July 19, 2025

Itchy hands -- Urticaria

--- I am adding this a year later. This has all gone away. I talked to my dermatologist about this and he had no doubt -- Urticaria. He says often (usually?) no definite cause can be identified. I told him I found relief with Benadryl and he said I would probably get equal relief from modern antihistamines like Claritin and such, without the drowsy side effects.

This is a bit of a detective story, so I will begin by describing symptoms. The palms of my hands itch. This is the worst of it, but the itching sometimes affects my wrists also, as well as my ankles and feet.

This itching is unusual, as my skin actually does not seem irritated at all. There is no rash or anything at all unusual about the surface of my skin. Also scratching the itch does not resolve it. It actually makes it much worse (although it feels good while I am actually scratching). When I stop, the urge to scratch is much worse and the best thing (apart from not scratching at all) is to gently run my fingers over the skin, which seems to "reset" the whole urge to itch.

The itching is worse at night and affects my ability to get a good nights sleep.

I am convinced that the itching has nothing at all to do with my skin, and is entirely a matter of my nerves going crazy. I see this described as "peripheral neuropathy" or as a "neuropathic itch".

Sometimes I can see faint red circles under the skin in my palms.

Some history

When this first started, I thought it was related to exposure to some solvents (paint thinner) I was using to clean bicycle parts that I was overhauling. But the itch has not resolved after 6 weeks and I now dismiss that as mere coincidence.

The itching began in mid June of 2025 (let's say June 10).

On May 14, 2025 I went to the hospital for an angiogram and ended up having a stent placed. This led to several change that may be related to the itch. First of all I began taking several new medications, in particular a blood thinner called Prasugrel. The itching started about a month after beginning to take this medication. I was suspicious of this medication and at my request, my doctor switched me to a different one, but after 2 weeks it has made no difference. I also take (and have for a year or so) Lysinopril, which lowers my blood pressure. I experimented not taking this for almost a week, with no change whatsoever. I have also began taking Rosuvastatin, but I started this a week after the itching began, so it can hardly be the cause.

I'll also mention that about a year ago I had a similar episode of such itching, but it went away on its own after a few weeks. It was the same sort of neuropathic "phantom" itching. At the time I figured it was due to exposure to either glues I was using or plastic particles produced by sanding. Apparently not, but the cause remains unknown.

Diet changes

After the stent was placed, I realized that my diet was unhealthy and largely responsible for the heart trouble I was having. So like any sensible person, I was not eager to simply repeat the exercise of having clogged arteries requiring intervention. So I began a serious campaign to fix my diet. Saturated fat is the main culprit, so eliminating it as near as possible -- meat, dairy, and eggs -- became the name of the game.

I read a chapter in a book I have ("How not to die" by Dr. Greger) and he mentions that you absolutely need to take B12 supplements if you embark on a regime that resembles a vegan diet. And he mentions dire consequences if you don't. (Including things as severe as paralysis and blindness).

All of this is true, but was amost certainly a wild goose chase as far as my itching issues.

I was reading about peripheral neuropathy, then decided to do a search about B12 and neurological symptoms. I found statements like these:

Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to nerve damage, causing symptoms like numbness, tingling, and even more severe neurological problems. This damage occurs because B12 is crucial for maintaining myelin, the protective sheath around nerves, which is essential for proper nerve function. Without sufficient B12, myelin can deteriorate, leading to nerve damage and impaired nerve signals.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to impaired cognition and memory along with a sensation of tingling and numbness, an outcome of poor myelination.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to memory loss and other cognitive problems, as B12 is crucial for nerve and brain health. Low B12 levels can be associated with memory issues, including impaired cognition and even dementia-like symptoms.

So I started taking B12, not expecting to see changes for at least a week.

Update -- July 25, 2025

After a miserable night itching and finding it difficult to simply sleep, I is clear that my problem is not a vitamin B12 deficiency. In the morning, when I got home I took some Benadryl and got significant relief.

There is certainly no harm in starting to take B12, but it is not the magic bullet I was looking for.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's home page / tom@mmto.org