Does loneliness feel suffocating for anyone else?

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I was wondering about the physiology...

Pretty much, yes.
As far as I know, this is a studied phenomenon and called "social pain" or something like that.
Loneliness can often feel like being rejected.
Being rejected by even one person can (and often does) feel like being rejected by one's entire social "net".
It's important to realize that this is false, and to interact with the other people so "stupid human brain" understands.

Great answer, Earthling. I knew that this is true for me, but did not know it had a name or was studied.

However for me, it's more like how various adverse emotional states, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, turns into physical pain and a feeling of being suffocated. Loneliness is only one such state.

You can reverse this with good psychological practices, but it can also help you break out of the strangehold to do things like yoga that subtly stretch and oxygenate the body.

Physiologically, I feel at least somewhat stifled when I feel lonely. My skin starts to itch. I feel like taking a shower.

Usually, upon taking the shower, I start feeling much better--and I start to do things to try to alleviate the loneliness (even though I'm still alone at the time!

Yes, loneliness has been shown to have measurable physiological effects on social mammals, including humans.

There is a lot of research on this subject. Here is a recent article about it.
http://www.i4u.com/2015/11/99418/loneli ... ness-death

And personally, loneliness does feel oppressive and suffocating to me. I am fortunate in that I do not suffer from this very often, being a solitary animal by preference. With the exception of a very few close friends and the occasional random encounter with a friendly and interesting person, I'm quite happy on my own.