As I’m typing this on my computer, sitting upright in bed with the Yankee game on low volume and Celine Dion crooning on Spotify, I feel like twenty different things are pinching, pulling, and crawling on my skin.
And it’s almost everywhere! My arms, neck, shoulder, right under my boob, sides of my stomach, hips, feet, scalp, cheekbones, nose, forehead.
These electric-jolt-like sensations make me feel like an itchy maniac. Like every 15-20 seconds I want to scratch at my skin because there are raging sparks underneath the surface.
If you’re still reading this and you have Fibromyalgia – more than likely you know what I’m talking about.
But can Fibromyalgia make your skin itchy?
And can anything be done about it for relief? (Yep!)
You want answers, so keep reading below.
Can Fibromyalgia make your skin itchy?
It’s very possible that Fibromyalgia (FM) can make your skin itchy.
You may experience bouts of intense itchiness with Fibromyalgia because of central sensitization of your central nervous system – meaning your central nervous system abnormally changes to be more sensitive and overreactive to pain. (
If you don’t know what allodynia is, you need to).
When you get itchy, your itch is called a neuropathic itch.
Central sensitization is believed to be a large factor in developing Fibromyalgia, so it makes sense that it can trigger skin sensitivity too.
So you’re not crazy! And neither are spiders under your skin with pitchfork shoes.
What does Fibromyalgia itchiness feel like?
To me, being itchy with Fibromyalgia feels like getting electric shocks or being sharply pinched in random spots all over your body.
You might feel four different itchy spots that start in one place and end in another – like toes, calf, armpit, forearm, hips.
Or two. Or twenty.
All in less than a minute.
It can be nonstop, like little tickles here, there, and there, and there, AND THERE…
(And in Michael Scott’s voice, zip zap zip zap zip zap!)
For me, these episodes last for lots of minutes. Like, as I’m typing this, legs flat out in front of me in bed, I’m getting zapped all over the place. God. SO ITCHY.
These itchy pricks feel similar to body stabs but less intense. Body stabs made me jump and wince, itchiness makes me scratch and hurt like a crazy person.
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How to stop neuropathic itchiness?
Two of your best bets for neuropathic itch relief are cold compresses and cool-soothing salves. That’s because nerves calm down when cold, thanks to the vagus nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system.
Stimulating this major nerve triggers your body’s signal to relax.
Seems counterintuitive when it’s typically recommended that heat be used for pain in Fibromyalgia patients, but nope.
If you can handle it, go for the cold.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Balm has great reviews, though I have not personally tried it. Try typing “itch” in the “Looking for specific info?” in the review section on Amazon to see specific reviews mentioning how it helped their itch.
If cold compresses are too painful and you don’t have a cooling salve, you can try other methods to find some itch relief:
- Avoid skin irritants that can trigger itchiness, like scented lotions, creams, and perfumes
- Moisturize your skin to prevent dryness
- Take a shower – your skin will feel the water, not the itch
- Exercise – stimulates vagus nerve, promoting relaxation of nerves
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve found something that works.
What are the other weird sensations of Fibromyalgia?
Skin itchiness isn’t the only strange symptom that plagues us folk with Fibromyalgia.
Lucky for us, we may experience other weird sensations such as:
- Zaps, jolts, and pin-pricks
- Throbbing, tugging, and pulling (like deep pain as if your collarbones are being lifted by meat hooks)
- Tenderness and soreness
- Ripples, waves, and flutters of pain
- Varying pain patterns, like tap tap tap JOLT tap zip zap
I feel slightly strange for typing all that out, but I know someone will understand…
Your takeaway
Can Fibromyalgia make your skin itchy? Yes, Fibro can, and it’s called a neuropathic itch.
Central sensitization may be the origin of your annoying itch episodes thanks to how it changes your central nervous system to be more sensitive and reactive to pain and skin-itching triggers.
Use cold compresses and cooling balms on your skin for relief.
Neuropathic itchiness is not fun, is mighty annoying, and can make you want to punch someone in the face because you can’t concentrate, the itch is SO BAD.
Been there, will keep being there.
Have you been there too? What has your experience with FM skin itchiness been like? Share in the comments below, pretty please!
