Itching?

Nick99.9 said:

Hi, all. New to this, just been told that I’m diabetic with a blood test of 50. I’m trying a six week change in diet, hopefully cutting down on carbs and sugar. My worst symptom however is constant itchy skin. It’s all over , scalp ,face, arms . Is this a common thing? Can’t seem to see any discussions about itchiness in the forums.
Thoughts or comments greatly appreciated. Nick.

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Prior to my type 1 diagnosis I had terrible itchy legs. I scratched them til they bled. Drove me mad. Within days of starting insulin and levels normalising, this stopped. Hopefully as you reduce your levels this will also have the desired affect.

Yes I had itchy skin on my legs and my scalp was really bad, unbearable at times. It was one of the results I went to the docs as I had bad dry skin on my head as well. I was diagnosed 7 weeks ago and the last week it's gone completely. My blood sugars started to reduce after a week. Hope it settles for you soon

Cut down on carbs now, and you might get relief in a few days.

I too have issues with itching skin. I've had it on and off for a few years now and it came on before being diagnosed with T2 but it may have started around the same time I was diagnosed with pre diabetes in 2014 which my old surgery never bothered to tell me about. I don't know if the itch may be caused by thinning skin (I'm getting older) and/or a reaction to temperature changes. Central heating now switched on for the winter and I'm itching, I also suffer from prickly heat in the summer so I can't win. I try not to scratch but I often get itchy ankles, scalp and currently my back is causing me issues. Interesting it was through going to the docs about the itch that I was diagnosed with T2 when the GP I saw (new surgery) organised a blood test. Previous docs I had seen had basically said live with it or were supposed to referring me to a dermatologist but never did. My latest GP gave me a prescription for hydromel cream which I use as a moisturizer but to be honest it doesn't do much good for the itch, cools my skin for a couple of minutes then the itch comes back with a vengeance. However I did find that if I take low does anti histamine the itch will disappear for a couple of days. The issue I have with anti histamine is I cannot take the over the counter stuff as even a quarter of a tablet causes me to be really tired all the time such that I find it difficult to function. After trial and error I find the only anti histamines I can take is Fexofenadine which tablets are prescription only in the UK.

I had it itchy arms for four years before getting diabetes meds. Staying indoors a lot makes the skin dry too and itchy. I get dry skin after the Winter if indoors a lot in the rain or unwell. Have you tried asking for Lactibase for eczema on prescription to go with the Fenofexadine?

Hopeful34 said:

@Ryhia I too have ongoing issues with itchy skin. Diagnosed with eczema years ago, and this year have had it really badly on my back, scalp, ankles and arms. Aveeno sometimes helps for a short time, but at night have resorted to putting Diprobase on first, followed by a very small amount of hydrocortisone cream. Like you I suffer from prickly heat in summer, and if I get too hot in winter it causes a flare up of vasculitis where I'm covered in raised very itchy lumps. Haven't had any heating on in the house yet this winter, but still itching like crazy with eczema.

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Interesting you mention eczema as I never used to be bothered by skin issues but over the past few years I have also developed eczema in my ears. Wont go into details but its unpleasant and very painful. Creams do help a little but as soon as I stop using the them, the problem comes back. This issue is not helped as I wear hearing aids which exacerbate the problem Basically told it can't be the hearing aids as they are made from hypoallergic material - Really? All I can say is if I leave my hearing aids out for a couple of days my ears heal up.

walk39isl said:

I had it itchy arms for four years before getting diabetes meds. Staying indoors a lot makes the skin dry too and itchy. I get dry skin after the Winter if indoors a lot in the rain or unwell. Have you tried asking for Lactibase for eczema on prescription to go with the Fenofexadine?

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Are you saying that you no longer have itching after starting diabetes medication? I find that interesting as my sister is always complaining about itchy skin - she is an insulin dependent T2 and has been on meds for years. I agree with you about the dry skin, pretty sure this is a problem for me, although my previous doc poo-hooed that said there was nothing wrong with my skin. Thanks for mentioning Lactibase, I hadn't heard of it. I will ask about it next time I see my GP.

I itch occasionally on the arms but only once every few months. I used to itch whilst in a certain area outdoors at work in a certain road. I have liver disease too and find that dusting helps!!

Ryhia said:

Interesting you mention eczema as I never used to be bothered by skin issues but over the past few years I have also developed eczema in my ears. Wont go into details but its unpleasant and very painful. Creams do help a little but as soon as I stop using the them, the problem comes back. This issue is not helped as I wear hearing aids which exacerbate the problem Basically told it can't be the hearing aids as they are made from hypoallergic material - Really? All I can say is if I leave my hearing aids out for a couple of days my ears heal up.

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It is a nickel or plastic allergy possibly. I used to get it with watches on my wrist.

walk39isl said:

It is a nickel or plastic allergy possibly. I used to get it with watches on my wrist.

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Wow thanks for that! I need to explore this further I haven't worn a watch for years as they used to bring me out in a rash and timings used to go haywire.

Interesting stuff but I had better stop rerailing @Nick99.9s thread. Apologies Nick.

My skin was always good - I never had acne - don't get spots or pimples, never have.
In the last few years I have noticed that my skin is softer and slightly oilier than I had got used to in the time I was on a high carb low fat diet, the almost two years before diagnosis.