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What Causes Itching Feet And Ankles?
Question: I have been suffering lately with terrible itchiness, mainly of the feet and ankles, but sometimes hands and arms. I am wondering if this is due to duromine my doctor put me on a few months ago? What can I do to relieve the awful itching?
Brief Answer:
Kindly provide details of the query.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for posting your query to the forum.
I can understand your concern for the intense itching over your upper and lower limbs. It is really troublesome to have itching.
In view to help you best I request you to kindly provide certain important poitns:
- Since how long you have this itching condition.
- Are there any red bumps or eruptions over the affected area. Do you feel itching in the web spaces or at genital area too.
- Is the itching more at day time or night time.
If you have any eruptions then can upload few good resolution pictures of the affected area. For that you have a feature on the right side of the page. For that you have a feature on the right side of the page or else you can send your pictures at
YYYY@YYYY
With attention " Dr Sanjay Kanodia "
feel free to tell me any other point which important in diagnosing the exact entity.
Hope to hear soon from your side.
With regards,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
MD-DERMATOLOGY
Kindly provide details of the query.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for posting your query to the forum.
I can understand your concern for the intense itching over your upper and lower limbs. It is really troublesome to have itching.
In view to help you best I request you to kindly provide certain important poitns:
- Since how long you have this itching condition.
- Are there any red bumps or eruptions over the affected area. Do you feel itching in the web spaces or at genital area too.
- Is the itching more at day time or night time.
If you have any eruptions then can upload few good resolution pictures of the affected area. For that you have a feature on the right side of the page. For that you have a feature on the right side of the page or else you can send your pictures at
YYYY@YYYY
With attention " Dr Sanjay Kanodia "
feel free to tell me any other point which important in diagnosing the exact entity.
Hope to hear soon from your side.
With regards,
Dr Sanjay Kanodia
MD-DERMATOLOGY
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Good day, Doctor,
Thank you for the prompt reply. To answer your questions;
1. I have had the itching on and off for about four months now and it more or less coincides with the doctor putting me on Duromine, which prompted my question. Other medication I am on is atorva-statin for high cholesterol and Perindopril for high blood pressure. I've been on the last two medicine for a year or more, with no ill effects that I'm aware of.
2. Yes, I do break out in a scarlet rash and sometimes bumps and white-ish welts mainly on my bottom, but they are only very temporary and normally gone by the morning.
3. Yes, I have had some terrible itching of the webbing between my fingers and (less so) toes. Indeed, it feels sometimes like the itch is not just on the skin, but in the joints of my knuckles and I find myself wringing my hands together to assuage the itching "inside" my knuckles. But yes, it is on the webbing.
4. Yes, I have an itchy scrotum. Not an itchy penis, though.
5. No question about it, it is definitely, definitely worse at night times. I try not to scratch for as long as I can, but then when I can no longer resist, I scratch and this then exacerbates it and it becomes much itchier. I have actually scratched until I've bled a little bit a couple of times.
I have not been back to my GP about this itching yet, because it mainly affects me at night and in the morning, I feel ok and it seems less urgent. Also, I work on offshore oil rigs and am way from home for 28 days at a time, so don't have access to my GP. What I have done in the meantime is self-medicate on a pharmacist's advice with 1% hydrocortisone cream and anti-histamines, and this has helped.
Any further advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated and if you think it IS indeed the duromine that is doing it, then I'm very happy to come off it. It was prescribed to help me lose weight (I originally needed to lose 108 llbs and have so far lost 31 llbs) but I'd prefer to just do it by willpower if the cost is this itching.
I look forward very much to your answer.
Best regards
XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Thank you for the prompt reply. To answer your questions;
1. I have had the itching on and off for about four months now and it more or less coincides with the doctor putting me on Duromine, which prompted my question. Other medication I am on is atorva-statin for high cholesterol and Perindopril for high blood pressure. I've been on the last two medicine for a year or more, with no ill effects that I'm aware of.
2. Yes, I do break out in a scarlet rash and sometimes bumps and white-ish welts mainly on my bottom, but they are only very temporary and normally gone by the morning.
