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Re: Intrusive music in my head » boltsdraggin

Posted by yxibow on June 5, 2008, at 2:05:42

In reply to Intrusive music in my head, posted by boltsdraggin on May 24, 2008, at 20:42:23

> I have intrusive music in my head. I will emphasize that I don't, and never have, "heard voices". I hear it all the time, sometimes even when I'm sleeping. It does not consist of complete songs, but rather random snippets that play over and over again, until something (completely unidentifiable) will suddenly "change the record". When I'm under stress, naturally the music gets louder. It will pervade anything I try to use to distract my mind. Sometimes, I will have two songs going simultaneously.
>
> The fact that the music is there is not necessarily the distressing fact. It's the fact that I can't control it.
>
> Currently, I'm taking Paxil 40mg and a low dose of Ativan to try to compensate, since I'm a registered nurse and need my mental faculties. However, now it goes and comes. When it's there, sometimes I can redirect it, but not always.
>
> I have had three major head injuries in my life - was whacked with a golf club in left frontal lobe at 11, was run over by a log wagon at 14, and smashed the front of my head into a windshield in auto accident in '99.
>
> Any suggestions?


I hate to say it, but it is true that intrusive thoughts happen to everyone -- its just the level amount and the amount of distress it causes. When I get very anxious I tend to decompensate

(wikipedia)
"n psychiatry, decompensation is the deterioration of mental health in a patient with previously maintained psychiatric illness, leading to a diminished ability to think and carry on daily activities. This includes loss of memory, both long term and short."

... at any rate and it comes out in physical symptoms and trails of words and garbage and could be music too as well... its intrusive, but fighting it may self-deprecate and be hard on myself.

The point is, there's a key there...

"When I'm under stress, naturally the music gets louder."

This is where an MRI and/or EEG might provide a differential diagnosis. But regardless whether it is organic (I hope not), treatment still is the same. OCD can be started by viruses in rare cases, it is not always 100% genetic but it usually has a fairly likely familial line of biochemical illness.

I had one minor head injury around 12 or so when I slipped on a rock on a creek. Also around the same time I went *ss over teakettle on my bicycle against a parking signpost, but that mostly affected my knees, and for quite a while when I kneeled on the ground the cap would slip around. I suppose it still is there, who knows.

But I also have a fairly heavy streak of biochemical imbalance on one side of my family. And that really governs things more than the loss of a few hair follicles and a hairlock from stitches years ago (not to lighten your condition at all).

I admit the disturbing part is that you do say you hear it while you're sleeping --- but are you absolutely sure you're in a REM state, becasuse that is neurologically rather unusual I would think unless its some sort of hypnogagogia or sleep paralysis .... that brings up a whole different story of a sleep study. So this complicates things more, unfortunately.


I would communicate some of this with your doctor, personally. It could be an extremely heightened sense, a somatoform or OCD sense of what everybody experiences -- "oh I have that annoying song they're always playing on the radio in my head", or it could be organic.

Organic conditions such as meningiomas (common tumors), often benign, god forbid, if not operable can still be treated if necessary with psychotropic medications or other agents.


I would suggest a differential diagnosis with your doctor -- this is up to you, but with the number of injuries, especially the windshield incident, if I were you, I would get an MRI.

Now, that incident is almost 10 years old, and I don't know how old the childhood incidents are since I dont believe you mentioned your age, or gender, but I am guessing male perhaps ? The log wagon I can't place, the golf club would have probably caused some sort of concussion or blackout, I don't know, I obviously weren't the treating doctor(s).

Good luck and best wishes

-- tidings

-- Jay

 

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