PRURIGO --Things That Make it Worse or No Improvement

Here are some of the things that makes Prurigo get WORSE or members have reported it provided no improvement.

The suggestions listed here come from the wonderful message board at this link:
Prurigo Nodularis Support


09/16/03	Smiley	Humid Weather -- I had a very bad outbreak/itchy fit this weekend. Its been so humid here that it really aggravated everything. I need relief!
10/13/03	Feelgoodfem	Vitamin C Tablets -- I had an unfortunate reaction to these Vitamin C tablets I just started taking. Again, the PN reacted blatantly.
11/07/03	Mary Lou	Cold Weather -- My PN started getting worse as soon as the weather got colder. My skin gets so dry and my PN itches like crazy. The winter is the absolute worse time for me.
11/09/03	Pat Lamb	Winter Weather -- I agree with Laura in regards to the weather. Winter is a nightmare for me. My skin becomes so dry and the itch is intense. In summer my skin becomes much more moist and the itching seems to decrease.
11/09/03	eborg	Sweating -- When the weather gets hot and I start sweating, I get much, much worse. Our family went to Hawaii in August 2002, and the hot, humid weather caused me to constantly sweat, which made my skin sting and more sores broke out.
10/29/03	Smoothface	Heat, Stress, Acidic Foods -- Almost anything , at anytime can trigger the itching, including heat, foods of high acid content, stress, etc. One of my best things in the past is to avoid foods with too much acid.
11/05/03	Felix	Stopping Steriods -- My wife also used steriod injections, creams and tablets.During the time she got stereoides the pain and nodules seems really to cure, but as soon as she stoped with stereoides, the nodules and pain came back.
11/05/03	PNSufferer	Stopping Steriods --When they stopped using the steriods, the PN came back.
10/22/03	Annette	Hot Showers -- I have very dry skin...I can't image taking hot showers, etc. I always try and use cool water when I shower, because hot water makes me itch!
03-23-06	TJune	No Dairy --I stopped consuming anything dairy unless it was organic for about 2 years and it made no difference in my skin!
09-26-05	Q1971pn1988	Hot Humid Weather --I am female, Danish (and I definitely don't like hot, humid weather which makes my PN much worse!!!). I got PN at the age of 17 and have had it for half my life now.
09-20-05	Smiley	Hormones + Female Period --I believe that there is a definite hormone connection. Every month, the week before my period begins, the itching becomes unbearable and all the bumps flare up. After my period begins things calm down a bit and my skin is its "normal" bumpy self.
05-02-05	ScratchyGuy	Sitting Still --I work in my yard, which is full of maple and elm trees, my blood starts to move more vigorously and the itching almost completely quits. But when I'm trying to sleep, and the blood movement slows, the itching gets intense. And it's not just a day/night thing. I'm a programmer and when I'm sitting, physically inactive, at the computer during the day the itching definitely gets worse.
05-02-05	Marlene	Slowing Down --I also experience more itching when I 'slow' down. I am a drama teacher in NYC public schools. I never notice my PN when I am 'on' with my students. But at 4 pm YIKES!!! also, mornings are the worst, after sleeping in stillness. So perhaps you are on to something. I also go to a gym and feel best when I am exercising.
06-07-05	Dennis	Weight Gain --One significant thing I have noticed though over the 18+ years I have had this. It flares up and remissions seem to correspond to weight gain and loss. When I went through a very stressful time in my life, one in which I lost about 37b LBS in two weeks the PN went into unbelievable remission. As the weight slowly came back so did the PN. Then when I went on a contract assignment in NY I put on about 22 LBS in two months. I had a flare up like you wouldn't believe.
05-22-05	Feelgoodfem	Beer --Years ago I couldn't even drink 1 sip of beer without an immediate reaction. I can now drink 2-3+ beers if I want to without incident! BUT. I've noticed that I can drink as much as I want to but if i hit the point of being "strongly buzzed" or "drunk" that's when I'll pay for it via my skin that night and the next morning.
04-26-05	PN4YRS	No Atenolol --Please read my post on another thread today. Honest truth...it was an allergic reaction to Atenolol. Regarding the PN: mine was caused by allergic reaction to Atenolol, well-used and usually well-tolerated blood pressure meds.
