Why do I get unexplained chills with no fever or infection?

[Danielle714]

I get these unexplained chills all the time, where im freezing cold with goose bumps all over my body. They hurt and I can barely walk they are so bad sometimes. I check my temp when I get these episodes and its perfectly normal. I do not have a infection or am not sick. Im not even in a cold environment. Everyone around me is not cold. Its the weirdest thing, and I cant find a answer for it. Its like my body is messed up and sending these chills for no reason. Please help.

[joanielaurie]

I'm so glad I found this blog too, I am a diabetic for years and I have had these chills for the past two of them, I keep wondering if it is a form of neuropathy, not the usual"pins and needles" complaint.  I have the chills almost constantly and when I take a hot shower they will disappear for about 45 minutes.  I'm going to try that potassium pill and see if it helps.  Pray for me and I'll do the same.  

                Joan

[Madz77]

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd put my 2 cents worth. Chills accompanied by cold sweats are your bodies way of getting rid of toxins, bacteria etc. You don't have to get a fever but whatever your body is trying to get rid of, it wants to get rid of it asap. Also, sometimes hormones play a huge part (menopause etc).

Cheers and all the best.

P.S. I too used to get these chills, so I know how mich of a nuisance they are. They hurt too sometimes!

[DRobo]

It's interesting that you say this because I have this feeling like I need to flush something out.  I feel gross and achy and like I need to shed or get rid of something.  Maybe I should try to exercise and sweat it out and drink a lot of water to try to flush whatever wants out to get out.  I also get this the worst right before my period but is not limited to just those days of the month.

[DRobo]

It's interesting that you say this because I have this feeling like I need to flush something out.  I feel gross and achy and like I need to shed or get rid of something.  Maybe I should try to exercise and sweat it out and drink a lot of water to try to flush whatever wants out to get out.  I also get this the worst right before my period but is not limited to just those days of the month.

[TiredOfChills65]

I am not alone! First time i got these i was 17. I am now 46 and it seems to be getting worse. I am having these more oftrn, almost every night during the colder months. They hurt, i cant move,i scream, and the only thing that help is getting into a hot shower when i can get myself there! No doctor knows what it is, blood tests come back ok. What are we suppose to do? This is crippling...

[baikalbeauty]

anyone with unexplained chills all the time and no infection present should go ask their doctor about Bone Marrow Diseases, there are many that cause that

[Digong]

I was experience this chill twice...it elevates my blood pressure too to 140/90 but not feeling signs just the chilling effect and I tried to take paracetamol to subside my chills and after a few minutes chilling is gone and my bp went normal to 110/80...I'm really puzzled..

[malibudave]

I have an answer for several people on here. I've read through a few pages here and can confidently say that ALOT of people replying to this have a particular problem with a part of their immune system that some researchers and only a few doctors have discovered and studied the last few years. It was considered a rare thing but it is becoming more and more apparent that it is likely fairly common. It is called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome/ Mast Cell Activation Disorder. Theres a thousand different flavors of it, so i suggest reading from several different sources to get a good idea of what it is and what it can be like. For instance, some people can get migraines and chills, others brain fog and bad fatigue, some fibromylgia like symptoms with foot/calf/joint pain and uti like symptoms, ibs is quite common for many as is asthma, while others might get chills and restless legs, anxiety or rashes/flushing. That is not an exhaustive list of symptoms either. It just depends on what group(s) of mast cells in whatever part of the body is effected and the types of mediators they decide to release.

Different triggers can cause different symptoms in different people. Just about anything can potentially be a trigger, common ones are foods, environmental exposures to things like scented perfumes/soaps, v.o.c.'s, heat or sun exposure, even excercise for some. It can be difficult to make the correlations but truly amazing what proper avoidance can do for the symptoms once they are rooted out.

