A person with formication will often experience these sensations for months or years and seek extensive diagnosis from multiple specialists, none of whom can find a physical cause. They typically experience high levels of anxiety and feelings that they are being ignored or dismissed.

Formication is often associated with psychiatric illnesses, and although some may suggest that the skin-crawling sensation is all in your mind and purely a mental condition, it is not!

Instead, clinicians will categorize the formication as being either primary (occurring on its own), secondary (occurring with a psychiatric condition), or organic (occurring with a medical condition)

Organic formication seems to be the cause in my case: Organic formication refers to a secondary response to an underlying medical condition or factor and is sometimes observed with:

• Drug side effects, including medication like corticosteroids, opiates, Topamax (topiramate), Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Symmetrel (amantadine), and Nardil (phenelzine) 

• Chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hyperthyroidism

• Nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamin B12 and folate deficiency