Is my itchy scalp the result of my prescription pills? DR MARTIN SCURR answers your health questions

Three years ago my back started to itch. It has now spread to my scalp. Using a soothing spray didn’t help. I take some prescription pills and wonder if any of these are the culprit? If you can help it could save my sanity.

Patricia Burvill, W Sussex.

I understand that itching can be an insane feeling. I also understand why you asked if your medication – in your longer letter you say you take nine prescription drugs and one vitamin supplement – could play a role.

After reviewing the information, all medications you take list itching or skin reactions as possible side effects.

However, in my experience, when a medication causes itching, it is usually accompanied by a rash that ranges from a widespread eczema-like rash or pimples to a blister-like, blister-like appearance. But you say your skin is clear.

They weaned each of your medications one for two weeks to try to identify a culprit, but it made no difference.

First, try adding Aveeno Soothing Bath Soak to a daily bath: Recommended for treating dry, itchy skin, this oat-based supplement is safe and effective (although it’s not clear how it works).

I would always caution against ever stopping any prescription medication without your doctor’s advice. Determining what causes that is very complex when there are so many drugs out there, and stopping can have consequences.

I don’t think two weeks is long enough, partly because some of the drug can stay in your system – but also because once there is an inflammatory response, even minimal, in the layers of the skin, it will pick up momentum and on and on, but from. The match will be out, but the fire will smolder. Seriously, you need to get two months off.

And it is possible that your medication is not linked. Itchy skin is a well-known symptom of type 2 diabetes; High blood sugar can lead to dry skin and poor circulation, both of which cause itching.

The oral steroids (prednisolone) you take can also cause the liver to become unresponsive to insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels. So I think it’s worth checking your blood sugar.

Or itching can be the result of an allergy to something as harmless as, for example, your detergent.

While I am reluctant to add another drug to the already long list, it is worth testing the effects of a small dose of an antihistamine at night – chlorpheniramine 2 mg – with your doctor’s blessing.

If it is an allergy, the antihistamine should partially or even completely suppress the itching after a few doses. And if not, stop doing it.

That said, I think the most likely cause is xerosis, a common cause of unexplained itching in those over 65.

It is associated with dry skin and is partly a result of aging (skin loses moisture more easily) and partly a reaction to years of soap exposure, too many baths and cold or dry weather (which over time depletes the natural oils in the skin exhausts. ). Skin). the skin).

If I am correct that it is xerosis then there are several measures that can help.

First, try adding Aveeno Soothing Bath Soak to a daily bath: Recommended for treating dry, itchy skin, this oat-based supplement is safe and effective (although it’s not clear how it works). It is available in pharmacies without a prescription. You can also try Aveeno Skin Relief Soothing Shampoo.

These products need to be used long term, but I think they offer the best chance of relieving your symptoms. Congratulations!

I have to go to the toilet four to five times a night, which disturbs my sleep a lot. Is there anything I can do to help with this problem? I don’t drink after 6pm (perhaps relevant: I had radiation therapy for prostate cancer ten years ago).

John Boyd, by email.

Waking up repeatedly during the night to urinate is called nocturia. The most common cause of this in men is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), in which the prostate enlarges with age.

In any case, I suggest you talk to your GP about a referral to a urologist (as BPH can also occur after previous radiation therapy for prostate cancer).

If it’s BPH, you’ll likely have other symptoms too – especially poor flow and hesitancy (difficulty emptying your bladder).

You mention your radiation therapy treatment and it is possible that the nocturia is related to nerve damage (which can take time to develop).

In any case, I recommend that you talk to your GP about a referral to a urologist (as BPH can also occur after a patient has had previous radiation therapy for prostate cancer).

Treatments for BPH are helpful for most symptoms, but less so for nocturia.

However, one way to do this is with desmopressin, a drug available as a pill or nasal spray – it is the synthetic version of a hormone called vasopressin, which suppresses urine production by the kidneys at night.

Studies comparing desmopressin with a placebo show that it reduces nocturnal voiding by 53 percent while increasing hours of undisturbed sleep by 74 percent.

People over the age of 65 are at risk of sodium deficiency as a side effect, so it is important to have a blood test done a week after starting treatment and then a month later.

I suggest you discuss this with your doctor – or with the urologist if you are referred for re-evaluation.

Write to Dr. scramble

Write to Dr. Scurr to Good Health, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email: drmartin@dailymail.co.uk – add contact details. DR Scurr cannot respond to personal correspondence. Answers should be taken in a general context. If you have health problems, contact your GP.