mikl_pls Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 To my understanding, this is a known and documented side effect of carbamazepine—since I started taking it a few days ago, I've noticed everything I hear sounds "transposed" down by about 1 or 2 semitones... (like a middle C or C4 sounds like a B3 or a B♭3). Has anyone else noticed this side effect too? If so, how long did it last—was it temporary, or did it last the whole time you were/are on carbamazepine? Did it continue even after you discontinued it (if you did discontinue it)? This side effect is very musician-unfriendly... lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 (edited) Called Tone perversion, yep you are not the only one who has had this. It's brother is taste perversion. I've never heard of it being permanent, don't know if it will go away while on it. Edited October 17, 2016 by notloki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I'm no musician, but I do take carbamazepine. I've never had this side effect as far as I can tell, but as I said, I'm no musician so it might be hard for me to tell. The only side effects I got when titrating were seeing double occasionally, ataxia occasionally, basically feeling drunk. Now I don't have any side effects except for some muscle weakness which is evident through a tremor when the muscles are put under strain. Back to your question ... I don't discount the possibility because these meds can play havoc with our brains. Oh, yeah, one other side effect that I get if my blood level of carbamazepine falls too low is an olfactory hallucination. I smell something that smells like something between onions and slimy mold. It's a good reminder to take my meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Can you link to an article? I'd really appreciate it. I see taste perversion everywhere, but not tonal. I checked pubmed, the package insert, several medical sites (which I know can be iffy), and Google at large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confused Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 (edited) yes, like you said, it's a known side effect. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16876011 i have never taken that medication. Edited October 18, 2016 by confused Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Yes, happened to me. I think it started just a few days after I started it, I think (it was years ago) it stopped after about 10 days, something like that. I ultimately had to stop taking it, couldn't tolerate the constant nausea, but have never had the warped sound again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtclms Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 14 hours ago, confused said: yes, like you said, it's a known side effect. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16876011 i have never taken that medication. Thanks, I must have used the wrong search terms. I wish it weren't just an abstract, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikl_pls Posted October 19, 2016 Author Share Posted October 19, 2016 On 10/17/2016 at 10:36 AM, notloki said: Called Tone perversion, yep you are not the only one who has had this. It's brother is taste perversion. I've never heard of it being permanent, don't know if it will go away while on it. On 10/17/2016 at 10:44 AM, jt07 said: I'm no musician, but I do take carbamazepine. I've never had this side effect as far as I can tell, but as I said, I'm no musician so it might be hard for me to tell. The only side effects I got when titrating were seeing double occasionally, ataxia occasionally, basically feeling drunk. Now I don't have any side effects except for some muscle weakness which is evident through a tremor when the muscles are put under strain. Back to your question ... I don't discount the possibility because these meds can play havoc with our brains. Oh, yeah, one other side effect that I get if my blood level of carbamazepine falls too low is an olfactory hallucination. I smell something that smells like something between onions and slimy mold. It's a good reminder to take my meds. On 10/17/2016 at 7:43 PM, crtclms said: Can you link to an article? I'd really appreciate it. I see taste perversion everywhere, but not tonal. I checked pubmed, the package insert, several medical sites (which I know can be iffy), and Google at large. 2 23 hours ago, confused said: yes, like you said, it's a known side effect. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16876011 i have never taken that medication. 1 13 hours ago, Rabbit37 said: Yes, happened to me. I think it started just a few days after I started it, I think (it was years ago) it stopped after about 10 days, something like that. I ultimately had to stop taking it, couldn't tolerate the constant nausea, but have never had the warped sound again. 1 Thanks everyone for all your responses! @notloki, thanks for your input. Hopefully, it won't be permanent. @jt07, is this a medicine which ought to be tested for therapeutic blood levels throughout treatment, especially when initiating treatment? Interesting that you bring up olfactory hallucinations... I've actually had transient olfactory hallucinations since I was a child, and once I read up about it, has made me wonder if that as well as some of my "staring spells" that I've also have had since childhood are actually some type of seizure activity. @confused, thanks for the article link! @Rabbit37, good to know it was temporary for you. I think I'm starting to adjust to it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confused Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Yes, carbamazepine has a therapeutic range and as far as I know they test blood levels regularly. Like I said, I have never taken it, but I used to work in a lab and would test different drug levels and that was one. The patients were using it as an anti convulsant though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Yes, there is a therapeutic range for carbamazepine and you should be tested for it, particularly in the beginning of treatment. That how I wound up on 800 mg per day. However, the therapeutic range for psychiatric reasons is less than the therapeutic range for seizures as I understand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikl_pls Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 I see, thanks again for your answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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