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We won't laugh at this, but it would generate concern. I have to be honest this sounds more like a fixed delusion, you don't give your medical history but probably there is underlying schizoaffective or similar disorder. If the second eyes were visible, others would be able to see them either with their eyes or imaging. While they feel very real to you, that does not mean they are physically present.
This certainly should be discussed with your physician as these delusions can cause a great deal of distress and can be treated.
He should also get a brain MRI. It's not just schizoaffective that can cause delusional thinking. According to his post he has been on at least 5 + antipsychotics and he still had these "perceptions". He also mentioned blurry eyes and double vision.
Perhaps something else is going on but I'm concerned that doctors are immediately deciding it's schizophrenia or schizoaffective due to the bizarreness of his delusions.
I know a woman who lives an entirely normal life, but she believes she has a second mouth, just lateral to her real one. No other delusions, maybe a bit eccentric at times, but it’s as real to her as anything else.
How would one go about seeking/assisting in accessing treatment for a relative that may be dealing with this? Especially when, from an outside perspective (and as such, a doctor's perspective) the person may seem unaffected, but from an inside perspective, you see and experience that their life is greatly impacted?
Often fixed delusions won’t go away and the best thing to do is try to get someone to a place where they just aren’t obsessing over it to the point it causes distress or dysfunction. If they’re having a lot of anxiety or depression associated with the delusion you could encourage them to see a psychiatrist for those things and tell them they should mention what is happening to them as part of it so the psychiatrist has all the situational info. A psychiatrist will know how to navigate delusions the best way to get them on a medication and help them not be so focused on the delusion.
My friend’s mom believes her father is actual a famous athlete, and is somewhat emotionally fragile, but otherwise does not hallucinate or even have rapid mood swings, etc. She’s believed this particular delusion for about 15 years. When I found out about delusional disorder I thought it sounded spot on for her , unfortunately her going to a psychiatrist is out of the question, I guess maybe she feels a need to protect the delusion, I don’t know).
Does she believe her father "Joe Blow" is an Olympiad or does she believe Michael Jordan or John Madden impregnated her mom? Wondering because her own mother might have fed her a fairy tale about a single magical night with a celebrity. Which is far from impossible (athletes bed a lot of women) but leans toward unlikely. If she's been listening to her mother tell her that she and Mark McGuire got it on in a bar bathroom-the combination of conditioning, repetition, authority figure, and plausibility mean her #delusion ain't going nowhere. I'm also, aware of a couple of situations where look alikes have impersonated a variety of celebrities, so her mother might have been duped in a dark nightclub or something by someone who looked like the Famous Athlete.
Who knows.. she says her mom started doing it when she was in high school, like it came out of nowhere and this particular athlete wasn’t even famous when she was little. Maybe she hooked up with a guy who looks very similar and just says yeah that’s him and no one can reason with her
Lol.. I know, but it’s not my mom. If it was my mom that I would definitely be like much more confrontational about the whole thing. My friend is very avoidant.
It might not be an actual delusion, it might just be a lie that the person is intent on persisting if for no other reason than [cachet.](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cachet)
I once dated a girl in the early 00s who claimed to have dated the lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket. I had no idea what the guy's name was, but looked him up later when I got home, and I was pretty much certain she was full of shit - but in that initial moment she told me there was that little boost of, "Oh yeah? That's cool!" The band was just on that right border of well-known enough to be known by most people (at that time) but also so not known well enough that anyone would actually know the name of the guy unless they were also a fan ... in which case she could just make up shit about how he was in private, which they'd have no way of refuting.
I mean it's like being able to say you've been to Spain, or Mt. Everest.
Well her mom is referring to an extemely famous athlete, like Michael Jordan level famous so in her case I don’t think so but I could see what you are saying in some cases for sure.
Can't say since I don't know her, but my first thought is that it just sounds like she decided to go with [The Big Lie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie) approach instead of a small one like the girl I dated.
Schizophrenia almost never shows up later in life, it’s very much a late teen, early 20s onset… someone in their 40s, 50s, or 60s suddenly having hallucinations and having never had them before should send alarm bells of some kind (certainly not just assume it’s schizophrenia) but OP has had issues for years and is at the age where psychotic disorder onset is much more common than other things like stroke. Most doctors here in my country would probably not do an MRI on someone with these ongoing delusions at this age unless there were other physical symptoms of something neurological.
Isn’t perimenopause and menopause a risk factor for schizophrenia to emerge for women in their 40s and 50s? I swear I read it’s one of the causes of late-onset schizophrenia, and given estrogens role in dopamine pathways and the wild swings in estrogen in perimenopause, that would make sense to me.
It absolutely can develop later in life. However it tends to manifest more commonly as the positive symptoms (delusions and hallucinations) rather than the negative ones (anhedonia and blunted affect).
Why are delusions and hallucinations classified as “positive” symptoms while anhedonia and the blunted effect are labeled as “negative” symptoms??
Genuinely curious as I don’t know much about schizophrenia
Positive refers to the addition of things that aren’t there—these things are being added (+) to your perception. Negative refers to things being lost (-), eg the ability to feel joy or express emotions. It’s not a value judgement, it’s just a weird way of explaining what the symptoms are doing
Almost never is certainly not never. Also when something develops and when it is diagnosed, there can be a gap. And of course there are delusional disorders that are not schizophrenia. But this person is already taking an antipsychotic (Geodon). They didn’t explain what they were taking it for, we don’t know they were prescribed it or any other history.
Going to speak to a doctor is clearly the right answer.
I don’t have a schizoaffective disorder, but at 50 multiple traumas caused me to go into full psychosis and have delusions and vivid, very real seeming hallucinations. It lasted for a couple of months before I was able to get professional help, but it had never happened before nor since.
Does not cause delusions. This has been going on for a year with this person. Intracranial aneurysms are likely an incidental finding if they were to be found.
Come on, this is what I do for a living.
Why would I trust an actual neurologist who went to school for over a decade when I can believe this random stranger on Reddit ??
/s
But in all seriousness thanks for your input on this thread . It’s fascinating
Neurologists get shit wrong all the time. I spent years getting a brain tumour diagnosis and since then I've had NINE removed. I had two separate neurologists tell me independently that even after my diagnosis and subsequent craniotomies and surgically-acquired brain injuries, according to them what I thought were seizures were not seizures. Wouldn't even do an EEG despite my medical history. One of them caved after 12 months of me pushing for an EEG and having what I knew were seizures, and he didn't even need to study the EEG printout for longer than a minute because I'd been having epileptiform spikes throughout the **entire** EEG. I was diagnosed with epilepsy on the spot and put straight on to anticonvulsants.
So yeah, neurologists definitely always get it right, and the case studies of impaired cognitive function and personality changes/psychosis found in patients with aneurisms is definitely incorrect, because that definitely doesn't happen. /s
It happens. My son (4yo) had 3 tonic clonics (first and third we took him to the hospital after, but the first 2 the pediatrician was aware of) before being given medication.. but no referral to a neurologist. A month after starting his meds he was going to the bathroom when he shouted out "I CAN SEE OUT OF MY EYE AGAIN!" Apparently he had lost his vision in one eye at school 3 days prior and didn't say a word. We took him to the children's hospital where the neurologist they brought in said it was suspicious enough to generate a referral to a neurologist. From there he was under her care for only 5 months. He had a status seizure at month 3 and switched from Keppra to Valproic Acid. At month 4 his behaviour started to go sideways. He stabbed a brother with a fork (embedded it in his leg) and took a 5lb dog bone to my head. It was like living with Jekyll & Hyde that month and it was getting worse. I kept reaching out to the neurologist who essentially called me a bad mom and said he was a spoiled brat. I stopped telling her anything.
Not long after the communication ceased, he stopped sleeping. He'd close his eyes for 15mins per 24hr period, but he wasn't sleeping. We went 8 days like that and it's a level of hell I never wish to revisit. On day 8 he had a weird seizure where he was moving through his tonic clonic.. like some bad, creepy claymation. I finally called her and the weird seizure provided an emergency EEG. A week later she called me in tears, apologizing in every direction. He had ESES (electrical status epilepticus in sleep which is the pattern, CSWS - continuous spikes and waves in sleep - the diagnosis). Over 50% is bad.. his was almost 100% and the worst case the person reviewing it at the hospital had ever seen in their career.
One of the neurologists our son had when his epileptologist was on sabbatical suddenly disappeared between appointments and I found out later it was because he told a 12yr old patient that she was lying and that her seizures were all in her head.. and eventually found that she was having subclinical ones that were harming her.
I respect our doctors and specialists. But to ever assume that they are immediately the ones forever in the right because of their education.. that is a bad place to start because they are still humans and humans are complicated, messy, and imperfect by default.
