Itch without a cause

July 4, 2023 5:54 PM

What’s the best general purpose itch relief?

Occasionally my skin itches somewhere. Not an incessant life altering problem, but uncomfortable & sleep-depriving.
Of course effective treatment requires IDing the cause — dry skin, insect bite, sweat, some new condition, etc.
But my question is about immediate relief for an itch whose cause is unknown to me.
If persists I’ll consult a doc, but now I put it to the best minds of my generation:
In the middle of the night, for an itch without an ID, what’s your best go-to for an itch?

posted by LonnieK to Health & Fitness (31 answers total)

Ice
posted by Night_owl at 5:55 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Heat

Hear me out: I'm not an expert, so this is borderline hearsay science, but I tell you it works.

Taking a hot bath, or otherwise heating the area (running hot-without-burning water over the area, using a washcloth, etc.), "releases histamine" and will make the area itch _more_ for a moment or two.

However, after the heat is removed, the area will stop itching for a while. It's surprisingly effective.


Also: Benadryl spray.
posted by amtho at 6:08 PM on July 4, 2023 [6 favorites]

If it's salt itch, which I get particularly in the summertime, relief is a thirty-second rinse-off shower.
posted by mhoye at 6:10 PM on July 4, 2023

Claritin

Trimming and filing your nails so you won't claw bloody welts into yourself
posted by scruss at 6:18 PM on July 4, 2023

A distracting sensation - hot, cold, pressure, whatever - for immediate relief and then a steroid cream for longer term help. I have one prescribed by my dermatologist but OTC hydrocortisone might be worth a try if not contraindicated for you.
posted by Stacey at 6:20 PM on July 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Shower with either hot or cool water, whichever is more appealing at that moment. I think of it as “overwriting my itchy nerve with a strong temperature sensation”
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:44 PM on July 4, 2023

First aid burn spray. It’s a surface analgesic and does good work on annoying itches. Doesn’t last long, but long enough to fall back asleep.
posted by Grandysaur at 6:45 PM on July 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Aveeno makes an oatmeal lotion that works well for all kinds of itching.
posted by nanook at 7:03 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Steroid cream, but I think you have to have a prescription to get it.
posted by orange swan at 7:13 PM on July 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

Sarna anti-itch lotion or Benadryl anti-itch gel; they both contain a little anesthetic to dull an itch.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:14 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Steroid creams are indeed very effective for itching. Weaker steroid creams are available over the counter without prescription. BUT if it’s caused by ringworm or a fungal infections steroids can make it worse over time so definitely do not keep using them without getting it checked.
posted by riddley at 7:46 PM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Several people have mentioned topical Benadryl, but if you don’t need to operate heavy machinery early the next morning you can take Benadryl orally. It’s an antihistamine to control itching, and it puts you to sleep.
posted by ejs at 10:15 PM on July 4, 2023

Itching can be caused by dry skin.

If this is the cause of your itching, you will get relief by

- avoiding hot showers (only have lukewarm showers)

- using a fragrance-free moisturiser immediately after every shower.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:42 PM on July 4, 2023

Itching can also be caused by opiate pain medications like codeine, if you are taking anything like that.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:43 PM on July 4, 2023

OTC hydrocortisone if you're not sure of the cause.

Dry skin: use petroleum jelly or Aquaphor or CeraVe Healing Ointment after a shower. You can also use body wash that contains petrolatum, and you can use a body oil like Neutrogena before the shower.

Sweat itch: try Gold Bond powder or generic equivalent.

Bug bites: Benadryl cream, possibly also something with lidocaine.
posted by verbminx at 11:27 PM on July 4, 2023

This probably only works on bug bites, but at least it's something you can try without even getting out of bed: use your fingernail to press into the spot twice, quite deeply, marking your skin with an X. It's a pretty intense stimulus that lasts for a while, so it can drown out the itchy feeling.

It's better than scratching because you're not damaging your skin (except in that one spot) and you're not doing it incessantly.
posted by demi-octopus at 1:05 AM on July 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

+1 to hydrocortisone (or whatever equivalent you have) as the Big Hammer to stop the itching while you figure out what's going on. It shuts things down 'upstream' of the histamine release, so it gets some things that antihistamines don't, but it's less good as an ongoing thing.

and +1 to hot water getting all the itching out right now
posted by away for regrooving at 1:06 AM on July 5, 2023

In the middle of the night, for an itch without an ID, what’s your best go-to for an itch?

If it's an itch that I know from experience would be relieved by the kind of delicious uninhibited scratching that has previously raised welts that itched even worse as they healed, I've found that using a hair dryer to deliver focused almost-intolerable heat to the same spot works at least as well, lasts longer, and does much less damage.

The hair dryer is noisier than hot water (which also works) but it's a lot more controllable and needs less prep and cleanup.
posted by flabdablet at 1:23 AM on July 5, 2023 [3 favorites]

If I've already done the delicious uninhibited scratching (and is there anything better than a good scratch that nails an itch?) and taken a bit of damage from that, then I've learned to go over the area immediately afterwards with a hot clean washcloth and a little bit of soap. This seems to do a good enough job of removing the skin flora that my fingernails have just ground into the welts that they don't get a chance to establish themselves before the weeping dries up.
posted by flabdablet at 1:31 AM on July 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

I've used those pain relieving creams that are for arthritis and achy joints, the kind with menthol or other aromatic ingredients. Think Ben-Gay! They work well when I get my annual winter itchy legs.

