Got a Huge Spike in Tinnitus Last Week and Feel It's Deteriorating

Hi all,

I have had tinnitus since 1999. This was the only time in my life I actually thought of killing myself. But I got through it and the tinnitus has been basically the same all the time.

Come last week after a couple of rough months with stress I suddenly start feeling more negative and then the tinnitus comes. It has now developed into a huge TV sound at about 10-11 kHz. I also seem to be very easily tired in both ears and have also gotten hyperacusis in the ear.

I went to the ENT and got and Audiology exam but they only measure to 8 kHz. There is about 2 weeks waiting time to get to the tinnitus support and help program here.

I have no clue what I should do. It is literally driving me over the brink of sanity and willingness to live.

When I walk in the forest I kinda feel calm but at the same time I do get pressure on on my ears like they are overloaded. If I have earplugs I only hear this loud crazy sound.

I didn´t sleep that well for the last couple of days and have been on Melatonin but that has basically not been working this last week. I also have a pain in my jaw muscles on the side where my tinnitus is.

My psychiatrist prescribed me Propiomazine for sleep since I have a hard time sleeping at all.
Also the whole body feels full of stress and cortisol.

I have Clonazepam here at home but totally not want to use that for fear of raised tinnitus.

What should I do?
Thank you for your time guys and gals.

 

Have you always had hyperacusis and did anything happen previously that might cause it to spike? Have you had a loud noise exposure? How often since onset of tinnitus do you usually have spikes?

 

Wait 1 year, that should be long enough for you to habituate.

 

Usually never had spikes. Right now I do feel that my body is literally falling apart. Always have been able to hear the TV buzz when it´s on but right now it is truly just going into some weird sound with my tinnitus. Also everything is getting worse by the day it seems ...

 

I will try. Right now I don´t feel I have the energy for even a week.

 

Has anynone had any experience with any Antidepressant. From all i read Remron is the only one that seems kinda not addig to the T? I really need to get my head in order because I have Anxiety and Depression from it and also thoughts of not wanting to live like this..

 

If you read a lot of the threads on here, you will find that there are correlations between high levels of stress during a prolonged period of time, and increased volume of T. Usually once the stress goes away, so does the tinnitus. That is just my observation though, I really don't know if your condition applies. From personal experience i have had the same thing happen to me.

 

I use Celexa because I have a generalized anxiety disorder in addition to tinnitus. It seems to work fine. A small percentage of people experience more tinnitus as a side effect but I am not one of them.

Be warned that the first couple of weeks going onto an antidepressant can be a living hell. Everyone reacts differently. I reacted by going three days without sleep and having uncontrollable, chemically-induced, full-blown panic attacks for 5+ hours at a time. The doctor prescribed some sleeping pills and then after the first week things settled down.

I can't tell you if the meds helped or if they just showed me how much worse it can be. I can tell you I feel much, much better now, with lower stress. Perhaps as a result my tinnitus seems to not bother me as much. I can tell you I've been to the gates of Hell and back, that I know for sure.

Tinnitus is very disruptive and you need to find something else to absorb your attention. Life completely changed for me after tinnitus because I associated my life with loud music and concerts, and now that is all gone. It has been replaced with other things I am beginning to appreciate and enjoy. Finding creative new ways to cope with my tinnitus has become one way of spending my time and I no longer resent doing so.

 

@Krolo my T is also 10-11k, so I know the sound. You asked about A/d's and Xanax is known to reduce T levels but comes its own bag of tricks, including dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal issues. I don't take any, so if the level is something below what you can stand go without. Otherwise, please be careful.

Over time T either gets somewhat better in most cases, or one's ability to cope gets better. Please be patient and hang in there.

 

Thanks for your comment. After a night of the sleeping pill which gave me a full nights sleep it seems that something small is happening with my T. It´s like I actually can think a bit. Although when I woke up I was still kinda in panic with the sound but due to the relaxed mode my body is from Propiomazine I feel better.

Interesting as well is that I had a very vivid dream where there was no T. I think that that together with waking up to the T was what gave me that initial panic.

Good morning from Sweden!

 

Hyperacusis can make your tinnitus a lot worse and quickly. That's something I've been going through the past month.
What are your hyperacusis symptoms?

