Posted by med_empowered on February 28, 2005, at 2:35:19
In reply to bugs crawling on skin, posted by parasolips on February 28, 2005, at 1:23:12
hey! Sorry about the whole bugs on your skin thing...that sucks. Its a good sign that you realize bugs aren't crawling on your skin (or probably aren't, anyway). This is actually a pretty common hallucination; it is seen in psychotic states caused by mental illness (schizophrenia/schizoaffective, occasionally found in people with bipolar with psychotic features, sometimes a feature of psychotic depression) AND in psychotic states that are chemically indued (the feeling of bugs on the skin is a CLASSIC hallucination found in amphetamine/methamphetamine induced-psychosis; its also pretty common in psychosis induced by other stimulants, as well). As for causes in your case...you can't really eliminate the possibility that withdrawing Effexor (especially if done abruptly) could be causing problems. ALthough rare, antidepressants have been known to induce psychotic reactions since the days of the Tricylics (this is why they are RX'd with caution to those with a history of psychosis and rarely to those who are actively psychotic). If you've had hallucinations in the past, you may just be more vulnerable to hallucinations than other people; a mixture of drugs/medications and stress could be the "cause" of this. If you're smoking marijuana heavily, please lay off for a while, to see if things get better. Have you been using other drugs/medications as well? As I said earlier, the "bugs on the skin" sensation is extremely common in amphetamine psychosis....it is found in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, but is pretty uncommon (most common: auditory hallucinations). As for seeing a doctor...good idea, very good idea. I'd personally opt to first go to a general-practice doctor (GP), because she or he should run blood-tests that can help identify or rule out potential problems with your overall health that could cause/contribute to this. Be sure also to tell the doctor about any medications you are now taking or have been taking and be very detailed about any drugs you have been using. Although not common, heavy pot use among those vulnerable to psychosis can cause a psychotic reaction. Anyway, the most likely result would be that the doctor will RX an anti-psychotic, maybe with other meds (sleeping pills, anti-anxiety meds if you seem very anxious) to try to stop the hallucinations. They may also refer you to a psychiatrist. Anti-psychotics usually take a few weeks to stop an ongoing psychosis that is part of a mental illness; if you're dealing with amphetamine or other stimulant induced psychosis, they can work A LOT faster; a single effective dose of Haldol, for instance, will block the effects of stimulants and cause an almost immediate reduction in psychotic symptoms. I mention this b/c usually, when prescribed for psychotic disorders, anti-psychotics are prescribed over the long-term; if you're dealing with a problem that is drug-induced or a sudden "psychotic break," it may only be necessary to take the anti-psychotic short-term and then re-evaluate. Good luck!
poster:med_empowered
thread:464281
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050227/msgs/464291.html