357girl

I'm pretty sure my 20 year old daughter has relapsed. Since May she has been in three treatment centers and is on her 2nd round of IOP since May. Some classic addict signs are back. Trying to not get sucked down again. Her DOC is Heroin. About a month before she moved back to this state, she texed me one night and told me that she didn't want me to scare me or worry me too much, but that she was hearing voices, always at night when she was laying down in bed before she went to sleep. It was usually someone saying her name. She didn't hear them during the day and no one was telling her to do anything. She said it was beginning to scare her. I did a little looking online and told her about "auditory hallucinations." I found a chat room where people were discussing their experiences. I have a half brother that was schizophrenic (took his life eventually) so naturally I was really worried but I didn't want to scare her further by mentioning this. I told her to talk to her counselor about it. When I asked her about it later on, she said she was okay.

7 months later (2 days ago) she texted me and told me she is hearing them again, at night when she is laying down. She described them as conversations going on, she can't really make out what they are saying. My first thought was that she may be using and it's a side effect, however, trying to remain positive, perhaps it is a part of her withdrawal (she says she has 90+ days clean but is taking Risperidone & Gabapentin for anxiety and bipolar). I suggested she start writing things down as they happen and talk to her counselor at IOP, and also to make an appointment with a psychiatrist.

I'm really curious if anyone knows about auditory hallucinations (voices/music/noise, etc.) and if you could share them.

Thanks

wicked

I am sorry to hear about your daughter 357girl.
My son whose DOC is also heroin would experience hallucinations both auditory and a few times visual when using drugs. the doctors describe it as schizo affective, his main mental illness is a major depressive disorder, the voices come when he is using again.
I have no idea if this is the problem with your daughter, but I hope she will back to her counselor and/or doctor.
There are so many effective medications to try.

My son is also suicidal, but when he is clean he is truly brilliant. I mean smart.
I hope he makes it back, and I will pray your daughter will find her way.

Please try alanon or naranon if you havent already, maybe a counselor for yourself.
I understand how much you want to help, but in the end, it is her choice.

Beth

wicked

Wow, CynicalOne.
Yes, Geodon is very effective. I forgot that one.
Worked for my daughter when she needed it.
(ER trip that was really, really bad)

Beth

Live

I belong to another forum which is mental health focused. All the members who have schizo-affective or shizophrenia here voices. A visit to the pdoc might make a very nice Christmas present.

tbeit

Why is she stopping her meds? For me coming off Risperidone was difficult I was hearing things and having all kinds of symptoms.I was self medicating with pot my Dr. thought it could have contributed.These drugs are nothing to play with she really NEEDS to talk to her Dr. about this.On the brighter side it did all work out once I got serious about recovery and stopped self medicating my "bi-polar" is under control. Good luck to you and your daughter. We do recover it takes work but does happen

357girl

She doesn't live with me but I don't believe she stopped taking her meds. She just had her 2nd refill a couple of weeks ago. The pot could very well be in the picture again, which could be the reason why when I call her lately, she is always sleeping. It's all so sad.

beautifulgirl

I am sorry 357girl. I hope she is not using again. Whatever it is; I would urge her to discuss it with the dr. Someone should let her know that if she is using again drugs can cause auditory hallucinations and if she is not that there are medications that can help her. Hugs and prayers.

Lunaaa

My exab also used to hear voices and hallucinate at night,later diagnosed with schizophrania .His doc explained to him that drugs increase the work of brain Dopamine,i dont know exactly what it is but it's responsible for extra brain activity caused by using drugs,which causes him to see and hear things that dont exist. I think she should talk to her doc about it .

bluebelle

This sounds like something she needs to discuss with a psychologist/psychiatrist. It sounds like she's having some kind of psychosis. It can happen if somebody is severely depressed. Or, she could have some other kind of mental disease.

357girl

Thanks everyone. I sent her a name and number of a psychiatrist who is right around the corner from where she's staying. She has no car so she could walk there in 2 minutes. He is covered under our insurance. It doesn't get much easier than that. But will she call, who knows. I mentioned Geodon. I let her know that she has nothing to be ashamed of and it is very manageable, that we have other "voice hearers" in our family. I had to slip in that self medicating or stopping her Risperidone can make it worse. She does suffer from depression, which she says is because she is not working and has too much idle time. Yet, she totally lacks motiviation. She is such a different person than before she started abusing opiates. I can't help but wonder, even up until she was 18, she would curl up in bed with me saying she was scared, her heart beating like crazy, she would always sleep with her TV on, watching Nickelodeon (it drove me nuts hearing it all night). Could she have been hearing voices from the time she was a little girl. I took her to doctors whenever she wanted to go, she had plenty of opportunity to share and ask for help. Schizophrenia never even crossed my mind, if that's what she is suffering from.