. I am hoping someone will come up with a cure for this! Hope this info helps you all.
Brachioradial pruritus. Brachioradial pruritus (sometimes abbreviated BRP) is an intense itching sensation of the arm usually between the wrist and elbow of either or both arms. The itch can be so intense that sufferers will scratch their own skin to a bleeding condition.
Just as a follow up to all my other comments. I have since been diagnosed with histamine intolerance (high histamine, low DAO, as well as some bacteria in my gut). I have done a parasite purge and no longer need to take antihistamines. I am now following a low-histamine diet and the itching has almost disappeared!!
Had this about three months ago,not sure what started it the only thing it seemed to be linked to hollidays in Spain. got the usual tan but instead of skinning arms went mottely as tan wore off and the itching started.
Tried anti-histamines / e45 etc some relief but not much, even stopped me sleeping.Tried ice packs as the brain cannot compute two feelings at same time so it puts cold first so you dont feel the itch until ice is removed and you warm up again so only a short time fix as you cant go to bed with ice packs.
searched the internet for weeks until l came upon someone who said he researched what was in soap and the ph level of a lot of soaps is dangerously high and can over time attack the skin and cause itching.so he recommended only washing in Carex soap as it has a low ph level compatible with your body and it worked.
Amazing l thought not believing it could be that simple but after researching soaps l decided why not try (nothing to loose)
couldnt get Carex but found the next best was Plain DOVE .So started making a point of washing (especially my arms ) in Dove Used No other soap and l did post on this site that after a time if started to ease off and that l would come back to this site to update but the itch Finally Stopped and with no itch to remind me l forgot and for you it might not work but there are at least two of us it DID WORK
All l can say is for the cost of a bar or soap give it a go you have nothing to loose.
By the way l still only use Dove , only now its gone i also use the pump up version as well and still no itch
now an unplesant distant memory.
Regards Norman.
I'm going to try canna cream... I've had this itching for many years I'm going crazy... will let you know how it works...
My arm itches really bad what I use is gold bond rapid relief. Rub it all over the arm then wrap it with an ace bandage and in 5 minutes all the itching goes away it's the best itching cream on the market after the itch goes away then apply aloe Vera and re wrap. And no more itching for hours. Good luck it works for me.
I have to say I have struggled with itchy arms for the last year and a half. I tried different creams, meds etc. I finally started researching things for myself and found what I may have thought might be wrong, and what may possibly work. Long story short my symptoms matched what is called Folliculitus, and one of the things it said to try was Tea Tree Oil. It has helped so much, I am now itch free! The best part is I can sleep at night without feeling like something is crawling on my arms. It may not help everyone but it is worth a shot.
Yes! I've had this for about 2 yrs now. It's getting worse every year. I too experience the painful itch at night. Seems like when I get hot it gets worse. I use anything with lidocaine for pain or biofreeze to cool off my arm. Lately I've scratched my arm almost raw. I've read to put ice packs on the area but who wants to sleep with ice packs. It's also a good idea to keep arms covered in the sun. God bless you and I hope scientists or doctors can help us one day.
Brachioradial pruritus is most likely cause. I have had this for about one and a half years. It gets intense and drives me crazy. I'm 57 years old, female.
You can find out more about this at Mayo Clinic or Medscape websites.
I had terrible itching on my arms too that came out of nowhere. The only thing that helped me was baking soda. Knowing it has multiple uses, including helping elevate itching from posion ivy, posion oak, and poison sumac, I thought I'd give it a try. I wet my arms with cool water and rubbed in the baking soda. I let it sit a few minutes then rinsed with cool water then blotted dry. Good old, inexpensive, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3) helped me.
this sounds good also I will try it and see
Had another sleepless night a couple nights ago - my itchy arms at night were hell. Went on a mission to find a remedy and came across Carol Priest's 'Blue Chamomile Skin Salve. This stuff is AMAZING. The relief was virtually instantaneous and last night I had the best sleep I've had in ages. Even a 0.1% Mometasone prescription from the pharmacy had little effect. FYI, I am a 54 year old male with a healthy lifestyle and eating habits. I'm now a definite fan of Carol Priest's genuinely natural organic skin care products. Hope it works for you just as well.
My partner has also suggested eating less citrus - it's grapefruit season here in New Zealand - maybe time to ration my intake.
Glad I came across this site. I also have this mean itch it is terrible especially when it acts up when im out and about . my sound dumb but I tried creams and you name , What helps me is toothpaste yes toothpaste. I try to wash it and dry my arm . Than I put toothpaste on sort of thick and let it dry. It's the only thing that helps me and this been going on for along time. No rash no insect bites just that itch. Also when im out and dont have nothing I tried and it worked for awhile was ketchup I know sounds like yeh right but it does relieve it until you go put the toothpaste on. Let me know how it works for you
I'm a 70 year old female. I've been suffering from intense itching of both arms for a few months now. I didn't use any sun protection at all this year and mostly wore sleeveless vest tops. I read some posts on here at 3am this morning, desperately looking for some relief, and saw that one of my fellow sufferers recommended cold water and toothpaste applied to the affected areas. I did both, and much to my surprise and joy went off to sleep again.
