Posted by Mitch on July 24, 2001, at 14:25:54
In reply to Re: Obsessive Musical Tunes » PattiJo, posted by PattiJo on July 24, 2001, at 12:40:09
Patti,
Hi Patti,
I suppose it could be OCD. The main things about OCD however involve intrusive *thoughts* (not music) that provoke *rituals* to reduce the anxiety which causes distress to the afflicted individual. The more you talk about the distress it is causing you the more inclined the OCD hypothesis becomes. Perhaps it may be some new right-brained "flavor" of OCD. It rarely causes any real distress for me and come to think of it-I have had this for over 20 years. But some meds do definitely worsen it.
I hope you don't mind some questions:
1) Are you taking any meds now-and what are they?
2) When you had the MRI-was a neurologist involved?
3) Do you have a family history of epilepsy (frontal and temporal lobe E can be inherited).
4) Did you experience any head injury around the time you noticed it (or traffic accident)?
5)Are you taking any hormones/steroids (birth control, etc.)now that you weren't taking then or vice versa?
6) Could you describe the nature of the intrusive music more precisely-i.e. duration, frequency, intensity, etc.?It is quite possible that the Ambien modulated some receptor density differently and then when you discontinued it you had this problem. My guess is you have some underlying pre-existing proclivity for this which may have been exposed by the withdrawal of the Ambien.
I am currently taking a tiny dose of Zoloft 12.5mg for social anxiety/panic with Klonopin and I have cut that tiny bit of Zoloft in half and my pdoc added a low-dose of Depakote to my Neurontin and I must say that it is just very *faintly* there-much quieter. If you were setup with the MRI by your GP, I would ask your GP to refer you to a neurologist. If you already have consulted with a neurologist what opinion did he/she have?
Mitch
> > Hi, Mitch,
>
> After you made reference to having this discussion before on this site--I thought that I would check back and see what was discussed...I haven't had time to review all of them, but I did discover a post on February 15, 2000 by Blue Cheer that caught my attention. It sounds like it could be OCD (I am assuming that you would have other OCD symptoms with it) or it could be triggered by psychiatric medications, not to mention the other suggestions of a possible seizure. I guess what bothers me, is the possibility that these musical tunes could be triggered by medications. Does that mean that you stuck with it forever? Is it possible that the medications that trigger this condition should have warnings about it? Usually, most of the side effects that are listed, go away if you stop taking them. What if this is a side effect that never goes away? Shouldn't we be warned about it?
>
> Well, I suppose I am "obsessing" about finding a cause--but I guess I am angry that it is possible that a medication may have caused it. Some days I can handle the music, other days, I want to shoot myself in the head--No, I will never intentionally end my life, but that's how I feel sometimes.
>
> I try to avoid listening to music, like you suggested, but it's hard to do. Music plays all day and every day outside my office door, for confidentially reasons.
>
> Thank you for your insights.
>
> Oh, by the way, I am a psychologist. I guess that is why I am so determined to find a cause. I have seen hundreds of people for treatment of mental illnesses and distress and have never heard of this condition--until my own experience with it. I have spoken to other mental health professions and it appears that they have not heard of it either. It must be a very rare condition since very little is known about it. Sounds like a good research project. I wish I had the time. Well, I might check out the research journals at a nearby university and see if I can find out anything more. You've been a big help to me.
>
> Thanks,
> Patti
poster:Mitch
thread:71235
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71656.html