Auditory aura symptoms

A transient tinnitus (most often described as buzzing or ringing sounds) and transient loss of hearing are two characteristic aura symptoms of basilar-type migraine (Bickerstaff, 1961), a subtype of migraine with aura in the IHS classification. For a diagnosis of basilar-type migraine, the migraine sufferer must meet the general criteria for migraine with aura and have two or more of the following symptoms: dysarthria, vertigo, tinnitus, hypacusia, double vision, bilateral visual symptoms, ataxia, decreased level of consciousness, simultaneously bilateral paraesthesias.

The two aforementioned aura symptoms of basilar-type migraine, as well as a number of less frequently encountered (definite or probable?) auditory aura symptoms, will be illustrated by the following excerpts from entries to Usenet Newsgroups and other sources from the Internet.

Decreased hearing

"I am trying to find out if there is a connection between temporary hearing loss and migraine headaches. I am looking into temporary hearing loss, tunnel hearing during an episode."

(MMHOTZ, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: temporary hearing loss, December 19, 1997)

"Too much aspirin will cause temporary deafness. Are you taking large quantities of aspirin or something with aspirin in it? I did this years ago and I couldn't hear but had this sort of roaring in my ears."

(Diane Hamilton, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: temporary hearing loss, December 19, 1997)

"I experience a roaring sound and everything sounds far away for about a day 'before' a migraine so it is definitely not due to any medications. It will continue into the migraine sometimes."

(Joan, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: temporary hearing loss, December 20, 1997)

"my husband says that i get very loud (well louder than usual) when i am going to get a migraine. everything seems so far away. i haven't taken anything yet either."

(Ronnie Nelson, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: temporary hearing loss, December 20, 1997)

Oscillocusis

Whitman and Lipton (1995) reported "a 14-year-old girl with a migraine aura characterized by the sense that ambient sounds were fluctuating in intensity, as if emanating from a radio while the volume control was being altered. These auditory oscillations lasted 5 to 10 minutes and were followed by a typical migraine headache. By analogy with oscillopsia, we term this unique form of migraine aura 'oscillocusis.'"

Similarly, Piovesan et al. (2003) reported "A 56-year-old woman [who] started to present migraine episodes at age 40. An year later she perceived ambient sounds to be fluctuating in intensity (oscillocusis). This would last 50 minutes, and was followed by a unilateral (right or left side), throbbing headache associated with nausea and vomiting. These episodes lasted 18 hours, occurred at twice a month and were commonly triggered by stress."

(Addition in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"Last night I was having a headache so I got out of bed to get something to drink and flipped the TV on while I had a glass of milk... after about 2 minutes my ears started hurting (like an ear ache) and then about a minute later I noticed the volume on the TV seemed to decrease suddenly as if I were sitting on the volume button. The sound faded in and out about three times after that before I gave up and went to sleep.

Then this morning my screeching loud alarm clock failed to wake me up. I think it probably beeped for about 4 minutes before I heard it and hit the snooze button... I've never had that experience before so I can't decide if it's a side effect of the medication or the headaches."

(sceptictank, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: language, January 16, 2006)

"I actually grabbed the remote to make sure I wasn't leaning on it or something. It wasn't until I was brushing my teeth and the water stopped making noise that I realized something was really not how it should be."

(sceptictank, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: language, January 16, 2006)

"Oh no, I hope I'm not a medical marvel. I'm going to write this down so when I see my doctor again I can mention it to him and not sound like a lunatic.

This lasted only about 5 minutes. It was preceeded by a pain in my ears similar to the pressure one would get with an ear infection (only it was more like a throbbing that lasted only about 30 seconds) and was followed by headache pressure behind my left eye that made it difficult for me to shut my eyes so I could fall asleep, which isn't abnormal for me.

It came and went again this morning rather quickly, and this time I noticed that it was accompanied by a bit of a dizzying head rush, which I've been getting often lately.

I know dizziness is a side effect of Pamelor, which I'm not really seeing the benefit of taking, so I'd like to have my doctor put me on something else to see if it goes away any. I've been having those head rush feelings frequently for the past couple of weeks. And on that note, once last week I had my head down looking at something and when I looked up at myself in the mirror I got dizzy and lost vision for a few seconds while I grabbed the counter and composed myself."

(sceptictank, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Oscillocusis, January 16, 2006)

"Oh when I say 'head rush' I just mean that sort of tingly feeling one gets sometimes when one stands up too fast, for instance. It's sort of a tingly, light-headed feeling like champagne bubbles in your mouth (only it's in your head) or if you suck helium out of a balloon.

