Tinnitus

hi my name is jack . I have had tinnitus little over a year . started slowly now is very loud every other day and low to med the other day .diag hearing loss . i have two hearing aids that help . I worked thirty years on trucks and equipment very loud noise . And played drums . when the tin gets loud it effects my nervous system where its very hard to function. it will wake me up from a sleep and will not be able to go back to sleep .when its loud it creates a stress that hard to live with .It seemed to start after nine months of depression and anxiety . very hard to get use to . any suggestions .

 

Hi Jack,

The anxiety is definitely making it worse. Separating the cause and effect is not easy (am I anxious because of T, or have T because I'm anxious?). You'll read again and again how this is a vicious cycle that leaves you with the sensation that your T is deafening. The good news is that you can work on this.

From your posting, are you perhaps also feeling like you've damaged yourself from playing drums and working with loud equipment, and that this is the cause of your T? I had a therapist tell me recently that the link between hearing damage and T is in doubt. I'm not sure what to make of this myself, but it does allow for the possibility that your T is more a product of your anxiety than any damage you may have done. The trouble is, once that belief sets in, it's like a little punishment that you can't ignore. With your hearing difficulties you'll be sensitive to any sound you can perceive, I'm sure.

I addressed my depression with anti-depressants; my anxiety seemed to be closely linked. Is your GP helping with that?

You've made a big step in introducing yourself here, that's not easy. I hope things get easier for you from now on, there are some great people here with experience in managing their T.

DD

 

hi dezdog thanks for the info . I defenitly have bad anxiety and working on it by trying to except it . read paul davis book he had bad anxiety for ten years. i am trying to do this without drugs . when this first started i got no sleep for six months than igot four ours sleep every other night than it went to three every night now four somtimes five . but still get panic attacks and up all night once in a while . this is gteat because you cant find any one to talk to . thanks jack

 

jack, we are on the same boat. If you would like to talk, I pm'ed you my skype and email.

 

Jack,

if there's one thing we can do here it's talk!

I respect your approach to drugs; I found the anxiety unbearable though, to the point of very bad thoughts, and so was keen to use a crutch. My GP plans to wean me off, which worries me a little (ha!), but I like his approach. He sees them as a tool, not a solution. With my anxiety under control, my T is still there, but I don't *care* about it, to the point that I don't notice it. That's the closest thing to a cure that I expect to see in the short term.

What do you do for distraction? Playing (or learning!) guitar is an excellent one. One mad morning I taught myself the Spanish numbers from 1 to 50 and recited them aloud while driving back from dropping my daughter at school. I sounded like a lunatic, but the concentration worked. And I know my Spanish numbers forwards and backwards now

Anyway, too much crazy for one post

@Fish, I think that's a kind offer

DD

 

hi dezdog for distraction i drive senior cit around to stores and drive for a parts store two days a week . walk amile and a half every day light wts vit b c e garlic d3 fishoil zink mag potasium for sleep somtimes melotonin passion flower l theanine lemon balm some time 5htp all suplaments . its when your mind cant except that sound is the worst . but have got a little better last couple mounths . two good books paul davis at last a life andhope and help for your nerves dr claire weeks .

 

dez dog whats the name of the anti depressant ?

 

> dez dog whats the name of the anti depressant ?

Sorry, I should have said: it's fluoxetine (known more commonly as Prozac). It takes about 6 weeks to become effective. The idea is you use it to get on top of your depression / anxiety, reintroduce yourself to wellness (and show yourself that, yeah, you used to be well and this is what it feels like) and then when appropriate, wean off them again. A good GP will have that as the basic plan (as a tool, with a plan to get off them asap).

I have to admit that I appear to be one of those people who always relapse, though I never relapsed the way I did in April, with anxiety like that and noises like that in my ears. I can't go through that again.

Hang in there mate. Sounds like you have a good routine there.

 

dezdog did anyone try xanax or clonopin for tinnitus you know off and how did it work ? jack

 

I tried taking xanax during the first few days but the only thing it did was made me very drowsy. Then after falling asleep I still woke up after 1 hour with a loud noise in my head and extreme anxiety. Maybe you need to use xanax for longer periods for it to work better.

 

fish what do you do for the anxiety? jack

 

I am sorry jack but I don't have any good advice regarding anxiety. Xanax didn't really work for me.

I drink a lot of herbal teas, 4-5 cups of melissa a day that make me calm and a bit drowsy in the late hours to sleep better.

 

thanks for info fish .my anxiety is really bad every other day . had to walk three and ahalf miles .and go all over the place . somehow by six it starts going down . one half melotonin and one l theanine two tylonol pm is good for five and a half ours sleep .natual except for the tylonol . jack

 

fish how are you doing

 

Hello again Jack

Thank you for your concern! It is my third week of tinnitus, I keep taking piracetam and betaserc 2x a day + vitamine supplements. After two weeks my tinnitus started gradually getting better and it even disappeared somewhere around 4-5th of august. It was great and I returned to "normal" life. Loud tinnitus came back 2 days ago and I'm back to square one. Again very difficult to sleep.

What about you? How is your anxiety? Best of luck! Fish

 

hi fish fri was a loud day with anxiety sat lower anxiety i think you have to work on anxiety . i read about people with loud tinitus and low anxiety . i tryed a sleep aid just has diphenhydramine in it two twenty five mg tab . seemed to work . hang in there jack

 

fish how are you doing i tryed to reply to your e mail and it was returned im doing a little better with anxiety one day bad next day it lets up . melotonin worked good for sleep last night 3mg and one l theanine five to six hrs sleep jack

 

Jack,

I'm sorry, but I don't know. The only other people I know with T are you lot here

Your bad day/good day sounds familiar. I'd have a good day, and then want the next day to be good so badly I was let down each time. I don't really know what broke the cycle, perhaps seeing the specialist and the fluoxetine kicking in.

It sounds like you're doing good work on your anxiety, keep at it.

 

hi markku thanks for the info

 

hi markku how are you doing . jack USA

 

hi markku what have you done for your tinnitus ? jack

 

markku i know what your saying theres just so many sound variations high low jack

 

markku i hope you reach the point of habituation I try to keep as busy as possible but how long can you keep that up.get your life back jack usa

 

markku you have done great . sometimes it hard to seperate normal anxiety and t . trying to stay in shape and take vitamins for the future when improvement comes . does the ata have a forum ? jack

 

markku thanks for info. your correct about being habituated the brain sends out a signal fight or flight when hearing t . i am a member of the ata . jack

 

hi markku how are you doing