Audio hallucinations?

[Nakamova]

Simple partial seizures can definitely produce ringing, clicking, buzzing, or humming, as well as voices or music, How long do your auditory hallucinations last? Do you have any other kinds of seizure symptoms (like visual distortions or autonomic sensations)?

 

[masterjen]

Note Nakamova's post just above, girlwithadog, but I just wanted to add that I sometimes have auditory sensations before a seizure as well. I have a hearing loss with associated tinnitus, but pre-seizure the tinnitus becomes much louder, sometimes I become positive I am hearing muffled voices or muffled music. A little later I'll become aware of what to me are more definite and consistent pre-seizure symptoms. I'm glad this thread resurfaced - I didn't know this could be a common association with seizures!

 

[girlwithadog]

Thank you nokamova. When they happen, it typically only lasts 5-15seconds I think. Seems that way at least. I don't realize it's happening until its over most of the time. I also hear muffled noises on rare occasions and such. I get a lot of the wah wah noise too. I have always gotten visual distortions where things move but they don't. I had one during the EEG that confirmed the epilepsy. Typically the distortions are things moving but I can tell they aren't but they look like they are. My husband compares it with an acid trip. I also on occasion zoo dark spots moving. These visual distortions have the same feeling as the buzz noise where everything is intense when it stops. My phone is about to die I will respond more soon and to the second poster

 

[girlwithadog]

Thank you masterjen. I'm sorry you deal with it too. The muffled voices I will sometimes hear happens the same as the buzzing and pretty much everything else the therapists considered schizophrenia. But I never lost touch with reality. So it didn't make sense. On rare occasions. I do hear one or two clear words that are being screamed but that's rare and ends with the same intense feeling.
Now I'm not on medication right now, the neuro gave me keppra but from the extensive psychological history of meds that made things worse I'm hesitant to take medication ATM. Especially since my husband and I are trying to conceive

 

[Nakamova]

If the odd sounds are relatively brief, that tends to line up with them being seizures. And both the visual and auditory stuff you describe are most likely seizure-related too. I'm sorry you were mislabeled with schizophrenia, that just sucks.

The decision to medicate can be tricky if you're planning on having a kid. If you don't fall or lose consciousness, then you may be okay staying med-free, particularly if your symptoms aren't escalating. But it's a decision you might want to make after having conversations with both your OB-GYN and your neurologist. BTW, there are anti-seizure meds other than keppra -- ones that are less likely to have psychological side effects. So if you do decide to medicate, make sure your neuro runs down ALL the options.

 

[finiteguy]

Peeger, that sounds like something I researched called Musical Ear Syndrome. Do you have any hearing problems?

Honestly, ever since I was treated for a horrid fungal (yeast) infection that was in my ears, the musical hallucinations have stopped. I still get clicking and booms, sometimes humming when I feel an aura, but the music has gone away. You can google musical ear syndrome and get more info.

My wife has auditory hallucinations and tinnitus. He mother had epilepsy. My wife as been treated for 15 years for schitzo effective disorder, and the meds do nothing. Now we are looking into the epilepsy connection. She doesn't have seizures per say, but years ago I witnessed her having a very bad tremor that could have been a seizure.

 

[kirsten]

Mamaruns, I have them exactly, to the letter, as you describe, but without music clear enough that I could, say, learn to play it. I can't tell whether or not the sounds are real unless I get into a lift or change locations and they don't go away as they normally would. Sometimes I ask people if they can hear them without making a big deal about it. They never think I'm crazy. When my epilepsy was worse than it is today, those sounds and even ordinary sounds that actually existed, had an emotion attached, as if everything was angry with me. That was really awful and I'm glad i don't get it anymore. I also have temporal lobe epilepsy. Before I read this thread I'd never thought of them as auras, so thanks, girlwithadog, for waking up the topic.