Sometimes it makes me feel a little dizzy but it usually only lasts for a moment. When it happens to me now that I'm on medication, these can last as long as a minute before I manage to orientate myself well enough to stand up straight or walk properly.

As far as all that goes, it's not so major that it's interrupting my life, but it makes me think that something just isn't right anymore. I naturally have poor blood circulation so I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

I'm hoping that my doctor can offer some insight into these
Oscillocusis headaches or direct me to a specialist who
can."

(sceptictank, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Oscillocusis, January 16, 2006)

"I have had the volume fading in/out thing at other times though, & I'm not sure what it is, meds or migraine. It hasn't happened to me very frequently. Was there any sort of audio tone or 'white noise' sound in your ears when the fading happened?"

(Mella Wyrden, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: language, January 16, 2006)

"For me, it's accompanied by a faint, far-away, whistling sound, and all the noise around me sounds 'muffled'. This has only happened to me very rarely, thankfully! It's very upsetting!"

(Mella Wyrden, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Oscillocusis accompanied by tinnitus?, January 17, 2006)

".. I forgot to mention the duration.. from what I remember, the episodes of tinnitus/hearing loss seemed to last only a few moments at a time."

(Mella Wyrden, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Oscillocusis accompanied by tinnitus?, January 17, 2006)

Paracusis

Paracusis can be defined as distortion of auditory perception, similar to the visual illusion of metamorphopsia.

For example, according to one sufferer, "Music can sound atonal at onset of migraine..."

(Kathryn Hamilton, Email to Klaus Podoll, July 5, 2005)

Auditory perseveration (palinacusis)

Palinacusis, a condition in which a sound, tune, or voice is repeated for some time (usually several seconds), is a cerebral auditory illusion similar in a sense to the visual illusion of palinopsia.

"My period brings on migraines. Also too much stress or stimuli... The worst is that I can hear things that aren't usually that loud but they echo & are amplified when I have a migraine. God I'm so happy I don't have one now."

(Toonces, Newsgroups: alt.med.fibromyalgia, Subject: Migraine website, January 5, 2000)

"As for sounds, I frequently get phantom cell phone rings, or mechanical buzzing or humming. I say phantom because my phone will ring, but then I will continue to hear rings intermittently over the next 15-20 minutes. Mostly sounds from electronic devices do this for me. I will get an echo from them."

(xjetgirlx, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Auras sans migraine, December 13, 2005)

"Ha! I get those all the time − but I thought I was just overly stressed and worried that the phone would ring. There would be days though, when I would clearly hear my cell phone ring repeating, though I'd check my phone − it wasn't.

I never thought to connect it with migraines."

(ladypeculiar, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Auras sans migraine, December 13, 2005)

"huh, that happens to me a lot, too...interesting..."

(jensternal, Livejournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Auras sans migraine, December 13, 2005)

"All migrainoids occasionally hear sounds which don't exist. The most common occurrence is the ringing of a doorbell or a telephone bell. In a migrainoid's home the following scene is a familiar one:

You are having dinner. Your wife suddenly gets up from the table. You hear her go to the telephone, take down the receiver, and say, 'Hello?' She repeats the words several times, hangs up, and returns to the table with a puzzled face. She murmurs something about having been sure that she heard the telephone ring.

Dinner is resumed. Presently she says, 'Do you hear the telephone ringing?'

You frown and say, 'No.' You continue eating.

Now watch her for the next five minutes, You'll notice every now and then she appears to be listening intently . She probably continues to hear the phone at intervals all through the rest of the meal. But she won't mention it again. She has learned from experience to rely one someone else's testimony about the telephone bell."

(Lippman and Lippman, 1952, p. 40)

"I've heard phones ringing and stuff like that during migraines and before them. I often smell things that others can't... but I think they're sometimes hallucinations and sometimes my migraine-induced heightened sense of smell, because things that smell mild to others smell very strong to me (so I figure I might be able to smell things others can't smell at all.)"

(fnordian, LiveJournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: I guess I should introduce myself here, January 27, 2006)

"Yes, that makes sense to me. Fevers are known for triggering convulsions and hallucinations and vivid dreaming. I had pneumonia too a few years back, so I feel for you, not all nice, extremely high temperatures and an odd extra effect that migraine sufferers (myself included) have also noted, that during an attack a song or a snatch of music is constantly being recalled to mind at the same time one is suffering with the fever or the migraine. It might not be a song one has ever been particularly fond of but still one can't get that snatch out of one's mind... it's an odd effect. Have you had that effect?"