3. Yes, I have had some terrible itching of the webbing between my fingers and (less so) toes. Indeed, it feels sometimes like the itch is not just on the skin, but in the joints of my knuckles and I find myself wringing my hands together to assuage the itching "inside" my knuckles. But yes, it is on the webbing.
4. Yes, I have an itchy scrotum. Not an itchy penis, though.
5. No question about it, it is definitely, definitely worse at night times. I try not to scratch for as long as I can, but then when I can no longer resist, I scratch and this then exacerbates it and it becomes much itchier. I have actually scratched until I've bled a little bit a couple of times.
I have not been back to my GP about this itching yet, because it mainly affects me at night and in the morning, I feel ok and it seems less urgent. Also, I work on offshore oil rigs and am way from home for 28 days at a time, so don't have access to my GP. What I have done in the meantime is self-medicate on a pharmacist's advice with 1% hydrocortisone cream and anti-histamines, and this has helped.
Any further advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated and if you think it IS indeed the duromine that is doing it, then I'm very happy to come off it. It was prescribed to help me lose weight (I originally needed to lose 108 llbs and have so far lost 31 llbs) but I'd prefer to just do it by willpower if the cost is this itching.
I look forward very much to your answer.
Best regards
XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Possibility of scabies: various suggestions and guidance.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks a lot for posting your details. I can understand your concern for sever itching.
After analyzing the complete query with best diligence I can make out the best possibility of scabies.
To tell you about Scabies: It is a parasitic infestation by a mite. It is specifically manifested as intense itching all over the body but particularly over web spaces of hands, arm pits, around nipples, abdomen, genital area and over thighs. More typically at joint spaces are affected and recurrent rash can be present in persons with good hygiene.
This is typically worse at night time. I can get taht most of the symptoms are matchign with the above and directs us towards scabies.
It can be treated very simply. In my patients I prefer the overnight application of "Permethrin" 5% lotion or cream below neck area. Once you apply it gives complete relief within 48 hours.
I suggest my patients to wash all clothes and expose these to direct sun light. If possible all the undergarments and other clothes should be ironed from inside. Just check out any other close person having even slightest of itching. DO not share your beds, clothes and linens with anyone else as it is one of the most important cause of spread of scabies.
For the itching part I prefer to give an oral anti histamine like Des-loratadine in day time and levocetrizine at night time. You can get discuss all these points with your treating doctor.
I further reassure you that your medications (specifically Duromine) are not responsible for the itching part. So do not worry about the same.
Hope this information will help you. If you have any further query I will be happy to help.
"With good health wishes"
Regards,
Dr Sanjay Kumar Kanodia
MD (Dermatology)
Possibility of scabies: various suggestions and guidance.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome back and thanks a lot for posting your details. I can understand your concern for sever itching.
After analyzing the complete query with best diligence I can make out the best possibility of scabies.
To tell you about Scabies: It is a parasitic infestation by a mite. It is specifically manifested as intense itching all over the body but particularly over web spaces of hands, arm pits, around nipples, abdomen, genital area and over thighs. More typically at joint spaces are affected and recurrent rash can be present in persons with good hygiene.
This is typically worse at night time. I can get taht most of the symptoms are matchign with the above and directs us towards scabies.
It can be treated very simply. In my patients I prefer the overnight application of "Permethrin" 5% lotion or cream below neck area. Once you apply it gives complete relief within 48 hours.
I suggest my patients to wash all clothes and expose these to direct sun light. If possible all the undergarments and other clothes should be ironed from inside. Just check out any other close person having even slightest of itching. DO not share your beds, clothes and linens with anyone else as it is one of the most important cause of spread of scabies.
For the itching part I prefer to give an oral anti histamine like Des-loratadine in day time and levocetrizine at night time. You can get discuss all these points with your treating doctor.
I further reassure you that your medications (specifically Duromine) are not responsible for the itching part. So do not worry about the same.
Hope this information will help you. If you have any further query I will be happy to help.
"With good health wishes"
Regards,
Dr Sanjay Kumar Kanodia
MD (Dermatology)
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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