Nonpharmacologic therapies | Moisturization | All patients | III |
Cool environment | All patients | III |
Avoid irritants | All patients | III |
Break itch-scratch cycle | All patients | III |
Behavioural therapy, relaxation, stress reduction | All patients, but especially for atopic dermatitis and other chronic itch | II |
Topical therapies | Corticosteroids | Inflammatory dermatoses | I |
Calcineurin inhibitors | Inflammatory dermatoses | I |
Capsaicin | Localized itch (eg, neuropathic) | III |
Menthol | Localized itch (eg, neuropathic) | III |
Pramoxine or eutectic mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine | Postburn, uremic, or neuropathic pruritus | II |
Doxepin | Atopic dermatitis | I |
Systemic therapies | Nonsedating antihistamines | Urticaria, insect bite reactions, mastocytosis, drug reactions | I |
First-generation antihistamines | Nocturnal itch | III |
μ-Opioid receptor antagonists | Cholestatic pruritus, chronic urticaria, atopic dermatitis | I |
κ-Opioid receptor agonists | Opiate-induced pruritus, uremic pruritus | I |
SSRIs (paroxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline) | Palliative care | I |
Atopic dermatitis, systemic lymphoma, solid carcinoma, uremic pruritus, cholestatic pruritus | II |
Doxepin | Atopic dermatitis, HIV-related pruritus, allergic cutaneous reactions, urticaria | II |
Anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin) | Uremic pruritus | I |
Neuropathic pruritus, idiopathic pruritus | II |
Ursodeoxycholic acid | Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy | I |
Oral immunosuppressants (cyclosporine, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil) | Inflammatory dermatoses | I |
Corticosteroids | Inflammatory dermatoses | I |