It appears that one can be genetically predisposed and common things that are being reported to kick it off are infections, acute or chronic (smoldering lyme infection is a very common and hard to find one, this was the case with myself and i had to go to a lyme specialist and have a few special tests done that all came back VERY positive after 3 tests using standard labs failed to produce a proper positive result. I wouldve never guessed had a doctor i saw not been vigilant about that being a possible cause), toxic environnments (think moldy house, chemical exposure from natural gas wells nearby, pesticide exposure, new house sick building syndrome, toxic water supply, etc), even the bacteria/microbes that live in your gut, and many report their problem arising very soon post-vaccination. I would like to point out that im not making an anti-vaccination argument at all, just reporting peoples accounts.

Treatment consists of avoiding triggers, which can include treating infections or detoxing, and various medications to stabilize the mast cells and combat the effects of the released mediators. The sooner it is caught and treated the better as it can get much worse if not propetly taken care of. Odds are high that your doctor has never heard of this and there are various online sources of guidelines to test for and treat this written by the specialists.

[Alonghurst]

Would you mind sharing the name and city of the dr you saw? I know someone whos little boy is struggling with a mass cell issue.

[gspmom]

Malibudave, when you say lyme specialist, are you referring to an infectious disease specialist, or "lyme literate" dr.?  I was recently diagnosed with lyme, never got the bullseye rash, believe I've had it for years, was treated with doxycycline for 3 weeks and 2 months later, I've relapsed. I was trying to figure out why I have freezing chills in my spine and came across your post. Any additional and specific information you could give to point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!  

[gnomemtl]

Hi everyone. I am 29 female and have been dealing with this for as long as I can remember. I am so happy I am not alone. When I describe how I feel people look at me like I am crazy, my family  too :(  I have great news to share that I hope reaches everyone. So I have seen some doctors this is what they have said.  It is most likely not neurological related if the chills happen on both sides of the body at the same time. Bad news is I forget why :( doctors say mostly due to stress. Also I just found this website that may help others too. I have extream painful chills right now at 3am. I get them when I wake up, out of the blue during the day and at night. I feel like I have to get under blankets or get sweat pants on, get in warm bath tub or some place warm or I am gonna go crazy :(

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20932713,00.html

[DJinBTM]

      Thanks for sharing your comments. I would not wish this on anybodyelse but I'm glad I'm not alone. It's scarey and I feel for all of you. My body seems to be having issues regulating temperature swings. I'm very prone to heat stroke in hot weather and have to be careful to drink lots of water and add electrolytes. During one heat stroke, I drank and poured an entire case of water on me but it was two cans of Coke that got me going again. Night sweats can leave me soaking wet then leave me freezing on sweat soaked bedding.
       The chills are the worst; they come from my core and lock me up in pain if I try to move. Lots of blankets help but sleep is the only respite.
       After reading this I'm going on a mold hunt.

[Caitlynnnnn]

If u suddenly got really cold an lying in bed with a water bottle it's because you are You are tired or stayed up all hours last night, get a good sleep an you'll wake up feeling normal, don't worry just get some sleep

[Larammi]

Just reading more comments and want to add that I am a happy person I am not stressed, I love my job and I am grateful to be able to live a healthy life despite my MS diagnose. My guess is this is not stress related in my case. So far I'm thinking it is fatigue mostly. I occasionally drink a glass of wine or have a beer - 1 drink every other week - and I do not smoke.

[Larammi]

I'm not the only one suffering from this!
Same here, everything seems fine besides my multiple sclerosis diagnose. The doctors say it's not related to MS I was diagnosed 5 years ago. I've had the chills for over 10 years now, since I was in my twenties. They got a bit worse than at the beginning, but here is what I've learned about my body:
- it happens mostly in the evening, even on summer days when it's hot, my guess is it is linked to the level of fatigue
- it can happen very early in the morning when I drive in to work and I didn't get a lot of sleep
- the chills last until I find a way to warm up such as hot shower or extra clothes. They won't just go away, they get worse to a point where I can't move and I'm all achy.
-it's worse during in winter months
What I do:
- try to get a lot of sleep and exercise when I can, keep a healthy routine.
- I always carry with me extra layers of clothes, especially for my feet: socks and wear shoes that keep me warm.
This is helping avoid them if I feel I might get the chills. I'm also trying to avoid situations when I might get chills, such as ac or late evening patio get together. I do not care what others think of me, but I always have extra layers of clothing with me, the trunk of my car is a closet for winter weather clothes. Lately I've been doing a great job avoiding chills by keeping warm.

