I'm Nancy, 63, retired teacher, grandma of four. And for the last 12 years, my skin has been driving me absolutely insane.

It started in my early 50s. At first I thought it was just dry skin. Then it became relentless itching — especially at night. My back, my legs, my arms, sometimes my ears so bad I'd dig at them with Q-tips until they bled.

The second I'd lie down, it would start. Like something crawling under my skin. I know how crazy that sounds but if you've felt it, you know exactly what I mean.

I tried everything you're supposed to try: – Every lotion and cream at the drugstore – Prescription steroid creams – Oatmeal baths – Switching detergents – "Sensitive skin" everything

Nothing worked. So I went to my doctor. He tested me for allergies. Thyroid. Liver. Everything came back normal. His solution? Take Benadryl.

So I did. Every single night. For 12 years.

It was the only way I could sleep. The pill would knock me out long enough to get through the night. But I'd wake up foggy. Groggy. Like I was thinking through mud all day. I just figured that was part of getting older.

Then my daughter sent me an article about long-term Benadryl use being linked to memory problems and dementia.

I got scared. I'm 63. I've watched friends start to lose their memory. And here I am, taking Benadryl most nights for nearly a decade. Trading my brain for a few hours of sleep.

I tried to stop. Lasted one night. I was up clawing at my legs like a crazy person. So I took the pill. And I hated myself for it.

That's when I realized — the Benadryl was never fixing anything. It was just sedating me through it. The itch was still there. I was just unconscious.

I started looking for WHY this was happening. Not "how to stop itching",  I'd Googled that a thousand times. I wanted to know what was actually wrong.

And I finally found it.

When estrogen drops and stays low like it does after a certain age, our body stops making enough of something called GLA. It's a fatty acid your skin needs to maintain its barrier seal.

Your skin is like a brick wall. The skin cells are like the bricks. The seal holding them together is called ceramides.

Without GLA, your body can't make that seal. and It breaks down. Cracks form. And the nerves underneath get exposed. Making your nerves irritated all over.

That's the crawling feeling. That's the nighttime itching. It's not allergies. It's not dry skin. It's exposed nerves firing because the barrier is broken. The only way to actually fix this naturally is to give your body GLA again. Thats why HRT works because your body starts producing GLA again but you can get GLA without HRT.

I found out Borage Oil has the highest amount of GLA of any natural source. I ordered some but I didn't expect much. I've been disappointed too many times. But I was desperate.

First two weeks — not much. I kept taking the Benadryl.

Week three — the itching felt less intense. Still there, but less.

Week four — I forgot to take Benadryl one night. And I slept for once.

By week six, I stopped taking it completely. I've been off Benadryl for almost three months now.

The itching isn't 100% gone every single night. But it's maybe 5% of what it was. I can live with 5%. I can sleep through 5%.

And the brain fog? I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until it lifted. I feel like myself again. I can think clearly. I'm not walking around in a haze anymore.

This is the one I've been using if anyone's interested. I tried to look in stores but they do not sell them. It's not very common👇
https://womens-borage-oil-gla.com/products/borage-oil

And this is the article I read if you want to learn how it all works 👇
https://trylivebetter.com/skin-health-menopausal-itch
 

I'm honestly angry I spent 12 years sedating myself when this existed the whole time. But I'm grateful I found it now before I did any more damage.

If you've been taking Benadryl or Zyrtec every night just to survive, please look into this. You don't have to keep trading your brain for sleep. Or using artificial hormones. 

Its Nothing fancy. I just take one softgel with any meal. That's it. 
 

Sorry for the novel 😅 I just know how desperate I was and I wish someone had told me this 12 years ago.

— Nancy