Sensation like skin crawling

[lola245]

Hi
For several months I have been getting this weird sensation that my skin is crawling.  This happens just behind my right shoulder blade in exactly the same place every time.  It generally happens for no reason that I can fathom.  It is a sort of itching sensation and then a sensation that there is something crawling under my skin.  When I rub it with my fingers it disappears for a while but inevitably it returns within a few minutes.  There is no pain involved.
Would be interested to find out if there is a medical explanation for this!
Many thanks
Lola

[silverfox67]

Thank you for your input.  I will try the folic acid as well.  We are all so desperate for relief from this plague.

[CURE4CrawlySkin]

I recently suffered from 'crawly skin' for weeks.  My symptoms were worse at night, especially in bed and sometimes woke me around 3 or 4 a.m.  It felt like a tiny bug had landed on my skin (usually arms, neck, chest or face) and crawled 3 or 4 inches before disappearing and then starting again in another area.  I had no spots, bites or other marks on my skin.

I was concerned it may be bed bugs, dust mites, scabies and anything and everything I have read on this site.  Whilst my home is probably cleaner than most, and my personal hygiene too, I checked for all of the above and couldn't find anything.  I changed diet, took vitamin B supplements, changed washing detergents and conditioners, started using Johnson's baby shampoo, shower gel, etc.  I even bought a steam machine and steamed the whole bedroom, sprayed it with dog flea spray, fly spray, covered myself in tea-tree oil - nothing worked.

I had visited my GP with the same problem a couple of years ago, and was not offered any support, but, after reading the post on 'formication' and being a middle aged female, tried the GP again as was beginning to think I was going mad.  This time my new GP sent me for blood tests. Whilst no hormone problems, I was found to be low on Folic Acid and was prescribed Folic Acid tablets for a month.  Reading up on symptoms for this diagnosis, it does mention 'itchy, crawly skin'.  I have been taking the tablets for almost a month.  For the first week or two there was no change, but gradually symptoms reduced and I am now 'crawly skin' free!  

As hard as it was to believe this could be anything other than some invisible or extremely quick bug crawling on my skin when suffering these awful symptoms, I do now believe that in my case, it has been due to low Folic Acid, which has affected nerve endings on the skin.

Thankfully, I now have an excellent GP who took this seriously and I think has found the answer for me.  It has been a nightmare.  I would urge you all to ask your GP to undertake blood tests.

Good luck. I hope this helps at least some of you with this distressing symptom.

[dannyabair13]

It is possible that this is associated with Herpes or Scabies.  Even if you get tested a normal doctor will only test to see if you are "active" in the herpes virus.  Ask the Doctor to do both an IgG and IgM test.  This will test to see if you have the antibodies and actually have the virus.  Crawling skin and burning sensations can be assocated with Herpes both 1 & 2.  The IGg and IGm tests can determine which type you might have.  The Only true reliable test is called the Western Blot and can determine between the two and has the most accuracy.

[silverfox67]

I have found that spraying my bed with a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 fabric softener about an hour before bed (so it's dry) stops a lot of the itching, crawling sensation.  I am also trying a Chinese detox tea as I believe this "thing" Morgellons has infiltrated my entire body.  I take Probiotics and diatomaceous earth (1 t. in 8 oz. of water).   I don't know if it's electrical or not, but mites hate fabric softener.  Sometimes I take a couple of fabric softener sheets to bed with me - rub it all over your sheets before you crawl in.  If you have sores or lesions, use Arnica De La Cruz cream or ointment from Walgreens.  It will dry them up and they won't itch so much anymore.

To kill dust mites, strip your bed and place fabric softener sheets all over your mattress and leave them in place for about 2 hours.  When time is up, remove the sheets and vacuum your mattress. You would think that because you used fabric softener sheets it would smell so sweet.  
But it will stink!! Dead mites smell to high heaven!!!   Then make your bed with clean fresh sheets.

During the day, use a fresh fabric softener sheet and rub your head with it and place the sheet in your pocket, under your cap or in your shirt or blouse.  The gnats, flies, and bugs will leave you alone.

If you have spiders, Fill a squirt bottle 2/3 full of white vinegar.  Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and hot water to emulsify it.  Squirt this mixture in every corner of your ceiling and around your windows.  Spiders hate it!  No more spider webs.

I have been fighting these critters for 7 years and am finally winning the war!

[caphino]

NO MATTER WHERE YOU SLEEP .. HOME, MOTEL, HOTEL, AT MOM'S OR BROTHER'S HOUSE .......... THE CRAWLING SENSATION GOES WITH YOU BECAUSE IT'S ON THE INSIDE .. IT MAY BE NERVES IN YOUR BODY THAT ARE DAMAGED.
GOOGLE THE WORD     FORMICATION AND READ ABOUT IT.
IF THIS APPLIES TO YOU, PRINT THE INFO AND TAKE TO PHYSICIAN.
ASK DOC FOR PRESCRIPTION.  
THERE IS RELIEF.         GOOD LUCK.   CAPHINO

[caphino]

I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS SOAP/DETERGENTS.
IT COULD BE CAUSED BY DAMAGED NERVES.   JUST GOOGLE THE WORD       FORMICATION.          YOU'LL LEARN A LOT AND SO WILL YOUR PHYSICIAN .. JUST PRINT THE INFO AN TAKE TO DOCTOR .. ASK HER TO PRESCRIBE A LOW DOSE...  INCREASE DOSE IF YOU NEED TO.    100 MG   GABAPENTIN SHOULD DO IT.

GOOD LUCK.      THIS IS WORTH A TRY.