History: Anxiety, PTSD, Mania, Stress — Tinnitus Started After Medical THC

Hi everyone, my name is Sayeed. It feels like the first day of school and I am introducing myself. Sorry for the long post.

40-year-old male. My tinnitus started 4/1 (I was hoping it was April Fool's joke).

Brief history - I suffer from severe anxiety, PTSD, mania, stress. I have been on every medication you can imagine. Here are a few -

Zoloft
Lexapro
Paxil
Cymbalta
Fluoxetine (I think I took this one)
Effexor
Wellbutrin
Abilify
Lamotrigine
Rexulti
Klonopin
Buspar

Last year - I was told to give medical THC a try along with CBD. Since I smoke anyways I thought I would give it a try. About 3 weeks ago I ate a gummy bear and went to sleep. I woke up with extreme tinnitus. I associated it to THC and I have stopped since. I am not sure it was associated with THC but still I used it as an excuse to stop because it wasn't really helping my anxiety anyways.

Now I am on 20 mg of Buspar and 400 mg of Gabapentin. I'm scared to try any further benzos because of what I have read about them. My new neuro did prescribe me Trileptal but I am running it by my psychiatrist first to see if it interacts with what I am currently taking.

I also have tingling in my left foot, especially after I eat. I think the Gabapentin has helped with that tingling.

I also have low Testosterone but I stopped the injections last year in September. I have also taken Cialis for low Testosterone issues.

As of last 3 days I have also reduced my Nicotine vaping by half. I used to take 40-50 mg (I estimate) of Nicotine a day.

I had a business I opened unfortunately before COVID-19, but I closed it in November. Business was good but my anxiety was through the roof. Because of that I am going through bankruptcy. I have a new job. 2 months in they were kind enough to give me 2 weeks off to deal with tinnitus... But now I am back at work.

At first (due to my anxiety) I thought I had diabetes because of the tingling in my foot. My doctor said I don't have diabetes and my glucose levels are around 100 and A1c around 5.3. It could be due to back injury from squatting weights in college and hurting my self but never seeing a doctor about it.

Over the past few weeks I have been to ENT, Primary Doctor, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Neurologist. I have also studied everything I can about tinnitus. From going to ATA.org, contacting volunteers, listened to Bruce Hubbard's CBT webinars, contacted him, as well as contacted Richard Tyler, learned all about habituation, etc. I have cleaned up my diet to very low sugar (fruits), no simple carbs, no salt, etc.

Once I started my new meds, I am not sure if this associated, 3 days later I got extreme head pressure and small nose bleed. My neuro already ordered an MRI but with this development he ordered me to go to the ER and get an MRI taken ASAP. The MRI came back ok. I didn't like this neuro as he didn't seem to care and once reviewing my results told me it's my anxiety and to just deal with the tinnitus and there is nothing wrong with me.

I got a second opinion last week and he told me he sees very slight white matter in my brain. Not to be alarmed but it could be due to high BP (145/90 ish) or very very slight chance of MS (my heart dropped). He ordered more tests (MRA of brain, sleep study) etc.

I have also slight face/neck numbness probably due to meds but he ordered me to go see a second ENT as well as get an allergy test. My first ENT said I have bilateral tinnitus but my HEARING IS FINE. Just minor hearing loss. As of right now I am not bending my head down to low levels or doing any big physical activities because I am scared the head pressure will come back. Maybe it's just my anxiety talking. I walk about 2 miles a day and listen to anxiety podcast.

At first I was going crazy because the tinnitus was so loud but I think the meds helped. I am normally now around at a 4-5/10. I used to have crazy spikes but now it's much better.

The CRAZY PART - my tinnitus shifts depending on how I sleep. If I sleep on my left side, it goes nuts on the right and vice versa. Now I sleep on incline on my back. It's hard because I am a side sleeper. I sleep 4-5 hours at most. I take a Melatonin to sleep. It helps a bit. Hearing damage won't cause this, I don't think.

I have a ton of diet questions as I am very confused. I noticed my tinnitus spikes sometimes after I eat. To avoid that, I started drinking protein shakes and small snacks here and there. Well that caused me to lose 12 lbs in 14 days. Maybe I am going back to a healthy weight as to be honest I used to eat a lot because I used to get the munchies.. not sure.

I am Pakistani/Indian so we eat a lot of spices... Cumin, turmeric, paprika, red chili... Basically anything hot you can imagine. I am scared to try my ethnic food because I don't want another crazy spike like when I first got tinnitus that would last for 1 day. Now most of my spikes last a few hours, at most 8 hours. I did have one spike earlier in the week that woke me up but I listened to masking music for 30 minutes and it went down to normal levels. I am also hesitant to experiment because now I am working. I can't take an 8-hour spike.

