I definitely have some sort of bug/mite/flea infestation.

[Bud33]

I have some sort of bodily bug infestation that I have been living w/for years now and I've tried everything.
I have gone to 3 different Dermatoligists, at least 5 other internal medince doctors, allergist, and therapist. I have spent a lot money seeing all these doctors most of time not having insurance and if I did I had the problem of not being covered because an existing condition.Close friends I have can feel my bugs and some will not associate w/me because of this. Everyday people I encounter are effected by this too, EVERYONE and I am SERIOUS will itch/slap/scratch whenever I come near.
It is very small and very difficult to see but can be seen.When I'm bitten the mark resembles a flea bite or a spider bite if a mark if left. The usual spots where the visual bites are located are my inner thighs (usually near my groin),forearms, and my head including the nape of my neck. There is definitely something on me.I am out of ideas and need to know if there is any kind of med that can kill any kind of bug that bites you or anything that I could use to kill anything on my skin? Where can I go to have someone help find what this thing is? Is a doctor the right person to help me? If not who?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

There is no bug that causes these symptoms.  You are describing the textbook definition of acarophobia, sometimes known as delusions of parasitosis.  Patient who have it are convinced that they have bugs, and cannot be talked out of it.  I assume you will not be talked out of it either.

You can be helped, but only if you want to.  There are oral medications which can help suppress the bug sensation and conviction.  Psychiatrists are more likely to be experienced using them than dermatologists.

You will most likely find this suggestion unacceptable.  Still, that's what can help you, and nothing else is likely to do so.  So you can be helped.  The choice is yours.

Good luck.

Dr. Rockoff

[Robert7532]

Welcome to the club.  I'm a 49 year old male and have had that problem since I can remember.  Something about my body that draws lice, fleas, ticks and...

Anyway you probably have body lice and maybe crabs.
When you wake up you may feel itchy on your back or while sitting legs...  The cure is a everyday battle and it starts with good hygiene and house keeping.  Then you need to treat everything in the house for lice and keep at it for weeks.

While your doing this you can buy lice spray, shampoo for your body and hair at most stores, use it until the itching stops.

Buy Vaseline for private parts and put a heaping hand-full on for 2 days straight only taking off to shower.  I've found it kills better than anything a doctor can give you...

Carefull of sex with strangers bugs can spread that way too.
Vaseline works great may leave your chair a little greasy:)

[Robert7532]

Ooh forgot when I had this problem, I bought two Oreck Electronic Air Purifier one for each floor.

When I first hooked them up with-in a few minutes they started making noise like a bag of pop corn popping that lasted for months.  
what was happening is the machine was electrocuting those little carpet mites and so on.  After using the machines for over a year it's very rare that I ever hear it pop.

It's a great machine for bugs, smoke and orders not great on removing dust.

Here's another story 25 years ago I went home to vist mom and dad while there I noticed with-in a few minutes of being in bed something was bitting me.  Told mom and dad, and they blew it off since I've always had bugs bitting me from baby hood.  Anyway after almost a week of this I was ready to leave and get a motel room but thought I would try one more thing first.  I had my brother stand by the light switch in the bedroom very still and quit.  I then went into the room turned off the lights and layed there on my back.  In a few min I felt them bitting again and waited until they were bitting really good.  I yelled to my brother Now!  He turned on the light and I threw back the bed covers at the same time we both look at my legs and saw hundreds of fles just for a slip second and then they were gone.  When I tryed this before by myself they were to fast and I could never see them.

[who_is_this]

Between this, and the Listerine story above, you are painting an almost irresitible picture of yourself.  I have a mental image you wouldn't believe...

[Bud33]

Thanks Doc Rockoff, Your advice is textbook for what doctors have been telling me for years,yet people around me stay away because they say that their allergic to me because they itch when near me.
I have to be proven wrong, in which I have not been. Just like any normal person with normal problems looking for an answer. Not a diversion when the answer is not known or to much work would have to be done get to the bottom of it.I assumed you were going to give me this advice, but I also assumed someone else who actually believed me and or had the same experience who comment on this too, so as if you would even come back to this post to see if I responded to your comment.

Hey Robert thanks for your comment. I'm a 33yr old male and
I have noticed that everytime I'd use the RID lice treatment it would get a little better. But ther would still be something else there. It does feel like it is something landing on my hairs. What would I do if I had fleas also? It is possible right? How could I get rid of them?

[emma_x]

Hi , juts been reading some very similar stories about flea infestation which remain undetected. For example their was one about the lady who was convinced that she has fleas in her hair. Dr Rockoff also dismissed it as psychological . Yet their are so many people including me  describing the same symptoms.
My sypmtoms are having itchy bites on my face which for the longest time i thought was acne - but acne isn't small and itchy, my scalp,back  is ichy and sometimes so is my groin area and now i feel something moving in my ear canal . I have tried evrything to get rid of it and being of african descendency i get pigmentation marks which make matters worse. I tried looking at it aas a thing of my mind but i seem to find ,now and again a single flea which suggests that there is something.
The thing is i can't get rid of the infestation , i tried evrythin vacuuming , sprays , nothing. Could it be that these fleas have just mutated and have become resistant?