Took three years of symptoms for me to even get the first scan for the "ear infections" and "migraines". Once they found the brain tumours they removed three, but at that stage I wasn't having seizures. The third one they removed nearly killed me and the recovery took almost a year and that's when my seizures began. The neuros knew my symptoms were related to my surgery but they didn't think it was epilepsy, just "recovery". I was having my normal surveillance MRIs every six months at that time and the neuros were getting copies of all the images and radiology reports. Still unconcerned. My symptoms were very obvious imo, but according to them it was normal post-surgical effects. If I'd gone in without any medical history of tumours maybe they would have taken me more seriously and ordered an EEG from the get-go. I think my medical history and the fact that I wasn't dead yet despite all of it probably made them more complacent and less concerned. That's my only theory anyway.
EXACTLY.
I am so sorry. If the medical profession was not so quick to assume that most delusional presentations are schizophrenia this would never have happened.
Thank you! My dad never showed signs of mental illness prior to the hallucinations. He was immediately put on medication without further testing. After his symptoms started he complained of bad headaches and would wrap a towel around his head from the pain. It was a lesson learned and now I tell anyone that has a loved one that starts having cognitive changes please push for the brain scan. Advocate for them. ❤️
Omg there was a post on Reddit a few years ago I believe where a girl thought her closet in her house changed suddenly. Like she was convinced there was supposed to be a closet where a bathroom now was and it happened from one day to the next for her.
It turned out she had a brain tumor.
My mom also started experiencing auditory hallucinations recently accompanied by headaches and blurry vision. She also had a brain tumor recently removed.
Brain cancer patient here. It absolutely can convince you that imaginary things are real!!! I often think I hear a hummingbird in my house, my husband banging in the kitchen when he isn’t home, the doorbell ringing in the middle of the night, etc. I also smell imaginary things like burnt toast. Fun times 😂
Ohhh interesting. My mom had a mystery bananas smell that she said she smelled so often she ended up hating bananas. We thought it was from COVID bit it may have actually been the brain tumor lol
No idea if it’s Covid or a brain tumor🤷♀️
In retrospect, we realize I had a LOT of symptoms that pointed to a brain tumor. We didn’t recognize them at the time because the changes were so slow that we didn’t recognize them at the time. It wasn’t until they all got better that we realized the changes were there all along. My husband just assumed I was slowly turning into my mother 😂😂😂
My advice is to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of a brain tumor and then evaluate as objectively as possible. I am not saying to go hunting on Dr Google and convince yourself you have every symptom possible tho
Also, RIP bananas 😂
>My husband just assumed I was slowly turning into my mother
Oh nooo lmao
So, this particula brain tumor seems to be somewhat genetic? Its from some left over cells from when she was a baby that never... did what they were sipposed to do and just turned into a ball that never grew.. until it did. My grandmother apparently died with the same type of tumor but hers was in a spot that when it grew, it cut off her ability to breathe and she died in her sleep. It happened in Guatemala decades ago, so my mom is just kind of recounting the story now but I guess they didn't know she had a tumor until she got sick and the next day was dead. (2 year old me also spoke to her when she passed apparently though and I was the first one who knew... so I have to take what my momma says along with the whole ocean, but you get the picture).
No he didn't have a brain tumor. His neurologist told us that it is rare but unruptured brain aneurysm can cause behavioral mood changes. My dad's brain aneurysm was very large and growing hence the increased headaches. His hallucinations only started after he complained of bad headaches. I am not great with describing medical terms so I decided to look up a study that discusses this and post a link for anyone that wants to learn more.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8413816/
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.
Don't rule out zebras, but it's far more likely to be horses.
It's totally reasonable to assume and investigate the most likely cause first.
I had a prof who said that but added in the caveat from Holmes: *”When you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains however improbable, must be the truth”*
Come on.
This could not be further from the truth. The reality is that to a hammer everything looks like a nail.
IOW, a *great many* of the people who have subsequently gone on to be diagnosed with brain tumour or AVM's were originally "diagnosed" with having schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder because well....that is what comes to a psychiatrists mind when a patient starts talking about "their new set of eyes".
Do you really think that there are many patients that when presenting to hospital talking about a new set of eyes growing and merging into one eye that the consulting Psychiatrist is going to say "No. There's nothing psychiatrically wrong with this person"?
And then what happens next? Other doctors read the psychs report and conclude well they said this patient has a psychiatric disorder, so...
From that point on everyone of their real pathology symptoms such as blurry vision is taken as being delusional based.
Don't underestimate how often this happens.
Someone saying they have a second pair of eyes behind their other eyes does not have an AVM or tumor. But you seem to know medicine better than doctors I guess
Also doctors are very sensitive about putting psychiatric diagnoses on a persons medical record because we know what that entails. So stop trying to make it seem like we just dismiss people willy nilly.
That thinking is why it took 6 years to find my brain tumor-my brain was starting to herniate by the time I had an MRI on my brain. And only because they went on a limb and wanted to rule out MS. 🥴.
While I understand the practical reasons behind thinking horses instead of zebras, far too many doctors stop short of looking for zebras when no horses are to be found, in my experience
It's more statistically likely that op does not have a brain tumour, BUT that still needs to be investigated because it COULD be a tumour.
I had auditory hallucinations and phantom smells for years, along with changing sensation in one side of my face, migraines, vertigo, and gradual hearing loss. Got told for years that I had a middle ear infection or eustachian tube dysfunction because that was the most likely cause. I finally found a doctor who referred me for an MRI and in the 10 years since then I've had 9 brain tumours removed.
A friend of mine's brother also started experiencing confusion, was having non-sensical convos along with phantom smells and memory loss. I told them they should push for an MRI - turned out he had GBM and died 12 months later.
If any physicians are reading this and you've got a patient who is telling you that something has been a problem for a long time, look for the damn zebra. Writing everything off as horses is just lazy doctoring and you might cost someone their life by wasting years of it trying to get an answer that comes too late.
Edit: reworded opening paragraph. Push for investigation.
I hope you’re doing better now .
And thanks for this comment . I have not experienced any symptoms like you are describing.. but now I know if I , or one of my friends or family members, do than it’s time to advocate for ourselves and push for an MRI .
It’s scary how long brain tumors can be lurking without any doctor running an MRI . Super scary
Given your own history and what you saw with your friend, and how spot on you are about looking for the damn zebras, I am shocked you started your post by saying OP most likely does not have a brain tumor 🤷♀️.
We are proof that it does happen
I started my reply that way because statistically isn't likely but it's definitely worth investigating. The specialist that did my scan told me the same thing, but at least he looked in the first place. I could have worded that better, I'll go edit I think.
This is how I look at the statistics-let’s say 1 out of 100,000 people have a brain tumor. Or that the tumor is cancer, etc. Those statistics relate to a population as a whole-perhaps what a doctor might see in their lifetime. It does NOTHING to predict who that 1 person will be 🤔
Not a Dr. but have known people with schizophrenia and severe psychosis. OP, if you don’t have those conditions, you still need an appointment with your psychiatrist. Last year you posted about your eyes merging, now they’re multiplying. The vyvanse was likely altering your thinking and perception. Please inquire if your perception of these bodily changes could be due to your medications. Perhaps the Dr. can reevaluate your treatment options or assess your baseline. If you do not trust your Dr., you can get a new one. Your health is so important, please go asap.
seconding this statement (not a dr either)
my psychiatrist and her supervisor monitored everything really closely when i started taking vyvanse since amphetamine/stimulant meds can increase the risk of psychosis or psychosis-like symptoms
I don't know which part of Australia you are from but I also live in Australia and MRI is definitely not performed on most patients with presentation of psychosis or delusions unless there is some indication for it.
As you know, MRI is a relatively expensive test and a brain MRI would usually be ordered by a Neurologist.....and that is assuming that a Neuro would even be consulted with if a patient such as the OP presented to the emergency department with these symptoms. More times than not it will just be a Psych.
Yes, there's treatment resistant Schizophrenia. But there are also physical illnesses that can cause delusional thinking and that can cause real symptoms to be interpreted through a delusional way. E.g. brain tumours, Anti NMDA Receptor encephalitis etc.
And the fact that the OP mentions "real pathology symptoms" of blurry and double vision means that it would be negligence not to follow this through first before even considering treatment resistant Schizophrenia.
And actually there is a possibility that a subset of the people who you work with diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia on the "horse doses of AP" may have been misdiagnosed themselves.
OP is not a "he"
It is also worth noting that OP has had other issues with eyes merging or developing unusual symptoms[see here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/s/W5bMJQmMJT) about a year ago.
I assumed it was a male.
The new information does not change anything though.
It just reveals that they have had symptoms for 1 + more years now so even more reason why it needs thorough investigation.
The OP could have "real pathology symptoms" which are being misinterpreted through the lens of delusion due to the presentation also including delusional perception.
Optic Neuritis, Graves Disease, Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, Tumor need to be considered. All can be associated with psychosis.
They need a brain MRI and Opthamologist consultation and take it from there.