I also am a lot better about moisturizing; better to prevent the problem at the start.
posted by LaBellaStella at 3:28 AM on July 5, 2023

A tablespoon dipped in very hot water and then applied gradually to the area of an insect bite for a period of two minutes can help by denaturing the histamine proteins, from the insect's saliva, that cause itching. This either works, in my experience - or is painful enough to serve as an effective placebo.
posted by rongorongo at 5:05 AM on July 5, 2023

I love beeswax based products for itching. Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Cream or beeswax based lip balms with just a little bit of camphor in them. Beeswax coats your cells in a soothing layer of fat that has antibiotic properties and heals cracked, dry skin. The camphor bound in wax kills fungus and stays on the skin for a while. Both are gentle on your skin and don't require super aggressive interventions.
posted by effluvia at 7:45 AM on July 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

A dab of Vick's.
posted by HeyAllie at 9:06 AM on July 5, 2023

For random all-over itching (possibly due to dry skin) that only gets worse and which does not respond to oatmeal baths, anti-itch creams, etc. I have found that taking an OTC antihistamine is the only thing that works for me. I'm assuming I have some sort of runaway histamine reaction. Never bothered to talk to an allergist about it as it does seem to be associated with dry skin.
posted by telophase at 9:07 AM on July 5, 2023

For itches caused by allergies, I take Zyrtec. For itchy skin that may or may not be dry and where you itch all over so small doses of Benadryl cream or hydrocortisone is not helpful, I use Cerave Anti-Itch moisturizing lotion. It works on dry skin, insect bites, etc. And it's very good; it works for hours.
posted by ceejaytee at 10:45 AM on July 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

I am a pharmacist, but I'm not your pharmacist. I'm also a chronically itchy person that has been using my recommendation for like 6 years now.

What you want is Cerave Itch Relief Moisturizing Lotion aka pramoxine 1% lotion. It's a local anesthetic that works within a couple minutes and lasts around 8 hours. Your skin doesn't feel numb, it's just not itchy anymore. It's not greasy, it's not scented, it absorbs quickly, and you can pry this stuff out of my cold, dead hands.

They do make a cream version, which I haven't tried because pump bottle are convenient. I suspect it'd probably be just as good, but more moisturizing.
posted by smangosbubbles at 11:23 AM on July 5, 2023 [4 favorites]

Not sure about where you are, but Emla (lidocaine/ prilocaine) is available in Canada over-the-counter (but you have to ask for it).

There's a stronger version in another brand that I can't remember just now that's available, too.

There's also a polysporin product that contains lidocaine as well, but at a rather lower concentration. It works, but it peals after its dried.
posted by porpoise at 1:03 PM on July 5, 2023

This is my routine, after years of some kind of multicar pile-up of eczema/idiopathic hives/pompholyx/neurodermatitis/lichen planus. Step one: 1-2 oral benadryl. Step two: some combination of hydrocortisone, topical lidocaine/benzocaine, and ice packs. Heat may actually be preferable to ice, but especially in the middle of the night, cold things are closer at hand. Step three: wait for benadryl to induce sweet, sweet sleep.

If none of the above are available, I wind up biting body parts within reach, and pinching/slapping/pressing fingernails into those that aren't. This approach is ultimately better than scratching because it shouldn't break the skin.

If I'm at the point where I'm suppressing actual screams from the itching, I apply the high-power steroid cream that is prescription only. N.b., if you are anywhere near this point, you should see a doctor. Not because dermatology tends to have good answers about these conditions, but because a strong steroid is an essential management tool for some of us.
posted by desert outpost at 3:08 PM on July 5, 2023

I've reached an age (middle, I guess :/ ) where basically all of my itching is due to patches of dry skin. Eucerin type lotions work well for me, but the Aveeno also works.

Also, I was gifted a fancy back scratcher a couple years back and it has been WONDERFUL, so get a back scratcher. You don't have to only use it on your back.

In the guessing department, I'd maybe add Bactine or another numbing spray to your arsenal.
posted by rhizome at 3:02 AM on July 6, 2023

If you think your itching could possibly be fibromyalgia related, eating very spicy food has helped me.
posted by Jacqueline at 6:59 AM on July 6, 2023

Can you be more specific about the itch? I'd have a different response to an itch that is confined to one single part of my body (wash and cover with antihistamine cream) vs. a full body itchy sensation (shower and moisturize with a lotion for sensitive skin, wait 30 minutes and take a Benadryl if I still feel itchy). Because I have allergies and sensitive skin, I tend to assume that most itchy things are allergy/sensitivity related, and so my goal is to get whatever might be bothering my skin off my body, then soothe my skin, first externally, then internally if that doesn't work.
posted by decathecting at 5:26 PM on July 10, 2023