ITCHY itchy itchy, much of the time

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I'm itchy much of the time. On my toes, tops of feet, ankles, forelegs, waist, back, forearms, tops of hands, fingers, and my scalp. It's perpetual. Sometimes I take a Benadryl because I can't screen the feeling out from my mind. (I can also feel my heart beating in my chest all the time and can feel every little pain in my body.)

Anyone else have this issue? Is this an AS issue or is it unrelated?

In the wintertime, socks dry out my calves and ankles and make them itch like crazy. Somebody recommended eating walnuts (I forget the medical reasons for it), so I tried it and it took several weeks for whatever chemical is in them to build up in my system, but it did help a lot. I just get the plain unsalted kind people use for cooking in the baking section at the grocery and eat a handful a day, like taking a vitamin supplement.

I also use Lubriderm for dry skin if it gets itchy - just the plain old non-fragrance, no additives version - sometimes the chemicals they add to make it smell good can irritate skin themselves.

I don't think it's AS related, It was never a problem for me when I was younger.

I get itchy a lot.

It's why I don't wear socks or underwear at all and almost always wear loose, baggy clothing made from cotton.

I still itch a lot, but it's manageable.

Concentrating on something else is often helpful, I've found.

Yes, this is an AS issue. Many people with less functional forms of Autism also experience this leading to excessive stimming and things like head banging as they try to cope with the unbearable sensation.

I only know because I too itch all of the time so I searched the internet and like you I'm not the only one. Lots of times it feels like bugs are crawling beneath my skin or crawling on me and it can be very discomforting as well as disheartening.

I don't like putting things on my skin but I know if I start scratching it'll only get worse so there are some things I'll "force" myself to do if the itching becomes unbearable.
1. If the itching is localized in one area I'll try running an ice cube over the spot if I can't ignore it. Lots of times this cools the area off and the itching goes away.
2. I'll put lotion on the area if it's localized. I don't like it but it does help lots of the time. Maybe because the skin is dry...?
3. When was the last time I showered...? Yes...as an adult Aspie I still struggle with hygene issues. Perhaps it's time for a shower and a shave as oil, dirt and facial growth can cause horrible itching.

Hope this helps.

Yeah I get this all the time and use cocoa and shea butter twice a day. You probably have dry skin and it doesn't only happen in the winter, it's year round. Also make sure that your scalp is moisturized a lot of times guys forget about this step.

Put aloe vera gel on your scalp if your hair is fine but if your hair is thicker or curly you might want to try an oil like jojoba oil or just cocoa or shea butter. Make sure to get the yellow shea butter not the white one, the white one is chemical processed and fake.

maybe your place needs a humidifier in the colder months? humidifying the air is easier than slathering on lotion all the time.

Well, it can be some sort of allergy or irritation. Do you have any redness, swelling, flakes or bumps? If so that can be fixed. Dry skin can use lotion or oil, allergen can be avoided. If you use commercial soap, lotion and perfumes they can all cause irritation to sensitive people. My husband used to have horrible itchy skin when he was using regular shampoo and soap. It all cleared up when I started buying him natural soap and non-sulphate shampoo. If your itch only happen at certain times or certain locations, the cause might be more specific. Say if you're itchy in bed you might be bothered by the material of your bedding, or dust mite.

Itchiness is also a manifestation of low liver function. If the toxic load is high in your body you might get lots of itch for no reason. It can be caused by taking lots of medications, lots of mercury fillings or general unhealthy diet.

If there's absolutely no reason and your have perfectly smooth normal skin, it's just itchy, then it might be related to autism. Though I think that's less likely than the above reasons.

Excessive itching, unless you've already had it looked at in depth by a doctor, could be a symptom of something else rather serious.
Liver or kidney failure for instance can cause excessive itching that won't look like anything.

As others have said: look to your soaps, and clothes cleaning products, and get to the doc for a liver function test.

And question your clothes. Stick to pure cotton. First thing to avoid is wool.

Then try wearing bamboo next to your skin, starting with a tee shirt. 70% bamboo, 30% cotton is good. Cheap enough on amazon.

Excessive itchiness is caused by exposure to too much classical music.

J/K. I am also an itch maniac. But I'm also considered atopic.
Have you ever gotten an allergy test? I had several done. I'm allergic to many "natural" things (dust, dander, pollens, weeds, horses, stings). However, I'm not allergic to many chemicals (only penicillin) or detergents. So, get me away from nature and load me up with synthetics! You might want to experiment with a daily non-drowsy antihistamine to suppress your hyperactive autoimmune system. Allegra (fexofenadine) works best for me, but there are so many others that you can try, and your physiology may react better with a different one like Claritin or Hismanal or Zyrtec, etc.
Good luck!

If it were me I'd actually look to STOP using moisturizer, I'd think of it the same way as the soap as I know I get plenty of other skin reactions to all sorts of products. It gets worse the older I get it seems.
Personally I'd also be looking into the foods I eat, as I have celiac disease and I seem to get itchy without getting a full-blown dermatitis herpetiformis rash that can go along with the disease. Yes that's really specific to me, but it's possibly you're reacting not to an external irritant, but a food.

I wonder if bendryl would even help the itch if it were due to poor liver function? Does anyone know? It will help if you're getting a histaminergic reaction (ie: a standard allergic reaction.) If it's another sort of immune system reaction it can also help, although you will find some doctors saying it won't. (I've read such things on a celiac forum I frequent, as celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder but not an allergic reaction.)
That you're saying taking it helps, however, implies to me that it's some environmental thing setting off your body that you can hopefully pinpoint and get rid of. That this sort of thing can be a symptom of ASD doesn't negate what I just said either...there's lots of weird medical things that are as yet to be understood in regards to ASD, things that don't specifically pertain to the brain.

Thanks for these helpful posts.

It's neither allergies nor poor liver function. I use hypoallergenic soaps.

I think I'm just sensitive to my own body and I'll have to learn to live with it.

BTW I like Benadryl because it subdues all my nerve processing so that I feel less of everything. Too bad it makes me sleepy otherwise I'd be on it all the time!

I'd still think of clothing. Fabric is so full of crap it'll make your head spin to read about it. Allergy tests don't test all the possible allergens in existence, only a very small number. Also they would not include food sensitivities that aren't allergies (of which there are many.)
Hypoallergenic soap still has something in it. I'd go without showering for awhile, (if possible), then only wash with water, and only in a tub. Constant itchiness IMO would be worth the stench to try and figure it out.

It's possible your itchiness is a form of neuropathy. Do you have carpal tunnel or some other type of nerve damage? Do your extremities itch more than your torso? Do you have diabetes?