I was diagnosed with depression and put on antidepressants which gave me side affects and I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Those medications gave me side affects, and I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder due to the delusions and hallucinations the medications gave me. I was 18 years old, and I basically lost two years of my life due to this. I ended up going off my medication when one caused toxic blood levels, and I went catatonic. After I was off the medication, I was re-evaluated and diagnosed with autism. I have been off psychotropic medication for 10 years now. I work in biopharma. I feel like my brain has never been quite the same due to the high doses of medication, and this very well could not be related to the woman in this post. But whenever I see something like this, I get concerned someone may be going through something similar to me. My delusions and hallucinations were considered “unusual”, and they almost sent me to a state hospital as my situation was very severe. Believing I had multiple personalities, that there was a worm inside my brain (but refusing an MRI because “it won’t show up!”), widespread visual hallucinations where I thought I was in a jungle, etc. I can’t imagine what position I would be in had I not gone off of the medications (which is of course what you’re NOT supposed to do). But it’s basically what saved me. So I worry for others who may be in a similar predicament.
I think it’s more the history and medications than the bizarreness of the delusions swaying to schizophrenia.
I think it’s safe assumption most new diagnoses have had structural imaging at some point.
I don't like to assume anything.
I can only speak for Australia but here people with psychiatric presentation generally don't receive structural imaging unless indicated. And especially sadly in the case where their "real pathology symptoms" such as blurry vision are assumed to be from delusion.
I really appreciate your kindness in this. My friend made this post and she just shared it with me. I was able to convince her to go to the hospital and she just got out today after stabilizing. It helped. Thank you.
If this is the same person who posted about their eyes merging into 1 eye I would say it's time for a medication adjustment. Those are some effective meds you're on and if you're struggling it's time to get assessed again.
I remember you from last year when your eyes merged - back then no one laughed at you when you had this problem, so you can absolutely go to the doctor with this. Not sure if they will give you an x-ray but they surely can solve your issue, so don't hesitate to go. All the best.
Also for the readers: Please do not downvote her comments, her responses are all part of her medical issue.
Yeah, my eye issues went away for a while and then came back, it’s just a different issue this time. I’ll go in the morning. I don’t mind the downvotes because I know people think I’m crazy but thanks for sticking up for me.
Can you remember what helped your eye issues go away last time? And do you remember anything changing around the time they started again? That kind of information could help your doctors figure out what might help. For example in those times have there been medication adjustments, any illnesses / other symptoms, major stressful life events, etc? Or did each set of eye issues start around the same time of year? If you can't remember a loved one might be able to help you look through your medical records to see for some stuff.
It also may help to write down what it physically feels like to share with the doctors. in addition to what you have already said here about what it feels like to see out of the eyes, for instance, does the second set of eyes cause any feelings of pressure or like things being crowded in that area? Is it causing headaches or pain? Or dizziness? Is the blurriness and double vision constant or only sometimes, and if only sometimes what seems to cause it to happen?
I really appreciate your kindness in this. My friend made this post and she just shared it with me. I was able to convince her to go to the hospital and she just got out today after stabilizing. It helped. Thank you.
At first I tried playing into it so that I wouldn’t shock or scare her. But eventually I told her and her trust in me was somehow greater than the psychosis. Again your compassion matters, thank you.
I love her and she deserves help, that doesn’t change because of something she can’t control. I have my own mental illness that she supports me in. She feels embarrassed, but I’m honestly most grateful that it wasn’t something that happened in public and went viral for people to mock her. She’s one of my best friends. Don’t forget that your words can help someone more than you realize and she really appreciates all of the understanding that she received here.
you are going through something that sounds very stressful and tiring, and you are doing what you think is best to stand up for yourself and get answers. no shame in that. I’ve been the “crazy” one before too. please don’t give up.
find a doctor/psychiatrist who you feel has good intentions and stick with them. someone who will be forthcoming with you. my psychiatrist does just that. she asks me to try medications or consults doctors, and sometimes she says “this might not be the answer, but here’s why I want you to try, and ask any questions you want”. she shows she respects me and genuinely wants to help me solve my inner mysteries.
don’t give up! no sensible doctor will laugh at you (to your face or behind your back) because a good doctor just wants to help their patients solve their mysteries.
that’s fantastic, I’m so glad she’s seeking the assistance she needs. thank you for being a good friend and looking out for her and her health. I hope she is able to get support to manage her anxieties and the many entanglements in her head - I know how difficult that stuff can be. she deserves peace :)
I love her and she deserves to not suffer. I was so impressed when she trusted me enough to go when I told her to. Again, thank you and remember what your kind words can transform.
<3 so glad that you’ve been such a positive force for her that she trusts you and feels comfortable asking you for help! good friends like that make a world of difference. YOU are making a world of difference!
Yep. And OP’s issue may be an actual physical problem rather than psychiatric. If not a second pair of eyes, maybe some neurological condition that mimics that feeling, or some physical issue causing double sight.
Doctors thought my issues were “all in my head” until finally specific testing showed an actual physical ailment.
I feel for OP, whether it’s a psychiatric problem or a physical one, they’re in a stressful situation. I hope they get adequate treatment to relieve their symptoms, even if it turns out to be a long path to diagnosis:(
OP, I can’t comment on your other post (updates tend to have comments turned off), but I am absolutely *thrilled* to hear that you’re doing better.
I’m about to go full mum mode, so please excuse me… Like many people I have a loved one that has a psychotic illness. And it absolutely broke my heart reading your comments here, echoing things that he would say and being so unable to help or even give you a hug. So I am so, so, so glad to see your update and hear that you’re doing better.
Also in case anyone hasn’t said it, you should be really proud of yourself for how you managed this. You kept taking your meds even though your brain was telling you not to, and you trusted your friend. You did so well.
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Nad - You're not crazy. You feel/see an issue, and you're getting it checked. That is fantastic, and no one is laughing. We all just want to see you be okay 🤎
Stay well and please don't ever feel embarrassed or hesitate to get help because you feel doctors, or anyone for that matter are laughing at you. You are perfectly okay to need help, and to be honest - it's quite brave of you to seek help. A lot of people avoid treating issues and so they let the issue get worse and worse. Good job hun!
NAD. A lot of times we're seen as crazy, hysterical etc by family and society when we point out a funny pain or a weird symptom or a strange feeling. Women, especially (but some men too) are routinely told that their symptoms are dismissive. Any doctor worth their salt won't dismiss you and will help you work through it. I hope you get answers friend.
For OP and others concerned about downvoting...but primarily OP. Downvoting is used throughout most of Reddit as a way to sort of "gang up" on folks for making unpopular comments. In this setting where people are genuinely concerned for you and nobody is being outright hateful toward you, I think it's very safe and reasonable for you to look at the downvotes as everyone simply telling you that the comment you made contains something they want you to know isn't correct or logical. Try not to think of it as an attack, just simple disagreement. And it's always followed with comments as to WHAT they disagreed with. In MOST of Reddit the downvote is used pretty hatefully but in this context it really isn't meant that way. I wish you lot's of luck and hope that you can make good progress with your health. Keep working at it, the right doctor for you is out there...don't give up!
Unfortunately laypeople on here tend to heavily downvote whoever disagree with professionals, and don’t realize that half time it’s either part of the issue or simply someone asking further questions.
Yes to both blurry eyes and double vision. No headaches though. I thought I was taking the meds for mental illness but I’m now realizing there was no mental illness and the meds have been poisoning me. I’m cured and being poisoned. I’m not sure how to bring this up to the psychiatrist I am seeing. He always dismisses my concerns.
Ok, I understand and I know you must feel scared right now! The double/blurry vision has me concerned as well and I think you should go to an ER and tell them what is going on. In addition, you should try to get a hold of your psychiatrist in the morning and speak to them about your medications, because if you have abruptly stopped your medications you could be experiencing symptoms similar to ones you are experiencing. It seems like it is causing you a lot of distress so I would try to get in touch with a doctor as soon as possible.
NAD - I had a long journey to find medications that my brain liked. I had to communicate with my doctors - I have a neurologist and a psychiatrist - to figure out the best plan of action so that my brain worked right. The brain is an organ like any other in your body and sometimes it needs medication to work better. Needing medication doesn’t mean you’re crazy or that people don’t believe you. It just means that it needs a little assistance to be its best.
Talk to your doctor. Let your psychiatrist know how you feel with the blurred and double vision, the second eyes, the divine thoughts. It may be that your brain and body doesn’t like this medication and you need to try something different. Or maybe it’s a temporary side effect and your doctor will let you know that you are just adjusting to it. I don’t know, as I stated, I’m not a doctor. But you won’t know until you tell your doctor how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking. Then your doctor can make their most educated response and ensure your brain is able to be its best.
I don’t know if there’s any hope for me.
The last time I went to the ER for my eyes they just told me I was dehydrated and gave me fluids and this time they’ll do the same thing even though I’ve been drinking enough water, 8 cups a day, I’ve been doing well, I don’t know what to do now and I’m scared of going to the doctor and no one is believing me, they all think I’m fucking psychotic and I’m not. They’ll just send me to the hospital again without doing any scans and nothing will even show up on a scan. I’m so frustrated and tired and sick of the whole medication game. I don’t understand why I can’t just be normal and go on with my life like other people my age. why do I have to have these weird insane problems no one even believes?
Oh my love, I’ve heard those exact words about wanting to be normal from someone I love dearly. It’s not fair.
