What Diseases Cause Itching All Over?

Treatment for itching all over depends on the cause, which is why it is important to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis. 

Treatment for very dry skin that can cause itching all over includes:

• Applying moisturizer several times a day 
• Using a humidifier
• Washing skin with a gentle cleanser
• Limiting baths and showers to five minutes, using warm (not hot) water
• Shaving at the end of a shower or bath
• Wearing gloves when washing dishes, gardening, or immersing hands in water 
• Protecting skin from the cold
• Avoiding the sun and tanning beds
• Wearing loose-fitting cotton clothes
• Talk to your dermatologist before using anti-itch creams and other skin care products because some products contain ingredients that can irritate overly dry skin, making the dryness and itch worse

Treatment for bug bites that can cause itching all over includes:

• Bed bug treatment
  • Wash the bites with soap and water
  • Antihistamines, corticosteroids, or epinephrine (adrenaline) for a severe allergic reaction
  • Antibiotics for infection
  • Topical antihistamine or corticosteroid creams for itchiness 
  • Professional pest control to get rid of bed bugs in the home
• Head lice treatment
  • Over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription shampoos and medications
  • Treating the home to prevent infestation
• Scabies treatment
  • 5% permethrin cream
  • 10% crotamiton cream
  • 25% benzyl benzoate lotion
  • Sulfur (5%-10%) ointment
  • 1% lindane lotion
  • Prescription ivermectin

Treatment for itchy skin conditions that can cause itching all over includes: 

• Atopic dermatitis treatment
  • Skin care: bathing, applying moisturizer, being gentle with your skin
  • Trigger management
  • Topical medications
  • Corticosteroids
  • Crisaborole ointment
  • Pimecrolimus cream or tacrolimus ointment 
  • Coal tar
• Chickenpox treatment
  • Soak in colloidal oatmeal baths
  • After bathing, apply a topical ointment, such as calamine lotion, petroleum jelly, or another fragrance-free, anti-itch lotion
  • Use non-aspirin medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever
    • Do not use aspirin in children with chickenpox because it is associated with a serious illness called Reye’s syndrome 
  • Over-the-counter oral children’s antihistamines for itching 
  • Keep your child’s fingernails trimmed short to help prevent skin infections caused by scratching 
• Dyshidrotic eczema treatment
  • Soaks and cool compresses
  • Topical corticosteroid cream or ointment
  • Antihistamines or other anti-itch medicines 
  • Moisturizer or a barrier repair cream
  • Medication to treat an infection 
• Folliculitis treatment
  • Often goes away on its own
  • Apply warm compresses to the area for relief of symptoms
  • Antibiotics if an infection is present
• Hand-foot-and-mouth disease treatment
  • Often goes away on its own in 7 to 10 days without treatment
  • Avoid eating spicy or acidic foods
  • Drink cold liquids
  • Use non-aspirin medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever
    • Do not use aspirin in children because it is associated with a serious illness called Reye’s syndrome 
  • Adults can use numbing mouthwash or spray to reduce pain from mouth sores
• Hives treatment
  • Antihistamines
  • Corticosteroids such as prednisone
  • The antibiotic dapsone
  • Omalizumab for chronic hives
  • Other medicines that fight inflammation
  • Epinephrine injection (shot of adrenaline)
• Psoriasis treatment
  • Topical treatments, such as creams and ointments
  • Phototherapy (light therapy)
  • Systemic treatments
    • Biologics and biosimilars
    • Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) 
    • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Neurodermatitis treatment
  • Corticosteroids, topical or injected
  • Cool compresses
  • Antihistamines 
  • Moisturizer
  • Coal tar preparations
  • Capsaicin cream or doxepin cream
  • Treating infection if it occurs
• Ringworm treatment
  • Antifungal ointment or cream 
  • Prescription oral antifungal medicines
• Seborrheic dermatitis treatment
  • Dandruff shampoos
  • Medicine to apply to the skin for short periods of time
  • Barrier-repair cream
• Shingles treatment
  • Antiviral medications
  • Pain medications 
    • Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
    • Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
    • Corticosteroids

Treatment for skin cancer that can cause itching all over includes: 

• Surgery 
• Radiation therapy 
• Chemotherapy 
• Photodynamic therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Chemical peel
• Other drug therapy

Treatment for certain diseases that can cause itching all over includes: 

• Blood disease treatment
  • Growth factors to stimulate blood cell production
  • Steroids or other drugs to suppress the immune system
  • Chemotherapy to destroy abnormal cells
  • Blood-component therapies, such as platelet transfusions or clotting factors
  • Bone marrow transplant
• Diabetes treatment
  • Insulin
  • Metformin and other oral diabetes medicines
  • Other injectable diabetes medicines
  • Bariatric surgery
  • Artificial pancreas
• Kidney disease treatment
  • Lifestyle changes 
  • Medicine to control associated problems, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol
  • Dialysis 
  • Kidney transplant 
• Liver disease treatment 
  • Avoiding alcohol
  • Antiviral medications for hepatitis
  • Weight loss
  • Liver transplant
• HIV treatment
  • Antiretroviral therapy (ART)
• Overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) treatment
  • Antithyroid drugs
  • Beta-blockers
  • Radioactive iodine
  • Surgery

Treatment for allergic skin reactions that can cause itching all over includes: 

• Avoiding the allergen
• Topical medication for rashes
• Oral medication for rash and swelling
• Cool compresses to relieve itching
• Calamine lotion or colloidal oatmeal baths for open sores that leak

Treatment for reactions to plants or marine life that can cause itching all over includes: 

• Poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and other plants treatment
  • Immediately rinse skin with lukewarm, soapy water
  • Thoroughly wash clothing
  • Wash everything that may have the oil from the plant on its surface
  • Avoid scratching
  • To relieve itch:
    • Take short, lukewarm baths in a colloidal oatmeal preparation or add one cup of baking soda to the running water
    • Use calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream
    • Apply cool compresses to itchy skin
    • Oral antihistamines 
• Parasites that live in ponds, lakes, or oceans (“swimmer’s itch”) treatment
  • Corticosteroid cream
  • Anti-itch lotion
  • Cool compresses applied to the affected areas
  • Bathe in Epsom salts or baking soda
  • Soak in colloidal oatmeal baths
  • Apply baking soda paste to the rash (stir water into baking soda until it reaches a paste-like consistency)
• Seabather’s eruption treatment
  • Remove swimsuit as soon as possible and rinse in household vinegar or rubbing alcohol 
  • Shower with fresh water and soap, and vigorously scrub the skin
  • Topical corticosteroids in combination with antihistamines 
  • Systemic corticosteroids for severe symptoms

Treatment for itching all over due to thinning and dry skin due to age includes:

• Skin care changes
• Moisturizer

Treatment for itching all over due to certain medications and cancer treatments includes:

• Ask your doctor if there is anything that can help reduce itch while continuing treatment
• Talk to your doctor about changing the medication or dose (never stop taking a prescribed medication or change the dosage or regimen without first talking to tour doctor)

Treatment for itching all over due to nerve problems includes:

• Shingles treatment
  • Antiviral medicines
  • Pain medicine, over-the-counter or prescription 
  • Wet compresses, calamine lotion, and colloidal oatmeal baths for itching
• Stroke treatment
  • A thrombolytic (a “clot-busting” drug) to break up blood clots: tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) 
  • Medicine
  • Surgery
  • Other procedures such as endovascular procedures 
  • Rehabilitation
• Multiple sclerosis treatment
  • Disease modifying medications
  • Short course of high-dose corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation of exacerbations
  • Different medications to manage symptoms
  • Rehabilitation