I have searched and searched, and find nothing (at least in the topic headings) about audio hallucinations. DH will come downstairs and ask me who was here, that he heard a man and a woman talking in loud voices. I had been at my computer in the basement the whole time, and am expecting my brother to come over later this am, but he came down twice to confirm that no one was here. At night while in bed, he swears he hears people talking, even wakes me up to ask about it. I told him it was probably just a memory of hearing a conversation, but -- does anyone know if this is a common occurrence? He wants to know if someone was really here, and if not, he wants me to explain why he heard it so clearly. I mentioned it once to the neurologist and he just pooh-poohed it. Any ideas or thoughts? Thanks.
I looked this up for you, and there are two important things you need to know. The first is that auditory hallucinations can be part of Alzheimer's Disease. The second is that they MAY be caused by some of the medications used to treat Alzheimer's and/or its accompanying problems. Serequol, which is used to calm rages and agitation may cause auditory or visual hallucinations in some patients.
I would definitely call his doctor - is he under the care of a memory specialist neurologist? - and explain the symptoms. An evaluation by a specialist could determine the cause and possible treatment options or medication adjustments.
Yes, my husband sometimes thinks he hears voices. We live in a condo of 2 units. I used to think perhaps he did hear others talking because he always had such keen hearing and I wear a hearing aid but I have come to the conclusion that his hearing is not sharp anymore. Like so many of us are saying, our lo's are in another world. Maybe AD can be like schizophrenia. Very hard to get into someone else's mind. I just say, "I don't hear anything now but maybe the noises will be louder." We can't change anything. My hb doesn't take any meds for AD so it isn't that. Check with dr. about his meds.
Shirley, the antipsychotic drugs that are used to treat AD symptoms were actually developed for schizophrenics. I'm not a doctor, but since they are both brain disorders, one would think there must be commonalities for the meds to work for both conditions.
Last night, DH asked me if I heard the coocoo clock. I told him that it has not been running for years so he did not hear it. Then he told me that it has been making noises for some time and that he can't believe I didn't hear it. I thought that he was going over the deep end until I heard what he was hearing. No, it wasn't the clock, it was our small dog sighing. It almost sounded like a chirp. I asked DH if that is what he had been hearing and he said yes. I told him it was the dog. He laughed and told me that I must have thought he was going nuts.
Just a general neurologist. The two cities closest to us for more specialized care are Seattle and Portland, 3 to 3-1/2 hours away each. I feel so many of these docs are just as clueless as we are in some of these things. I have worked in the medical field for 35 years, either in hospitals or doctors' offices and have been doing medical transcription for a long time. DH is actually on very few meds -- he is on the Excelon patch and Namenda, and just Flomax, Klonopin and aspirin, all three of which he has been on for a long time. The Exelon patch was started in early 2010 and the Namenda three months after that. We had the same primary care for 30 years, but he retired two years ago and it has been a scramble to get comfortable with a new one. He knew us so well, knew when to refer us on. Fortunately we have both been in excellent health until this disease blindsided us.
Regarding the hearing, both of us have hearing losses - but very different kinds. We both wear hearing aids. I have worn hearing aids since I was in my 30s. Mine work great because I just need everything made louder, and his loss is more frequency related. He often thinks he hears me calling for him, but if I really were, honestly, he would never, ever be able to hear me. Even though he moves very slowly most times, when he thinks he hears me calling for him, he can move very fast! I will call the neurologist on Monday, but not sure I will learn much. If it is med-related, it would have to be the Excelon or the Namenda. He is on the max dose of both. Thanks so much.
My hb, recently admitted to nursing home, had auditory hallucinations for years. Basically I determined they were due to fabrications in his mind related to his fears. He would get calls from lawyers saying I wanted a divorce or from a doctor at the hospital saying I was in an accident or hearing people in our home, especially if a guest was there, feeling that I was hiding a "boyfriend". He actually was so convinced, at times, that when he heard our conversations he would get up and sneak around the corner with his ear up against the door trying to hear what was going on Before he was not able to drive and, yes after that, OMG, he would go patrolling in the car to catch me at "the club" or whatever. They are so afraid of being alone, abandonned or whatever that their fears control their reality...so try to have patience and understand..we all know it's not easy. This journey is one where you have to accept these occurances as part of the disease and not get too upset about them.
DH just started hearing voices today. He kept pulling on his ear and I asked if it hurt and he said, "no, I'm trying to hear what those people are saying"! Asked what people and he said he didn't know, but it was a man and a woman and they just kept talking. This has happened twice today. He hasn't been on any AD meds in 2 years; and just Sertraline - low dose. Guess it will be the man in the mirror next.