Weird prickly skin

At least five months ago I developed this thing where if my body heat rises suddenly or I get nervous it feels like a million needles are sticking me. Random places on my body every time. Sometimes my face, legs, torso, arms or a combination of those. Sometimes the entire body part and sometimes just patches.

It was an annoyance at first but it is now getting progressively worse. When it happens its pretty painful and I have rub the areas. Then its itchy. If I have an episode of it over a large area like my torso then the pain is almost unbearable.

I researched this on the internet and nothing I have read describes the exact same symptoms I have. Nothing happens to my skin when this happens like a rash or bumpbs or anything like that.

Any ideas? Im thinking it does have something to due with sweat being trapped. But if im outside in the heat doing something strenuous I sweat just fine. Im not on any medications and im not allergic to anything.

Hi, I've been suffering from something simular for 3 months. It first started on my lower legs and i felt as if i wanted to break out into a sweat but never quite got there. Sypmtoms then started to spread to my face and arms. i have been to the doctor who told me this was a symptom of anxiety which is all good but i am not in the slighest bit anxious about anything. My worst experience was when i was holiday a few weeks back and felt a bit off. My symptons seemed to get worse, in fact so bad i thought my toes were going to fall off. i checked myself into the ER department and they gave me a full check up, by that, i mean x-rays, ct scans, blood tests the lot. they said i was fit and healthy apart from the fact i seemed to be passing a kidney stone, of which the burning sensations were not related. they gave me a course of antibiotics and pain killers and that seemed to do the trick, i felt great within 12 hours.
Since i've been back in the England the symptoms have gradually been coming back. I have again spoken to my doctor and he has sent me for a urine test of which i am waiting the results. He wants to rule out any problems with my kidneys. he also prescribed me a course of the same antibiotics but double the dose to see if it works for me this time round without the symptons coming back. I will let yu know how i get on.

Jonathan wrote:

At least five months ago I developed this thing where if my body heat rises suddenly or I get nervous it feels like a million needles are sticking me. Random places on my body every time. Sometimes my face, legs, torso, arms or a combination of those. Sometimes the entire body part and sometimes just patches.
It was an annoyance at first but it is now getting progressively worse. When it happens its pretty painful and I have rub the areas. Then its itchy. If I have an episode of it over a large area like my torso then the pain is almost unbearable.
I researched this on the internet and nothing I have read describes the exact same symptoms I have. Nothing happens to my skin when this happens like a rash or bumpbs or anything like that.
Any ideas? Im thinking it does have something to due with sweat being trapped. But if im outside in the heat doing something strenuous I sweat just fine. Im not on any medications and im not allergic to anything.

I have been suffering with prickly skin for several years. It started with a feeling like I was being picked with needles on my lower legs. This progressed up my legs and now it can occur on my legs and arms. It can be so itchy I have bruised myself and scratched off skin.

There are never any red spots or other rash symptoms. It occurs most when the temperature changes - in fall or spring. It does not last all day by usually is in the morning or evening. I have tried many things to stop it.

I have found only one thing helps. A drug called Rivatril (?) that was prescribed for anxiety seems to settle things down.

I would love to know what causes it but no doctor I have spoken to has ever heard of it.

Its an awful thing to have. I am amazed the doctors have no real solution to this problem. I have finished my course of antibiotics and again the symptons are coming back but thankfully not as strong.
I keep looking for outbreaks of rash and spots on my skin but there never seems to any at all.
I find it very fustrating.
previous to this i used to have what they called restless leg syndrome which came and went depending on the weather but lately i seem to have no signs of that. i have had nerve and muscle tests done and all came back clear.

i just want to go back to normality, and these symptons make me feel like i'm not

Joanne wrote:

I have been suffering with prickly skin for several years. It started with a feeling like I was being picked with needles on my lower legs. This progressed up my legs and now it can occur on my legs and arms. It can be so itchy I have bruised myself and scratched off skin.
There are never any red spots or other rash symptoms. It occurs most when the temperature changes - in fall or spring. It does not last all day by usually is in the morning or evening. I have tried many things to stop it.
I have found only one thing helps. A drug called Rivatril (?) that was prescribed for anxiety seems to settle things down.
I would love to know what causes it but no doctor I have spoken to has ever heard of it.

Just incase we are all suffering from anxiety, there is a very good website i can recommed. http://www.anxietycentre.com

Joanne,

I have the exacty same symptoms and haven't had much luck in getting relief. I've been tested for allergies and have found that I am allergic to pollen and mold (which mostly occur in the spring and fall). I took Zyrtec last spring and did get some relief - the prickling was there, but pretty minor. However, it's worse this fall and a stronger antihisitamine doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Just wanted you to know what I've tried.

Joanne wrote:

I have been suffering with prickly skin for several years. It started with a feeling like I was being picked with needles on my lower legs. This progressed up my legs and now it can occur on my legs and arms. It can be so itchy I have bruised myself and scratched off skin.
There are never any red spots or other rash symptoms. It occurs most when the temperature changes - in fall or spring. It does not last all day by usually is in the morning or evening. I have tried many things to stop it.
I have found only one thing helps. A drug called Rivatril (?) that was prescribed for anxiety seems to settle things down.
I would love to know what causes it but no doctor I have spoken to has ever heard of it.

well i join all of you. i feel this prickly feeling in my legs, when i rub them i feel it in my arms, stomach, face, just everywhere. i also have wondered if its anxiety or just some kind of reaction to what, i don't know what. it can drive me absolutely nuts at times. i see alot of you have been to drs. i never have, i am trying to research it to see what i can find out.

Have you ever been tested for lymes disease? I have peripheral neuropathy from lymes disease and have the same sensations with prickly skin. There are 8 tick borne illnesses and most doctors don't test thoroughly for all of them.

