Itchy feet

[sele]

If I take aspirin, the toes and soles of my feet itch like crazy at night. I have difficulty sleeping because of the itch. There are no signs of rash or athletes foot. Does anyone else have this? And how do you get relief?

 

[loess]

Could be many variables, a couple that come to mind:

- Are you taking pure aspirin powder or an over-the-counter brand tablet? If the latter is true, it is possible that you may be reacting to the excipients in the pill.
- Do you eat liver regularly or supplement vitamin A (retinol)? Dry and irritated skin issues are often indicative of the body's demand for vitamin A. Nutrisorb is a reputable vitamin A supplement.

 

[sele]

Thanks Loess.
I do eat liver. I don't suspect it to be a dry skin issue. The itch happens only at bedtime on days I take aspirin.
I used to take Bayer aspirin. Then I found brands with lesser excipients on Dan Wich's website. The one I take now has corn starch listed as the only other ingredient.
The itch does not feel like it's on the skin but feels more like it's inside the soles of my feet.
I noticed recently that the itchy feeling also happens if I up the dose of Cynomel.
I have high serotonin. Could that be causing it?

 

[Mittir]

If you are Aspirin intolerant that can be a symptom of that.
You can try other brands to see if it is an undeclared excipient that
causing problem or not. Cortisol goes up at night and other stress hormones too.
One of the result of this stress is decrease in blood sugar. RP has mentioned that
higher blood sugar powerfully minimizes reaction to allergens.
You can try increasing sugar intake in the form of milk sugar or fruit juice
to see if it decreases itching. Adequate vitamin K is important to have before
starting Aspirin. Beef liver has good amount of K but the requirement of K varies
for different people. RP recommends eating vitamin K rich food or supplements
before starting Aspirin. Another possibility is that Aspirin is increasing your metabolism
and that increases need for sugar and nutrients , especially at night in stored
glycogen form.
Any kind of anti-histamine should minimize allergenic effect of Aspirin.
I think small dose of Cyproheptadin ( one forth to half mg ,few hours before bed
or two times a day) can help with Aspirin induced allergy , lowering
serotonin and quality sleep. In an interview Sarah addded that RP has mentioned
that 1 mg of vitamin K is required for 325 mg of Aspirin .
Cynomel increasing ithcy feeling can also indicate increased sugar demand
from higher metabolism.

 

[sele]

Thanks Mittir.
I seem to tolerate aspirin quite well. The "itch" with aspirin ingestion is intermittent. When it happens it only happens at night.
[highlight=#ffffbf]How would vitamin K help in this situation?[/highlight]
I will certainly try the Cyproheptadin to lower serotonin.
After experimenting with different doses of Cynomel, I found that it was not the cause of my discomfort.
Aspirin is known to lower estrogen. [highlight=#ffffbf]Could it be disrupting my estrogen-progesterone balance leading to the 'itchy' feeling?[/highlight]

 

[Mittir]

Aspirin is a blood thinner and it can cause bleeding without adequate vitamin K.
Vitamin K prevents this bleeding and other problems.
People often have nose bleeding from Aspirin use
without K. Liver and well cooked Kale are good source of K.

Most people have more estrogen than they need. Estrogen supposed to rise for a very
short period of time in state stress, injury and preparation of pregnancy etc.
I do not think decreasing estrogen is making anything worse.
I think increasing sugar intake in the evening should be the first step
in figuring out if low blood sugar is causing this itch.
Darkness is a major stress for body. Cortisol level goes up quickly in darkness.
Light therapy helps to keep cortisol level low after sunset. But it will still
increase through out the night. Sugary and salty food keeps cortisol and adrenaline
level in check.

 

[sele]

I'm only 110 lbs. How much sugar should I take? What percentage of that sugar should I take in the evening?
I feel as if my liver can't hold on to the sugar. Maybe that's why I can't sleep.

 

[Mittir]

Sugar/carbohydrate intake depends on your caloric requirements.
RP has mentioned that once glycogen storage is repleted people
lose craving for sugary foods. That can be a good guide.
He thinks low thyroid and low selenium are two most common cause
for inability to store glycogen. Gut irritation, endotoxin, serotonin release
from gut irritation, estrogen, cortisol all inhibit thyroid function.
He also mentioned increased lactic acid production drainaing
liver glycogen storage.

Fructose and Galactose are very efficient at repleting glycogen.
Potassium is also necessary for storing sugar in liver.
Fruit juice or Sugared milk both have good amount fructose, galactose
and potassium. He recommends a cup of milk with 2-3 tbs of sugar
before bed as sleeping aid. Sugar in milk and casein are absorbed slowly .
This provides steady supply of sugar and some protein through out the night.
I mostly drink milk or juice every hour or two from sunset till i go to sleep.
I think ideal is every two hour until glycogen is stored.
Eating a carrot salad few hours before sunset can keep the intestine
free of toxins and induces quality sleep as well as lowers all the endotoxin
burdens on liver. This also helps body to detoxify estrogen in the liver.
In a healthy person all the estrogen passing through liver is detoxified.

 

[TopG]

i don’t think it’s the aspirin. Do you workout? Working out increases body Temperature