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Clinical Cases in Psychocutaneous Disease pp 63–65Cite as

Drug-Induced Formication and Delusions of Parasitosis

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Part of the Clinical Cases in Dermatology book series (CLIDADE)

Abstract

Mr. Northwood is a 25 year-old Caucasian man, who presented with a chief complaint of being infested by “bugs.” He reported intense, bothersome sensations of crawling, stinging, and biting, which were felt frequently all over this body. He otherwise had a clean bill of health and denied any psychological stress or emotional issues. Upon further questioning, he admitted to regular, heavy use of cocaine for the past 2 years. After he had started experimenting with cocaine, he started to notice these symptoms, which were tolerable at the time. However, the sensations progressively worsened to the point where he could no longer resist the urge to scratch or to pick at his skin. His general practitioner could not determine the cause, and as a result, referred him to your psychodermatology clinic for help.

Keywords

  • Chief Complaint
  • Recreational Drug
  • Cocaine User
  • Chronic Drug
  • Emotional Issue

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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References

  1. Brewer JD, Meves A, Bostwick JM, Hamacher KL, Pittelkow MR. Cocaine abuse: dermatologic manifestations and therapeutic approaches. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;59(3):483–7.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Elpern DJ. Cocaine abuse and delusions of parasitosis. Cutis. 1988;42(4):273–4.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Tien V. Nguyen MD

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis Sacramento, CA, USA

    Jillian W. Wong MD

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    John Koo MD

Authors
  1. Tien V. Nguyen MD
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  2. Jillian W. Wong MD
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  3. John Koo MD
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Nguyen, T.V., Wong, J.W., Koo, J. (2014). Drug-Induced Formication and Delusions of Parasitosis. In: Clinical Cases in Psychocutaneous Disease. Clinical Cases in Dermatology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4312-3_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4312-3_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4311-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4312-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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