Everything about Formication totally explained
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Formication is an abnormal skin sensation similar to that of
insects crawling over or within the skin. The word derives etymologically from the
Latin word
formica, meaning "
ant". The causes of formication can be actual physical conditions, including
diabetic neuropathy,
menopause,
skin cancer, or
herpes zoster, and may also be physical or psychological side effect of substance abuse. Formication is a specific form of the general set of abnormal skin sensations known as
paresthesia.
Formication is a common side-effect of extensive use of
cocaine and
amphetamines, including
methamphetamine. Formication can also be experienced with high
fevers. Extreme
alcohol withdrawal may also cause symptoms of formication along with
delirium tremens, often associated with visual hallucinations of insects. Formication is also a common side effect of many prescription drugs such as
Ritalin,
Adderall and
Lunesta.
People suffering from formication may scratch themselves to the extent of serious skin damage and bleeding, especially if they're delirious or intoxicated.
Formication was neatly described in 1890:
A variety of itching, often encountered in the eczema of elderly people, is formication; this is described as exactly like the crawling of myriads of animals over the skin. It is probably due to the successive irritation of nerve fibrils in the skin. At times patients who suffer from it'll scarcely be persuaded that it isn't due to insects. Yielding to the temptation to scratch invariably makes the disease worse.
The term formication has been in use for several hundred years. In the
1797 edition of the
Encyclopædia Britannica, a description of the condition includes the symptom:
horrid convulsions of the limbs, preceded by a formication, or sensation as of ants or other small insects creeping on the parts.
The novel
A Scanner Darkly by
Philip K Dick (as well as the film of the same name) contains a scene where the character Charles Freck suffers from formication.
In the movie
Old Boy, the main character experiences formication while imprisoned for 15 years.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Formication'.
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