severe prickling itching & crawling of skin ? - Thyroid UK

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severe prickling itching & crawling of skin ?

Anon_77 profile image
63 Replies

Hi. Does anyone else get this symptom?

I first went to docs with it before even being on thyroid meds and all blood vitamins cortisol and iron was in range other than my thyroid.

Why does this happen and what do you do to help it ?

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Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77
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63 Replies
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

when were B12 and folate levels last tested?

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toSlowDragon

that’s interesting is cramp in the hands at all related do you know?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toTSH110

carpal tunnel is common hypothyroid symptom

Cramp generally low magnesium, common with low vitamin, or if supplementing vitamin D and not also taking magnesium

Many patients on levothyroxine need to take vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin B complex (sometimes separate B12 as well) to maintain good levels …..testing at least annually

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toSlowDragon

the docs checked me for carpal tunnel syndrome and said I didn’t fit the symptoms - they did a few things to my hand and wrist. I was taking iron D3/K2 and B complex all better you but have lapsed… in the last month . Haven’t taken magnesium or zinc for some time now.

I think I need to get a test done to see if all my levels are ok.

It’s like solving a mystery!

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toSlowDragon

all in range ! always have had decent labs for nutrients :) B12 is 638 !

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toSlowDragon

forgot to add that as I actually cannot absorb or take iron / glutathione / omega 3 (makes me quite unwell) my functional friend mentioned I might need to look into methylation of liver as my liver may not be absorbing my thyroid meds well enough which makes sense if I can’t absorb the above either ! Altho in range which is odd. But liver has a lot to do with this itching symptom. I will do a OAT test he says will help find causes :)

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply toAnon_77

In range isn't good enough. Your result needs to be in the upper part of the reference range.

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toJaydee1507

they all are ;)

Jaydee1507 profile image
Jaydee1507Administrator in reply toAnon_77

Hve you tried antihistamines? An elimination diet might help you pinpoint if foods are the problem.

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree

Hi Anon_77,

That crawling sensation I've had previously when my B12 was low.

Do you have any recent B12 blood test results?

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toHedgeree

all B12 and vits have always been optimal for me iron etc all good had them done annually this all started since 3 years ago B12 Is 638

TSH110 profile image
TSH110

tell me about it I’m plagued with it even after thyroid meds good - drives me nuts!

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toTSH110

yep it’s horrible ! I wonder if mine is oestrogen related as it started when on cycle this time so going to if there is a link next time !

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toAnon_77

Mine is usually in the evening I suspect a body clock (we have lots of them setting off hormones and the like) is setting it off, but who knows. A neurologist told me if pain comes on at a certain time it is often neurological but I don’t know if that holds for itching probably endocrinological if there is such a word…it’s probably ‘hormonal’ 🤣🤣🤣

Bmco profile image
Bmco

same here - recently put a post on about this myself. I’ve been put on antihistamine which helps but having spoken with some really helpful folks on here I’m back for a review this week! It’s awful and come in really intense bursts for me. Scalp is particularly bad - people must think I have nits 🤣

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toBmco

Lol! When we were at primary school and the nit nurse came we’d stand in a line on the corridor waiting or turn to have our scalp examined, chanting “Nitty Nora the biddie explorer!”

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toTSH110

bless you this is hard to deal with isn’t it !!

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toBmco

yep same !!

Marymary7 profile image
Marymary7

I had the same itching when I took too much Thyroid Gold from Dr Lowe’s American company. It was when I upped the dose and it went when I lessened it.

Bmco profile image
Bmco in reply toMarymary7

if you don’t mind me asking, how long did it take to lessen?

Marymary7 profile image
Marymary7 in reply toBmco

Its hard to remember how long, I think only a week or so.

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toMarymary7

funny you say this because I did increase my dose yesterday / however all this first began when I didn’t even use thyroid hormone !

Marymary7 profile image
Marymary7 in reply toAnon_77

Did a Covid jab start it off?

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toMarymary7

hell no! Wouldn’t touch those jabs ! Not after reading reports from Italian endocrine (thyroid) institute!

Marymary7 profile image
Marymary7 in reply toAnon_77

Nor me, not one jab. Depopulation!

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toAnon_77

Same with me and the itching was during periods of underactivity.

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toTSH110

YESSSSSS!!! Me too it happens more when I am relaxed !!! I would love to find out what this is caused by!!

