Frantic

I don’t know what to do. Woke in the night after taking another of the pills the doc is trying to ween me off and tinnitus is out of control. None stop powerful drilling in my ears and it won’t stop. I’m all alone and if this is a spike that sticks I won’t make it to the end of the day it’s so bad. Honestly am I’m in despaor.

Honestly the way life is in general and now this. I’d be better off gone.

 

Not sure what kind of pills you are on, but if they are benzos, you need to wean off them really slow...things should eventually calm down and return back to your normal baseline.

 

@Nicola8478
I quite often wake in the night with raging tinnitus. It’s something to do with my sleep cycle.
If I get back to sleep then it resets when I wake again.
What pill did you take?
If you are feeling really anxious then please call a friend or head to the hospital.
I want you to be safe.
I’m sure this will settle, please try not to panic too much but I know all too well the fear you are feeling.

 

@Samantha R Yes they are Mirtazipine I’m weening off. Just each time I take them something awful happens. It’s still the same now and I’m terrified it’s not gonna stop it’s so brutal. Have managed to get in to see my GP this evening. Also like a fool I fell asleep and missed one last night. Whether that is an issue I’m not sure.

Thanks for your replies x

 

@Nicola8478
How did you go with your GP?
How are things now?

 

You missed a dose? If you did there is a very high probability you will cause increased unwanted side effects .

 

Look at it on the bright side too..at least you are still able to sleep and that is probably the most important thing in your situation.
If you are able to sleep, you are still in good shape.

 

I wake up to spikes, but I walk around the house a few times and go back to bed, usually when I wake up it resets it self. Differently go slow off meds. I wish I knew to go slow had a hard time. I use OTC sleep stuff, fan, sleep machine, eye mask, shower in evening. I hope it helps you.

 

@Nicola8478

This guys advice worked for me to reduce the sound. Number 7 especially. Had moments of silence too. Sound reduced 80%. Just thought I'd share, why not:
↑
Hi everyone,

I have figured out some treatment protocols that really help with at least some forms of tinnitus.

I think that many people have tinnitus that is actually caused by eustachian tube inflammation. Not all tinnitus comes from this problem -- some tinnitus is due to actual injury to the eardrum or hearing loss or other neurological causes -- but my hypothesis is that a lot more tinnitus cases are due to inflammation than anyone realizes. Even ENTs don't realize this in many cases (many of them are really surgeons who take a mechanical view of the ear and don't really pay that much attention to inflammation, unless it is very acute and obvious).

Simply put: When the eustachian tube becomes chronically inflamed it can lead to negative pressure in the middle ear and this results in tinnitus. The inflammation causes the tube to swell and stick shut, preventing normal ventilation, and this forms a sort of vacuum that pulls on the eardrum causing irritation that results in tinnitus. Inflammation can also lead to chronic low-grade infections in the middle ear that in turn results in negative pressure and irritation of the eardrum in the same way.

I have struggled with this problem for many months and have found several solutions that really make a difference. And the good news is that they are easy.

First of all, you really need to get serious about reducing inflammation in your entire body, and also your ears. Try the following:

1. Eliminate common allergens from your diet as much as you can. Especially dairy.

2. Take nasal steroids every day. A really good newer one is Dymista: http://www.dymista.com/

NOTE -- There is a proper way to take nasal steroids in order to direct them at the opening of your eustachian tubes -- You can learn about this technique here: http://www.fauquierent.net/etd2.htm

3. Use a device like the ear popper to help clear your eustachian tubes -- it really helps! Use it many times a day, and over time it will help to reduce negative pressure and re-open your eustachian tube. It's not that cheap, but worth it! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00449CW36/

4. Take high quality, super strong turmeric liquid. It's also not cheap but worth it and has a great effect on inflammation and has helped my tinnitus. There are many places to buy it -- here is one:
https://www.amazon.com/Health-Rangers-Organic-Turmeric-extract/dp/B00GSTOTEU/

5. Reduce systemic infections to further reduce inflammation; one supplement that really helps your immune system fight infections over time is Monolaurin (also called Lauricydin). Here is where I get it: https://www.amazon.com/Lauricidin®-Original-Monolaurin-Supplement-227gram/dp/B004I8SMOQ/

6. Irrigate your sinuses with a Sinus Pulse machine. It's a neti pot on steriods basically.

Here is a source for the best one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CWT4JI/

And another one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UO6NRA/

7. If you have a neti pot or a sinus irrigator (see point 6), you can also try this more advanced technique:

Angle your head so that the warm salt water comes out your mouth (this way it is going in your nostril, and out your mouth, passing right over the opening of the eustachian tube).