(Mike, blogcritics.org, March 7, 2006)

Tinnitus

"That's what happens to me. I see blotches of black or dark grey. My sense of smell and hearing are heightened. I also have audial hallucinations. I hear humming or ringing noises or sometimes a high-pitched tone. Then I feel a weird sensation that's hard to explain. Sort of like being on an airplane as it's pressurizing. Noises sound louder, and light seems brighter. I can also feel the headache in the background. It's not actually pain yet, but it's there."

(Richard, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: Migraine aura??, May 28, 1998)

"My ? [question] is how common is it for people with MG [migraine] to have ringing in ears. I have ringing so loud tonight that it is hard to hear the TV. I have had this lots before but it seems louder lately. I saw the Neuro last week but I forgot to ask him. I am on the edge of a headache today and I don't know if this makes it worse."

(Donna Babcock, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: ringing in ears, January 26, 1999; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"Now I have noticed different auras associated with my migraines. My most prevalent is roaring in my ears."

(Jackie Sprat, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: auras, January 27, 1999)

"Yes, I also get ringing in the ears with my headaches. It's probably more of a buzz than a ring, but it seems to be there for a couple of days afterwards as well."

(Suzie Eisfelder, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: ringing in the ears, December 24, 1999)

"I've had ringing in my ears for days, during the pre-migraine stage, during and post. I used to think it was a side affect of pain medication but I was paying close attention this time and noticed plenty of ringing before I took anything. I don't get this ringing at any other time. Why exactly does this happen? It's really strange and can drive me crazy."

(Catbird, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: ringing in the ears, January 9, 2001)

"Yes... I get ringing as well..."

(Kryen, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: ringing in the ears, January 9, 2001)

"I get the sound like a high pitch whine like a jet plane fueling up for take-off...."

(Ronnie Nelson, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: ringing in the ears, January 9, 2001)

"Wow! I thought I was the only one - A really high pitched ringing. I thought it was communications from the UFOs I was picking up!!!"

(Liz, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: ringing in the ears, January 9, 2001)

Chloe Atkins, My Migraine, undated. © 2005 Migraine Action Association (see here)

"My name is Chloe, I'm 8 years old. I have migraines. When I get one I feel dizzy and I get a sort of ringing in my head. The pain is annoying and is painful. I have to lie down and rest at
my school. My eyes get all blurry. I go and see Dr Gilbert at the hospital, he is very kind to me. My mummy gives me special medicine at day and night to stop me having them. But I will have to come off it soon."

(Migraine Action Association, Migraine 4 Kids, January 29, 2005)

Tinnitus experienced as migraine aura whilst dreaming?

"I had a similar experience around a year ago... I was asleep, dreaming, when suddenly I experienced (in the context of my dream) what felt like a 'HUGE' jolt of electricity at the base of my skull... simultaneous with this I experienced a huge, echoing hum/zap/boom (hope you get the idea here) sound. I awoke 'immediately', with the sound of the 'jolt' still seeming to echo in my ears... for the rest of the day I felt a bit 'out of it' cognitively... I felt 'post migraine', for those of you who know what I mean by that. Strange. I'm wondering if I actually had some kind of seizure while I slept..."

(L. Gardner, Newsgroups: alt.dreams, Subject: Unwelcome paralysis + Brain pulses, November 15, 1994)

Hearing voices

A concerned migraine sufferer wrote: "Hearing voices would really upset me. When I started having continuous migraines (almost 2 years ago), I also started having visual hallucinations. That scared me pretty badly. Several different doctors told me it was just migraine aura, I wasn't going crazy... they said, 'So long as you're just seeing things, not hearing any voices, you don't need to worry.'"

(Adrian, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: Topomax Side Effects, May 5, 2002)

A medical doctor in charge of training medical students in Neurology used the symptom of hearing voices as a trick question in oral examinations on the subject matter of migraine. "He examined me", recalled a migraine sufferer who was assessed by this doctor for disability for her migraines, "by giving me the final oral exam that he gave his students -- last year med students, on migraine. He said that I was the only person to ace the test -- I even caught the trick question. Of course, he didn't tell me that he was giving me that test until he finished."

