18 Months In and Suffering — Is It Possible to Habituate to Tinnitus with PTSD and Anxiety?

Hi, I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there that has had a diagnosis of PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder that has been able to habituate.

I’ve had anxiety for 30 years. Tinnitus started 18 months ago. I have mild high frequency hearing loss.

I do have occasional days where I can barely hear the tinnitus but, for the most part, it’s loud and so high pitched. I’m taking Klonopin 1.5 mg per day but I feel like it’s not working much anymore.

Tired of feeling panicked all of the time. I’d appreciate any recommendations. Thanks so much.

 

Hey, so sorry you too feel like this. I too have this and feel exactly the same as you xxx

 

My suggestion would be getting rid of the Klonopin slowly but surely. Benzos are the devil in form of a pill.

For anxiety and PTSD there should be better options like antidepressants but you have to find one that works well for you. For me, Mirtazapine has been a godsend mainly because without it I wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

 

I'm in the same boat. No hearing loss to mild hearing loss in the high frequencies and it's gut wrenching. I do have severe anxiety becasue of it I can't cope with the noise and hyperacusis. I've been taking ativan for a long time but it's not working as good anymore and i'm now addicted to it. I am now starting to toy with antidepressents unfortunatly. You are not alone.

 

Hey, I have C-PTSD and also used to be very anxious and depressive. Ironically, I've got tinnitus when I got better due to a combination of exposure to loud noise and stress of uncovering some hidden memories. I've only had tinnitus for a couple of month, but I think it correlates very much with the stress of dealing with my past. It also fluctuates in loudness. Right now, I can live with it. But sometimes it's very loud and prevents me from sleeping.

 

Hi, my mild tinnitus started during a period of my life when I developed a severe anxiety disorder in my 30s. I had anxiety attacks daily back then and the whole thing drastically affected my life and who I was. I refused medication and instead threw all my efforts at understanding what panic attacks were, what the mental cause of the anxiety was, and slowly brought my disorder to an end. I can’t imagine how habituation could occur while you are still dealing with anxiety. The ability to habituate would be blocked by being in an anxious state, regardless of the cause of the anxiety.

Also, have you looked into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy specifically for managing tinnitus? Calming the mind is paramount in coexisting peacefully with tinnitus.

I wish you the best.

 

So would you say CBT is what put an end to your anxiety and panic?

I'm in the same boat.

Having to rehabituate with a history of anxiety, OCD, and probable PTSD.

Want to avoid meds.

 

Totally agree with this.

First things first. Anxiety has to be treated / get in control of first.

Once that is under control, it is possible and easier to habituate to tinnitus.

 

Hi Deb,

To be honest, CBT was only one tool in the toolkit, so to speak. In learning to live with and ultimately triumph over anxiety, there were several things that helped me succeed:

1. Learning what anxiety is and what causes it (i.e. understanding the fight or flight response and the effects it has on the body). Getting a detached, rational view of the mechanics of anxiety was essential for me.

2. A very supportive partner. In the early days when I was struggling and being overcome by anxiety, my spouse would very rationally and lovingly promise me that everything would eventually sort itself out. He believed in me when I couldn’t and that saw me through for several dark months.

3. Seeing an anxiety counselor. I was fortunate enough to see a good therapist who specialized in anxiety. Talking to a former sufferer who was very knowledgeable helped me to believe the facts about anxiety. (In the beginning I was stubborn and wouldn’t want to believe the physical manifestations of panic attacks were anxiety-caused; I thought I had some scary disease.)

4. An insistence on handling anxiety without medication. For me, medication seemed like a bandaid and not a true healing. I said, “My brain got me into this and my brain can get me out!” Lol, it took about 2 1/2 years before I felt out of the woods so I would now say that if medication gives you a reprieve and you need a break then by all means take a break chemically if you want. All along, though, is the goal of understanding and therefore outsmarting anxiety.

I was introduced to CBT when my tinnitus got louder after the first Pfizer shot. CBT helped me to not go down the path of returning to anxiety attacks on account of louder tinnitus. If you can separate negative thoughts from the sound in your head then you will be well primed to habituate.

As we get older and have more and more life experiences (some of which are deeply challenging and some unwelcome and permanent, like tinnitus), we will need the skills that support the acceptance that “you can’t control what has happened to you but you can control your reaction to it.”

Sorry for such a long reply. I care a lot about my fellow anxiety sufferers and am always willing to share my experiences in the hopes that it might help.

All the best!