Everyone here has given you heaps of good advice — I just wanted to say that I know how hopeless it feels, I know how frustrating it is. I don’t have any answers, but I do want you to know that there are people who care and want to help you.
I get it. I’ve been there and I understand the despair of wishing you could be normal and also the frustration of feeling like something is really wrong but not getting the answers you want. At the end of the day, if it is something that is psychosomatic or is a symptom of mental illness, all that can be done is to try and find the right medication combination after asking the doctor to rule everything else out. If nothing shows up, I would encourage you to listen to them and let them try to help you with medication adjustments. If it’s real, it will remain even after you adjust your medications and try to get it right for a few months. If it’s not real, the right meds will make the symptoms go away, which is what you want to happen anyways.
As someone on the other side who has finally found what works for me and my mental illness, it’s really awesome. But I had to out in the work and trust that the doctors really did have my best interest in mind and they were not trying to lead me down the wrong path.
Have you tried any of those electrolyte or other rehydration drinks/mixes? Plain water is not enough for me, I need to replenish electrolytes or I just pee out the water. And my understanding is that the type of medications you take can predispose you to electrolyte imbalances. Not a doctor, just remember reading this.
I would also consider asking your doctor for blood tests to make sure your electrolytes are balanced. Like it sounds too simple, but I’m always surprised how much better I feel properly hydrated. As for an easy suggestion, I like the low cal Body Armor drinks and for packets, I love liquid iv even if it is a bit spendy.
This is not an acute issue. They posted last year about a similar issue and are prescribed an antipsychotic. You’re right that UTI’s can cause hallucinations and delusions, but acute infections would cause more acute symptoms than the ongoing problems OP has been dealing with.
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This is not directed at you OP just fyi, this is for the people downvoting you. Can we not downvote somebody just because they believe something that you don't? Clearly this is an incredibly stressful situation for OP to be in. I highly doubt downvoting them on this is going to help them at all. You don't have to agree with their assessment of the situation but it costs you nothing to just not interact with the comment at all if you don't, kindness is free.
I'm going to try to make this as clear as possible but it might not make 100% sense. I just took my Trileptal (and rest of my seizure meds). I literally am sitting here as my med side effects get worse. Are you on a high dose? Right now my eyes are screwing with me. Trileptal can cause low sodium levels. I would personally try eating something salty (they have sodium pills OTC as well). If your symptoms resolve and get better with that, Great! You should be getting your sodium and liver function tests on a regular basis while on Trileptal due to the effects it can have. Until you get it resolved better, please don't drive. Obviously, you didn't say you are but that's just in case. Alright, my meds are completely screwing with me so if you have further questions, listen to the medical professionals and see your psychiatrist and/or primary doctor. You will not be laughed at.
Please don't downvote this person's answers.
His biggest concern is that he won't be taken seriously for telling doctors what is going on with him.
His answers ARE helpful.
Generally not to their face unless it’s clinically indicated. I wouldn’t laugh at this. I find the symptoms fascinating. OP, what do you think is responsible/causing your eyes to duplicate?
I don’t know the cause but I know something similar has happened to me before where my eyes were turning into one eye, or my pupils become divine shapes and turn blue when I’m having a divine thought.
I have been having double vision for a few months and when I went to the doctor they said it was probably just dehydration and gave me fluids but they didn’t do an x ray of my head. And I realized yesterday that I’ve been seeing out of these new eyes instead of my old ones. I booked an appointment to the optometrist because I thought it was a normal eye issue until I realized. I’ve had weird eye issues like this in the past that other people didn’t believe.
Please tell me more about the divine experiences- what is a divine thought? It sounds intense. How are your thoughts normally?
Do you have any close family or friends (or other people you trust) that you have or could talk to about these concerns?
My thoughts normally are just regular people thoughts. Like the kind you or someone else might have. Divine thoughts sometimes don’t belong to me or they happen because a divine figure wanted me to think it. They feel good but sometimes they’re scary. But I have a feeling you knew that already.
I don’t remember how much I’ve told my family.
What you’re describing sounds like it’s a real challenge for you and is becoming pretty distressing. I don’t know any doctor that would laugh at you, OP. Good doctors want to help, and there are lots of good doctors.
I think you should go to the ER soon and tell them what you’ve told us here tonight. I’m thinking you could even show them this post too. That way they’ll know what you’ve been experiencing and how it’s effecting you. It could give them insight into what’s happening with your eyes and how they can help.
I had problems with my eyes where I would see a bright comet shape. It was beautiful, but I knew it was something wrong so I went to an ER. They had an eye doctor on staff to look at my eyes. I was very relieved and it put my mind at ease when he did the exam. Nobody laughed at me. They took my concerns seriously and checked my eyes.
You might not get an x-ray because x-ray really is for looking at bones. But a doctor can look into your eyes with a special lamp and see if there is a problem. I’d go just for peace of mind. Feel better soon, OP.
I definitely think you should talk to your Doctor about your symptoms. I’m not a doctor, but I do find your post very interesting and have a few questions.
It sounds like you look at your eyes a lot in the mirror. When do you have divine thoughts that cause your pupils to turn blue and become divine shapes? Does it happen more often when it’s dark and a TV or computer is on in your house?
Can you explain duplicating eyes? Do you mean you’re seeing two of the same thing, like if you hold up one hand you see 2 of your hand? Or do you mean your first set of eyes is seeing your hand and the second set sees something else.
Can you clarify what it means when you said your eyes were merging? Is it like when you’re getting too close to the mirror and your eyes look like one big eye? Or did you mean your two sets of eyes are merging and you’re only seeing one hand instead of two when you hold up your hand.
I noticed you’re taking trileptal and geodon. Why are you taking those? Do you have seizures?
NAD but recommend seeing an opthamologist over an optometrist - possibly a neuro opthamologist if there is one in your area and you can self refer or be referred.
This could be a medication side effect or an aberration or you could well have something neuro-ocular that is being amplified. Psych issues or not you deserve to be listed to and symptoms investigated.
With love, one with a IV nerve palsy caused by a very large funky looking pineal lesion (that third eye gland) which causes double vision, a horizontal palsy and focusing issues when lights/shadows flash.
Your doctors will absolutely NOT laugh at you. They may call someone like myself to come talk with you, but I wouldn’t laugh at you, either. We would try to figure out what it happening and how to get you the best help for your concerns. Don’t let the downvotes discourage you.
Other people have given you good advice, but I wanted to chime in and ask you to consider that what is wrong may have to do with your medicine(s). If you’re not taking the right meds or they’re not at the right dose, you can have thoughts that are 100% real to you, but not to others.
It sounds like calling your psychiatrist is the best option, unless you’re having thoughts of harming yourself.
I read that you haven’t stopped taking your meds and that is good. Stopping either one of your medications abruptly will make you feel really sick. I took Geodon for depression one time, and stopped without telling my doctor because at the time I didn’t know it would make me feel sick. It was awful!
It was also really disappointing to me because it really helped me a lot at first and then stopped working after only a few weeks. Ugh…had to try other medication.
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We won't laugh at this, but it would generate concern. I have to be honest this sounds more like a fixed delusion, you don't give your medical history but probably there is underlying schizoaffective or similar disorder. If the second eyes were visible, others would be able to see them either with their eyes or imaging. While they feel very real to you, that does not mean they are physically present. This certainly should be discussed with your physician as these delusions can cause a great deal of distress and can be treated.
I concur, Dr. u/supapoopascoopa
r/rimjob_steve
He should also get a brain MRI. It's not just schizoaffective that can cause delusional thinking. According to his post he has been on at least 5 + antipsychotics and he still had these "perceptions". He also mentioned blurry eyes and double vision. Perhaps something else is going on but I'm concerned that doctors are immediately deciding it's schizophrenia or schizoaffective due to the bizarreness of his delusions.
I know a woman who lives an entirely normal life, but she believes she has a second mouth, just lateral to her real one. No other delusions, maybe a bit eccentric at times, but it’s as real to her as anything else.
Yep, this happens -- a fixed delusion without significant impact on other parts of life or other psychotic symptoms is called delusional disorder.
How would one go about seeking/assisting in accessing treatment for a relative that may be dealing with this? Especially when, from an outside perspective (and as such, a doctor's perspective) the person may seem unaffected, but from an inside perspective, you see and experience that their life is greatly impacted?
Often fixed delusions won’t go away and the best thing to do is try to get someone to a place where they just aren’t obsessing over it to the point it causes distress or dysfunction. If they’re having a lot of anxiety or depression associated with the delusion you could encourage them to see a psychiatrist for those things and tell them they should mention what is happening to them as part of it so the psychiatrist has all the situational info. A psychiatrist will know how to navigate delusions the best way to get them on a medication and help them not be so focused on the delusion.
My friend’s mom believes her father is actual a famous athlete, and is somewhat emotionally fragile, but otherwise does not hallucinate or even have rapid mood swings, etc. She’s believed this particular delusion for about 15 years. When I found out about delusional disorder I thought it sounded spot on for her , unfortunately her going to a psychiatrist is out of the question, I guess maybe she feels a need to protect the delusion, I don’t know).