(Astralynn, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: Hormone related Migraines, October 9, 1999)

"He said that some people with migraine 'hear voices' in the prodromal stage of migraine, and I looked at him and said that I had never had that symptom and thought it sounded more psychiatric than migraine. I said that while I may be more sensitive to sound in general, I didn't hear anything that wasn't really there. That's when he laughed and told me that I just beat out 10 years of med students on the oral final on migraines. I told him that I had been trying to learn what I could about migraine to help myself, but that there wasn't a lot of information out there for the patient, and most of what was garbage. This being in 1988, it was true. Now we can access almost anything on the Internet, and learn about things that we need to know. But the doctors aren't always happy about it."

(Astralynn, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: Hormone related Migraines, October 10, 1999)

However, some migraine sufferers may experience auditory hallucinations of voices without going nuts not only as an unwanted side effect of their medication (e.g. Topomax [Topiramate], see here), but as a genuine auditory aura symptom heralding or accompanying the headaches. The hearing of voices (sometimes calling one's own name) has been reported as migraine aura in patients without psychotic disease in different studies both in adults (Lippman and Lippman, 1952) and in children (Schreier, 1998;Rubin et al., 2002).

"Yes... I get ringing as well, and sometimes other auditory stuff such as whispers to voices (does this mean my schizo is about to phrenia? - good line! [referring to a quote from the previous post to ASHM: "Oh-oh, her schizo is about to phrenia." - Bob Hope]) But then I get visual 'hallucinations', mental confusion, and smell and taste odd things. I hope you never get more than a ring. Explained by neuro as pressure of blood vessels on areas of brain. You should at least call your neuro/doctor if this is new for you though, as it can also be other things."

(Kryen, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: ringing in the ears, January 9, 2001; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"I had many headaches as a child and at eight, I remember my shock when a friend told me she had never one... Around the age of eleven, I suffered from commanding inner voices and rhythms that terrified me with their insistence. They always came when I was alone and they seemed to want to impose their will one me, to press my body into their marching orders. The danger of madness seemed very real to me then, and I'm lucky they vanished. It's hard for me to know if those numinous moments in childhood are connected to auras. I can't help but think there is some neurological fragility underlying those experiences, but whether they were followed by headaches, I honestly don't know."

(Siri Hustvedt, Lilliputians, tremors, and other peculiar visitations, Email to Klaus Podoll, July 23,
2004)

"I am a sufferer of migraines at times and would dearly love to be rid of them for good. I get lead up symptoms to my migraines... To best describe my lead up symptoms, first my hearing is affected. To give an idea, if you imagine a radio in the adjacent room to you that you can hear it is on but can't make out the speech clearly; that is how I hear... I also get like hearing hallucinations - this can be like if I run my hand over a quilt, the sound of my nails against the material sounds like lots of little voices. These symptoms last from about 5 minutes to a max of about 20 minutes and I need to sleep in a quiet room while they are happening. I can tell you they are most scary to go through because they make you paranoid and so powerless to do anything - you just have to ride out the storm and then there are 2 - 5 hours of severe head pain afterwards."

(Peter Turner, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: Migraine Sufferer Seeks Advice and Cure, April 23, 2000)

"Music can sound atonal at onset of migraine and occasionally I will have what I think of as an 'auditory hallucination' in the form of a loud sound, whispery voices (like a low TV is playing in background), phone ring (but it doesn't sound like our phone), hissing sounds at times? I used to be afraid to tell anyone that they think I was crazy or schizophrenic or something - now I know that I am just having some strange migrainoid type of problem when it happens."

(Kathryn Hamilton, Email to Klaus Podoll, July 1-5, 2005)

The following excerpt from Kenneth Alden's Notebooks describes hallucinating "hearing voices" following an attack of migraine with visual aura - an experience indicating a "schizoid event"? incipient madness? a visitation by "demons"? Or can it just have been (as seems to be the most likely explanation from a neurological point of view) another "migraine event", i.e. the acoustical migraine aura symptom of hearing voices? Kenneth Alden confirmed the veridicality of his report: "This was an actual experience: you may use and quote from it as you wish. This migraine was terrifying as the 'voice' was not part of my usual migraine experience, and seemed at the time to indicate either some kind of strange 'demon' or that I was simply losing my mind. Neither one of these prospects relieved my overwhelming anxiety. I have not had an auditory hallucination since and rarely have visual auras either which are for me often subtle and appear or look like heat mirages on a hot road surface; just a slight distortion of the visual field which like floaters are sometimes just 'dismissed'."