Conflicting info (yes I have researched this site) -

Salicylate vs foods to eat with tinnitus - some say turmeric, cayenne, etc is great for inflammation but salicylate websites say NO WAY. I would give anything to eat my ethnic spices again, except not my hearing lol. Some sources suggest to stay away from avocados, onions, sweet potatoes... but tinnitus sites say no, it's good for you. I'm lost. I'm looking for advice because I would like to set my diet straight.

I would like to add -- they say not to take Aspirin because it's high in salicylate (350-600 mg) but then why do they recommend turmeric, avocado etc. Yes, much lower levels of salicylate but it's still in there. It seems conflicting.

When I make eggs with higher fiber bread I would put in garlic, mushrooms, cumin, turmeric, onions, avocado. I am going to make eggs for dinner now everyday but remove all spices and slowly introduce one element each day and see how I react. The confusing part is that salicylate builds up in your body so it could be from fruit, or other stuff I am eating through out the day.

Green tea with turmeric, ginger - I used to drink this all day everyday. Pro salicylate sites say no way, while tinnitus sites say go for it.

I do notice if I keep my mind occupied I can deal with a 4/10 tinnitus and barely notice it. I also noticed that I need people to talk to almost like an emotional dump because when I go to my doctors, I feel better after leaving for a few hours and barely notice my tinnitus.

I got a whole bunch of other questions... but I will start with these. My apologies in advance if I am not posting in the right place.

Any advice?

 

Hey Sayeed,

I saw you posted in the Wim Hof thread. Your story is similar to mine in a lot of ways and also very different. I don’t smoke weed and I have never taken SSRIs or any kind of ADs. I do have anxiety which has more so materialized over the past year while dealing with some stuff.

I have same tingling in my toe. I have seen neurologist and have clear MRI as well with the exception of some very minor white spots. My neuro said likely related to migraines and pressure and nothing to do with MS given they are not in the correct part of the brain to correlate with MS.

My anxiety absolutely rocketed in the first two weeks after onset. It took a while and things got a lot better after a couple months. Head pressure subsided, headaches went away, tinnitus and anxiety was livable and I was sleeping through the night. Then all of a sudden, I developed fullness again, but not the same as the first time, and a feeling of something (like fluid) in my ear when swallowing. I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s otitis media with effusion. I am trying many things to clear it out but I cannot use the Valsalva maneuver because the more I do, the more headaches and head pressure I get (they are mild but still uncomfortable). I’ve also noticed that I now have a low hum in might right ear that sounds like a running engine or a kitten purring. It’s very minimal and comes and goes but it is very unnerving. The feeling is terrible and I believe it has to do with using an Otovent and/or Valsalva maneuver.

I can now live with the tinnitus if it stays the same even though it’s a really shitty condition. The other symptoms are much more bothersome and worrisome. I guess only time will tell how we will end up but my only advice to you would be that less is more. I think your circumstance might allow for the tinnitus to resolve itself. Try some different vitamins and minerals but don’t go crazy.

If your BP is 145/90, that is pretty high and likely the first place I would start. A resolution of your BP might alleviate your tinnitus in the event no permanent damage has been done.

Good luck.

 

Hey Lukee,

Thanks for the kind words and advice. This site is an absolute life saver. Going through bankruptcy and probably losing my job, money is tight. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to who can relate. Paying a psychologist $80 every time and then going to ER which I am sure will be a $5k bill is not going to cut it.

I am happy they ruled out MS for you. I know due to my anxiety my mind keeps going there. I just need to train it not to. Hopefully they rule it out for me too.

I am also very happy for you that have not gone the SSRI route at all. Probably the worst mistake of my life. What doctors don't tell you is that you shouldn't take them for a long time and only use them to get stable. Once stable it's up to you and your doctor to ween you off and keep you stable with behavior changes. The second part no one concentrates and truth be told it's also my fault that I didn't take the second step. But it's never too late. The meds I am on are very low and light according to my doctors. Hopefully they don't increase dosage. They suggested Xanax but I said no way. I have an addictive personality and they are only for short term.

What drives me nuts is the shifting of the tinnitus from side to side depending on how I sleep. Makes me feel something major is wrong as I don't have much hearing loss.

Regarding developing fullness again and the feeling of something in your ear when swallowing, have you sought professional opinion? I am hesitant to even ask this question as most doctors are a joke and tell you to live with it and there is nothing wrong with you.

Have you had an MRA of the brain done so they can see how your blood flows in your head?

Regarding tingling in your toes, what did the doctor say could be the cause? I do believe there is a relationship between that and tinnitus.

How's your diet? I am trying to see if there is correlation between what we eat and the tinnitus spikes. I might be doing a bit much and going crazy with salicylates but let's see.

