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Is this cocaine psychosis or am I losing it?

Posted by restlesspine2043 on August 10, 2026

Original post

I used a lot more cocaine than normal over the weekend, probably every 20 minutes for most of Saturday night into Sunday morning. Since then I keep feeling like bugs are under my skin and I've scratched my arms raw trying to get them out even though I know logically nothing is there. I also became completely convinced my neighbor was recording me through the wall, to the point I put a towel over the shared vent. It's been about 36 hours since I last used and the bug feeling has faded some, but the fear that someone's watching me hasn't fully gone away yet. Is this cocaine psychosis, and does it actually go away on its own?

2 replies

  • brightcanyon558
    I've had the bug crawling feeling more than once and it's rough, but it did fade for me within about 2 days once I stopped completely. What helped was having someone I trusted stay with me for that first day, partly so I wasn't alone with the paranoid thoughts and partly so someone could tell me when I was picking at my skin without realizing it. If this becomes a repeated pattern after multiple binges rather than a one time scare, that's usually a sign the underlying use has become an addiction and worth talking to a treatment center about, not just riding out the psychosis each time.
  • calmridge3391Marked as the answer
    Yes, that's cocaine induced psychosis, and what you're describing, the skin sensation called formication and the fixed suspicion about your neighbor, is a well known pattern with binge use. It usually resolves within a day or two of stopping, though for me the lingering suspicion took closer to 3 days to fully clear after a bad weekend like yours. Sleep made the biggest difference, since I'd only slept about 4 hours total during the binge and my brain needed real rest to reset. If the paranoid thoughts are still this strong at the 36 hour mark, I'd lean toward getting checked out by a doctor or an urgent care, mostly to rule out anything else going on and to make sure you're eating and hydrating properly.

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