Anxiety And ... Skin Insects(?)

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Hello Fellow Atypicals,

I think this is common, but I thought I might just check.

When I get anxious - mainly as soon as I leave the house, but occasionally during stresses at home that correlating with keeping to my routine, - the skin all over my body, but especially my scalp and my torso get horrendously itchy, and it feels like millions of insects are biting my skin; comparable to being pricked by many needles.

I really try not to itch, but it is impossible. In public this extenuates the symptoms, and I feel a panic attack quickly arising until I find a quiet place.

Do others have this?

Eustace.

This happens to me too. Usually when I get too hot or nervous I get an unbearable itch all over my body, moving down slowly from torso to my legs.

The best explanation I've found is Cholinergic urticaria:

The Wikipedia page lists some treatment methods. Personally I have found antihistamines to be helpful.

Thank you very much for your reply Stormtrooper,

All the information you have provided is insightful, and I will be sure to look into it more. Very kind of you to inform me about this.

Eustace.

I think the term is "formication". It can be related/triggered by changing hormone levels taking place.

^Attention readers!

Notice that he wrote "for-M-ication" with an M. Lol!

Not the word spelled with an "n".

Related to all of those words like "formic acid" that pertain to ants.
If you shiver all over you body like you're covered with ants-youre "formicating".

Though apparently (from the above posts) - something highly emotional-like anticipating fornication- might cause formication!

Interesting. I don't have that severe degree of it but it seems like I might have a milder version of the same thing perhaps. When I am going to go talk to my boss or go up to pay at the counter in a store or something similar I almost always begin to itch in various places, not much but it itches. Like on my legs, usually the shins or the knees, or my eyebrows or somewhere else on the face, or my arms or anything. And I often get excessive saliva and swallow nervously. Nowadays I try to avoid scratching because I know it's a mental thing. One thing I have tried is to think of myself as being a pilot of a fighter airplane, and I'd imagine those can't scratch! These kinds of things were a lot worse for me a few years ago when I was much more neurotic.

Maybe this is something similar:

Last edited by tomato on 17 Jan 2015, 7:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

lol! PS, I haven't had sex change so far as I can see from looking down

Yes, I feel as though I may just be a little hyper-everything at the moment.

Thank you for all your replies, it's informative to know I'm not the only one.

Eustace.