Itchy?

[AlexC]

Does anyone else get an aura of itchiness? I'm not talking the crawling skin feeling, though I get that sometimes. I'm talking a clothes ripping off/itching powder on the skin kind of itch. I can't really tell if it's an aura or from meds. I don't have a rash. *confused*

 

[MAB]

I got something like that after being on Keppa for 4 days. I had to take predisone and the itching finally went away after 6 days. Mine was purely related to meds.

 

[masterjen]

I have had itching without rash, close to the time of starting a new medication so happens in that phase of gradually increasing the dose to desired levels. This has occurred with both Tegretol and Vimpat for me, and maybe with Keppra but I'm not positive on that one. The itching would intensify shortly after taking a dose, and last for an hour or two. It's as though my body needed time to get used to the new medication, and once I had been taking each one for a while (couple of months) the itching went away. Fortunately it was never severe, and using a mild hydrocortisone cream was enough to provide relief.

 

[MrE]

I get fuckin itchy out of nowhere...I usually notice it when I'm getting irritated or frustrated...ironically I don't experience this dreadful sensation when I'm physically active or exercising...must be a mental thing

 

[MrE]

I take that back...well kind of...I know that energy moves around in the body and can cause different sensations...such as itchiness

 

[Endless]

Does anyone else get an aura of itchiness? I'm not talking the crawling skin feeling, though I get that sometimes. I'm talking a clothes ripping off/itching powder on the skin kind of itch. I can't really tell if it's an aura or from meds. I don't have a rash. *confused*

Is it temporary, lasting a few minutes? Or is it all the time? An aura would tend to be more on the temporary side.

A good step might be to see your primary care doctor, just to rule out allergies, microscopic friends (e.g. scabies), an illness, etc. What med again? Some of them need blood panels taken once in awhile to check how it's affecting your body. Have your kidneys been tested lately?

A form of paresthesia (pins and needles) can feel a lot like itching and it can get pretty awful. It can be caused by nerve damage or meds. Topamax especially is infamous for it.

If it's the kind of thing that responds to anti-itch cream, I just love clear calamine lotion. It's cheap non-drug.

 

[qtowngirl]

welcome
so you're on lamictal ey, some do experience itchiness with that. how long ago did you start taking it?

 

[AlexC]

It's temporary, but highly irritating, especially at work (I work in high end retail)! Last blood panel was about a year ago. I had been on Carbamazipine and before that, Topomax. I'm now on Lamictal since July. It doesn't respond to anti-itch creams, so I'm on the side of an aura. Thanks for helping me try to figure this out!

 

[MrE]

so so itchy...so so scratchy...
so so itchy...so so scratchy...

what's that? you need a back scratcher?
well then let me give you a hand there...

*itch*itch*itch*
*scratch*scratch*scratch*
*itch*itch*itch*
*scratch*scratch*scratch*

oh no...
it's moving...it's traveling...it's moving...it's spreading
omg...
help! ahhh! help! ahhh!



mmmm...that's the spot...

 

[qtowngirl]

itchiness is not described as part of simple partial seizures. a number of physical feelings in our sensory area, such as a sensation of "pins and needles" or numbness can happen, some people even experience pain.
as masterjen said it's often a medication, and many cause it. depends what you're on and what dose, good to see your doc about possibly trying something where 'itchiness' is low on the side effect list. also a chance there is coindication of two meds affecting each other, that can cause issues as well.

 

[AnneN]

I get itchiness in the same areas that i also get the crawly skin aura, so i definitely think that the itchy is another aura. At first i thought that it was me being irritated by my washing powder, so i swapped to hyper sensitive washing liquid, but it didn't go away. I also note that it happens around the time that I am lying in bed about to go to sleep, which is when I tend to get a number of auras - so maybe connected to sleep seizures? I also get this thing (before I fall to sleep) where it feels that the objects around me seem to get very close and then move far away. (strange). It is not a horrible feeling, rather pleasant actually. I also get audio auras, I have notes of a piano sound in my head. I am on sodium volprate for grand mal. Cheers....

 

[qtowngirl]

welcome to cwe anne

an aura is a seizure (simple partial seizure), and thobeit small it carries the widest range of symptoms than any other seizure type. it is categorized into 4 areas... Motor, Sensory, Autonomic, and Psychic (this one is very common); i bolded what category you're experiencing falls in...

Sensory seizures:
These cause changes in any one of the senses. People with sensory seizures may smell or taste things that aren't there; hear clicking, ringing, or a person's voice when there is no actual sound; or feel a sensation of "pins and needles" or numbness. Seizures may even be painful for some patients. They may feel as if they are floating or spinning in space. They may have visual hallucinations, seeing things that aren't there (a spot of light, a scene with people). They also may experience illusions—distortions of true sensations. For instance, they may believe that a parked car is moving farther away, or that a person's voice is muffled when it's actually clear.

what i was getting at prior post was that itching is not a stated symptom among anything i've ever read. as simple partials ran my life for almost 20 years i've scoured books and sites and asked doctors and 'itching' has never been mentioned. on the other hand, if anyone can find it in an epilepsy review or journal pls post. my educated guess is that it's a secondary issue due to meds or stress or a combo of these things going on in the system. aed's can wreak havoc sometimes, some are known for itchiness, ie: lamictal/lamotrigine. good to delve deep into whatever you're taking.

