What Is Skin Crawling (Formication)? (2024)

FAQs

What Is Skin Crawling (Formication)? ›

Formication is the feeling of insects crawling across or underneath your skin. The name comes from the Latin word “formica,”which means ant. Formication is known as a type of paresthesia. Paresthesia happen when you feel sensations on your skin that don't have a physical cause.

Prescription and recreational drugs are among the most common causes of formication. Withdrawal from drug misuse or alcohol use can also cause formication. The most common drugs that can cause this include: Stimulants: Cocaine, methylphenidate and amphetamines, as well as other stimulant drugs, can cause formication.

Formication is a sensation of "skin crawling." It is a type of tactile hallucination. Formication can be caused by the use of illegal substances, alcohol or substance withdrawal, medical or mental health conditions, menopause, or as a side effect of drugs.

Treatment for formication often involves medication, counseling, switching away from the medication causing the condition, and seeking the help of a dermatologist. Relief from formication symptoms is possible, and you can find relief.

A topical cream, such as hydrocortisone, might lessen the itching for some people. Moisturizers or barrier creams may also help by keeping the skin healthy and hydrated. It could also be worth placing an ice pack on the affected areas, which can provide a soothing effect for immediate relief.

While formication and tactile hallucinations can be seen as symptoms of dementia or advancing mental illness, vitamin deficiency, or a hormonal problem in post-menopausal women, in this article I hope to present the case that in some people, these symptoms are part of a myriad of “neurological-type” disorders caused by ...

Misuse of substances such as amphetamines, cannabis, codeine, cocaine, or opiates was described in a third of patients with DI (50). In sporadic cases substance use withdrawal from heroin or alcohol can induce formication (51).

This is a normal response. But some people have the sensation of bugs crawling on or under their skin constantly. This is a tactile hallucination known as formication. People with this condition are convinced the bugs are real, even with reassurance from others they are a hallucination.

Formication is a symptom of an underlying issue that can be treated. Medications for certain conditions and stopping the use of recreational drugs usually help you get rid of this crawling sensation entirely.

If you feel like something is crawling on or beneath your skin, but there's nothing there, you may be experiencing a tactile hallucination called formication.

Can anxiety cause skin crawling? ›

Physical symptoms of anxiety include skin crawling or tingling sensations without a medical reason. People describe this sensation differently, but basically anxiety for many people can feel like their skin is crawling or tingling.

You might feel pins and needles, burning or crawling sensations, numbness or tightness. These unusual sensations are a type of nerve (neuropathic) pain. Although the feelings seem to be in the skin, they are actually due to damage caused by MS which disrupts messages passing along nerves in the central nervous system.

Body temperature: If you have a high body temperature at night, you could have itchy skin. Dry skin: Your body loses moisture at night, which can make your skin itchy. Hormonal changes: At night, your body doesn't produce as many hormones as it does during the day and certain hormones reduce inflammation (swelling).

People describe this sensation differently, but basically anxiety for many people can feel like their skin is crawling or tingling. One might feel this in specific body parts like their back or shoulders, or throughout their entire body like it's running through their blood. Sometimes the feeling is constant.

MS can involve a range of unusual sensations, which can be painful. For example, a 'pins and needles' feeling, a burning sensation or a feeling of things crawling or itching under your skin. These sensations can be the first signs of MS.

Crawling sensation: Some individuals may experience a crawling sensation on the lashes and lids. This sensation is often attributed to the movement of Demodex mites on or beneath the skin's surface.