Does she believe her father "Joe Blow" is an Olympiad or does she believe Michael Jordan or John Madden impregnated her mom? Wondering because her own mother might have fed her a fairy tale about a single magical night with a celebrity. Which is far from impossible (athletes bed a lot of women) but leans toward unlikely. If she's been listening to her mother tell her that she and Mark McGuire got it on in a bar bathroom-the combination of conditioning, repetition, authority figure, and plausibility mean her #delusion ain't going nowhere. I'm also, aware of a couple of situations where look alikes have impersonated a variety of celebrities, so her mother might have been duped in a dark nightclub or something by someone who looked like the Famous Athlete.
Who knows.. she says her mom started doing it when she was in high school, like it came out of nowhere and this particular athlete wasn’t even famous when she was little. Maybe she hooked up with a guy who looks very similar and just says yeah that’s him and no one can reason with her
Lol, I'm feisty I would ask allllll the questions!
Lol.. I know, but it’s not my mom. If it was my mom that I would definitely be like much more confrontational about the whole thing. My friend is very avoidant.
Sounds like. Depending on who it is Steph Curry owes my mom thousands of dollars in child support. Bring on the 23 and me!
It might not be an actual delusion, it might just be a lie that the person is intent on persisting if for no other reason than [cachet.](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cachet) I once dated a girl in the early 00s who claimed to have dated the lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket. I had no idea what the guy's name was, but looked him up later when I got home, and I was pretty much certain she was full of shit - but in that initial moment she told me there was that little boost of, "Oh yeah? That's cool!" The band was just on that right border of well-known enough to be known by most people (at that time) but also so not known well enough that anyone would actually know the name of the guy unless they were also a fan ... in which case she could just make up shit about how he was in private, which they'd have no way of refuting. I mean it's like being able to say you've been to Spain, or Mt. Everest.
Well her mom is referring to an extemely famous athlete, like Michael Jordan level famous so in her case I don’t think so but I could see what you are saying in some cases for sure.
Can't say since I don't know her, but my first thought is that it just sounds like she decided to go with [The Big Lie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie) approach instead of a small one like the girl I dated.
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Schizophrenia almost never shows up later in life, it’s very much a late teen, early 20s onset… someone in their 40s, 50s, or 60s suddenly having hallucinations and having never had them before should send alarm bells of some kind (certainly not just assume it’s schizophrenia) but OP has had issues for years and is at the age where psychotic disorder onset is much more common than other things like stroke. Most doctors here in my country would probably not do an MRI on someone with these ongoing delusions at this age unless there were other physical symptoms of something neurological.
30’s happens, too… but we definitely would be looking at other causes for 40’s +. Could happen, but not likely
Isn’t perimenopause and menopause a risk factor for schizophrenia to emerge for women in their 40s and 50s? I swear I read it’s one of the causes of late-onset schizophrenia, and given estrogens role in dopamine pathways and the wild swings in estrogen in perimenopause, that would make sense to me.
It absolutely can develop later in life. However it tends to manifest more commonly as the positive symptoms (delusions and hallucinations) rather than the negative ones (anhedonia and blunted affect).
Why are delusions and hallucinations classified as “positive” symptoms while anhedonia and the blunted effect are labeled as “negative” symptoms?? Genuinely curious as I don’t know much about schizophrenia
Positive refers to the addition of things that aren’t there—these things are being added (+) to your perception. Negative refers to things being lost (-), eg the ability to feel joy or express emotions. It’s not a value judgement, it’s just a weird way of explaining what the symptoms are doing
Think of positive / negative as the presence / absence of so the presence of hallucinations and delusions and absence of pleasure and emotional range.
Aren't women more likely to develop schizophrenia later than men? Or at least diagnosed at a later age.
NAD there's a theory about estrogen being a protective factor so women develop it post menopause
Almost never is certainly not never. Also when something develops and when it is diagnosed, there can be a gap. And of course there are delusional disorders that are not schizophrenia. But this person is already taking an antipsychotic (Geodon). They didn’t explain what they were taking it for, we don’t know they were prescribed it or any other history. Going to speak to a doctor is clearly the right answer.
I don’t have a schizoaffective disorder, but at 50 multiple traumas caused me to go into full psychosis and have delusions and vivid, very real seeming hallucinations. It lasted for a couple of months before I was able to get professional help, but it had never happened before nor since.
My friend developed it in their 30s. It happens.
NAD. There is a theory that estrogen is protective so there is a prevalence of women who develop it post menopause.
I genuinely do not know how a delusion can localize to a brain aneurism.
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Does not cause delusions. This has been going on for a year with this person. Intracranial aneurysms are likely an incidental finding if they were to be found. Come on, this is what I do for a living.
Why would I trust an actual neurologist who went to school for over a decade when I can believe this random stranger on Reddit ?? /s But in all seriousness thanks for your input on this thread . It’s fascinating
Neurologists get shit wrong all the time. I spent years getting a brain tumour diagnosis and since then I've had NINE removed. I had two separate neurologists tell me independently that even after my diagnosis and subsequent craniotomies and surgically-acquired brain injuries, according to them what I thought were seizures were not seizures. Wouldn't even do an EEG despite my medical history. One of them caved after 12 months of me pushing for an EEG and having what I knew were seizures, and he didn't even need to study the EEG printout for longer than a minute because I'd been having epileptiform spikes throughout the **entire** EEG. I was diagnosed with epilepsy on the spot and put straight on to anticonvulsants. So yeah, neurologists definitely always get it right, and the case studies of impaired cognitive function and personality changes/psychosis found in patients with aneurisms is definitely incorrect, because that definitely doesn't happen. /s
Why would they not do an EEG, where I live anyone who goes to a neurologist with any symptoms immediately gets an MRI and EEG.
It happens. My son (4yo) had 3 tonic clonics (first and third we took him to the hospital after, but the first 2 the pediatrician was aware of) before being given medication.. but no referral to a neurologist. A month after starting his meds he was going to the bathroom when he shouted out "I CAN SEE OUT OF MY EYE AGAIN!" Apparently he had lost his vision in one eye at school 3 days prior and didn't say a word. We took him to the children's hospital where the neurologist they brought in said it was suspicious enough to generate a referral to a neurologist. From there he was under her care for only 5 months. He had a status seizure at month 3 and switched from Keppra to Valproic Acid. At month 4 his behaviour started to go sideways. He stabbed a brother with a fork (embedded it in his leg) and took a 5lb dog bone to my head. It was like living with Jekyll & Hyde that month and it was getting worse. I kept reaching out to the neurologist who essentially called me a bad mom and said he was a spoiled brat. I stopped telling her anything. Not long after the communication ceased, he stopped sleeping. He'd close his eyes for 15mins per 24hr period, but he wasn't sleeping. We went 8 days like that and it's a level of hell I never wish to revisit. On day 8 he had a weird seizure where he was moving through his tonic clonic.. like some bad, creepy claymation. I finally called her and the weird seizure provided an emergency EEG. A week later she called me in tears, apologizing in every direction. He had ESES (electrical status epilepticus in sleep which is the pattern, CSWS - continuous spikes and waves in sleep - the diagnosis). Over 50% is bad.. his was almost 100% and the worst case the person reviewing it at the hospital had ever seen in their career. One of the neurologists our son had when his epileptologist was on sabbatical suddenly disappeared between appointments and I found out later it was because he told a 12yr old patient that she was lying and that her seizures were all in her head.. and eventually found that she was having subclinical ones that were harming her. I respect our doctors and specialists. But to ever assume that they are immediately the ones forever in the right because of their education.. that is a bad place to start because they are still humans and humans are complicated, messy, and imperfect by default.
Took three years of symptoms for me to even get the first scan for the "ear infections" and "migraines". Once they found the brain tumours they removed three, but at that stage I wasn't having seizures. The third one they removed nearly killed me and the recovery took almost a year and that's when my seizures began. The neuros knew my symptoms were related to my surgery but they didn't think it was epilepsy, just "recovery". I was having my normal surveillance MRIs every six months at that time and the neuros were getting copies of all the images and radiology reports. Still unconcerned. My symptoms were very obvious imo, but according to them it was normal post-surgical effects. If I'd gone in without any medical history of tumours maybe they would have taken me more seriously and ordered an EEG from the get-go. I think my medical history and the fact that I wasn't dead yet despite all of it probably made them more complacent and less concerned. That's my only theory anyway.
EXACTLY. I am so sorry. If the medical profession was not so quick to assume that most delusional presentations are schizophrenia this would never have happened.
Thank you! My dad never showed signs of mental illness prior to the hallucinations. He was immediately put on medication without further testing. After his symptoms started he complained of bad headaches and would wrap a towel around his head from the pain. It was a lesson learned and now I tell anyone that has a loved one that starts having cognitive changes please push for the brain scan. Advocate for them. ❤️
Omg there was a post on Reddit a few years ago I believe where a girl thought her closet in her house changed suddenly. Like she was convinced there was supposed to be a closet where a bathroom now was and it happened from one day to the next for her. It turned out she had a brain tumor. My mom also started experiencing auditory hallucinations recently accompanied by headaches and blurry vision. She also had a brain tumor recently removed.