(Kenneth Alden, Email to Klaus Podoll, August 21, 2005)

Musical hallucinations

"Many people one this list are familiar with the visual hallucinations associated with the aura, but do any of you get auditory (or other senses) hallucinations? Sometimes during an aura, I hear voices or music in white noise (leaves rustling, traffic, the sea,...) The only aura that I get with my migraines is a ringing in my ears. It is quite distintly different from the sort of ringing ears that I get at other times ('normal' ringing?). I may miss some of the other signs, but when I realize that my ears are ringing I pop a Midrin. Very truly yours, Ms. Margo"

(Ms Margo, cited by Susan Profit, Newsgroups: alt.support.headaches.migraine, Subject: Auditory hallucinations, August 29, 1994)

"[... at onset of migraine...] I also occasionally have snatches of music running through my head (one tune, over and over - or one spoken word, or 'nonsense words') - we all have tunes that can 'get stuck' in our minds, but this occurs with a different quality that I can't describe - it is more than just the day to day irksome TV commercial or pop tune."

(Kathryn Hamilton, Email to Klaus Podoll, July 5, 2005; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"insomnia. Everything that could possibly keep me awake, did. Started off at 12 midnight taking meds for the returning migraine, and I think the caffeine in the meds kicked in. This sometimes happens. A mild anxiety attack ensued... and, horrifically, whenever I can't fall asleep & start having an anxiety attack, Starland Vocal Band's 'Afternoon Delight' starts playing REALLY LOUD in my head and I can't get rid of it. Demon song from hell!! I got my discman and played other things to cover it up, & finally Depeche Mode's 'Sister of Night' chased it away for good. At 4 a.m., I think I finally drifted off to sleep.

I found that sleeping in humid/cool weather is almost as impossible as sleeping in humid/hot weather. I was also left to wonder yet again why my downstairs neighbor comes home at midnight and then bangs around in her apartment like she's moving furniture til 3 a.m. She does this routinely. Once, at 2 in the morning, she started vaccuuming, and it sounded like she was vaccuuming the walls."

(Mella Wyrden's LiveJournal, Subject: insomnia, July 5, 2005)

"I think it's the humidity!

We're being haunted by our own pop culture :)"

(Mella Wyrden's LiveJournal, Subject: insomnia, July 7, 2005)

"Sometimes I hear quiet music playing that isn't really there. It drives me crazy looking for the source and then I realize it is quite literally all in my head. Thank goodness it doesn't happen frequently. More often, I have olfactory hallucinations where I smell chocolate, bacon, maple syrup, etc. My husband never smells these things when I do, so I can only assume they are not really there. So bizarre!

All are migraine-related, lasting at worst five minutes, and indicate that a migraine is on the way. When this does happen, although strange and irritating, it seems to me to be a great signal that I need to chill out, slow down, and avoid any suspected migraine triggers so I can try to avert the beastly migraine."

(think snow, LiveJournal for Support Group for Migraine Sufferers, Subject: Hearing voices as (rare) migraine aura symptom, January 26, 2006)

"I often hear what sounds like someone walking around in our house. They aren't sounds of the house 'settling' either. It will sound quite distinctly like someone's shoes hitting our kitchen floor -- that's the one room on the main floor of our house that isn't carpeted. If I'm on the lower level of our house, I'll be sure I'm hearing someone walk from one end of the house to the other. There are also times when I'll think I'm hearing music, but the stereo, radio, and television are turned off."

(Teri Roberts, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Hearing voices as (rare) migraine aura symptom, January 27, 2006)

Thought-hearing as migraine aura symptom?

Auditory hallucinations of hearing voices must not be confused with the phenomenon of thought-hearing which is most commonly encountered in schizophrenia but which has been described as an auditory (aura?) symptom heralding a migraine attack in a then 11-year-old girl with both positive personal history and positive family history of migraine with aura:

"My daughter once reported that her thoughts were 'screaming at her': I asked if they were saying unusual things, but she was in class and it was the usual thoughts one would have in math class. I was terrified she was a schizophrenic, but the next day [i.e. after circa 16-24 hours] she had a classic migraine, with the blue light and a throbbing headache. So, it was her thought's volume was turned up too high. Interesting, people have posted that they get this symptom when on topamax."