All the best.

[ty37]

Thanks...This might be what I have. I am having blurred vision, dizziness, elevated blood pressure and heart rate along with sporadic feverish like chills with no fever. No one seems to be able to figure this one out

[rhalsey1]

Me too!  Symptoms many others have described:  severe night chills, followed by sweats.  I first experienced this while living in Turkey in the early 90s.  At some point, the symptoms "jumped" across borders, and I had them in Europe as well as the USA.  I gradually discovered that if I kept my head warm, that would control the chills, and if the chills were not severe, then neither were the subsequent sweats.  Now, I keep a ski cap next to my bed at all times, and it helps a lot.  Most recent episode was last night; I've not had another for several months.  I consulted docs in Turkey and USA, but got no answers.

[DSH519]

I have had this issue for years. Mine stems from brain surgery in 2001. They ended up wiping my pituitary gland out so I would not have another growth spurt. Having the gland tested could lead to diagnosis and cire

[Booberch]

I take atenolol. My chills prevent me from bathing-this is when they're at they're worst. Painful and debilitating almost. #luckily I'm not an odorous person

[JJODH]

Has anyone found relief and/or a diagnosis?  I suffer from these chills as well and they are getting worse.  I become "frozen" and can't move during an episode.  They happen in the afternoon, for about 2 hours duration.  I have fibromyalgia, dystonia, osteoarthritis, IBS, chronic constipation, and on and on.  My thyroid has been checked out, bloodworm done, no apparent cause.  I see many common symptoms on this blog, but not much in way of treatment.  Any ideas?

[grayluna]

I had almost the same symptoms as you guys had. Except it attack around 10 pm on wards. I started to nice this happened after I got UTI. I'm just 21 years old. Anyone here got a effective remedy for this? please help.

[onedirectionlover123]

i was in hospital with this for days and they had no idea what it is so they sent me home and im still getting.

[mjanew]

Thank you! This site has been very helpful. My symptoms aren't as severe, but I just don't feel right. I will do further research and discuss with my doctor again.

[Mikkijeane]

Opaite withdrawal or your anaemic ( iron deficiency

[Ibanurse]

I know this thread is somewhat old but I thought I would she'd some light on this situation. I have had these acute episodes of chills for many years. In my explanation I will be brief so you will need to follow upon your own with the key points in caps . Start HERE: HYPOTHALAMUS- is highly involved in pituitary gland function. When it receives a signal from the nervous system, the hypothalamus secretes substances (OXYTOCIN) known as neurohormones that start and stop the secretion of pituitary hormones.  It is misfiring due to sensory nerve signals received ( possibly from the VELLUS HAIR on the body) or on its own. Chills(rapid muscle movement) are the body's defense mechanism for a sudden change in internal or external  temps to generate heat. Typically  this is for brief  periods and may be accompanied with increased  reparations (breathing fast) and a"pin like" felling over the body. This feeling is the body shunting (redirecting)blood to the major organs (for protection) causing cold, bluish like extremities(fingertips, toes,etc.). Again, this is only an explanation of the process. Continue to seek medical attention if needed!!!!

[baubles111]

I have been using one of those holistic warming pads with lavender, as you said when I can get up. I bought a large one that covers front and back of my shoulders,so it covers most of the front of me in bed. it takes about an hour to heat my body back up.

[danpan]

I have the exact same symptoms but cannot find the cause.  Alcohol consumption seems to aggravate it as well.

[aleks52]

Did u find the problem..Was it the toes? im sitting here shking like a leaf,my big toe is black n blue...