 

[MAB]

Sensory seizures:
These cause changes in any one of the senses. People with sensory seizures may smell or taste things that aren't there; hear clicking, ringing, or a person's voice when there is no actual sound; or feel a sensation of "pins and needles" or numbness. Seizures may even be painful for some patients. They may feel as if they are floating or spinning in space. They may have visual hallucinations, seeing things that aren't there (a spot of light, a scene with people). They also may experience illusions—distortions of true sensations. For instance, they may believe that a parked car is moving farther away, or that a person's voice is muffled when it's actually clear.

I have a question regarding sensory seizures. I have simple partial seizures according to my doctor. I perceive a feeling of weakness in my leg arm and/or leg, smell non-existent odors, occasionally experience a feeling of having applied Vicks to my skin, usually throat, experience bad tastes or textures in my mouth, and see flashing or dimming lights. I once experienced the upper part of my dinning room rise up.

Is it typical to experience auras in almost all my senses, taste, smell, touch/feel, vision? Or is it usually isolated to just one or two senses?I don't think I have heard anything.

 

[MAB]

I forgot to ad, the last time I saw the flashing/dimming lights I just busted out crying for no reason.

 

[qtowngirl]

hi mab,

MOTOR: "weakness in my leg arm and/or leg"
SENSORY (as described above): "smell non-existent odors, occasionally experience a feeling of having applied Vicks to my skin, usually throat, experience bad tastes or textures in my mouth, and see flashing or dimming lights. I once experienced the upper part of my dinning room rise up."

here are the other 3 of the 4 categories:

Motor seizures:
These cause a change in muscle activity. For example, a person may have abnormal movements such as jerking of a finger or stiffening of part of the body. These movements may spread, either staying on one side of the body (opposite the affected area of the brain) or extending to both sides. Other examples are weakness, which can even affect speech, and coordinated actions such as laughter or hand movements. The person may or may not be aware of these movements.

Autonomic seizures:
These cause changes in the part of the nervous system that automatically controls bodily functions. These common seizures may include strange or unpleasant sensations in the stomach, chest, or head; changes in heart rate or breathing; flushing or sweating; or goose bumps.

Psychic seizures:
These seizures change how people think, feel, or experience things. They may have problems with memory, garbled speech, an inability to find the right word, or trouble understanding spoken or written language. They may suddenly feel emotions like fear, depression, or happiness with no outside reason. Some may feel as though they are outside their body or may have feelings of déja vu ("I've been through this before") or jamais vu ("This is new to me"— even though the setting is really familiar).

flashing/dimming lights out of nowhere are an illusional distortion, and as our senses are very powerful it is not uncommon to emotionally react, even if it's not a conscious reaction. some people laugh when nothing's funny or get very angry for no reason, and crying would fall into that just the same. damn brains ey?!

 

[MAB]

Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I forgot just within the last 2 weeks I noticed a slight quivering in my upper, inner left arm, almost in my arm pit. I am just never sure if is part of the seizure or just some weird experience that probably everyone has from time to time. I wish I would have figured all this out sooner. I am now sure I actually started having seizures while I was still in the hospital after I had a stroke.

 

[qtowngirl]

welcome
yes i've heard and read that seizures are possible after a stroke, when were you diagnosed with epilepsy? before or after the stroke took place?

 

[MAB]

The stroke was 3 1/2 years ago. The seizure DX was last month. I have been complaining of strange symptoms since the stroke but until I finally told them about the odors they didn't get the connection.

Well, the first neuro kind of thought when I complained about extreme exhaustion right after the stroke that it might be seizures. He ordered a one hour EEG and when it came back normal he dismissed my complaints. It's been a long road but I finally feel like I am getting somewhere.

 

[qtowngirl]

He ordered a one hour EEG and when it came back normal he dismissed my complaints.

ahhhh, that's too bad. some neuros good, some not worth five mins of our time. MANY eeg's come back normal, many, which in epilepsy doesn't guarantee a whole lot. this happens to many with e; my personal experience was going in 2003 from 'your eeg's are pretty much (98%) normal, we don't see a whole lot to judge by' (mri's were normal too)... to having brain surgery 3 months ago
ohhhh so there was something ey?! after years of eeg's and mri's a new radiologist to the hospital found a lesion missed by 7 others.
point being that when any professional in this field 'dismisses' something... don't give up. 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions, that's how many i'd need to feel okay about an answer involving my brain. good on ya for getting involved with your recent diagnosis. many members will agree, the person that's best in researching and learning what's happening to us IS US. again, welcome to the site.

now on another note (this happens lots don't feel bad)... let's give the thread back to alex re: itchiness. lol when it comes to partials we could talk all day, so alex, back to you............. :bigsmile:

 

[AlexC]

Sorry for the late reply, Tapatalk for some reason won't let me post. Anyway, it sounds like it's probably an aura for me. I can live with that. Also, don't worry about hijacking the thread; we have E, remember?