Health - Itching effects from Amphetamine and XTC??

[Alfa]

A girl FUBAR knows has been abusing drugs pretty heavily. Mainly ecstasy pills which where likely very diluted with amphetamine. Alsso regular cannabis and alcohol. She overdid it throughout last year and stopped in may of this year. Somewhere along this time she started to get incredible itches all over. It felt like tiny insects under her skin. Now after she has stopped the use of all drugs, the itching still is a daily phenomenon.

Some call this effect 'electric fleas'.

Does anyone know what causes this and more importantly; how it can be treated?

[fiveleggedrat]

Called "formication".

In addition, formication can be caused by the withdrawal component of substance abuse. It is a common side-effect of the extensive use of cocaine or methamphetamine, or the abusive use of amphetamines. Extreme alcohol withdrawal may also cause symptoms of formication, along with delirium tremens, and can often be accompanied by visual hallucinations of insects and itching teeth.

This sounds like it fits well.

I find no information on treatments yet.

[wespawloski]

A effect SWIM always hears associated with amphetamines, but not during or after withdrawl :/ SWIM is scared she might have damaged some nerves.

SWIM has heard its "like bugs crawling all over" and some really tweaked out people attempt to scratch them off

Sounds to SWIM like the feeling you get from a mosquito bite but all along a selection of nerves :/

If its been more than a few days It could be neurological!. GO TO A DOCTOR