Immediately after the water starts to comes out your mouth, while the opening to your eustachian tube is still soaked with water, "pop" your ear by holding your nose and blowing.

When done right you will hear a squeak sound as some of the water goes into your eustachian tube when you pop your ear.

Repeat this a few times and more water will go in. Then let it drain out. You can move your head around, touch your toes a few times, to help the drainage.

This will help to clean out your eustachian tube. It has an immediate effect on tinnitus that is caused by eustachian tube issues.

Note that if you get water in there, it may temporarily cause a sensation of ear fullness and reduced hearing, but it will drain out and you will notice improvement over several days.

Also don't overdo this - too much water in there could cause an ear infection. Start slow and don't try to pop your ears too hard or force too much water in there -- you could damage your eardrum. This is an advanced technique and should only be done if you are also doing all of the other steps to reduce inflammation.

8. You can use a similar technique to point (7) to "milk" nasal steroids into your eustachian tube. Simply pop your ear after the you properly use the nasal steroid (see point 2) and this will milk the steroid into your eustachian tube where it can help to reduce inflammation.

9. Also try this tinnitus supplement which, if taken regularly, really helps reduce inflammation as well: https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Tinnitus-Products-60-Caps/dp/B0014AX72I/

10. Also take allergy medication every day (at night ideally) such as Allegra. This will also reduce sinus and eustachian inflammation.

11. In severe cases of tinnitus caused by negative pressure, if none of the above relieves it, your ENT can actually do a very simple surgical procedure to make a tiny hole in your eardrum, with or without a temporary tube inserted. This can allow air to flow in from the outside and relieve the vacuum, allowing the eustachian tube to open again. The eardrum heals on its own in a few weeks and there is minimal (temporary) hearing loss. This is not often suggested by ENT's but they can easily do it, and if none of the above work, you might want to bring it up with your doctor. It has helped some people immediately.


Also note, some things that I have tested that definitely don't help and/or can even make tinnitus worse:

1. Caffeine makes tinnitus worse in many cases, especially pulsatile tinnitus.
2. Cannabis has no effect on tinnitus or may even make it temporarily more annoying.
3. Rife machines do not have any effect on tinnitus. Don't waste your time. I've tested them.
4. Colloidal silver has no effect on tinnitus (and please don't put it your eyes as some people suggested in a forum thread here, unless you want the whites of your eyes to turn grey permanently!).

 

Not everyone has positive experiences with neti pots:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/neti-pot-tinnitus.28139/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/neti-pot-valsalva-huge-spike.22167/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-louder-after-neti-pot-with-salty-water.17426/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/water-in-the-middle-ear-after-neti-pot-louder-tinnitus.3627

 

@Samantha R Yes and she said it’s only been 4 week just stop. I’m going back this morning. Why did I start these things I’m just in a bigger mess now. Last night was pure hell. It was so loud and powerful I cried most of the night. It’s so high pitched like it’s tearing my ears apart

 

Bill, if you look hard enough you’ll find that breathing air is a risk factor for tinnitus. From reading your posts over the last year I can say your balance of risk is somewhat extreme. Everyday that we leave our house we are at risk of many things, including death, but it’s not healthy for the average person to be on constant alert thinking about this stuff. A neti pot is the least of our worries buddy.

Think about all the decisions we make each day that we automatically factor risk into: taking prescription drugs/drugs, driving to work, using public transport, eating, swimming, having sex, taking a shower/bath, riding a bike, climbing a ladder, DIY, going into a city, etc, etc. Even getting out of bed is a risk! In fact, it was once stated that putting on ones trousers caused more accidents than using power tool’s.

You obviously look for danger in all circumstances of your life, and that’s fine, if you’re happy. I remember you once said that you didn’t want to risk going to Scotland because you looked at some statistics which were not favourable to you. Using your logic, I could launch an argument showing that most of our daily routine is a risk to our tinnitus. The fact is though, the chances of those concerns coming true, are so infinitesimally small, they’re not worth worrying about.

