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My husband with dementia has bad itching. His skin is really dry and I'm trying to slather lotion all over it during the day (which means that the furniture is also covered with lotion), but maybe I'm using the wrong kind? It's not shingles he has it on his legs back, chest, sides, and neck; also he's HAD shingles and he says it is nothing like that. Much less severe.


I'm wondering if it could be a med; he takes Seroquil.


I know I need to get him to the doctor but that is an unbelievably complicated thing. Our doc actually sometimes pays house calls. Maybe this is a good time for one.


Does anyone else have a PWD with terribly dry skin and itching?

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Ask if you can send photos to your Doctor too. Obviously it's better for the Doc to see in person, but could help initiate a medication review or a referral for blood tests or tests with one less visit.

Photos are great for comparing if things are changing, getting worse or better too.
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Itching can also happen with kidney or liver disease.
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So of course it could be anything - related or unrelated - but from what I can tell from a quick Google search - an allergic reaction to Seroquel can include an itchy, red, swollen, blistered or peeling rash.

The information sheet with the prescription should include side effects - but the one I found online says to not stop taking the medication without speaking to the doctor first - BUT that you need to contact your doctor if you think you have had an allergic reaction.

Is he having any other symptoms? Shortness of breath? Wheezing? Swelling?

Does your doctor have a triage line that you can call 24/7 and ask questions?

How long has he been on the medication?

I mean it could always be other things - have you changed detergents recently? Is he wearing new clothes? I recently had a terrible allergic reaction to a new shampoo.

But if I were you I would be safe and contact the doctor right away and check into it. And if he is having any of those other scary side effects you might consider emergency care.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/19288-quetiapine-tablets

https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/s/Seroquel.pdf

Also - he says its different from Shingles - but is it possible its just a mild case? I'm assuming he has had the Shingles vaccine? I was only able to have the first one - because - laughingly I was actually allergic to the Shingles vaccine itself!

Apparently - also Dr Google -there may be some risk of medication induced psoriasis from that class of drugs. I don't know how prevalent or if it is even applicable. That's one that only your doctor could answer. But maybe worth looking into.
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betskand Apr 2023
Oh, thanks so much! I'm about to write our doc an email explaining the whole thing. And it was very useful to check out the URLs you included.
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Take him to a dermatologist. Rashes and skin problems could be caused by so many things. For example, I developed a symmetrical rash on both my shins in the same spot on my legs at the same time, covering the same amount of area. Nothing made it go away: the skin was red and thickened and itchy but no amount of creams or hydracortisone helped. I read online that it coud be caused by immunological problems. But at my visit to the dermatologist she took one look at it and knew right away it was a vascular problem. Got steroid cream and other instructions and it is now gone. Just saying, do not assume what his itchy skin may be from. See a specialist if the basic process of elimination of suspected causes doesn't yield any improvement.
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dear OP,

great the doctor came.

regarding water, absolutely do NOT start adding lots of salt in an attempt to make him drink water.

1 of my LOs was very resistant to drinking water.
and as we all know, many people (including us caregivers) don't really like to listen to suggestions by family members. many of us are much more willing to listen to non-family. your husband resists your good advice: that's very common.

anyway, regarding water:
what i did was drink water TOGETHER with my LO. this way i'm not being hypocritical. i'm also drinking water.
we toasted with our glasses of water, "cheers!"
and drank at the same time.
(sometimes we even toasted together on video calls, several times a day, when i was away).

other technique:
"after you finish this glass of water, you can have your favorite snack, food, coffee, etc.."

many people find water boring.
😉 my LO says, "water is for watering the plants."

many (especially elderly) people prefer sweet food and sweet drinks. taste buds deteriorate. sweet things are stronger, more tasty.

hug!! you'll find a way.

1 reason drinking water is so important, is because since your husband takes various medicines, water washes out (as much as possible) side-effects...and it can also help to try to wash out some infections...and it can also help prevent certain infections (for example some UTIs)...
i'm not saying that water is the only thing to do. i'm saying water helps.

hug!!
❤️🙂
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Missymiss Apr 2023
Maybe flavored water that doesn't have added sugar and other chemicals could be an option?
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It may not be a dry skin problem as much as something related to diet or medications. Have doctors check for medications that may aggravate itching. Harder to solve are dietary causes. Look for information about left -ovets and foods that contain a lot of histamine or that trigger the release of histamine when they are eaten. Eliminating high-histamine foods might help relieve some of your husband's itching. Topical lidocaine creme and prescription triamcinolone creme might also help.
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Allergy? New laundry detergent or soap? Irish Spring does that to me.

He could be allergic to the Seroquel. Sometimes the binders they use in production of the med change and cause reactions that were not previously experienced.
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BlueEyedGirl94 Apr 2023
Irish Spring must have something in it!! I can't get near the stuff!
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dear OP,

as others said: he should see a doctor.

also keep in mind, it can indeed be seroquil, or other medicines. many medicines have itching (and dry skin) as a side-effect.

my friend's mother had an itching problem, too. that stopped when a particular medicine was stopped. another friend's mother also had itching: turns out it was simply mosquitoes entering the house. conclusion: there can be so many causes.

yes, now is the time for that doctor house call.

i don't believe the cause is just your husband's dry skin. then itching would have gone away with all that lotion. i think it's very likely a side-effect of whatever medicine; or an infection.

also (and that goes for all us caregivers, too), make sure your husband drinks lots of water. ❤️🙂 i'll drink a glass right now.
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See a dermatologist. Itching is miserable. Can be a symptom of cancer or worse. Was for my dad.
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Google geriatric pruritis.....a BEAST of a thing to address or get rid of. My mother w dementia went thru it for 2 yrs and her docs tried everything known to man, with no results, including placebos. One day, I decided to buy her a can of Dermoplast which has a numbing agent in it like lidocaine. Took the itching away and she used it as needed, thank God. There are a few different products available in that line you can try.

GOOD LUCK
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