Thank you so, so much. If it's not effective next time, then I will try using Vaseline petroleum jell. Another recommendation on here
Jean
Please give us a hint where we can buy the Blue Chamomile Skin Salve.
I have this too from my wrist to my elbow. It drives me crazy sometimes. It's only been a couple of weeks. At first I thought it was mosquito bites then I thought sunburn, but now I realize it's none of those. I can't believe how much it itches!
l had this problem start after coming back from Spain and it drove me crazy to the point l was using a comb to try to satisfy the itch and sometimes drawing blood. As some people have said ice helps as the brain can only receive one message from the arm at a time but within minuites after removing the ice it re-appeared
.At the moment l (after searching the web for hours )l have put mine down to liquid soap ( the ph value is stripping the good bacteria off the skin thus allowing bad bacteria to attack it.
l read on a forum that one sufferer sugested to wash with Caress soap and he got relief , l thought it must be rubbish but had nothing to loose. Couldn't find Caress so went online to read up on " soaps " only to be amazed of what is in most soaps.
Now after checking out the ph value of soaps l found that " Dove " is one of the best with a ph of 6.(your body is apparently between 4.5 to 5.5 ) and the one l was using was 9.
SO FAR although only on day 4 the itching is subsiding and l am no longer using E45 itch cream . Nothing other than Dove soap and it seems my natural ph is returning to normal.
This may NOT work for you but it has for me and it is worth a trh for the cost of a bar of soap.
All the best.
I had also read about using Caress soap. It seemed so unlikely that I suspected it was posted by somebody who worked for Caress. My forearm started itching again a couple of days ago and there was no relief whatsoever from scratching (this happens every year or so). The itch comes and goes but sometimes persists for hours and makes it difficult to sleep. I got a bar of Caress at Safeway and because I was under "itch attack" I went to the restroom right away and washed my forearm. The relief was immediate! (It was about 95% improved.) Throughout the day the itch would give little signals of wanting to come back, so I kept washing my arm every three hours or so. This is only the end of the first day, but so far I am encouraged! I noticed that Caress also has a body lotion, so I will try that also. If it works, I'll keep small bottles stashed in handy places and in my cars.
Later: The Caress lotion did not work, but the Caress soap continues to have good results and reduces the itching by about 95%.
My itching started a month ago in Italy, I realized it started when fabrics was touchingg the skin only my left arm really itches,right is ok. It stopped after putting aloe vera but would flare up a few days later, came back on the plane after my shirt sleeve went down to the spot. I also think the soap could have triggered something because I use always biodegradable here but used some smelly ones over there. It is ok with no fabric over the skin but I put big bandaids to wear sleeves in the cold.
Try rubbing itching Area with petroleum jelly. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Repeat as needed.
I will give this a try next time I get it. At the moment it is okay. Some detergents like Cold Power and Dynamo have had the phospherous removed and many many people are having reactions to the new products. Rashes on arms and continual itches. Some people have it all over their bodies but mainly arms. Even from folding clothes. I have thrown them out but do have a pinched nerve in my neck which flare up at times. The petroleum jelly sounds like a good idea. Thankyou
I will try that too (the petroleum jelly). The prescription antihistamines are not working this time around, but lidocaine works sometimes and sometimes I have to get up in the middle of the night and put an icepack on one or both of my arms. It's so weird that it mostly flares up at night. I have scabs all over my arms from scratching too. So irritating. I spoke to my chiropractor about the pinched nerve theory and he is working with me to see if that's it. My neck is extremely tight, so I'm crossing my fingers that I get some relief soon.
About 8 months ago my right forearm from forefinger to elbow stArted itching like crazy for no reason. At the time I thought it might be attributed to an allergic reaction from eating an excessive amount of tomatoes as garden food had started coming in. I stopped seating tomatoes but itching continued. I tried cortisone creams and no help. My daughter a nurse practioner suggested I try rubbing Vaseline on it. I had some petroleum jelly available so I tried that and it's been about 2 months and it works really well. If I go for Awhile without using it the itch starts back. I put more jelly on it and in a day or so I'm fine again. I hope this will be helpful to you as well.
i find coconut oil and aloe vera gel keep down the itching. but when i take my evening niacin tablet the itching starts again.
Firstly, I'm so relieved to see that I'm not the only person on the planet with this weird condition. I thought I'd start simple as steroid creams are not helping at all. I've been using petroleum jelly for 3 days and have noticed a huge improvement already. Thank you soooo much for your advice. I'm a Nurse and have had so many conflicting diagnoses
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