Neuropathic Itching

 I have a new MS symptom to report.  Yipee, right? 

Especially of late, I have had a sensation of itching in one or another spot on my body, and yet when I go to scratch the itch, it cannot be found. It is both everywhere and nowhere. I direct my hand to the place that seems to be itching and do not enjoy the desired result. I take the hand away, and the itch is still there, wherever it is. And to make the thing more bothersome yet, this typically occurs at night when I am trying to sleep. How can you sleep when you have this itch that can't be scratched? 

Well, this is called neuropathic itching, and of course it has nothing to do with the skin itself. It is due, as all things with MS are, to the process which destroys myelin and interferes with the proper functioning of the nervous system. In fact, there is no itch. The itch is a lie. Not surprisingly, this symptom is sometimes falsely put down to psychosomatic itching, but this is not at all the cause in the case of MS. It is a result of nerves compromised through damage to myelin.

The good news is that this is not a debilitating sort of issue. It is simply annoying. Although I suppose it could be debilitating if it were to result in too much sleep deprivation. 

I read that this itching sensation is most often an early symptom of MS, so I don't know why it has waited so long in my case. I read as well that it can be treated to some degree with an anticonvulsant medication, which I already take in the form of Pregabalin. I may simply have to take a second dose at night if the problem worsens.