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Symptoms, Their Causes & Cures: Hallucinations

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Hallucinations

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* Any hallucinations that occur, other than when you're just waking up or falling asleep, should be brought to the attention of your physician.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

The stories about people who've seen Elvis in convenience stores don't faze you, but when your neighbor tells you she saw a 30-foot-tall vision of Tiny Tim walking down your street, you politely ask her to tiptoe back to her side of the tulips.

A hallucination can range from a simple flash of light or color to clear visions of people, animals or plants.

Generally, hallucinations are an important warning signal that a person may have a mental health problem. Seeing things could be a symptom of schizophrenia, acute depression or grief. Hallucinations also can have physical causes, such as alcohol and drug abuse, a side effect of medications, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, glaucoma, migraines, extreme dehydration or fatigue, high fever, kidney failure or brain tumors.

Symptom Relief

The only times that hallucinations occur normally are when you are falling asleep or just waking up," says Betsy Comstock, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "As you wake up, for example, you may see a suit in your closet and think a man is standing there. That's fairly common and you don't have to go to a doctor about that. But any other time you see something that isn't there, you should get to your doctor." While hallucinations are a symptom of many serious ailments, your doctor may suggest a simple remedy after he has completed a thorough medical examination. And there's one thing you can do to help your doctor determine what's wrong.

Check your medications. Most of us know that illegal drugs such as marijuana and LSD can cause hallucinations. But so can some prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including antihistamines, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antibiotics, tranquilizers, steroids and pain and cardiovascular medications. Prepare a list of all the medications you are currently taking—including over-the-counter drugs—and ask your doctor if you should make any changes.

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