[swanlady]

I have had itch mite infestation for about 3 yrs now after I picked up the bugs from a desk I shared at work or from buying used clothes that I didn't wash in hot water.  I found rubbing my body with hydrogen peroxide helps with the itching.  I have even tried Skin So Soft from Avon, that is supposed to keep mosquitos from biting, but it doesn't work for the bugs. I could also have body lice too after reading a previous poster's comment.  I have to always have some type of itch relief gel or spray with me at all times because I never know when I will get a bite. Sometimes the bites are like chiggers.  I can't afford to throw all my clothes out and buy new ones, so I guess I will have to suffer until I die. Also, when my neck breaks out with bites, I take a disenfectant wipe and hold there until the itching goes away.

[nooneyouknow]

i suffer from these symptoms. it can be sheer hell. at its worst, it feels like they're swarming my face by the countless thousands, none larger than the smallest mote of dust, and i'm breathing them in, whereupon they bite the back of my throat and inside my lungs.

i've spent untold dollars on pesticides at first, until we learn that sanitation and exclusion are the primary controls for most insect infestations. so then its cleaning products. and then you discover sticky traps, glue boards, and then magnifiers and lights, and Golbergian setups for the capture of your tormentor.

you know the Genus and species of every biting fly, every midge, every chigger, every thrip, every sand fly/flea/noseeum, every whitefly... should i go on?

am i credible?

because i have to tell you that the hardest thing i struggle with, sometimes daily, is cognitively coming to the realization that these bugs do not exist.

they don't. and if you have to tell yourself that and pretend like you're not under swarming attack, then do it. i promise you they are not there.

this, and i have just spent two hours with flashlight and magnifier and sticky paper and alcohol soaked rag and... i know they don't exist because 1) i've never ever ever ever trapped anything that wasn't either a biting midge, a mosquito, or "dust" (a flake of dead skin, a bit of pollen, tiny balled up threads, pet hair). Ever. I have tried for months. and of the midges and mosquitoes i've trapped its been rare. exceptionally rare. not thousands, not hundreds, not dozens. not one a day. one a week, if that. and yet "they" still attack me. And I know they don't exist because at least a couple of dozen times i have connected the dots, realized that i what i was CONVINCED was an insect or a couple dozen were in fact just dust and immediately. as if a lightswitch had been flicked... they were gone. i might have felt the occasional tickle, like a hair landing on me. or something not unlike a *****, that in an highly hypervigilant perception state might feel like a painful bite. but it was instantly background noise.

god bless my spouse for helping me. helping me by understanding that if i have to spend 3, 4, 5 hours proving to myself AGAIN that they don't exist then that's what it takes. and finally, when all i need is just the tiniest push over the edge to sanity, my spouse is there to gently give me that push.

and every single time without fail... they're gone. just gone. as if they never were in the first place.

and so with no rational evidence, and cognitive experiences that demonstrate "behavior" that no insect could achieve (going from swarming to non-existent instantaneously based solely upon my cognitive state), and further validated by subsequent examination of tactile perceptions of "bites" and finding in almost every single instance a pet hair or a pollen ball, it is clear that i have allergies. i've never had allergies before. i've never been under microscopic insect attack before either.

i know how convinced you are. how many times have i said to my spouse "you think i WANT to be crazy? that i WANT this to be happening? why they don't bite you and go after me, i don't know." i've lain in bed, convinced that i was breathing these creatures in only to have them bite the inside of my lungs and thus almost certainly wind up killing me, but surpressing my extreme anxiety so i wouldn't disturb my spouse, who was already disturbed by the unhinging of their mate. i have known the torture of deciding it would be better to allow what would be for sure a horribly painful death by bug-destroyed lungs to ensure that my spouse could have one night of peace.

They do not exist. I promise. If you are convinced you have evidence, take a photo. Show it to someone, and ask them what they see. Don't tell them what you're looking for. Ask 20 people. 50. You won't be convinced. They don't have a trained eye. They don't know what they're supposed to be looking for. You camera doesn't zoom, the lighting was right, your hand slipped, it flew away....

they aren't there.

you are feeling something, for sure. but you might be experiencing an exaggerated perception of a real feeling. you might be feeling the gentle contact of a mild allergen as a powerful bite.

do you get a lot of bites on your mid-upper back? just the one place you cannot see or easily reach huh? how about this, do they get your feet or ankles? when its particularly bad, grab a foot and get your face close and pick a spot and intently observe that spot. isn't it a little unusual that while its infestation city everywhere else, that observed spot is almost completely free of attack. until you start observing the other foot, then it switches. at least, that's what i experienced.

i'm trying to help. believe me, tomorrow, i'll be fending off teh insect attackers. hopefully tomorrow night i'll have gotten past it. again.

it sucks. it truly truly truly sucks. but its getting easier. i've never been crazy. i will NOT go to a shrink. i will be going to an allergist soon.

you can cognitively rid yourself of this horrible burden. you can. they are not there. you are feeling something, yes. absolutely. it feels JUST LIKE an infestation of microscopic biting insects. no doubt whatsoever it feels exactly like that. you are even seeing supporting details out of the corner of your eye. it is incredibly convincing. had i not seen how i made my spouse suffer, i would probably not have found my way out of this. i am grateful to my spouse beyond measure.

