• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

I keep scratching my arm

Status
Not open for further replies.
Do you know what the purpose behind it is? Comfort/distraction/etc?
This.

For example, muscles releasing the toxins that make them cramp? (Brain fart, aha! Lactic Acid) Itches. Like a sonnuvagun if it happens all at once. But barely noticeable unless you start scratching, otherwise. It’s pretty much “the” reason why backrub people and backscratch people are these two “you make no sense!” groups. Because most people kinda sorta like both, but are only passionate about 1. Because their bodies either release muscle toxins easily, or not. So scratching feels heavenly, or deep tissue massage does. <<< So if it’s scratching secondary to tension relief?like you’re under stress, but also minding your stress? Drink water. Because the itch/not-itch is just trying to get you to move the toxins out of a localized area, into a larger area, to get picked up by the lymph system faster. Water? Does the same job. Moving around will also help, but water is faster/better. Slap some NuSkin over your favorite scratchy places to catch yourself in the act, to start breaking the habit and down a liter whenever you do.

But if you’re using it as double/triple/grounding? (All those nerve endings in fingertips, plus sensory info from your skin &/or pain signals, plus the soothing effect of repetitive motions?) Drinking water will do diddly squat, except make your kidneys happy. But something to roll along your fingertips will be crazy helpful, as it can hit 2:3, and 3:3 if you add some pay attention elsewhere.
 
Weird new nervous habit. Trying to stop. Any suggestions?
I've had this for decades. My right hand scratching my inner left arm. It's been diagnosed by different Dr's. As a nervous thing, a reaction to to my scoliosis, and I can't remember what else. It's one of things that I do first thing in the morning. Then all day long. Since I was in my teens. I have not been . able to stop doing this. It has become a habit.
 
It must be an anxious grounding thing tied up with grief / seeking comfort - self-soothing maybe... grabbed some stuff to put in my hands. Pens, stress balls, etc. It's like I can't find ok. Just ok. Everything inside is a wreck.
 
Approaching this as anxiety:

My daughter was having this at school-tore her arm up with intense scratching. Her Psychiatrist, matter of factly, said it was intense anxiety. She prescribed her a really strong antihistamine (already takes effexor and a tiny dose of abilify). It backfired—probably because she has adhd—and made her much worse. However, I know another teen that takes Zoloft. She was given the same drug and it knocked her out into a calm. I’ve had interesting calming effects from Dramamine, the drowsy kind. I think it works better than Xanax for me, which oddly makes me itch.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top