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toAnon_77

I had some pretty weird ideas - the dogs were giving me fleas, but they had no fleas, it was something I was eating so I excluded and excluded but still I itched. Then it was dog dander, things they were bringing in on their fur, not that whippets hold anything to their fur they are pretty self cleaning I still let them in the bed I was so cold they made nice little hot water bottles that never went cold in the night… then it was dust mites , washing powder, then washing liquid, something on in, or part of, my clothes, then something the other half was bringing into the house… dear god anything and everything was blamed. It might have been those cytokinins which cause itching that are released as part of illness, but who knows it most certainly alleviated with thyroid hormone therapy but it’s never gone away completely.

dtate2016 profile image
dtate2016 in reply toAnon_77

It could still be from a fluctuation of T3 / T4 imbalance. The thyroid will continue to try and keep the two hormones in balance, (it is a primary function of the thyroid), whether you are on thyroid hormone replacement or not.

I've had these symptoms only rarely, but recently heard of a Dr. who discovered she herself had Hashimotos, and this itching / tingling was one of her primary / early symptoms. It took her 2 years and more than a dozen specialists to come to a Hashimotos diagnosis. Her story was ran on a National Public Radio program here in the US. Did I mention that she was a Dr.? (Pardon the dark humor)

The best way to help it is to become your own detective and find out how you arrived at a less than healthy thyroid state. It can be a long road, and I have not always been a believer, but I am now 2 years healthy after 30 years on various thyroid hormone replacements. There are some very good thyroid health (alternative medicine) professionals out there. Many, many different pieces to the puzzle. And thyroid medicine is a bit of a band-aid - even a long term crutch that can provide a fairly good life. For myself? I am so happy to have found and applied the dietary protocols (Dr. Alan Christianson's books on Thyroid Reset, and Metabolism Reset). Both have been on the New York Times best seller list.

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise

Severely itchy neck/throat happened last night and I couldn’t stop scratching it roughly. Took an antihistamine to help, later on when I went up to bed and looked in the mirror my neck was bright red.

This morning, it still feels slightly uncomfortable but the redness seems to have gone and myy neck looked as if it had too much skin, so I could pick it up it seemed that loose. Now, after 3/4 hour it seems firmer again. Very strange thing to happen though.

Yesterday morning I did some gardening, I had to cut my comfrey leaves down for the barrel. I got pricked by a couple, (the leaves are hairy) and I had little lumps like bites come up. But they weren’t that bad so whether it had anything to do with that I don’t know.

My B12 is pretty good.

Serum vitamin B12 level 526 ng/L [180.0 - 640.0]

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree in reply toEllie-Louise

Hi Ellie-Louise,

Comfrey can cause skin irritation. I used to grow it and it did cause me to get itchy hands particularly if I got jagged with it. So I started to wear gloves whilst working with it.

Best wishes.

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply toHedgeree

I had gloves on Hedgeree, it got me on my wrist. Lol

I got the sap from the fig tree on my skin once, that burned. Never again. I get my husband to trim it now.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toEllie-Louise

Ellie-Louise,

This abstract might be of some interest.

Oral allergy syndrome to fig

A Antico 1 , G Zoccatelli, C Marcotulli, A Curioni

Affiliations

PMID: 12811022 DOI: 10.1159/000070929

Abstract

Background: The few cases of food allergy to fig reported to date, whose main manifestations were anaphylactic reactions, have been related to a cross-sensitisation to weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) or to the 'latex-fruit syndrome'. Here we report on two cases of the oral allergy syndrome (OAS) to fig in patients whose main allergic manifestations were related to sensitisation to grass and birch pollens.

Methods: The patients were characterised by clinical history, skin prick tests (SPT) with commercial and in-house extracts, prick-by-prick test, specific IgE measurements and challenge tests. PBS-soluble and insoluble extracts of both fig skin and pulp were examined for the presence of potential allergens by IgE immunoblotting.

Results: Both patients showed OAS followed by respiratory symptoms when challenged with fig. They were negative in both specific IgE detection and SPT with commercial extracts of fig and many other plant materials, including F. benjamina and Hevea Brasiliensis, while grass and birch pollens gave positive results. Prick-by-prick tests and SPT with in-house extracts indicated that the fig skin had a much higher allergenicity than the pulp. Despite negative IgE detection by the CAP assay, immunoblotting experiments showed that potential fig allergens were PBS-soluble and present only in the skin of the fruit.

Conclusions: OAS to fig followed by respiratory symptoms can be present in patients not sensitised to weeping fig or having the latex-fruit syndrome. Different parts of the fig can have different allergenicities, the most important allergens being proteins related to the skin of the fruit. Improved commercial fig extracts to be used for the diagnosis of this type of allergy have to be developed.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/128...

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply tohelvella

I am fine with the fig fruit. The tree is Brown Turkey variety.

Funnily enough, I won’t eat melon after having a reaction to that years ago.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toEllie-Louise

It does suggest that the part of the plant is important. As they were focussed on food, they probably didn't check sap - but it seems feasible that the sap has more in common with the skin. But in ripe fruit, maybe the skin has lost all allergenicity.

