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Itchy Skin But No Rash

Janessa

By Janessa
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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Janessa Rookie
Janessa
Posted

I have had very itchy skin for years that would itch so bad I would actually scratch it in my sleep and wake up with scabs. I never thought it was really related to anything until I went gluten free and it went completely away, and if I get glutened I get itchy again for about a week but I have never had a rash or bumps. Does anyone else get this? Is it DH if there is no rash?

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sparkles Contributor
sparkles
Posted

I have literally scratched the skin off because of this itch... no bumps, just itch! I don't think it is DH. I had a skin dr check it and the biopsy came back not DH. Of course, he could only biopsy the areas that were scratched off as there were no bumps. I wonder if besides celiac disease it could be an allergy to wheat though the allergy tests on wheat came back NO ALLERGY. I do have a dairy allergy and maybe that is what causes the itch. Whatever, I just spray on cortisone to control itch and try to watch intake of dairy.

Josina Newbie
Josina
Posted

When I am really down on my water I get really itchy. Maybe you just need to drink more water?

I used to get alot of rashes, but now that I am gluten free I have no problems with rashes at all. My skin does get pretty itchy but only when I am down on my water. I have been diagnosed with celiac disease, but I have observed that this disease makes people react in different ways.

If I consume gluten by accident, I usually end up with a few small bumps here and there, but whether that is from DH I am not sure.

When I used to consume gluten, I would get this horrible rash all over my arms and back. I went to several doctors over the past ten years and they never could figure out what it was. I am now free of all that.

Best of luck figuring it out!

wowzer Community Regular
wowzer
Posted

I had itchy dry skin all of my life. I went gluten free the beginning of the year and my skin is so much better. I used to always itch after a shower, now I don't. I just wish I'd figured it out years ago. It is so nice not to itch all of the time. I will say if I get glutened, I may get a few itchy spots, but at least it isn't so intense.

  • 1 month later...
Joan (Maine) Newbie
Joan (Maine)
Posted
I have had very itchy skin for years that would itch so bad I would actually scratch it in my sleep and wake up with scabs. I never thought it was really related to anything until I went gluten free and it went completely away, and if I get glutened I get itchy again for about a week but I have never had a rash or bumps. Does anyone else get this? Is it DH if there is no rash?
Joan (Maine) Newbie
Joan (Maine)
Posted
I have had very itchy skin for years that would itch so bad I would actually scratch it in my sleep and wake up with scabs. I never thought it was really related to anything until I went gluten free and it went completely away, and if I get glutened I get itchy again for about a week but I have never had a rash or bumps. Does anyone else get this? Is it DH if there is no rash?

Yes, I itch without actually breaking out....with small amounts of gluten, dairy and/or iodine. as time goes on I react more quickly and to smaller amounts. My blisters have actually been small and mostly on my face and scalp....it took six months to get a dermatologist appt. so naturally I was clear when the appt. came around. The derm. did agree to try to see me on short notice if I accidently get ingest dairy, gluten or iodine and have an outbreak. I do itch with a small rash on my shins and upper back

  • 6 years later...
tonalynn Explorer
tonalynn
Posted

I don't know if this is related to my recent celiac diagnoses or not. But it seems like other people here have intensely itchy skin and no rash or DH.

 

I've been gluten free for about 10 weeks (I don't really feel any different yet). Every now and then (no rhyme or reason to it) I will have an itch on either my arms, legs or back that is SO itchy! Sometimes it feels like my entire body is just one big ITCH! If I try to ignore the itch and not scratch it, it becomes so painful that I've actually twitched involuntarily because of it. No matter what I do, the itch won't stop, sometimes for hours. I haven't broken skin yet, but I do break capillaries under the skin, because I will develop a rash of red spots just under the skin. Or scratch marks where the capillaries have broken in a line.

 

They occasionally wake me up, or I'll have an itch that I think is minor and scratch it and WHAM! It turns into the super painful itch. Itch relief creams, heavy duty moisturizers, cortizone, ice packs...none of them help. Once I was so itchy in the middle of the night I had to take a shower and scrub everything with a loofah just to stop the itching! I've tried taking Benedryl if I'm itchy before bed. I figure even if it doesn't stop the itch, maybe I'll just sleep through it!

 

I have no rash or telltale signs of DH. I have a bit of Keratosis Pilaris on the back of my arms I've had most of my life, but that's not always where I get itchy. I haven't ingested any gluten (that I'm aware of, as I don't seem to get the intense symptoms from it) in the last 10 weeks, but the itch is the same.

 

Could it be related to celiac? Or am I being paranoid and thinking everything that's wrong with me is celiac-related? ;-)

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squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

Tonalyn, you've posted to a thread that is from 2007, I doubt any of those ppl are still hanging around here.

 

What you describe is likely related to gluten. Celiacs get lots of rashes & skin stuff. It's possible that you have something like pre dh but you've gone gluten-free now so that itch should begin to die down sooner or later.

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      Good evening @EssexMum You are quite right to be concerned about this situation.  Once diagnosed as coeliac, always a coeliac, and the way to heal  is through adopting and sticking to a strict gluten diet. That said... I have travelled twice to France since my diagnosis, firstly in May 2013 and again in August 2019.   My spoken French isn't bad, and whilst there I tried my best to explain my needs to chefs and catering staff, and I read labels very carefully when shopping in supermarkets, but both times I came away with worsening gastric symptoms and pain. Interestingly,  after the second holiday, my annual coeliac review took place the following month and although I'd been very careful to avoid gluten all year, thanks to that August holiday my coeliac antibodies were elevated,  Clearly I hadn't been imagining these symptoms and they must have been caused by gluten sneaking in somehow. When I spoke to my gastroenterologist on my return, who is an excellent doctor, he told me with a smile that this was a very common experience in France among his patients, and not to worry too much about it! In fact, before we went away in May 2013, which was just after I had been formally diagnosed, he told me not to even bother trying to adopt a gluten free diet until I returned, knowing what France was like, but I was feeling so awful at that time I ignored his advice and at least tried to make a start with it. (I ought to say - both these visits were some time ago, so perhaps things are a lot better there now.) So what to do?  I would say at least try to explain to catering staff the situation - they should be able to rustle up a plate of cheese, boiled eggs, tuna, salad and fruit, and if things like crackers and gluten-free pot noodle or oats can be packed in the UK, those can be produced at mealtimes.    Of course, most larger supermarkets in France do now cater for coeliacs, but when I was last there the the choice wasn't as wide a range as we have in the UK but I think that is partly because the French like to cook from scratch, whereas our gluten-free aisles have quite a lot of dried or pre-baked goods in them/convenience foods, because I think we as a nation tend to use them more. I would be worth doing a bit of research on the internet before the trip, - the words you want are 'sans gluten'.  I've just googled 'sans gluten Disney Paris" and this came up.  I do hope at least some of this is of help. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g2079053-zfz10992-Disneyland_Paris_Ile_de_France.html  Whatever befalls in France, at least your stepdaughter can resume her usual diet on her return. On a related tack, would you be happy to post any positive findings/tips upon her return - it might be of use to others travelling to Disneyland Paris with children in future? Cristiana
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