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An Allergist Explains Why You Might Have Itchy Skin All Over, Even ...

In some cases, the itchiness will clear up spontaneously if you stop taking the drug. Speak with your doctor if the onset of your itchiness may correlate with a new medication you're taking. They can consider switching you to a different medication, if it's an option in your individual case.

3. You have an overactive or underactive thyroid gland.

Body itchiness is a well-known symptom related to hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. But itchiness would likely occur in addition to other common thyroid-related symptoms, including changes in weight and/or appetite and fatigue. Your primary care physician or an endocrinologist can do a blood test to check for any abnormality of your thyroid function and possibly a physical examination of your thyroid gland to check for swelling or tenderness.

4. There's an issue with your kidneys.

Pruritus can be a sign of kidney disease, and it usually shows up when the disease is in an advanced stage. The kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood and removing excess fluid and toxins from the body; but when they no longer function properly, the blood may be filled with abnormally high amounts of waste that they couldn't filter out (this is called uremia).

As I've mentioned, the pathology of pruritus as it relates to different health conditions is far from understood. But with kidney failure, it's possible that pruritus has to do with inflammation or an imbalance of electrolytes and nutrients in the blood, as the National Kidney Foundation explains.

Take note of where you feel itchy on your body, like whether it's all over or more localized. People with itchiness tied to kidney disease generally feel the most itchy on their back, but it's also not unusual for them to feel itchy on the head, abdomen, and arms as well.

5. There's a problem with your liver or pancreas.

Cholestasis is a condition that occurs when there's an issue with the flow of bile (a digestive fluid) in the body, and it can be tied to certain liver or pancreatic diseases or occur when there's a problem with the bile duct. When cholestasis happens, waste product known as bilirubin gets into the bloodstream.

This action can cause itchiness, possibly due to the bilirubin building up in the skin.

Cholestasis can also occur during pregnancy (especially in the third trimester), as SELF reported previously. Cholestasis of pregnancy can be dangerous or even life-threatening to the baby—so it's crucial to get any persistent itchiness checked out right away by your physician if you are pregnant. (Itchiness is the main symptom used to diagnose cholestasis of pregnancy, but other signs may include jaundice, nausea, and loss of appetite, per the Mayo Clinic.)

Treatment for cholestasis depends on the underlying cause, but there are medications that can help alleviate itchiness that your doctor may prescribe.

6. You have a pinched nerve.

A pinched nerve, which is when there's pressure put on a nerve by bone or cartilage or other tissues around it, can stimulate a tingly sensation or numbness that some people may describe as itchiness. The itchy feeling may not occur directly where the pinched nerve is located; for instance, if you feel tingly near the upper forearm area, it could be due to nerve compression in the neck. You may also be dealing with brachioradial pruritus, which is characterized by a tingling or "burning" in the shoulder, neck, or forearm. (The cause is unknown but may have to do with sun exposure.)

Antidepressants Being Used As Alternative Treatment For Chronic Itching

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Ever have an itch that just wouldn't go away? Well, there's a new and surprising way to treat people with chronic itching.

"It was getting really bad, then I purchased myself a back scratcher from the Dollar Store, and it took care of all of it," said one person.

But imagine that feeling all over, all the time.

"Chronic itching is the sensation of itch, sometimes all over the body, that will not go away. Lasts for weeks or months," said Dr. Brian Horvath, of Horvath Dermatology.

Cancer, kidney disease and liver disease can cause chronic itching, because of substances that build up in the skin with these conditions.

But sometimes a cause is never found.

Typical treatment is with steroid creams for the skin or antihistamines by mouth. But these can have intolerable side effects. Drowsiness and falling, for instance, with the antihistamines.

"No one dies of itching, but it's really uncomfortable if you itch all over your body. It can really take over your life. We have not had really great treatments for that," Dr. Horvath said.

So researchers went looking for an alternative. They reviewed 35 studies examining antidepressants and chronic itching.

"Almost all the studies showed that it did help," said Dr. Horvath. "Paxil or paroxetine helps more with itching related to cancer, whereas Zoloft or sertraline helps more with itching related to kidney disease."

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

These medicines help with itching by modulating certain brain chemicals, and in some cases, working like antihistamines.

Dr. Horvath says he has recently started prescribing these types of medicines. Some people have had to stop the medicine because of side effects, such as dizziness. But some have done well.

"Recently, last six months or so, we started writing antidepressants for people with chronic itch. And we've had some good results," Dr. Horvath said. "He called the office two weeks later and said he wasn't itching at all."

New Hope For People Suffering From Chronic Itch - CBS News

If you've ever had an itch that wouldn't go away, you know how unbearable it can be to keep scratching and find no relief. At the world's first center to study chronic itch, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, researchers are getting closer to finding answers for desperate patients.

Don Hodges is one such patient. Now 81 years old, he has battled enemies at war and fought a bout with cancer. But seven years ago, he started combating an itch all over his body.

"I went through so many dermatologists that we knew each other by first names and family members," Hodges told CBS News. "And they'd just give up. They couldn't do anything."

Don Hodges CBS News

Creams, ointments, and medications didn't help. Hodges is among the 15 percent of people who suffer from unexplained chronic itch, for which there's currently no FDA-approved treatment.

"Study after study has shown that it's worse than chronic pain, or comparable. My patients tell me it's often worse," explains Dr. Brian Kim, a researcher who focuses on the issue at Washington University School of Medicine's Center for the Study of Itch.

Yet he points out, "If you open up a dermatology textbook, this disorder, there's no chapter on it. There's no drug for it."

After discovering an itch molecule, scientists expanded their work from testing treatments on itchy lab mice to finding relief for desperate patients.

Dr. Brian Kim CBS News

"A lot of people didn't believe that – not only that it was a real problem, that it was a problem we could solve at the scientific level," Kim said.

Doctors finally found a way to help Hodges. After several failed treatments, a rheumatoid arthritis drug is giving him the relief he needed.

"Within a week, probably from the day I took it," he said, "and it went away and hasn't come back. You don't get to be 81 years old by giving up."

Kim isn't giving up either. He hope this will clear a path to help many more scratch an unbearable itch.

"It doesn't have to stop here," he said. "That's just one drug, one pathway. But we think there's a lot more."

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