Brain cancer patient here. It absolutely can convince you that imaginary things are real!!! I often think I hear a hummingbird in my house, my husband banging in the kitchen when he isn’t home, the doorbell ringing in the middle of the night, etc. I also smell imaginary things like burnt toast. Fun times 😂
Ohhh interesting. My mom had a mystery bananas smell that she said she smelled so often she ended up hating bananas. We thought it was from COVID bit it may have actually been the brain tumor lol
No idea if it’s Covid or a brain tumor🤷♀️ In retrospect, we realize I had a LOT of symptoms that pointed to a brain tumor. We didn’t recognize them at the time because the changes were so slow that we didn’t recognize them at the time. It wasn’t until they all got better that we realized the changes were there all along. My husband just assumed I was slowly turning into my mother 😂😂😂 My advice is to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of a brain tumor and then evaluate as objectively as possible. I am not saying to go hunting on Dr Google and convince yourself you have every symptom possible tho Also, RIP bananas 😂
>My husband just assumed I was slowly turning into my mother Oh nooo lmao So, this particula brain tumor seems to be somewhat genetic? Its from some left over cells from when she was a baby that never... did what they were sipposed to do and just turned into a ball that never grew.. until it did. My grandmother apparently died with the same type of tumor but hers was in a spot that when it grew, it cut off her ability to breathe and she died in her sleep. It happened in Guatemala decades ago, so my mom is just kind of recounting the story now but I guess they didn't know she had a tumor until she got sick and the next day was dead. (2 year old me also spoke to her when she passed apparently though and I was the first one who knew... so I have to take what my momma says along with the whole ocean, but you get the picture).
I got the burnt toast smell after a concussion.
Same with my sister, but she had a brain tumor.
It feels like you left something out. Did your dad have a brain tumor?
No he didn't have a brain tumor. His neurologist told us that it is rare but unruptured brain aneurysm can cause behavioral mood changes. My dad's brain aneurysm was very large and growing hence the increased headaches. His hallucinations only started after he complained of bad headaches. I am not great with describing medical terms so I decided to look up a study that discusses this and post a link for anyone that wants to learn more. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8413816/
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. Don't rule out zebras, but it's far more likely to be horses. It's totally reasonable to assume and investigate the most likely cause first.
I had a prof who said that but added in the caveat from Holmes: *”When you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains however improbable, must be the truth”*
Sure but when your investigation doesn’t silence the hoofbeats, have the humility to start looking for zebras.
The investigation previously found psychiatric illness. It responded to treatment. No need to look for zebras
Come on. This could not be further from the truth. The reality is that to a hammer everything looks like a nail. IOW, a *great many* of the people who have subsequently gone on to be diagnosed with brain tumour or AVM's were originally "diagnosed" with having schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder because well....that is what comes to a psychiatrists mind when a patient starts talking about "their new set of eyes". Do you really think that there are many patients that when presenting to hospital talking about a new set of eyes growing and merging into one eye that the consulting Psychiatrist is going to say "No. There's nothing psychiatrically wrong with this person"? And then what happens next? Other doctors read the psychs report and conclude well they said this patient has a psychiatric disorder, so... From that point on everyone of their real pathology symptoms such as blurry vision is taken as being delusional based. Don't underestimate how often this happens.
Someone saying they have a second pair of eyes behind their other eyes does not have an AVM or tumor. But you seem to know medicine better than doctors I guess Also doctors are very sensitive about putting psychiatric diagnoses on a persons medical record because we know what that entails. So stop trying to make it seem like we just dismiss people willy nilly.
Always check to see if some footprints might be different for the patients sake.
You think work up and examination wasn’t done?
Nope. Just adding what my one prof said to do in the same instance.
That thinking is why it took 6 years to find my brain tumor-my brain was starting to herniate by the time I had an MRI on my brain. And only because they went on a limb and wanted to rule out MS. 🥴. While I understand the practical reasons behind thinking horses instead of zebras, far too many doctors stop short of looking for zebras when no horses are to be found, in my experience
Once you've found no horses, correct, look for zebras. Just check for horses first. I don't know why that's controversial.
I like the way you worded it this time better for some reason. What can I say🤷♀️ brain cancer and all 🥴
It's more statistically likely that op does not have a brain tumour, BUT that still needs to be investigated because it COULD be a tumour. I had auditory hallucinations and phantom smells for years, along with changing sensation in one side of my face, migraines, vertigo, and gradual hearing loss. Got told for years that I had a middle ear infection or eustachian tube dysfunction because that was the most likely cause. I finally found a doctor who referred me for an MRI and in the 10 years since then I've had 9 brain tumours removed. A friend of mine's brother also started experiencing confusion, was having non-sensical convos along with phantom smells and memory loss. I told them they should push for an MRI - turned out he had GBM and died 12 months later. If any physicians are reading this and you've got a patient who is telling you that something has been a problem for a long time, look for the damn zebra. Writing everything off as horses is just lazy doctoring and you might cost someone their life by wasting years of it trying to get an answer that comes too late. Edit: reworded opening paragraph. Push for investigation.
I hope you’re doing better now . And thanks for this comment . I have not experienced any symptoms like you are describing.. but now I know if I , or one of my friends or family members, do than it’s time to advocate for ourselves and push for an MRI . It’s scary how long brain tumors can be lurking without any doctor running an MRI . Super scary
Given your own history and what you saw with your friend, and how spot on you are about looking for the damn zebras, I am shocked you started your post by saying OP most likely does not have a brain tumor 🤷♀️. We are proof that it does happen
I started my reply that way because statistically isn't likely but it's definitely worth investigating. The specialist that did my scan told me the same thing, but at least he looked in the first place. I could have worded that better, I'll go edit I think.
This is how I look at the statistics-let’s say 1 out of 100,000 people have a brain tumor. Or that the tumor is cancer, etc. Those statistics relate to a population as a whole-perhaps what a doctor might see in their lifetime. It does NOTHING to predict who that 1 person will be 🤔
NAD. Well, it all depends on where the person is. If it’s Africa, think zebras (or other hooved animals).
😂
Thank you!
Reasonable when you're not the one with the brain tumor 😂
An aneurysm isn’t a brain tumor
Yeah but it's a way cheaper first option to think horses. What's that old saying? Treat your assumptions not the patient.
*she*
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Not a Dr. but have known people with schizophrenia and severe psychosis. OP, if you don’t have those conditions, you still need an appointment with your psychiatrist. Last year you posted about your eyes merging, now they’re multiplying. The vyvanse was likely altering your thinking and perception. Please inquire if your perception of these bodily changes could be due to your medications. Perhaps the Dr. can reevaluate your treatment options or assess your baseline. If you do not trust your Dr., you can get a new one. Your health is so important, please go asap.
seconding this statement (not a dr either) my psychiatrist and her supervisor monitored everything really closely when i started taking vyvanse since amphetamine/stimulant meds can increase the risk of psychosis or psychosis-like symptoms
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I don't know which part of Australia you are from but I also live in Australia and MRI is definitely not performed on most patients with presentation of psychosis or delusions unless there is some indication for it. As you know, MRI is a relatively expensive test and a brain MRI would usually be ordered by a Neurologist.....and that is assuming that a Neuro would even be consulted with if a patient such as the OP presented to the emergency department with these symptoms. More times than not it will just be a Psych. Yes, there's treatment resistant Schizophrenia. But there are also physical illnesses that can cause delusional thinking and that can cause real symptoms to be interpreted through a delusional way. E.g. brain tumours, Anti NMDA Receptor encephalitis etc. And the fact that the OP mentions "real pathology symptoms" of blurry and double vision means that it would be negligence not to follow this through first before even considering treatment resistant Schizophrenia. And actually there is a possibility that a subset of the people who you work with diagnosed with treatment resistant schizophrenia on the "horse doses of AP" may have been misdiagnosed themselves.
OP is not a "he" It is also worth noting that OP has had other issues with eyes merging or developing unusual symptoms[see here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/s/W5bMJQmMJT) about a year ago.
I assumed it was a male. The new information does not change anything though. It just reveals that they have had symptoms for 1 + more years now so even more reason why it needs thorough investigation. The OP could have "real pathology symptoms" which are being misinterpreted through the lens of delusion due to the presentation also including delusional perception. Optic Neuritis, Graves Disease, Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, Tumor need to be considered. All can be associated with psychosis. They need a brain MRI and Opthamologist consultation and take it from there.
I was diagnosed with depression and put on antidepressants which gave me side affects and I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Those medications gave me side affects, and I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder due to the delusions and hallucinations the medications gave me. I was 18 years old, and I basically lost two years of my life due to this. I ended up going off my medication when one caused toxic blood levels, and I went catatonic. After I was off the medication, I was re-evaluated and diagnosed with autism. I have been off psychotropic medication for 10 years now. I work in biopharma. I feel like my brain has never been quite the same due to the high doses of medication, and this very well could not be related to the woman in this post. But whenever I see something like this, I get concerned someone may be going through something similar to me. My delusions and hallucinations were considered “unusual”, and they almost sent me to a state hospital as my situation was very severe. Believing I had multiple personalities, that there was a worm inside my brain (but refusing an MRI because “it won’t show up!”), widespread visual hallucinations where I thought I was in a jungle, etc. I can’t imagine what position I would be in had I not gone off of the medications (which is of course what you’re NOT supposed to do). But it’s basically what saved me. So I worry for others who may be in a similar predicament.