04-17-05	Marlene	Niacin --I took mega doses of Niacin once long ago, thinking it might 'cure' my PN. O lordie! I broke out in bumps all over my shins, ankles, and knees (I don't have PN on my legs - knock on wood). The itching was intolerable, and this happened within a half hour of ingesting the Niacin tablets. It went away after a week or so of creams and icepacks. I have NEVER tried Niacin again.
12-12-06	Scratchyguy	Vancomycin Pills --The vancomycin pills didn't do me any good. It's a long story -- but the short version is that IV vancomycin, (like Tanya took), works in a very different way than taking it by pill.
11-03-06	Dawn	Birth Control --A note to the other women here: Birth control made me flare up like I've never experienced. It was a nightmare. I erupted in places where I've never had PN before. They made my hormone balance go completely out of whack. The skin is usually one of the first indicators that something is wrong in the endrocrine/hormone systems (hence the hot flashed during menopause) if there is an imbalance. I'm off then now and have started to heal again.
11-28-06	SBolling	Mimyx Creme --Mimyx was one of the many creams/ointments that I was prescribed. It didn't really help my PN. A derm prescribed for me when I had lesions on my hand that were the size of quarters and would not heal.
11-07-06	Louise	Cold Weather --My PN consists of about 100 itchy spots, the majority of which are on my arms and legs. Now that the colder weather has returned, they're acting up again.
11-09-06	Louise	Omega 369 --Several other people on this site have also had adverse reactions to the Omega 3-6-9 that other have deemed to be beneficial.
11-15-06	pfishend	Expensive Water Treatment System --I even invested in a $10,000 water system to provide me with the cleanest water possible. (Methinks another hoax)
10-03-06	blueskymyne	Accutane --On the PN Message board, blueskymyne reported he took Acccutane and had terrible side effects. He considers it to be a disaster.
01-10-07	Pfishend	Methotrexate --Are we talking about Methotrexate. The arthritis drug? I've been on it for 2 years now. 5 per week + Folic acid as this drug can make your hair fall out. Hasn't done didly squat for my PN, but has indeed helped the Arthritis. Blue is partially right, this drug is designed to suppress the immune system. But as a treatment for PN ???? They are just throwing darts and hoping. t is not a very nice drug and I don't think it will help much.
01-09-07	Marlene	Aspirin --About two years ago, I got all excited about 'aspirin therapy' for PN. I was taking massive doses of aspirin, and it was helping the itch considerably. THEN - WITHOUT WARNING, I had a horrid stomach ache, which came on suddenly at a party. I went into the bathroom, and had heavy bleeding in my stool. This lasted for several days. Obviously I stopped the aspirin.
01-08-07	Marlene	Azithromycin --So far, three weeks with Azithromycin, and NO CHANGE. If anything, I have more itching. UGH!!!
03-16-04	Feelgoodfem	Donuts or Strawberry Shakes --If I do something stupid like eat donuts 2 days in a row, it will make the PN flare up redder and itchier. If I eat something that doesn't agree with me, it will do the same. Usually this includes lots of sugar, wheat things like oats or cereals, fruit (I made a strawberry shake last weekend and boy did I get hives and my PN got red and bigger within an hour).
06-08-04	Jong	Methotrexate, Azathioprine, Elidel cream --Did not work
06-11-04	Chris Cross	Soap & Shampoos --Over the years I have found that soap and shampoos from showers aggravate my pn.
01-20-07	Blueskymyne	Accutane --Bluesky reports he almost died from health complications brought on by Accutane.
07-21-04	Feelgoodfem	Hot Water --For the most part, the PN always looked like inflamed, red chicken pox. They'd itch, they'd pinch, they'd be scratched open, they'd turn redder with hot water/a shower/a swim in the pool/a sit in the sun. About 8 months ago or so they even started getting infected with pus and they really hurt.
02-13-07	Sherri	UV Light Treatments --I was diagnosed w/Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome-Lupus-like. I was diagnosed w/this 4/2002. I have had PN since about 1988 or so. I tried Light Treatments about 10 yrs ago and found it to be of no result. To me my skin worsened and of course the itching never stopped but burned along with the itch.
11-03-04	Befuddled Mom	Eating & Sugar --I have noticed that mine itch after eating. I know I have a mold allergy and prob. yeast, however, it doesn't seem to matter what I eat for the itching to begin. I know that sugar makes it flare. I have read that gluten might be culprit.

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