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Medicines that make you itch

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Posted 2/27/2015 5:20 AM (GMT 0)
I wanted to start this because it was mentioned in another post and made me curious as to others answers on this..

Do all meds list this as a side effect? I know dizziness is on almost any med.

I have wondered if tramadol causes some itching? But it helps me in low doses so i would prob choose the itching over the pain..
Posted 2/27/2015 5:37 AM (GMT 0)
Ljm,
If I'm having a flare and I take my norco every 4 hours it will make me itch. I'm not sure about the tramadol, I do also take that on a daily basis but I don't think it will make you itch in low doses. I guess anythings possible!! I've never seen itching listed as a side effect on the bottle, I don't think.

When I'm having a flare the itch is so worth having the pain reduced!
Posted 2/27/2015 5:56 AM (GMT 0)
Hmm....now that you mention it, I think I was on Tramadol when I had my worst rash. I sometimes get these little, itchy bright red dots, usually on my calves or stomach or back....sometimes they're a little bigger - and they itch a lot. But I know if I scratch them, they'd be out of control, so I don't! Then they turn darker, almost purple, before they fade away.

A few months ago I had about 10 bigger ones on my leg, circling all the way around. I took a picture with my phone and showed it to my dermatologist. He didn't seem too concerned, just gave me some prescription-strength Hydrocortisone cream.

It seems to me that every med I've been on for many years has listed a rash as a possible side effect. Could be wrong, but I don't think so. Bodies!!

Of course, Winter doesn't help in this regard. All the dry heat blasting away at us....I always seem to have at least one really itchy spot after I shower that needs that Hydrocortisone cream. Well, hopefully we'll all soon be done with that for another year! :)

Debbie
Posted 2/27/2015 8:05 AM (GMT 0)
Debbie, you sound like you're describing allergic reaction.
Posted 2/27/2015 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Narcotic pain relievers will make you itch if you take a good amount. I guess we could be allergic to them as one doctor told me. I would think an allergy pill might help if it is a bother. Kind of lets me know that they are working on the pain.

When I took morphine it made ne itch a lot, but it helped a lot with pain. I don't get a rash though, just the itching.

I hope you feel better soon...

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 2/27/2015 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
Joy, maybe so. The only thing I have to compare it to is the rash I got one time in the hospital, when they decided I was suddenly allergic to the Penicillin in my IV. That was a lot more all-over, and much more itchy. And it didn't just go away, I had to be on Benedryl and stay an extra day.

Who knows.....

Debbie
Posted 2/27/2015 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
This has only happened to me when taking Sulfa Drugs. I don't seem to have this issue with Tramadol and have been on it for about 5 years.

On sulfa drugs I would wake up after the first day with gouges on my legs where I had scratched due to extreme itching. Oddly enough, Benadryl doesn't do anything for me for allergic reactions. It only helps dry my sinuses.
Posted 2/27/2015 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
Tramadol makes me itch all over but I deal with it because i'd rather be itchy than be in pain. I take a very low dose and it causes it still. I think all opiads make me itchy because I've taken Percocet and Loritab in the past and had the same reaction. As long as you don't have a rash or swelling with the itchiness than you are fine. It's a common reaction.
Posted 2/27/2015 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
tramadol definitely makes me itch. I can't stand it! It's the worst one I've run into for that, although I know there have been others. Some pain meds will make me itch in higher doses, too.
Posted 2/27/2015 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
So with medications, there are actually TWO reasons why you would itch. You could be having an allergic reaction (which Benadryl or another antihistamine will help) or it could just be a side effect of the medication. For example, I have a fentanyl allergy, so I itch, but a rash shows up and I have difficulty breathing. With dilaudid and norco, I itch but that's all. Benadryl *kind of* helps but several of my doctors said that it's mostly the benadryl makes you too sleepy to care rather than actually stopping the itch.
Posted 2/28/2015 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
Oh my, about the benadryl making you too sleepy to care ..

They had me take it for an allergic reaction to bug bites..and i slept for 3 days til i went off of it..

Its a. Med i definitely cannot take, also could never tolerate a muscle relaxer..but wish i could!

Post Edited (Ljm2014) : 2/27/2015 9:25:40 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 2/28/2015 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
Benedryl is my Fibro savior! Insomnia -- check! Nausea -- check! Muscle spasms and my muscle relaxer isn't doing anything -- check! (Well, that last one IS because I'm too sleepy to care, haha)

Regarding itching, I remember my first PM doc said it's because the nerves are looking for the pain that it's just killed (Marco! Polo!), and so it sends out the next best nerve signal - itch. Weird.

Debbie, about your rash- are we talking patches that don't go away (exzema) or little bumps that go away (hives)?

I have a couple of patches on my left leg that DONT itch, are raised and slightly red, and have just been hanging out for the last year. I'm not on sulfa anything. I once thought it was grain or dairy related but it never goes away regardless of eliminating them.
Posted 2/28/2015 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
Debbie,
I get exactly what you have described, every once in awhile, usually on the side of my belly. Right now I have a patch of them just on the right side. Very itchy, and then they scab over but turn bright red if you scratch and dislodge the tiny scab. I have used an athlete's foot cream on them and they go away, so I think it is a minor fungal infection. My mom used to get it too, a couple of times a year. I don't think it is from medicine.
HEART
Posted 3/1/2015 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
<3 kinda sounds like eczema. My daughter has it and hers is worse when it's really cold or really hot outside.
Posted 3/1/2015 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
Betsy i get the eczema only behind the ears, whats best for that..

I use a little vit e
Posted 3/1/2015 5:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hhmmm
Interesting conversation.

I question the safety of continuing to take a medication that has any off the mentioned side effects. Apparently medical advice varies greatly & each of us, of course, chooses who & what to follow. Does anyone know of research that proves or disproves the safety? Probably there is validation for both..

Personally I have experienced all of these reactions. Pharmacist advised ( 25+ yr ago ) that I always immediately discontinue ANY medication that caused these & I have - OTHER than skin issues from adhesive at application site of patch - that was solved somewhat by changing brands , then completely by using a steroid spray.
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