I find the whole thing strange. I went through a period where i clinically cleaned everything on a regular basis. I'd be exhausted at the end of each day just because i couldn't chance that dust and whatever else might cause my skin to burn me. I do find that when i'm occupied i don't have any symptoms at all for the past 2 days have not barely had any.
i don't know what it means but welcome the relief.
I have just read the latest post and will arrange to be tested for Lyme disease which can be caught from a tick bite.

I went to a homeopathic doc and she said the same thing about Lyme's. I'm on a detox now and the symptoms get worse before better. Try to detox before you go down the road of lots of antibiotics. It could be lymes but I think the anxiety is a huge part in it. We get nervous cause we have these creepy sensations and then our anxiety rises - and it can really do a number on a person. I was glad to find the site - thought I was going crazy.

Patty wrote:

Have you ever been tested for lymes disease? I have peripheral neuropathy from lymes disease and have the same sensations with prickly skin. There are 8 tick borne illnesses and most doctors don't test thoroughly for all of them.

how did you get relief

To be honest i don't know how i have got relief, it just seems to have stopped for some reason totally unknow to me. Part of me thinks this is the calm before the storm but i'm hoping the calm lasts a while.
At the moment i am extremely busy at work and arranging stuff for a house move and i thought it would incease the symptoms but i feel fine.
i have an appt with my doctor on Tuesday so will see what he says. He has been a rock.
I have gone through everything that i thought could have caused me to have the burning sensations. I had a messy divorce, my Father died suddenly last year and earlier on this year i had a bad bout of sinus problems. I couldn't breathe through my nose and had sinus pressure on the top of my head. i thought i was gonna die and had at least 6 courses of antibiotics. I had chest and breast pain and had panic attacks. The whole thing lasted around 6 months. When i thought i was over the worse i starting getting these burning sensations on my skin. The doctor told me it was anxiety and that it would eventually go away. He said its a hidden anxiety of the unknown, and a combination of anxiety that i'd already been through, of which i can understand, cause i stressed about everything when i was ill. Lately i've learnt to accept that i can't be in control of everything to just go with the flow. All tests have shown that i'm otherwise healthy. When i wake up each day i feel a little bit better and its helps to know that i am not the only one here suffering. Before i found this site i thought i was going mad. I thought i had some sort of germs in my blood and would just wait for it to break out on my skin, but nothing ever happened.
Hopefully we will all find the answers, sooner rather than later.

wow I have had this since august I trained really hard in the summer heat and came out in an allmighty heat rash my shoulder and arms were the worst,the spots are atill there I have the same symptoms like a thousand needles sticking in mr also itchy skin,my sweat glandsare clogged and its taken over my life,I have been to gp 4 times and just been given creams,they make it worse, I feel really down and depressed eith this when will it stop I need my life back

Also my gp has given an 8 week supply of strong antibiotics,I hope they work,the needle like pain is making me feel like not doing anything,I havent been to the gym for 3 weeks and when I do and work out I come out in big bumps and they hurt like hell

I was searching for something to explain my prickly skin. The closest I have even felt to this was actually having fine cactus needles in my skin - too small to see but rubbing would tell you where they were.

This now is so odd. Usually on the underside of my arms. I am under great stress right now.

I am so sorry for us all, it seems so strange for this to be happening to us with no reasonable explanation. I have scoured the websites for information on this burning skin and to be honest if you read too much information you start thinking you have a terminal disease. burning skin on its own, they say is anxiety but along with other symptoms such as pins and needles, weak arm, weak fingers comes back as carpal tunnel syndrome.
However as long as you have burning skin your doctor should treat it as serious and not dismiss it. Make sure you have blood, urine, nerve and muscle checks. if they come back negative they will eliminate serious problems.

Hi all, my symptoms are back but not too bad at the mo. My doctors appt was cancelled and they couldn't tell when it would be likely that the doctor would be back.(Family emergency).
I'm going to take up some gentle exercise in the meantime.

I have had this, prikly feeling, intermittantly for several years. I've never talked to a doc. I'm in construction, and when I work hard every day, spring and summer, it never happens. It seems to happen when I haven't worked or sweat for at least a week. Then I do something would cause me to sweat. I'd love to know what it is.

I was researching this prickly skin problem too. I have had this for years and it is a torture at night to get to sleep. It feels like little bugs running around on my skin on my back where it touches the bed from pressure. I try to scratch that area, then they start somewhere else and it goes on and on all over my body. Sometimes even my eyebrows feel prickly and intensly itch. This is always worse when I am really tired and hardly ever happens in the mornings. I frequently have to go sleep on the couch because of all my tossing and turning to get relief or to try to distract myself with TV.

irma rodriguez wrote:

well i join all of you. i feel this prickly feeling in my legs, when i rub them i feel it in my arms, stomach, face, just everywhere. i also have wondered if its anxiety or just some kind of reaction to what, i don't know what. it can drive me absolutely nuts at times. i see alot of you have been to drs. i never have, i am trying to research it to see what i can find out.

I started noticing the burning prickly skin in August 2006. I'd been under a great deal of stress, selling my house, moving across the US, loosing my cat and retiring. I thought it was probably anxiety or the dryness of the desert. But when it didn't go away I went to the doctor and she did a test for Neurothpy which was normal. Blood tests show normal. I also have something called burning mouth syndrome and on a web site it suggested using klonopin or Neurotin. I had both medications for restless legs which I also have. They provide a small amount of relief. I don't have the symptoms in the morning or when I work out. The burning sensations start in the early afternoon and continue until go to bed. The symptoms are mostly on my legs and arms. I have restless legs and wonder if there is a connection, which is neurological and aggravated by stress