"pricks"

[TSund]

Has anyone here suffered attacks of the "pricks" perhaps in correlation with hot flashes, but I'm not certain. Ruth is suffering more and more with this, the onc. said if it gets bad enough she can go on Neurontin, but I hope that she can get relief otherwise avoid that heavy duty drug. She says kinda like needles, quite unpleasant. The onc. seemed to imply this was somtimes part of hot flashes, but I wasn't clear. Perhaps a after-affect of the Taxotere?

Suggestions?

Thanks as always my friends

Terri

[PinkGirl]

When my hot flashes were at their worst (when I first started taking Arimidex), I often had a "pins and needles"
feeling during the flash. It was quite uncomfortable but
it didn't last long. Now my hot flashes are less frequent and
less severe and I no longer feel the "pricks". Good title
for your thread - it grabbed my attention!

[TSund]

Thanks for the reply Pinkgirl. Did your onc give you any explanation? This has been going on for a couple months and seems to be getting worse for Ruth. :(

[Gerri]

Terri,

When were Ruth's levels last checked to determine her menopausal status? I was also on Tamoxifen due to my pre-menopausal status at the time of diagnosis (at age 52). I never did get horrible hot flashes (I would get warm), but I did start having them more frequently. My onc did blood work in April to check my status but only two of the three tests indicated I was menopausal - my FSH level was still normal. She spoke to the endocrinologist at the cancer center where I am treated and it was recommended that I have an additional test - the Anti Mullerian Hormone Test. It came back positive for being in menopause. I am now on Femara and doing quite well - so far so good. Since Ruth is now experiencing a change in her flashes it may be because she has entered menopause.

All my best,

[PinkGirl]

Hi Terri,
My hot flashes used to be very strange. They were like mini
panic attacks. It would start with a feeling of dread, then
the pins and needles and then the heat. This would all take
about one minute ... fast and furious.

I didn't ever talk to my onc about this but I did ask my
family doctor about it. She told me that she knew of other
women who had the pins and needles and the panic feelings.
She attributed the severity of my "flashes" to the fact that,
because of the chemo, I went into full menopause very quickly.

It eventually settled down. Now I will still get a strange
feeling just before the flash starts but I no longer have
the pins and needles. It wasn't a huge problem for me because
most of my hot flashes are late at night and they don't last
long.

[abitjaded]

Terri,

Is Ruth totally menopausal now? Perhaps she is having a reaction like I did.

During the chemo, and even now, I get itching attacks. Not like normal, getting into the shower just makes it worse. I cannot get over-heated or I start to itch all over. I now take a Claritin each day. My pricks were a histamine reaction, and the Claritin works.

Also patch test any kind of lotion, soap, shampoo, she puts on her skin. About all I can use now is unscented 365 from Whole Foods or Curel. Check the labels. Just about everything has cocoa butter, aloe, lanolin, alcohol, etc. that could be setting off "pricks". None of this bothered me before, but with the dry skin post-menopausal and all the chemo and radiation, lots of things set me off.

I was taking Neurontin because the Taxol left me with peripheral neuropathy. Burning feet and legs and hands that were twitchy and made sleeping difficult. Does she have decreased sensation? Or do the 'pricks' localize to her limbs? I avoided taking the Neurontin (gabapentin) for a year because I, too, didn't want another drug.

But my PCP finally convinced me, and she was right. Neurontin works. Ruth should try it if the anti-histamine isn't the cure. I was off neurontin the last two months because of my latest debacle. I was on dilantin, which is also used for PN. It also blocked the PN. Off that now because of severe allergy to it. But the PN is creeping back and I am willing to try it again. I had no side effects with the Neurontin. Lots of people have been taking it a long time without problems. Don't be afraid of it if it helps.

Carla

Carla

[TSund]

I don't think it's typical hand/foot neuropathy as she can get them all over or in various parts, not just in the arms/legs or hand/feet. And, they come with a sense of heat, so I guess they are hot flash oriented

But thank-you!

[PinkGirl]

Hey Terri
You can Google hot flashes + pins and needles. They call
if formication. It can feel like pins and needles or something
crawling under your skin. There's quite a bit about it on the
internet.

[TSund]

Hmm... what is paresthesia then vs. formication. (appreciated your spelling note! I would have read it quite wrong! :) I guess it is a "end of nerve irritation" either way but still trying to figure out if it's caused by the hot flash or more of a neuropathy

[PinkGirl]

According to Wikipedia, formication is a specific form of paresthesia.

The pins and needles sensations that I felt were definitely associated
with the hot flashes. It didn't occur to me that it could be something
else - it only happened during a hot flash.