(Judy, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Hearing voices as (rare) migraine aura symptom, January 27, 2006; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

The mother continues: "She was not on any anti-migraine medications at the time. She was on a course of azithromycin for a sinus infection. She was about 11 years old, and had had two classic migraines with aura, having had an early childhood history of paroxysmal vertigo which would occur sporadically in the mornings. It would tend to resolve in a few hours if treated with ibuprofen. She had motion sickness in cars and airplanes. The 'thought screaming' episode happened during the school day. I was working as a faculty member in a family practice residency, and she called me in the early afternoon to report that her thought volume had become extremely loud for a brief period that day. She reported that her thoughts were screaming. They were her usual thoughts for doing math problems, but just extremely loud. I asked a psychology colleague what she thought, as I was really worried. We also wondered if eustachian tube dysfunction could explain it. The next morning, around 10 a.m., she had the start of a classic migraine, with a blue light obscuring her vision on the left for 20 minutes, followed by a headache. She subsequently had a couple of brief episodes of 'thoughts too loud' over the next few days, while in school. We've never had her take azithromycin since, but it probably was not the culprit."

(Judy, Email to Klaus Podoll, January 28, 2006)

According to the mother, "... my 17 year old has inherited it all from us. She had paroxysmal vertigo as a young child, developed classic migraine with aura in middle school, and it morphed into 'feeling gross' which turned out to be vertigo, and had two bouts of status migrainous: one after tonsil surgery and one with the flu. She's improved on nortriptyline, but still has symptoms."

(Judy, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Migraine auras experienced as child, January 23, 2006)

"My daughter who has migraines that have a predominant vertigo component, has described the symptom of feeling like she's in a movie where the images are being played too slowly... Her vertigo is often an illusion of objects moving... "

(Judy, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Migraine auras experienced as child, January 16, 2006)

"Because the two 'expert' neurologists did not validate that her vertigo came from her migraines, she did feel both crazy and hopeless. Now that she understands that migraine associated vertigo/dizziness is real, and she does have a lot of the aura symptoms that Lynsey describes, she is coming to understand that as Dr. Rauch said 'she's in the migraine pool, we just want to try and lower the water level.' It goes a long way to understand that you are not crazy, just experiencing the symptoms of migraine."

(Judy, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Migraine auras experienced as child, January 23, 2006)

As has already been noted in Judy's account, some migraine sufferers have posted in Usenet Newsgroups that they get the symptom of thought-hearing when being treated with topiramate (e.g. Topomax), a common medication for migraine prophylaxis. These observations confirm published reports of acute psychotic symptoms such as auditory hallucinations or paranoid delusions induced by topiramate (Khan et al., 1999; Matthews and Miller, 2001). Physicians should be aware of the possibility of psychotic symptoms, even in patients without a previous psychiatric history, when prescribing topiramate. Symptoms resolve quickly with discontinuation.

In the following three posts, a female migraine sufferer describes thought-hearing as a reproducible and dose-dependant side-effect of her treatment with topiramate.

"Absolutley, that is the perfect explanation for what I had happen when I was on too high of a dose of Topamax. I was glad it went away, it drove me nuts. I also realized that might be what people hear when they have some sort of mental issue...that really scared me. Now I know it can happen with medication, so I'll recognize it if it happens again.

It was so striking, I still remember the several times it happened and where I was. Yuk!"

(friendlytxtech, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Hearing voices as (rare) migraine aura symptom, January 27, 2006)

"It's fairly simple. I went up to probably 125 mg - 2 x a day and I started to hear my own thoughts really loudly. It wasn't all the time, but several times and enough to make me drop down in dose, that fixed it. Then we went back up and it came back.

Mainly it's just like your mind is talking really loud, loud enough to confuse your thoughts. It's like regular thoughts, but screaming at you."

(friendlytxtech, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Hearing voices as (rare) migraine aura symptom, January 27, 2006)

"I didn't have that too bad, but the more we added in the dosage, the louder my thoughts became. It really scared me. I felt like I was going crazy. I worked with my doctor and we tried going back down and then back up, same thing. It was like actually hearing your thoughts out loud. With all the side effects, I ultimately stopped taking it. I was slow in my thinking as well, not as clear and straightforward as I usually am. I guess that's why they called it dopomax."

(friendlytxtech, Newsgroups: alt.support.headache.migraine, Subject: Topamax blurs boundaries between thoughts?, January 17, 2006)

References

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Bernard PA, Stenstrom RJ. Fluctuating hearing losses in children can be migraine equivalents. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 1988; 16: 141-148.
Bickerstaff ER. Basilar artery migraine. Lancet 1961; 1: 15-17.
Farri A, Enrico A, Lacilla M, Sartoris A. [Tinnitus during headache: clinical-instrumental evaluation]. [Article in Italian] Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 1999; 19: 70-75.
Lee H, Lopez I, Ishiyama A, Baloh RW. Can migraine damage the inner ear? Arch Neurol 2000; 57: 1631-1634.
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