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply tohelvella

or maybe the wasp had something to do with it 😉

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toEllie-Louise

The fruit has got some wierd connection to a wasp hasn’t it? It’s like an internal flower as I vaguely recall

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply toTSH110

Yes, there is a wasp in every fruit.

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toEllie-Louise

Ah yes I knew it was something like that - it won’t put off eating them! Brown turkey is very nice variety, fun to train as an informal fan on a wall and you get loads of figs 😋 making the brick lined trough to contain the roots is a bit of an undertaking tho.

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply toTSH110

I hate to say it but I think we’ve hijacked the post, we better shut up now. x

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toEllie-Louise

I find some of the coversational off shoots the best bits on here, people come alive when the thyroid tub thumping is momentarily suspended and fun little detours and details of our lives emerge organically 🤣🤣🤣 I quite like the little side roads along the main drag 😉

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply toTSH110

I know, so do, I really like conversations but some forums don’t like it.

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toEllie-Louise

they’re pretty lenient here - thank goodness. Most things are associated in the grand scheme of things as far as I’m concerned 😉

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply tohelvella

It wouldnt pay the fig to make mouth burning fruit how would it spread itself if it’s fruit were inedible. It must keep the sap to protect the immature ones no sap comes out when you pick a ripe fruit but it exudes in plenty when the small fruits are pulled off. It can’t do two harvests in U.K. even with our warmer weather so that’s why they are removed.

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toEllie-Louise

I adore figs but that milky sap is very irritating when you remove the ones that won’t ever fruit in the autumn

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toHedgeree

interesting I’m always digging it out of my allotment

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply toTSH110

Do you use it when you dig it out? Presume we are talking about comfrey.

It makes great plant food, turns into black liquid when the leaves rot down.

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toEllie-Louise

I compost it on the heap and put the leaves down as a mulch around plants. I should do a brew but the smell is too much for me

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree in reply toTSH110

As Ellie-Louise says it makes a great liquid plant food but it is very pungent!

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply toHedgeree

You got that right, talk about a pong!

Our barrel had to be emptied a few years ago for some forgotten reason, so we emptied it on the garden.

You should have heard the Neighbours trying to work out where the smell was coming from…we kept quiet! 😂

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toEllie-Louise

lol it’s not something you’d want to own up to, is it!

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toHedgeree

oh yes it’s dynamite for fertilising plants but smells to high heaven if you make a brew, it’s so bad I only did it once! I put the leaves on the compost and as a mulch around plants. It has high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well as many trace elements. Apparently, comfrey out-performs manure, compost and many liquid feeds for concentration of nutrients. It also has high levels of aromatics - brew it in water at your peril!

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toEllie-Louise

wow yep same here iron and B12 is all in range (private tested and high !)

PixieElv profile image
PixieElv

Could you be menopausal Or pre-menopausal? These symptoms are also associated with menopause. In fact a lot of symptoms between menopause and hypothyroidism are very similar

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toPixieElv

thanks yes I agree they can be related but no not menopausal atm this happened 4 years ago before I even went onto meds and was tested for meno then :) I feel like maybe it’s linked to not enough thyroid medication so just done blood test

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toPixieElv

hahaha that old chestnut everything was all put down to the menopause I was even menopausal after the menopause ended it would seem . It was nothing do with the menopause at all. I even itch now and again 11 years later. A thyroid test would have determined it, why are they so precious about doing them even with a family history of it?

PixieElv profile image
PixieElv in reply toTSH110

menopausal or depression 😂

Here have antidepressants… 🙄

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply toPixieElv

been there done that 🤣🤣🤣

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply toTSH110

hahah yeah always so precious !!!

lauraleeds666 profile image
lauraleeds666

hiya, I get this whenever I have a change in meds. No idea why. Can last a few days to a few weeks - all over body itching. Happened when I went from 50mcg to 75mcg of levo and when i came off levo and went onto NDT

Anon_77 profile image
Anon_77 in reply tolauraleeds666

yes definitely ! I’ve had a change in meds this week so need to work out lab results from my blood test ! I will know hopefully Thursday

london81 profile image
london81

i’ve been getting this since I entered peri menopause. it was worse in the heat.

I’ve been using emoillent to wash, using boots oat cream which is really good for the itching and taking loratdine anti histamine. They have improved it a lot but the reduction in heat has helped.

i’m about to do my yearly thyroid and vitamin test so i’ll check if anything comes up there and let you know

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply tolondon81

Yeah I use cetraben oat cream - it really helps. I do get a bit of prickly heat but also in winter cos I’m swaddled in layer after layer of clothes - I don’t like being cold! I’m not cold like I was before diagnosis it was like being in the artic

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