It’s just below my rib cage and driving me nuts.
Anyone have a suggestion for any over-the-counter remedies?
For symptomatic relief, I would suggest some combination of antihistamine tablets, calamine lotion or any hydrocortisone cream or ointment your pharmacy sells over the counter. The differential diagnosis might includes fungal infections or other things which need different medicines, so it is worth getting it looked at if it is getting worse or if easy treatments are not providing sufficient relief.
To reduce the itch caused by my dermatitis to a manageable level (i.e. I can resist the urge to scratch) I use a Benadryl topical gel which contains diphenhydramine HCL 2%. It works pretty quickly and stays potent for a while, but that all depends (apparently) on the person, it doesn’t seem to work the same for everyone. It has the advantage of drying quickly, and if there is broken skin it may actually sting a little, which also happens to reduce the urge to scratch.
For the dryness, my favorite lotion is Aveeno, which has oat flour and is very soothing as well as moisturizing. If using both, I would use the Benadryl gel first and maybe wait an hour to put on the Aveeno. If the dryness and itchiness both persist for more than a couple of weeks, I would see a doctor though.
I saw the thread title and have stopped to read, as I currently have a dry place, although not itchy, on my right wrist, it’s tough like a callous.
That actually might be eczema, @Baker . Very treatable. But often another patch will pop up. I’ve had it since I was a child. Don’t scratch. Weeping patches can get infected.
IANAD. Just my experience.
OP, how long have you had that patch?
Lidocaine helps.
My GP recommended hydrocortisone to calm the itching (use sparingly seems to be the common phrase), and prophylactically use any moisturizer (generic aqueous cream seems to be the best value, but some manufacturers put too much disinfectant in). I find I’m slopping aqueous cream on most mornings.
Avoid creams with lanolin.
Personally coconut based ones bother me. So if one isn’t helping try another. You’ll never run out of choices.
Alot are mostly water.
Unscented baby oil is good. Mineral oil is good. Can be sticky tho’.
And if you wanna go all out, Vaseline.
I endorse Aveeno for dry skin conditions. I’ve had eczema since I was a child and it’s the only general moisturiser that seems to help. I use the cream which is thicker than some of their daily moisturisers. I use hydrocortisone cream for flair ups, but very sparingly as ultimately it thins the skin so long term could cause more damage.
The best thing I ever did to tackle my eczema was having a water softener installed. The clear up of my skin has been spectacular.
My usual go-to for itchy skin used to be LANACANE. Stuff was a gift from the heavens. The anesthetic ingredient was Benzocaine. Alas, the proliferation of Lidocaine in damn near everything has pushed Lanacane off the shelf. I used Lanacane for everything: insect bites, sunburn, dishpan hands, any new, temporary situation that would make me itch.
I grieve.
I’ve tried products with Lidocaine, and they simply aren’t as effective as Lanacane with its Benzocaine.
I’ll admit, I’m an old lady, and often old ladies itch in places we don’t like to talk about. I have been using Vagisil and store brand imitators for a hundred years. They all contain Benzocaine. Well, those products are getting harder and harder to find. I bet they all fall off the shelf like Lanacane.
Yeah, I will probably have to switch to Lidocaine-containing creams. BUT! I have chronic pain, and I’m in Pain Management. Along with the monthly pain pill allotment, I also get Lidocaine patches. And I can only use three patches a day, to avoid a nasty complication called “Lidocaine Intoxication.”
So if I am wearing three patches and I itch anywhere for any reason, am I supposed to avoid any Lidocaine-containing anti-itch product?
~VOW
Lanacane is on Amazon
Psst. Don’t put lidocaine in those other places.
Most of the Lanacane on Amazon is the anti-chafing gel. Not the same thing as the Benzocaine cream.
The one listing that is the original Lanacane with Benzocaine says it’s a pack of three. But in the description, it says “one tube.” I ordered one, just to see. Twenty-some bucks for a single tube is outrageous.
I’ll let you know.
When Mr VOW was in the Army and was known as Sgt VOW, one job he had was as an instructor at the NCO Advanced Course. He carefully instructed his students on absolute necessities to pack in their goodie bags to take on field exercises. One item was Deep Woods Off. Another item was Lanacane. Most of the students had never heard of Lanacane. As he circulated through the students, he dabbed Lanacane on their vicious mosquito bites. All of them nearly cried with relief. One asked him, “How much does that stuff cost?”
He answered, “A million dollars a tube.”
“Oh, my God, it’s so worth it!”
~VOW
I noticed that about that one tube. And the precious price.
My dermatologist and allergist recommended Sarno lotion (or the store brand). It contains pramoxine HCI 1% and is fragrance- and steroid-free. They told me not to use topical antihistamines, as they dry out the skin.
One dermatologist recommended layering: apply the Sarno lotion first, then apply Vanicream. It’s free of everything that could make one itch. It absorbs fast and moisturizes for 24 hours.
I’m going to try that Sarna lotion, thanks. But the Vanicream contains petrolatum, which makes me itch, so I’m going to stick with the Aveeno for general moisturizing.
Thanks for the Sarna tip. I checked out the Sarna products at Amazon, and also found a nifty applicator to apply lotions/creams to my back! For years I used a back scrubber (looks like a wad of nylon net at the end of a stick) and I finally got so fed up with it, I threw it away. It worked, but it wasted so much product and the net would get cruddy so I’d have to wash it, let it dry… anyway, I’m looking forward to a new applicator. Looks like a little squeegie!
~VOW
I’m very interested in a viable way to apply stuff to my back. Could you possibly post a link to the product you found? If that’s not against the rules. Thanks muchly.
To contribute very little to the discussion, some years ago a dermatologist recommended Eucerin Eczema Relief body cream for my eczema. Specifically a formulation that contained oatmeal. It worked okay but the local stores don’t carry it so I’m very interested in everybody’s recommendations.
Thanks.
In this case a lot of symptomatic treatments will work. But it depends on what condition you are actually treating, some of which need different stuff. Many things cause itchy skin, and a few are listed in this link below. If the problem persists despite simple measures or gets much worse, it needs to be properly looked at.
I have great luck with aloe gel. I get the stuff that is 98% pure aloe (or whatever but basically just aloe) with no fragrance or other crud. It’s a little sticky on application but usually dries in a few minutes. There is no “anti-itch” stuff in it but on application it does seem to help with that some and, the main thing, it seems best at helping the area heal.
Tends to be really inexpensive too.
YMMV of course.
I can’t do a normal “copy and paste” on my tablet, so I hope I copied everything correctly.
The item is called ROUNDS Cream Applicator for Back Telescopic Stick.
Years ago, I bought a gizmo from a Dr Leonard’s catalog. It had a little round compartment at the end of a plastic stick. You were supposed to be able to put your lotion or cream in the compartment and snap it shut. The lid hd several round marbles that supposedly rotated, applying the cream as you ran it over your skin.
HAH! Piece of crap! Too flimsy to do anything but sit there and laugh at your misery! I settled for one of those long-handled back scrubby things which DID work, but the mesh part had to be saturated with your cream or lotion to actually get anything on your back. I had to wash it often because it got so gunked up with crud. Hint: if you ever have to use something like this for your needs, keep a bottle of DAWN dish soap in the bathroom. It has grease cutters that will ungunk the applicator easily.
Good luck to both of us!
~VOW
That certainly looks like it should do the trick!
I’ve added it to my list.
Thanks Bigly!