F#$king NHS England! ENT Waiting Times

I have had severe, debilitating tinnitus for 23 days, I know exactly how bad it can be. Even then Benzodiazepines is the last thing I would use, in fact I did use some, 3 times at low doses, with 3 days in between each intake, out of all those 23 days (until I decided it wasn't worth the risk, despite how bad my tinnitus was) because I knew how bad the side effects were and how worse tinnitus would become once I get withdrawal symptoms. Instead I moved to much less riskier relief options, such as magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate (both are relaxants and have anxiolytic properties), curcumin (it's anti inflammatory and calms tinnitus to some degree at significant doses), NAC, Zinc (no direct effect on tinnitus but protects against noise induced spikes), Melatonin (help getting sleep), I also was on the ketogenic diet, although I started long after tinnitus, it's also anti inflammatory, which helps, since tinnitus perception is tied to the limbic system).

I was also on prednisone, which helped a bit (although I don't advise using it long term either, though it's at least nowhere as addictive as Benzodiazepines are), I only took these because I was (and still am) on the acute phase, which means prednisone could have a lasting effect on recovery.

Eventually my tinnitus subsided all the way to moderate, I eventually started HBOT and now, after my 3rd session, it's been mild all day, which is the first time that happened since I took prednisone (which I stopped at day 30th after tinnitus initial onset).

From day 1 to day 23rd, my tinnitus was a severe, very high pitched, 65 dB(ish) noise, debilitating enough that I couldn't focus enough to read more than one sentence at a time. Or reply to post (or anything else, really).

 

I have to correct you on that statement. I was on benzos everyday for about 1½ years and I am off benzos for almost a year now, and my tinnitus is not any worse. I know of others who have withdrawn from benzos and not had tinnitus get worse.

The same applies for SSRI, I have withdrawn from two kinds since tinnitus onset, without any effect on tinnitus. It's simply not true that the risk factor is 100%.

Listen.......I would almost always advise against benzos, because the addiction and withdraval from them can be brutal (can! not always).

BUT if you're at that point where it is either suicide or taking the benzos, surely you must agree that it's better to try the benzos, than to die without trying.