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Does anyone ever experience uncontrollable itching?

  1. Yes, I have had it for several years. I had not been diagnosed with MS until last week so mostly dermatologists talked about it being caused from anxiety. I believe it is from the MS and I have found since my Neurologist changed my meds and increased my Gabapentin I am getting some relief. Unfortunately, I will need to live with the scars.

    1. I cannot take Gabapentin it causes me to have seazeres. I have itching on my feet and head it drives me nuts. I haven't been diagnosed with MS yet but I have 19 out of 20 symtoms. My biological father had it was diagnosed when he was 62 died at 83.Im 62

  2. I've had bad itching since long before I was diagnosed with MS. It would come up at night, particularly on my arms but could come up anywhere. Red spots and blotches would come up. I scratch so hard I would tear my skin even when I was asleep!

    It's basically been blamed on urticaria and I take antihistamine tablets daily which seems to keep it under control. I've had to change the type of antihistamine when one type stopped working after a number of years but a different type I take now settled it down again.

    That's just my experience and I'm glad it doesn't appear to be another MS symptom for me.

    1. Anyone feel like they have ants crawling under their skin? Those sensations used to freak me out.... mostly my scalp and face. I REALLY DID check for critters a few times!! I also get generalized urticaria(especially my arms and legs) I have given myself bruises from scratching. It could b worse..... THE CRITTERS COULD B REAL😀

      1. Hahah great point ! Still, I can imagine this must feel so uncomfortable and freaky. As you can see from the other comments here, you are not alone. Thank you so much for sharing your experience here. Best, Shelby, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member

      2. I don't even know what to call it, but underneath my fingernails will start itching my hands, my forearms too.... and the ich is so horrid, that it feels like my bones are itching I can scratch till I bleed and it just doesn't stop, the only thing that I have found to help it is freezing cold water.

    2. Terrible itching was my first sign of MS. Back in 1988 when I was 40, I went to NYC with my husband as we had tickets for a Broadway show. My legs were so crazy itchy, I stopped in a hotel rest room in Times Square and took off my pantyhose thinking I must have washed them in a detergent that I was allergic to. I managed to get through the rest of the afternoon, went home, went to sleep and woke up the next day, totally numb from the waist down.
      I mean, I could walk with no problem but had no feeling. As one can imagine, it was scary. The numbness gradually went away slowly after a few days but that incident led me to seek some answers. At that long ago time ago of 30 years, I did not have an MRI (not sure if they were perfected yet) but had many other tests including a lumbar puncture. The docs suspected MS but it was never confirmed. All symptoms magically disappeared for 13 years.
      I lived happily during that time with absolutely no symptoms till they came roaring back in 2001 at which time I had my official diagnosis. I'm still a happy person but now I certainly have my limitations.

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