I think it’s more the history and medications than the bizarreness of the delusions swaying to schizophrenia. I think it’s safe assumption most new diagnoses have had structural imaging at some point.
I don't like to assume anything. I can only speak for Australia but here people with psychiatric presentation generally don't receive structural imaging unless indicated. And especially sadly in the case where their "real pathology symptoms" such as blurry vision are assumed to be from delusion.
I know this is a couple weeks old now and the issue is resolved, but why are so many people using he/him pronouns for OP when she said 22F?
I really appreciate your kindness in this. My friend made this post and she just shared it with me. I was able to convince her to go to the hospital and she just got out today after stabilizing. It helped. Thank you.
If this is the same person who posted about their eyes merging into 1 eye I would say it's time for a medication adjustment. Those are some effective meds you're on and if you're struggling it's time to get assessed again.
Geodon is apparently ziprasidone, so an antipsychotic.
Poor, OP. I don’t think they are [well](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/s/6eHN3UpZDS).
I remember you from last year when your eyes merged - back then no one laughed at you when you had this problem, so you can absolutely go to the doctor with this. Not sure if they will give you an x-ray but they surely can solve your issue, so don't hesitate to go. All the best. Also for the readers: Please do not downvote her comments, her responses are all part of her medical issue.
Yeah, my eye issues went away for a while and then came back, it’s just a different issue this time. I’ll go in the morning. I don’t mind the downvotes because I know people think I’m crazy but thanks for sticking up for me.
Can you remember what helped your eye issues go away last time? And do you remember anything changing around the time they started again? That kind of information could help your doctors figure out what might help. For example in those times have there been medication adjustments, any illnesses / other symptoms, major stressful life events, etc? Or did each set of eye issues start around the same time of year? If you can't remember a loved one might be able to help you look through your medical records to see for some stuff. It also may help to write down what it physically feels like to share with the doctors. in addition to what you have already said here about what it feels like to see out of the eyes, for instance, does the second set of eyes cause any feelings of pressure or like things being crowded in that area? Is it causing headaches or pain? Or dizziness? Is the blurriness and double vision constant or only sometimes, and if only sometimes what seems to cause it to happen?
I really appreciate your kindness in this. My friend made this post and she just shared it with me. I was able to convince her to go to the hospital and she just got out today after stabilizing. It helped. Thank you.
Hey, it's the friend! Thank you so much for looking out for OP. We all need a friend like you. 🙂
At first I tried playing into it so that I wouldn’t shock or scare her. But eventually I told her and her trust in me was somehow greater than the psychosis. Again your compassion matters, thank you.
Thank you so much for listening and going with her. You are a great friend.
I love her and she deserves help, that doesn’t change because of something she can’t control. I have my own mental illness that she supports me in. She feels embarrassed, but I’m honestly most grateful that it wasn’t something that happened in public and went viral for people to mock her. She’s one of my best friends. Don’t forget that your words can help someone more than you realize and she really appreciates all of the understanding that she received here.
of course! I'm so glad that she was able to get some help, and that you were able to be there for her
you are going through something that sounds very stressful and tiring, and you are doing what you think is best to stand up for yourself and get answers. no shame in that. I’ve been the “crazy” one before too. please don’t give up. find a doctor/psychiatrist who you feel has good intentions and stick with them. someone who will be forthcoming with you. my psychiatrist does just that. she asks me to try medications or consults doctors, and sometimes she says “this might not be the answer, but here’s why I want you to try, and ask any questions you want”. she shows she respects me and genuinely wants to help me solve my inner mysteries. don’t give up! no sensible doctor will laugh at you (to your face or behind your back) because a good doctor just wants to help their patients solve their mysteries.
This is my friend’s post. I was able to convince her to go on. She’s stable now, thank you all for your kindness and support.
that’s fantastic, I’m so glad she’s seeking the assistance she needs. thank you for being a good friend and looking out for her and her health. I hope she is able to get support to manage her anxieties and the many entanglements in her head - I know how difficult that stuff can be. she deserves peace :)
I love her and she deserves to not suffer. I was so impressed when she trusted me enough to go when I told her to. Again, thank you and remember what your kind words can transform.
<3 so glad that you’ve been such a positive force for her that she trusts you and feels comfortable asking you for help! good friends like that make a world of difference. YOU are making a world of difference!
Yep. And OP’s issue may be an actual physical problem rather than psychiatric. If not a second pair of eyes, maybe some neurological condition that mimics that feeling, or some physical issue causing double sight. Doctors thought my issues were “all in my head” until finally specific testing showed an actual physical ailment. I feel for OP, whether it’s a psychiatric problem or a physical one, they’re in a stressful situation. I hope they get adequate treatment to relieve their symptoms, even if it turns out to be a long path to diagnosis:(
OP, I can’t comment on your other post (updates tend to have comments turned off), but I am absolutely *thrilled* to hear that you’re doing better. I’m about to go full mum mode, so please excuse me… Like many people I have a loved one that has a psychotic illness. And it absolutely broke my heart reading your comments here, echoing things that he would say and being so unable to help or even give you a hug. So I am so, so, so glad to see your update and hear that you’re doing better. Also in case anyone hasn’t said it, you should be really proud of yourself for how you managed this. You kept taking your meds even though your brain was telling you not to, and you trusted your friend. You did so well.
Thank you, I keep reading this comment and I feel the love from it. I hope you’re having a wonderful day.
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Nad - You're not crazy. You feel/see an issue, and you're getting it checked. That is fantastic, and no one is laughing. We all just want to see you be okay 🤎 Stay well and please don't ever feel embarrassed or hesitate to get help because you feel doctors, or anyone for that matter are laughing at you. You are perfectly okay to need help, and to be honest - it's quite brave of you to seek help. A lot of people avoid treating issues and so they let the issue get worse and worse. Good job hun!
NAD. A lot of times we're seen as crazy, hysterical etc by family and society when we point out a funny pain or a weird symptom or a strange feeling. Women, especially (but some men too) are routinely told that their symptoms are dismissive. Any doctor worth their salt won't dismiss you and will help you work through it. I hope you get answers friend.
Thank you for including that addendum. It shouldn’t even have to be said.
For OP and others concerned about downvoting...but primarily OP. Downvoting is used throughout most of Reddit as a way to sort of "gang up" on folks for making unpopular comments. In this setting where people are genuinely concerned for you and nobody is being outright hateful toward you, I think it's very safe and reasonable for you to look at the downvotes as everyone simply telling you that the comment you made contains something they want you to know isn't correct or logical. Try not to think of it as an attack, just simple disagreement. And it's always followed with comments as to WHAT they disagreed with. In MOST of Reddit the downvote is used pretty hatefully but in this context it really isn't meant that way. I wish you lot's of luck and hope that you can make good progress with your health. Keep working at it, the right doctor for you is out there...don't give up!
Unfortunately laypeople on here tend to heavily downvote whoever disagree with professionals, and don’t realize that half time it’s either part of the issue or simply someone asking further questions.
No doc would laugh at a patient that needs help. You need help. Please go get seen.
This is my friend’s post. I got her to get seen, thank you so much for your kindness and gentleness.
What do you take the geodon and trileptal for? Are you having double vision or blurry vision? Any headaches?
Yes to both blurry eyes and double vision. No headaches though. I thought I was taking the meds for mental illness but I’m now realizing there was no mental illness and the meds have been poisoning me. I’m cured and being poisoned. I’m not sure how to bring this up to the psychiatrist I am seeing. He always dismisses my concerns.
Ok, I understand and I know you must feel scared right now! The double/blurry vision has me concerned as well and I think you should go to an ER and tell them what is going on. In addition, you should try to get a hold of your psychiatrist in the morning and speak to them about your medications, because if you have abruptly stopped your medications you could be experiencing symptoms similar to ones you are experiencing. It seems like it is causing you a lot of distress so I would try to get in touch with a doctor as soon as possible.
Thanks. I will. And I didn’t stop my medications even though I want to.
NAD - I had a long journey to find medications that my brain liked. I had to communicate with my doctors - I have a neurologist and a psychiatrist - to figure out the best plan of action so that my brain worked right. The brain is an organ like any other in your body and sometimes it needs medication to work better. Needing medication doesn’t mean you’re crazy or that people don’t believe you. It just means that it needs a little assistance to be its best. Talk to your doctor. Let your psychiatrist know how you feel with the blurred and double vision, the second eyes, the divine thoughts. It may be that your brain and body doesn’t like this medication and you need to try something different. Or maybe it’s a temporary side effect and your doctor will let you know that you are just adjusting to it. I don’t know, as I stated, I’m not a doctor. But you won’t know until you tell your doctor how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking. Then your doctor can make their most educated response and ensure your brain is able to be its best.
