Why I am itchy without cause, like there are insects crawling on the skin?
Have you ever felt like someone was moving around on your feet? Like there is itching or tingling, but when seen there is nothing on your feet. If so, maybe you experience formalization. See this article to find out more clearly about the formations.
What is formalization?
Fortification is itching or tingling due to feeling an insect crawling over or inside your skin. Formation comes from the Latin word Formica which means ant.
The formation is tactile hallucination, which means a person feels physical sensation, but there is no physical cause. This sensation can cause itching, which may get worse at night and can be severe enough to affect your daily activities.
Itching sensation on the skin without physical stimulation is a type of paresthesia which may also include burning, tingling, numbness, and cold.
Characteristics of formations
The main sign or symptom of formication is a taste like an insect crawling over or under the skin. This feeling also causes itching. This will make you scratch the skin where you feel the sensation, even if there is no real cause of itching.
Scratching to satisfy itching can cause skin damage and open wounds. This open wound can become infected and lead to other conditions, such as skin ulcers or more severe wounds.
What are the causes of itchy hallucinations?
Some conditions that can cause formations 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 can also cause this condition.
Formation also sometimes occurs when someone will stop taking drugs, including opioids. Some drugs that can cause formations during stopping consumption are ritalin, lunesta, opioid pain medications (such as codeine or morphine), some antidepressants (such as SSRIs), tramadol, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Formulations caused by withdrawal symptoms are usually temporary and must be treated after recovering from drug addiction.
If the sensation continues or occurs very often, this can be caused by drug psychosis. This can cause you to believe that there are insects that do not actually exist on the skin.
Treatment for formations
Treatment for formulations will depend on the cause. Topical creams like hydrocortisone can reduce itching for some people. You can also apply moisturizer on the skin, to help keep the skin healthy and hydrated.
If the cause of the formulation is Parkinson's disease, shingles, or fibromyalgia, the doctor will prescribe the right medication and will make a long-term treatment plan.
If the drug is the cause, doctors can usually recommend alternatives. Sometimes, antihistamines such as Zyrtec or Benadryl can help reduce the sensation of the formulation.
If the formulation is related to drug use, stop and seek professional help to get out of medication so that it can resolve the symptoms.
Complications that may occur due to itching hallucinations
People who experience this itchy hallucination will scratch the skin constantly. This can hurt and destroy the skin, allowing bacteria to enter and cause infection.
In addition, wounds caused by scratching may also cause other complications such as gangrene, tetanus, fever, lack of blood, or sepsis.
Other complications include:
- Fatigue
- Frustration
- Poor sleep quality
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Difficult to concentrate
