Itching, pruritus and gabapentin

Unfortunately I had terrible itching shortly after developing kidney disease and following an open heart surgery. I itched so terribly for a year I couldn't think of anything else pretty much all day every day for about a year --- and I spend tons of $ on OTC itching meds and a dermatologist who said that he couldn't help. Following hundreds of hours of research I finally learned that my latest theory about my condition was correct.

After a year of misery I strongly believed that Gabapentin was the answer to my itching. I asked my nephrologist's office on several occasions about it and was denied each time without being told that it might help. I went to a new family doctor who told me that I needed Gabapentin as I suspected. I found out that nephrologists won't prescribe it or at least usually won't prescribe in the state of Tennessee --- and I imagine in many other states if not in all of them.

My suffering was horrid, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Something needs to change with this and that should happen right away universally within the medical community. I could have been spared a year of torture with a nephrologist who might have cared. I care for the readers here and if I can help one person to avoid the torment my time writing this was well worth it.

How do I know that nephrologists should recommend gabapentin? Read this from Kidney News Online: "Uremic pruritus is reported in 60%–80% of all patients experiencing kidney failure at some point in their lifetime. Gabapentin and pregabalin have been shown to reduce itch. Hydroxyzine has been shown to have similar efficacy to gabapentin. Difelikefalin, an intravenous selective peripheral kappa opioid agonist, has also been shown to reduce itch intensity significantly."

I don't know about the other treatments mentioned but they weren't offered to me by my nephrologist. As I suspected the Gabapentin stopped the itch pretty much immediately. Since Gabapentin is scheduled in some states it is my understanding that nephrologists won't prescribe it. They should prescribe it and at the very, very least present it as an option to patients with itching and send them elsewhere to have it considered it as an option if they just won't when they know that it is needed. And that needs to start universally NOW!