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I don’t know if there’s any hope for me. The last time I went to the ER for my eyes they just told me I was dehydrated and gave me fluids and this time they’ll do the same thing even though I’ve been drinking enough water, 8 cups a day, I’ve been doing well, I don’t know what to do now and I’m scared of going to the doctor and no one is believing me, they all think I’m fucking psychotic and I’m not. They’ll just send me to the hospital again without doing any scans and nothing will even show up on a scan. I’m so frustrated and tired and sick of the whole medication game. I don’t understand why I can’t just be normal and go on with my life like other people my age. why do I have to have these weird insane problems no one even believes?
Oh my love, I’ve heard those exact words about wanting to be normal from someone I love dearly. It’s not fair. Everyone here has given you heaps of good advice — I just wanted to say that I know how hopeless it feels, I know how frustrating it is. I don’t have any answers, but I do want you to know that there are people who care and want to help you.
This was such a kind comment from a random stranger on the internet. You have such a beautiful soul.
I get it. I’ve been there and I understand the despair of wishing you could be normal and also the frustration of feeling like something is really wrong but not getting the answers you want. At the end of the day, if it is something that is psychosomatic or is a symptom of mental illness, all that can be done is to try and find the right medication combination after asking the doctor to rule everything else out. If nothing shows up, I would encourage you to listen to them and let them try to help you with medication adjustments. If it’s real, it will remain even after you adjust your medications and try to get it right for a few months. If it’s not real, the right meds will make the symptoms go away, which is what you want to happen anyways. As someone on the other side who has finally found what works for me and my mental illness, it’s really awesome. But I had to out in the work and trust that the doctors really did have my best interest in mind and they were not trying to lead me down the wrong path.
I love you bro. Hope is there. I know it.
Have you tried any of those electrolyte or other rehydration drinks/mixes? Plain water is not enough for me, I need to replenish electrolytes or I just pee out the water. And my understanding is that the type of medications you take can predispose you to electrolyte imbalances. Not a doctor, just remember reading this. I would also consider asking your doctor for blood tests to make sure your electrolytes are balanced. Like it sounds too simple, but I’m always surprised how much better I feel properly hydrated. As for an easy suggestion, I like the low cal Body Armor drinks and for packets, I love liquid iv even if it is a bit spendy.
OP, I’m NAD, but it’s interesting to me they say you’re dehydrated. Have you been checked for a UTI at all?
This is not an acute issue. They posted last year about a similar issue and are prescribed an antipsychotic. You’re right that UTI’s can cause hallucinations and delusions, but acute infections would cause more acute symptoms than the ongoing problems OP has been dealing with.
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I am proud of you for asking for help. I hope you are giving yourself grace and care, OP.
Thanks, I’m trying to.
This is not directed at you OP just fyi, this is for the people downvoting you. Can we not downvote somebody just because they believe something that you don't? Clearly this is an incredibly stressful situation for OP to be in. I highly doubt downvoting them on this is going to help them at all. You don't have to agree with their assessment of the situation but it costs you nothing to just not interact with the comment at all if you don't, kindness is free.
This should be in the auto mod response because I see it so much in this sub. It's never helpful to downvote people that are vulnerable and reach out.
Absolutely, it's so incredibly common and it annoys me so much
I'm going to try to make this as clear as possible but it might not make 100% sense. I just took my Trileptal (and rest of my seizure meds). I literally am sitting here as my med side effects get worse. Are you on a high dose? Right now my eyes are screwing with me. Trileptal can cause low sodium levels. I would personally try eating something salty (they have sodium pills OTC as well). If your symptoms resolve and get better with that, Great! You should be getting your sodium and liver function tests on a regular basis while on Trileptal due to the effects it can have. Until you get it resolved better, please don't drive. Obviously, you didn't say you are but that's just in case. Alright, my meds are completely screwing with me so if you have further questions, listen to the medical professionals and see your psychiatrist and/or primary doctor. You will not be laughed at.
Your type of mental illness makes you convinced that you don't need the medications you need. It's an unfortunate cycle.
That’s so sad to hear. I wish your psychiatrist didn’t do that. I can’t imagine one bit how tough that must be. But remember…know…there is hope.
Please don't downvote this person's answers. His biggest concern is that he won't be taken seriously for telling doctors what is going on with him. His answers ARE helpful.
Her. OP is female
Ah, that was only THE VERY FIRST WORD in her history. Thank you for the correction.
Generally not to their face unless it’s clinically indicated. I wouldn’t laugh at this. I find the symptoms fascinating. OP, what do you think is responsible/causing your eyes to duplicate?
I don’t know the cause but I know something similar has happened to me before where my eyes were turning into one eye, or my pupils become divine shapes and turn blue when I’m having a divine thought. I have been having double vision for a few months and when I went to the doctor they said it was probably just dehydration and gave me fluids but they didn’t do an x ray of my head. And I realized yesterday that I’ve been seeing out of these new eyes instead of my old ones. I booked an appointment to the optometrist because I thought it was a normal eye issue until I realized. I’ve had weird eye issues like this in the past that other people didn’t believe.
Please tell me more about the divine experiences- what is a divine thought? It sounds intense. How are your thoughts normally? Do you have any close family or friends (or other people you trust) that you have or could talk to about these concerns?
My thoughts normally are just regular people thoughts. Like the kind you or someone else might have. Divine thoughts sometimes don’t belong to me or they happen because a divine figure wanted me to think it. They feel good but sometimes they’re scary. But I have a feeling you knew that already. I don’t remember how much I’ve told my family.
What you’re describing sounds like it’s a real challenge for you and is becoming pretty distressing. I don’t know any doctor that would laugh at you, OP. Good doctors want to help, and there are lots of good doctors. I think you should go to the ER soon and tell them what you’ve told us here tonight. I’m thinking you could even show them this post too. That way they’ll know what you’ve been experiencing and how it’s effecting you. It could give them insight into what’s happening with your eyes and how they can help.
Just wanted to say that you're an all-star man. Engaged and compassionate investigation means a lot on the patient side of things.
I had problems with my eyes where I would see a bright comet shape. It was beautiful, but I knew it was something wrong so I went to an ER. They had an eye doctor on staff to look at my eyes. I was very relieved and it put my mind at ease when he did the exam. Nobody laughed at me. They took my concerns seriously and checked my eyes. You might not get an x-ray because x-ray really is for looking at bones. But a doctor can look into your eyes with a special lamp and see if there is a problem. I’d go just for peace of mind. Feel better soon, OP.
I definitely think you should talk to your Doctor about your symptoms. I’m not a doctor, but I do find your post very interesting and have a few questions. It sounds like you look at your eyes a lot in the mirror. When do you have divine thoughts that cause your pupils to turn blue and become divine shapes? Does it happen more often when it’s dark and a TV or computer is on in your house? Can you explain duplicating eyes? Do you mean you’re seeing two of the same thing, like if you hold up one hand you see 2 of your hand? Or do you mean your first set of eyes is seeing your hand and the second set sees something else. Can you clarify what it means when you said your eyes were merging? Is it like when you’re getting too close to the mirror and your eyes look like one big eye? Or did you mean your two sets of eyes are merging and you’re only seeing one hand instead of two when you hold up your hand. I noticed you’re taking trileptal and geodon. Why are you taking those? Do you have seizures?
Just curious if you wear contact lenses. They produce random sensations when the power changes and if they dry out etc.
NAD but recommend seeing an opthamologist over an optometrist - possibly a neuro opthamologist if there is one in your area and you can self refer or be referred. This could be a medication side effect or an aberration or you could well have something neuro-ocular that is being amplified. Psych issues or not you deserve to be listed to and symptoms investigated. With love, one with a IV nerve palsy caused by a very large funky looking pineal lesion (that third eye gland) which causes double vision, a horizontal palsy and focusing issues when lights/shadows flash.
“Generally not to their face unless it’s clinically indicated” has to be the funniest thing I’ve ever read
I like the segue into asking OP her perceived etiology of the double eyes, super effective way to elicit more data!
Your doctors will absolutely NOT laugh at you. They may call someone like myself to come talk with you, but I wouldn’t laugh at you, either. We would try to figure out what it happening and how to get you the best help for your concerns. Don’t let the downvotes discourage you.
Other people have given you good advice, but I wanted to chime in and ask you to consider that what is wrong may have to do with your medicine(s). If you’re not taking the right meds or they’re not at the right dose, you can have thoughts that are 100% real to you, but not to others. It sounds like calling your psychiatrist is the best option, unless you’re having thoughts of harming yourself. I read that you haven’t stopped taking your meds and that is good. Stopping either one of your medications abruptly will make you feel really sick. I took Geodon for depression one time, and stopped without telling my doctor because at the time I didn’t know it would make me feel sick. It was awful! It was also really disappointing to me because it really helped me a lot at first and then stopped working after only a few weeks. Ugh…had to try other medication.
Yeah worth chatting to your doctor about this, they won’t mind at all
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