 

Well I think that it started these ways:
Stress+Lots of Earwax -> Feeling low -> T-Spike -> Earwax removal -> Hyperacusis and Higher T

The H was generally that I couldn´t sit in a restaurant since I panicked from the sound of people and plates.
Also people talking was kind of annoying aswell. Even walking in the forest felt weirdly hard for the ear.

If yesterday was a 9,5/10 then today feels more like a 8/10. I haven´t been outside yet though.

 

@Krolo

I was prescribed Clonazepam when my tinnitus increased to very severe levels and it helped reduce it a lot. This medication shouldn't be taken too regularly as dependency can set in. The body can quickly get used to it (habituate) and more of the drug needs to be taken to get relief. Clonazepam won't work for everyone but it can be very effective in reducing tinnitus when taken short term. Perhaps every other day. 2x 0.5 tablets is the normal dose.

I see that your tinnitus was originally caused by "exposure to loud noise/volume". Stress can make tinnitus spike and increase so try to lower this as much as possible. Another thing that can cause tinnitus to spike and increase to those that have "noise induced" tinnitus is "Headphone use or going to places where loud sounds are present: Clubs, concerts etc. Have you been using headphones even at low volume or attending venues where loud music is played? If the answer is yes to any one or both of these questions this is the likely reason for your tinnitus increasing.

I do not recommend anyone that has "noise induced" tinnitus to use headphones even at low volume and be careful of attending places where overly loud sounds are present. Earplugs will not necessarily protect your auditory system from being irritated by "loud sound". If the external sound is loud enough, it will pass through your head/skull and be transferred to your inner ear by bone conduction and spike the tinnitus. In severe cases the tinnitus will increase making it more permanent.

Click on the links below and read my posts which you might find helpful.
All the best

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/are-spikes-from-loud-noise-permanent.18156/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/inspiration.22894/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/a-change-of-lifestyle.20643/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-negative-counselling.26669/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-complexities-of-tinnitus-and-hyperacusis.25733/

 

Earwax removal can also cause tinnitus to get worse. That could have had a hand? And so I hear, stress can cause tinnitus too.
How did your doctor remove your earwax?

 

Thank you for your reply Michael. I have read a few of your articles earlier this week to try and find a solution.
Regarding the Clonazepam. How long were you on it? And also how is your T now compared to when it was the worst? And how bad was yours?

Thanks again!

 

The doctor removed the earwax manually since I refused any other way of removal. And yeah. I have been quite high strung on stress for a long time

 

You are welcome @Krolo

I will try and help you the best that I can.

I believe my tinnitus at one point was the worst it could ever be for it was a living nightmare. It is for this reason I understand the severity of this condition and why I have tried to help people cope with it because I know what it can do to a person's mental and emotional wellbeing.

I have written a post titled: My experience with tinnitus, and believe you will find it helpful. It covers the period from 2008 to 2012 when my tinnitus was most severe and help I had from my ENT doctor and Hearing Therapist.

My ENT doctor/consultant prescribed me clonazepam in 2010 when my tinnitus reached extreme levels. More is explained in my post below. I was advised not to take it too regularly. Initially, I took it every other day for around 4 weeks. I was then advised to only take it when my tinnitus was severe. In 2008 after my second noise trauma, my tinnitus changed considerably to "variable" tinnitus. By this I mean from: complete silence, mild, moderate, servere and could reach extreme severe levels. More is explained in the link/post below.

Clonazepam helped me a lot when nothing else would work help to reduce the tinnitus. 10 years on I still take clonazepam around twice or three times a month. For approximately 2 to 3 days. I take it because my tinnitus is still variable and can reach very severe levels. When it will not reduce I take clonazepam which does reduce the intensity. Sometimes to complete silence. I can easily cope when my tinnitus is: mild, moderate and occasionally severe for a while. However, if it is severe for longer than two days it can become a problem requiring me to take clonazepam.

I have had no addiction/dependency problems with clonazepam and my GP closely monitors the amount I am prescribed.

Hope this helps. Please click on the link below and read: My experience with tinnitus.
All the best

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/my-experience-with-tinnitus.12076/