Itchy shins especially at night

[mille]

I hope you all have a lovely painfree as possible easter. I am just wondering if i am the only one with this problem and what's causing it. I feel the front of my legs get so itchy it is driving me mad and it get's worse when i'm in bed. I was sitting watching telly the other night and when i looked at them i had even caused them to bleed a bit with all the scratching even although i try not to. xx

[fyrefly]

I do millie....try moisturising them, I find it helps

[mille]

Thanks, i will try that x

[allanah]

Have unchanged your bath oil or washing powder? That can cause itching and dry skin?

[allanah]

That of course should have been changed!

[mille]

No Allanah i haven't and my legs also feel that they are on fire, i do use moisturiser but not every time i shower so i will try and moisturise more but even when i do i still feel it hot and itchy and because the skin on my shins are so thin i try not to scratch in case i infect them, i don't know if it could be the medication i am on and it has felt much worse since starting rituximab.

[pip12]

Hi Millie - I to suffer with itching when I get into bed but mine is my ankles, I have scratched so much I have made them bleed. Moisturiser has worked for me too. I have a pot on the side of the bed and every night I put some on and it seems to do the trick.

Anyway good luck with it, anything is worth a try as itching drives you mad. xx

[Hidden]

Try Aquaporeous (think thats how it spelt!)cream or Sudocreme..believe me it works, hot showers/baths, cold weather and central heating on a lot more in this weather, can play havoc with our skin.. Hope it improves soon

[mille]

That's a good idea Pip, my ankles also burn and itch and drive me mad so i will keep some at side of bed. xx

[mille]

Thanks Maddie, i will try that too, anything that helps will be worth it xx

[Hidden]

maybe an anit histamine could help eg piriton check at local pharmacy on this as they will have your meds record x

[Hidden]

Hi Millie

Sorry it's called Aqueous cream... You can get in boots I got my in the supermarket pharmacy. I get the same thing on my hands especially in cold weather and a friend who had the same itching on you on her shins recommended it to me,

Maddie x

[ellybw]

I too get this on my shins, have had it on and off for a couple of years- since symptoms of RA first started and also get it on my upper arms. Sometimes you just have to scratch and once I start I can't stop. Did speak to the DR and she said she could prescribe something if it got unbearable but to try baby oil in the shower in the morning and moisturising before bed. It has improved a bit but still get the odd day when I sit watching telly scratching away! It also seems to flare just before the joints do!

[mille]

Thanks girls, i appreciate all your reply's and think if others are having the same problems then it probably is related to the r/a. even when i was out this afernoon i could feel the burning on my legs and ankles xx

[Hidden]

I used to get exactly the same thing - how can this be? It seems like such a random thing. It was much worse before I started on Methotrexate I think, I too used to scratch till I bled. In my case it did seem that the more I scratched, the more it itched so I just about managed to resist and it did get gradually better. Looking back I'm wondering if Mtx helped it ??? It still threatens to start up sometimes & I quickly try to distract myself - not at all easy if it happens at nighttime.

Sorry I haven't got any better advice than to resist the urge to scratch if at all possible!

Luce x

[stbernhard]

Hi mille, I am battling with itching all over my body since being on RA drugs. The back and flanks are the worst. I have overcome the itchiness on my shins, ankles etc. by rubbing in SHEA BUTTER every morning. It's a 100% natural product. If I don't use it for a few days, the itching comes back. Good luck. Hope you can improve soon.

[mille]

Thank you all so much, i too get itching on other parts of my body. Some days it is worse than others, at the moment my neck and chest area is itching like mad. Somedays it is more lke a tingling but always there to some extent. This r/a has a lot to answe to. Take care girls and have a locely easter sunday. xx

[beechy]

So glad Ive come across this blog. My shins have been itching about 3 weeks now. I thought it was something to do with the hayfever starting as I have suffered from grass pollen alergy for many years. I take medication for hayfever such as antihistamines so would not think the itching is related except in coincidently in timing. Have a lot of other ideas thanks to this site so will be trying them out before I go mad with it. I'm a 55 yr old male, suffer mostly evening & nights.

[tansy-ann8]

I have suffered with this for years, always at night and I do not suffer from RA - it has been so severe, that on occasions the only way to obtain relief is to wrap freezer blocks in a small towel or flannel and hold it on my shins - even in the winter!! yes; I use moisturiser very day after my bath, sometimes I have tried Lanacane which helps depending on the severity of the itch. It is a nightmare and I feel slightly better knowing it's not just me.

[jksurf]

Itching between my knees and shins drove me nuts for about 8 years. I tried all kinds lotions , changing soaps etc. doctors couldn't pinpoint a reason. I finally tried tinactin( Athlete's foot spay ) and within a week low and behold the itching stopped. I now use it once a week. when i get out of the shower daily I use baby powder down there on days other than the tinactin spay days.

[Smith31]

I get this too! Mine is my shins, i notice when my legs get warm my shins get crazy itchy and anybheat makes it worse. I get in a bath and feel like my shuns are on fire to the point i draw blood i scratch them so much......I don't know whats causing it. I notice it only happens in winter. 😞

[DarkEarth435]

Try an ice pack on them or a fridge chilled water pack, the scratching makes them hot and agitated, I did that myself and it works, you need to cool them down, it can also be down to circulation, even irritation caused by sweat under socks, can happen after a good walk etc.

[erniefixx in reply to DarkEarth435]

you won't believe this but get a cup of warm water add 1 teaspoon of sugar and dab it on, sounds crazy but it does work

[KatrinaP]

Hi

After reading posts, suffering from excusiatingly itcy shins I was desperate to find anything new I could try. 2x daily mosturizing and 3% cortisone cream didn't work and rash was getting worse. Someone suggested an antifungal. I found Hydrozole antifungal cream in the cupboard and applied it. Almost instant relief, Redness and swelling lumps reduced by 50% and itch reduced by 90%. Fingers crossed it continue to improve. I'll update soon.

Cheers Katrina

[erniefixx in reply to KatrinaP]

you won't believe this but get a cup of warm water add 1 teaspoon of sugar and dab it on, sounds crazy but it does work