IN THE MEANTIME, at least give credence to the possibility that you may be crazy, and thus your behaviors might seem highly irrational and probably disturbing to your fellow students, friends, coworkers, club members, general public, police, csaeworkers, doc, pdoc, you name it. And do not forget that no one who has not experienced this understands, or even comprehends. Maintain your privacy and anonymity at all cost. Do not openly share your ordeal. It might be fascinating to you. Make up a lie. It will sound more normal. You're itchy because you have allergies. You don't believe it, but use it as your cover story. Never admit anything that sounds like you might have delusory parasitosis. If you must, skew it towards "Neurocutaneous Disorder": for some unknown reason, your perceive tactile sensation differently, and leave it at that.

Never post on the internet about it :)
using identifiable information. this is the first time i have ever, in months of suffering, ever written or spoken about this honestly with anyone not my spouse. ever. and only because... i was there, and it has been SO HARD to climb out... but i promise, i know, they are NOT THERE. they don't exist.

I pray this helps you. I will never be visiting this forum again, so... i won't be around to read followups.

if someone discovers this via search engine... i wish you an end to your torture. i hope it will be cognitively. good luck. you don't deserve this.

[feeling stupid]

If you are feeling like you have bugs and you seem to see them AND you have had a doctor check it and they say nothing is there.  Be sure and have a doctor check it FIRST, that way you will know FOR SURE.  If THE DOCTORS say there isnt any scabies, crabs or anything then the best and only thing that you can do for this to stop is to go home or get a hotel (go anywhere) where you can feel totally comfortable. You need to get (as much sleep as you can.)  If you cant sleep then you need to get the doctor to give you something for anxiety, even if it's just 2 or 3 pills. (please believe me.)  All you need is some sleep.  Good, deep, uninterrupted sleep. If you are smokeing ice or doing (any kind) of drug that has been keeping you awake or if you just have insomnia because of picking at the itch and such, (believe me) the sleep will do wonders. You (have) to get uninterrupted deep sleep.  Not an hour here and an hour there.  I dont care if it's a cheap dirty looking hotel. (Go there.) Get a good shower, put on whatever cream or medicine that makes you feel good, (as good as you can anyway). crank on the air, close the curtains so the light wont wake you in the morning, sleep your *** away.  That is the (only thing) that will make this go away.  Believe me, (it will go away.)  If you are not sleeping then your body isnt able to go through the natural process of shedding it's skin. Look how rough your skin looks now, if you have been awake for over 24 hours. That's why addicts look so old so fast.  No sleep. you have to let your body go through it's natural process. It cant without sleep, and believe me the bug thing will start.  I promise you with everything I have inside of me if you can get this (so important amount of sleep) you will wake up and feel totally normal. You cannot go back into the routine of staying awake though. It will all happen again, even if you get a good sleep routine for a week, if you mess it up and stay up partying or whatever you did to keep yourself awake, that very night you will start it all again. I cant believe it happened to me. I swear, I have heard of it, I just thought I was more level headed then that.  It doesnt matter who you are, if you dont let your body go through its natural skin shedding process and healing process that it goes through as we sleep then you are asking for trouble.  Sooner or later they will try to lock you up in a mental hospital.I dont understand why doctors havnt explained it this way already.  I thank god it happened to me and someone else at exactly the same time so we had someone else to believe us and each other to calm one another down. After the last doctor visit and the thought of a mental hospital, i took the doctors advice and got hold of myself and said i had to stop this.  Nobody else we were around seemed to itch, it was in our heads. We were able to beat this. AFTER wasting about $5000 on vet bills, exterminators, creams from the internet scabie sites, 2 doctors, 1 dermatologist and 1 emergency room visit. Thanks to the Derm. Doctor, i did what he said, stopped the **** got hold of myself got several hours of much needed sleep.    I thank god I had someone in this with me.  Listen all of you, (if the doctor said nothing was wrong) please please please take my advice. Get the sleep. That's what it is. I promise from the bottom of my heart all of this will stop.  GET TO SLEEP!!!!! YOU HAVE TO. PLEASE, PLEASE, GIVE IT A TRY. DO THE HOTEL THING. YOU MUST SLEEP. DO NOT BY ANY MEANS FALL BACK INTO THE STAYING UP OVER 16 HOURS OR THE NORMAL AMOUNT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. This will stop. If the doctor said it's not there, believe me, it's not there.  They wouldnt send people home and risk children getting sick.  ALL YOU NEED IS REAL GOOD SLEEP. I BEG YOU TO DO THIS. PLEASE. it's not there. i promise you.  God Bless and Get some sleep, or you will end up losing everything you have including your sanity. Please go to sleep.

[Caressa]

If u want to be sure what's biting you, this is supposed to work, check it out, a heat trap...


http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page797.html

[buggedout]

A related discussion, Thug Bugs was started.

[rven6200]

A related discussion, Itchy was started.