Visit your primary care physician (MD or DO) to thoroughly examine you and discuss possible side effects of medications you are taking that may be causing these symptoms. Many pharmacists can assist in checking for possible side effects or interactions of medications in their databases. Don't forget the over the counter medications. If no solution is found, a consultation with a board certified neurologist would be the next logical step to rule out an organic cause for your problem. If no cause is found after a thorough workup but the symptoms persist, an evaluation by a psychologist and/or psychiatrist would likely be the best next step.

Generally, the feeling of "bugs" is caused by substance abuse or withdrawal. If you have checked your scalp for any ticks or fleas (if you are around animals), I would see a psychologist. This could also be a psychological issue. Good luck! Dr. Suzi

Well, to answer your exact question, no, there is not to my knowledge a common cause of this. The feeling of bugs crawling on one in general is often a symptom of acute alcohol withdrawal. Are you struggling with alcohol or recently quit alcohol or any other drug? If it persists, given your recent heart surgery I would recommend an MRI to rule out any physical cause of your syptom, as well as a psychologist to explore possible psychosomatic reasons.

A leftist, probably pinko, infestation.

I tend to agree with Dr. Drury's suggestion. Due to the localized affected area, I too believe it would be advantageous to rule out a more practical diagnosis before exploring psychological possibilities. Always keep really good records of any OTR meds you take for any reason. Note the date AND time along with any side effect you may experience. This will help you in the future should you experience any issues. When we can go back and see similar reactions it helps to alleviate anxiety and offers insight for your health care provider should it become necessary to come to the office. However, it is always a good idea to personally visit your health care professional and err on the side of caution. The internet can cause a false sense of security making you put off care that could have addressed an issue before it becomes over whelming.

Dr. Scott Rowlett

Surprisingly this is not an uncommon problem and there are a number of proposed causes, although there is not one definitive diagnosis and different people have found different forms of relief - I'll list the possibilities for you.

1. If you are a woman, this feeling can be precipitated by hormones and women more then men report the symptom - it usually occurs right before the cycle begins.

2. It can pre-empt a migraine

3. It can be the result of a side effect of anti-histamines or anti-depressants and tetracycline.

4. an over-the-counter medication for allergy relief called chlorpheniramine maleate.has proven helpful to people who have this symptom as a result of other medications or anxiety caused by medications.

5. a more unusual cause has been reported to be the result of some kind of protein attached to bacteria namely enteroccus that travels along sensory neural pathways. In other words it is bacteria that has traveled to a different location then where it is usually found in the body. It may be like a colony of bacteria that the body recognizes as foreign. It has occurred in some patients after taking cipro and flagyl.

6. could be "dermatographism" or sensitive skin. Using antihistamines can resolve the problem. It may be different during different seasons.

7. not to discourage you, but some people have tried injections, meds, every medical test known, neurologists, acupuncture, only to find that nothing works. It is not an easy symptom to diagnose and treat successfully.

You have received some other suggestions as well, but since the symptoms seem to be quite specific left side of head I'm not so concerned about delusions here - I'd suggest trying the anti-histamine first and do a check of every one of your medications reading the side-effects in DETAIL. My heart goes out to you, what a difficult thing to deal with on a daily basis - if you would just like to have someone to talk about it with, please feel free to give us a call - I can also medications some stress relieve exercises and perhaps some hypnosis over the phone that might get rid of it - it deserves a try I think but totally up to you.

If you don't have lice or dandruff you may want to discuss this with your cardiologist. And if that doesn't work try a Doctor of Osteopathy (DO). They will also go over what meds you are taking and if any could be causing the problem.

I would need to assess further before making a diagnosis. I would advice you to seek advice from a nearby provider in person.

See a neurologist.

I agree with Dr. Greenspan's points. This may be related to an exogenous (external) substance if any are involved. Otherwise, I would also want to evaluate whether this may be a psychotic/delusional process with a psychological or combined psychological-and-organic basis vs a more strictly organic issue. I would wonder when the aortic valve replacement was to see if there could be any complications from the procedure leading to any lesions/emboli to the brain, though quite unlikely. Typically these type of thoughts are not there alone as a sign of such an issue - so I would hope that is not the case, unless you're having other complications with vision, hearing, balance, motor function, etc. Also, I would think it wise to get a CT scan or MRI to rule out any other types of brain lesions if nothing is found on a general medical check up - which should be your first step. Aside from the physical issues/medical concerns, there is the possibility of this being related to emotional and psychological stresses in your life, and a manifestation of the same without any physical cause. This could be a 'purely psychological' symptom, but I wouldn't want to assume that. All the best with your search for this cause.