Overview
Have you ever felt an itch that just wouldn’t go away, one where the more you scratch, the more it itches? Although itching for no apparent reason may sound like a psychological problem, it’s a very real phenomenon for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
It’s common for people with MS to experience strange sensations (also known as dysesthesias). These sensations can feel like pins and needles, burning, stabbing, or tearing. Itching (pruritus) is another symptom of MS. These physical feelings are often early signs of MS.
Itching is just one potential sensory disturbance of MS. As with other symptoms of MS, itching may come on suddenly and occur in waves. It may last a few minutes or much longer.
Itching is one family of these disturbances. It’s different from allergic itching because MS-related itching isn’t accompanied by a rash or skin irritation.
There may be other causes of MS-related itching. Some disease-modifying medications are administered by injection. These may cause temporary skin irritation and itching at the injection site.
An allergic reaction to medications like interferon beta-1a (Avonex) may result in itching as well. An allergic skin reaction to some drugs that are given intravenously (by IV) may cause the skin to itch.
In clinical trials, one of the common side effects of the oral medication dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) was the sensation of itching.
If itching is mild, no treatment is necessary. Over-the-counter topical treatments aren’t useful for this type of itching.
If itching is severe, prolonged, or begins to interfere with daily living, talk to your doctor. Medications used to treat dysesthetic itching include anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and the antihistamine hydroxyzine.
Medications
According to the National MS Society, there are some medications that are successful at treating this type of itching. They are:
- anticonvulsants: carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), and gabapentin (Neurontin), and others
- antidepressants: amitriptyline (Elavil) and others
- antihistamine: hydroxyzine (Atarax)
Natural/alternative remedies
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