I found a good neuro and I am monitoring my BP to see if it goes down as they work on my anxiety. If I can get it down to the 130/75 range I will be happy. I feel that I need BP meds but my doctors say it's caused by my stress and anxiety and they need to monitor for a few more weeks. Let's see. I hope for the best.

I wish you the best.

 

@Sayeed, how are you now?

 

Hey there. I am ok. Surviving. I didn't realize how much behaviorally I would change due to tinnitus in just a few weeks. But I am working my way out of it. Slowly getting back to trying to live as normally as possible.

I think the anxiety meds are slowly working. A further adjustment still might be needed. My tinnitus has stabilized to a 4-5/10 level. My spikes are much less in intensity, duration and number. I am also getting therapy.

I have an MRI and MRA scheduled for Monday so fingers crossed it comes out ok.

I am watching my diet but not as strict on the Salicylates. It was being counter productive and causing stress.

I am meditating every morning. And I started working again. I still have a lot of shoulder and neck muscle pain but not as much as I initially did.

I work from home for now so it's ok. I am slowly basically exposing myself to the world again.

I can tell you for sure just working on the stress and anxiety helps a lot.

I am nowhere near where I should be but I am slowly making progress. I just hope and pray the tests come out ok. If they do come out ok, then my doctor said he will put me on a small dosage of blood pressure meds to see if that helps.

I do a lot of reading. Currently I am reading Living with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis by David Baguley.

How are you doing? How is your situation?

 

@Sayeed, I have the same thing sleeping on my sides. Gets louder on the exposed ear.

 

Try sleeping on your back with your head elevated on a wedge pillow... it sucks for the first few days but give it a week.

 

@Sayeed, I try to survive too...

I never would have thought that I would have to face this problem again.
A few months ago I was just fine, and now look at me...

My tinnitus is constantly changing. The most annoying is the hissing sound that is pretty loud.

Before, I used to hear it only in silent rooms, but now I hear it all the time.

I also have staccato bursts and fleeting tinnitus a few times a day (I used to have them only once every 2-3 months).

I'm also developing a high pitched sound that changes constantly (in intensity).

I'm sure that my problem isn't just stress related. I think my hair cells are affected and things will get worse.

On May 18 I have the last appointment with the ENT. At least I will know the truth.

The only positive thing is that I am not on "panic mode" anymore. And the fact that I don't need sleeping pills/anti anxiety drugs for the moment.

Please tell me about your test results.

I am not very optimistic about mine.

 

@aura, I'm a novice and new so please also get a second opinion on what I'm saying.

Listen to @Michael Leigh and @Ken219. They are experts. Listen to them about headphones and so forth. Read all of Michael's posts. They helped me a lot.

I know you said you don't have anxiety but you also had a stressful year. Consider Gabapentin and Buspar to calm your nervous system. It takes 4 weeks to work. And use Klonopin and Xanax for crazy days.

How's the diet? Salicylate sensitive? Salt intake?

Check your blood pressure and get and MRA to check your blood flow. Get an MRI (specific to ears), not CT scan, as it's more detailed with contrast and without. Get food allergy test. Sleep apnea? Get a sleep study and a white noise machine.

This could be vaccine related.

And most importantly, always get second opinion. My first neurologist saw me for 5 minutes and said I'm good and am just imagining it. ENT, neurologist, audiologist etc. Get always a second opinion. I would recommend a psychologist too. I know you don't need it but they can keep you honest and on track.

Maybe hearing aids are needed?

This might sound idiotic but medication and yoga are just as important.

The good news is you have beaten it before. You have us and we will get through it together. Yes it's affecting your quality of life but you are alive!

How is your posture? Any muscle tightness?

One month ago I had suicide running in my head, either that or mental hospital. 4 weeks later I'm stable. The problem is still there but I'm dealing with it better. Your situation is different because of changing of noises etc. But you can get there.

I don't have much knowledge but I'm here for you.

Stick to schedule and force yourself to do things.

 

Thank you for your care.

I do eat salty food. I don't know about Salicylates, but i took a lot of Ibuprofen in January and February for the headaches. This may have contributed to my problem.

My blood pressure is normal. I don't think i have sleep apnea. I did have a brain MRI and it came out normal. I am not an allergic person.

I doubt this is vaccine related. It all started 3 days before the first dose. I remember going there already feeling bad after 2 sleepless nights. I only had a sore arm after the 2 doses. Can you imagine if this problem occured 3 or 4 days later, I would have thought it is vaccine-related...

My posture is not the best. A lot of muscle tightness. I also have chronic sinusitis.

I did have a second, and a third, opinion. There were at least 6-7 doctors, but this time, I really think that I'll find the answer. A lot of tests going on. Tuesday is the big day. I'll keep you posted.

 

@Sayeed, any updates? In addition to your tinnitus, have the other health problems improved? You never had pressure on your head again? And your nose bleeds stopped?