Anxiety, Derealization and Tinnitus

I have been suffering with anxiety my entire life but derealization only manifested itself 6 years ago from a bad marijuana trip. Since then i get month long periods of it on average every 2 years. I developed tinnitus in 2014 from an ear infection but i think i had mild tinnitus my entire life. Fast forward to last monday where i woke up with my ears ringing and went into full panic mode which made me super anxious. I think it was there but really low but its really buzzing now. I only hear it when im in my room trying to relax and when i hear it it freaks me out and i start to panic and then my anxiety gets worse which triggers my dr. Is any one else experiencing dr and tinnitus and is the anxiety making the tinnitus worse thefore keeping me in panic mode??

 

Tinnitus can do many things to many people, it can create anxiety, depression and lots of stuff that is unpleasant. I have been facing this demon since 1990 and still at times it frustrates me. The loss of hearing bothers me more than the tinnitus honestly. I can tell you this much, if you want to get some relief, maybe try listening to sounds that mask the ringing. I am constantly listening to youtube vids on my iphone and a low to mid level that helps me a lot. You can also listen to white noise and that helps some people.

Tinnitus is not an illness, so do not panic because of that. If your panic is because of the louder, constant noise then try to deal with it in a positive way. Masking the sound could help you, getting plenty of sleep is very important.

Best of luck

 

I would be positive the entire day but as soon as i reach home from work and try to watch some tv and relax i hear it and it pisses me off to the point where i work myself up and my chest starts to feel so warm and my heart rate increases. The worst part is waking up multiple times during the night and hearing that buzzing noise. It makes me more anxious.

 

I did have some derealization but it was partially due to me trying to come off Klonopin. I had built up a tolerance to it and it was not pleasant. My psychiatrist just told me that she says she prescribes as an alternative to benzodiazapines called Trileptal. I wish I had tried that before! I don't know if it helps calm people down or not and never heard of it being used to treat anxiety but she says she does it. I have heard in some cases where it lowered people's tinnitus, increased it, or did nothing. It sounds like you need to get the anxiety under control first before you deal with the tinnitus. You might have to go to the doctor but before that you can try deep breathing exercises or there is a supplement called Kava Kava that can relax some people. You might want to first get your hearing checked to see if you have hearing loss. If so, hearing aids might be able to correct your hearing so you might not hear the ringing in the ambient noise or it lowers the tinnitus perception for you. I hope you get better asap.

 

You aren't alone...I've been experiencing same cycle you describe for last 10 days and off and on for 15 yrs. I've had months with no issue and then seemingly out of no where it's back! Saw an audiologist this week who found my hearing is fine, but suggested I cut out daily aspirin and caffeine, lower sodium intake ....oh and reduce stress! Vicious cycle since the ringing causes the anxiety and stress!! My dr gave me a scrip for Xanax which I take once a day just to remember how to relax....that has helped tremendously, but not a long term solution. A noise machine does help for sleep....and knowing there r millions of us dealing w the same issue! Good luck and God Bless!

 

Hey @Brandon joseph

I have Derealization as well. since 1 year 24/7 after smoking weed in an anxious situation. When I got Tinnitus 4 months ago, my anxiety went through the roof. And so did my DR obviously. It hasnt calmed down since, which is making me sad because I would like to experience reality again

I am scared I will never habituate and never get out of DR.

And yes, my subconscious mind is also in a panic mode 24/7

Thats the thread I started concerning DR :https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/anyone-here-with-derealization.13384/

 

The first time i experienced dr was in 2010 from a bad marijuana trip as well that was the worst time of my life thank god it only lasted 2 months since then i get it off and on but i have to teaxh my self how to deal with it each time.

 

The first time i got dr the doc put me on some antidepressants and that wrecked havoc on my nervous system. When i got tinnitus he did the same again and i felt the same way so i try to stay away from pills it dont agree with me. I try to fight it the natural way by eating healthy and excercise it always fades away so i hope this time would be no different

 

I'm sorry to hear about your situation and I hope it resolves for you.

With your DR, do you feel that Tinnitus Talk Forum as well as those of us corresponding with you are a figment of your imagination?

Chris

 

No i just feel zoned out even tho i know everything is real it feels not real.

 

This is what I experience. I really don't notice it when I'm out. When I get back home to my room to watch tv I can start to hear it. It's high pitched when I concentrate on it. When I get tense around my neck, head and jaw it gets worse. It's like a vicious cycle. I'm tired of this shit too. It's draining me.

 

@HiThere

not a figment of my imagination. But every object seems unreal. Like in a dream or video game. So the phone I am holding in my hands, looking on the screen, typing these words looks unreal. Like verything else...But my sane mind is also telling me that DR is a change in the perception, and I know that this is real, what Im experiencing.