Formication is a tactile hallucination, which means a person feels a physical sensation, but there is no physical cause. The sensation can lead to itching, which may be worse at night and can be severe enough to impact on a person's quality of life.
Feeling sensations on the skin with no physical stimulation is a type of paresthesia, which may also include burning, tingling, numbness, and cold.
Formication is linked to several other medical conditions, as well as withdrawal from some drugs and substances.
Causes of formication
Formication is the feeling of itching when there is no physical cause.Several conditions can cause formication. They include:
- Parkinson's disease
- shingles
- fibromyalgia
- anxiety
- perimenopause
- Lyme disease
- diabetic neuropathy
- skin cancer
- schizophrenia
It is possible that lower estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause may also cause formication.
Formication can sometimes occur when a person is going through withdrawal from drugs, especially from opiates. The list below includes some of the drugs that can cause formication during withdrawal.
- Ritalin
- Wellbutrin
- Lunesta
- opioid pain medications, such as codeine or morphine
- some antidepressants, such as SSRIs
- Tramadol
- cocaine
- heroin
- methamphetamine
- MDMA
Formication linked to drug withdrawal is usually temporary and should resolve when a person recovers from withdrawal.
If the sensation continues or is very intense, it could be due to drug psychosis. This may cause a person to believe that they have an actual infestation of bugs in their skin.
Alcohol withdrawal can also cause formication. People may experience visual hallucinations too, as well as other symptoms. It is, therefore, best to have a doctor or other professional oversee alcohol withdrawal, as symptoms may be severe.