What I’m trying to say is that the vast majority of people, don’t, and can’t, live this way. We would go insane.

 

Hi I’m needing more advice I do apologise. The Doctor has given me Citalopram and said to try those they may be better but then I didn’t take anymore M last night either. I told her I was worried but said try and come back Thursday. I honestly don’t know where to turn

 

Hi Nicola, nice to see you again although not under these circumstances. I agree with others here; I often wake up in the middle of the night with the most unbelievable racket in my head. I used to feel physically sick and freak out, but I gradually adjusted to it. Nowadays, if I wake up I don’t even register it I just fall back to sleep.

Sleep affects my tinnitus more than anything else by a mile. In fact, sleep is the only thing that can reset a really bad day for me. So, try not to worry too much because the extra stress will definitely have an affect on you. Hope the talk with your GP went well; take good care of yourself

 

Bill lives in a world of paranoia. If even a fly comes near him, he'll grab 3 layers of ear plugs + 3 ear muffs.

 

@Nicola8478 ,
It is just finding the best medication for you and you will find the best one.
You will find what helps you manage your tinnitus and most of all you will get your smile back.

life is full of upset and problems as it is for me but we grow stronger.
Learning to laugh again and be happy and smile will make the down times feel better to get through.
We all have eachother on here through ups and downs.
love glynis x

 

If one looks at the absolute numbers of accidents, the above is probably true. But one has to look at "per capita" number of accidents.

The poster shared a positive experience, and I provided the links to descriptions of some negative experiences. Given this information, it is impossible to say which kind of an experience is more likely to happen. But it is important for everyone to be aware of all of these experiences and then make a decision in accordance with their values and preferences.

I cancelled my trip to Taiwan after I looked at the road fatalities statistics for that country. I had also been looking for (and not finding) crime statistics for remote parts of the United Kingdom.

You are not going to find any experiences of getting a tinnitus spike as a result of, say, washing one's face. As a result, you Can't use my logic to show that face washing carries any risk.

 

If one has a slight cut or graze in their ear canal, water could easily get in and cause otitis externa, or in simple terms, an outer ear infection. The skin of the ear canal is very delicate, so most people wouldn’t even realise when the skin is broken. This could have a direct impact on ones tinnitus. So, therein, washing your face carries a risk of worsening your tinnitus.

 

The above implies that it is the cut that is dangerous, and not the washing of one's face. One Should avoid sticking sharp objects into one's ear in order to avoid breaking the skin there.

 

It’s not as simple as that. It doesn’t necessarily take a sharp object to break the skin. In theory, putting earplugs in would be enough, or just rubbing your ear with your little finger to alleviate an itch for example.

What I find interesting, and this is still true today as it was a few years ago: around 6 years ago when I was heavily investing in the stock market, I took some risks and made some money. There was a forum called iii where I used to hang out. At the time, a few of us invested in a high risk oil share known as ‘Desire Petroleum’. The official odds of striking oil were estimated to be around 15-20% according to the data set out in the pre-drill reports. When this figure came out a lot of people were posting how bad the odds were, yet actually, they were really really good. At the time I remember making a post which said: If a Dr gave you those odds as a chance of you having a serious illness, you’d all be losing sleep over it. Your perspective would change. All of a sudden 15-20% seems a tad too high.

This is an example of a human bias. We change the information to fit our fears and desires, but the odds don’t change. Only our perception does.

 

This means that it is a good idea to take out earplugs slowly, and to not overreact to an itch if it is located inside of one's ear.

 

But now you are moving the goalposts. You said there was no risk, but I’ve showed there is. No matter how small. This is the problem with this way of thinking. There are too many variables to make bullet point statements as you have just clearly argued. This is one of the major flaws in a lot of your arguments, and most people’s including myself.

Anyway, I’m sorry for de-railing your thread Nicola. It’s a bit inappropriate of me.

 

I don't think I am moving the goalposts. I still don't think there is any risk as far as washing one's face is concerned. However, things like sticking Q-tips into one's ears can lead to an infection, so of course it makes sense to try to avoid that. I don't think there are any contradictions in my way of thinking.

 

And that’s the point. I’d scale some of your risk assessments in the same category.

We should stop this debate now as it’s not our thread.

 

I wish people were to treat MY threads (e.g. "Learn from Others' Mistakes) like that...