When Multiple Sclerosis Causes Skin Symptoms
Damage to the brain and spinal cord can cause a variety of abnormal sensations in the skin. However, the sensations actually have nothing to do with the skin.
Virtually all symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are a result of the damage MS does to the brain and spinal cord. Damage to sensory pathways in the central nervous system can produce abnormal sensations elsewhere in the body, including the skin, says Barbara Giesser, MD, a multiple sclerosis specialist with Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California, and professor emeritus of clinical neurology at the David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles.
These abnormal sensations can include numbness, tingling, pain, and itching, as well as the feeling of insects crawling, water dripping, wetness, pressure, and vibration in particular areas of the body.
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However, these sensations have nothing to do with the skin. Rather, they are due to damage to parts of the brain that receive signals from the nerves that supply sensation to the skin. “Your skin may feel like it’s burning, but you haven’t burned your skin. The nerves are sending the wrong message,” explains Dr. Giesser.
Types of Skin Pain Caused by MS
Most people with MS experience paresthesias, which are abnormal, temporary sensations, including numbness, prickling, or pins and needles, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Other symptoms include losing feeling on the skin completely (hypoesthesia) and dysesthesias (painful sensations that can affect the legs, feet, arms, and hands), which feel like burning, prickling, stabbing, ice cold, itching, or electrical sensations, notes the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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Treatments for Skin Pain Caused by MS
Various medications and treatments may help relieve MS-related skin symptoms. These include:
- Antiseizure medications such as Tegretol (carbamazepine), Neurontin (gabapentin), and Lyrica (pregabalin). These work by helping to block the nerves' ability to transmit painful sensations, explains Giesser.
- Antidepressants such as Pamelor (nortriptyline), Elavil (amitriptyline), and Cymbalta (duloxetine). These work by lowering the nerves' excitability.
- Lidocaine patches to treat severe pain in a localized area.
- Topical creams such as capsaicin cream, which can cause temporary burning or stinging where applied but which can, over time, block painful sensations by blocking the release of a neurotransmitter involved in relaying pain, notes Giesser.
- Acupuncture
- Mindfulness
- Meditation
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
If none of these drugs or treatments adequately controls skin pain or discomfort caused by MS, a pain specialist may need to be involved in your care team to offer other alternatives.
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