How to Calm Anxiety and Panic Attacks? I Developed Tinnitus from COVID-19 Vaccine

I developed tinnitus following my COVID-19 vaccine in March, and I'm having a really hard time dealing with it.

I'm having severe anxiety and panic attacks. I have good sleep hygiene, I exercise, and eat healthy. I've started seeing a therapist for the anxiety, but I can't say it's helped much. I've tried different SSRIs, one of which helped, but the side effects were intolerable and I had to quit. I desperately need some rest, but I can't relax because of the anxiety caused by the tinnitus.

My anxiety is so intense that I've been hurting myself to distract and bring it down some.

I really need some help, I can't go on like this.

 

Hey man, sorry you’re going through this. I am 3 months dealing with a COVID-19 vaccine induced spike (presumably) and all I can say is hang in there for now.

 

I am sorry to hear of the difficulties that you are going through with tinnitus at the moment. Tinnitus often affects people in this way, particularly in the early stages which you are in but usually it improves with time. Talking with a therapist can be helpful because tinnitus can affect a person's mental and emotional welling considerably.

However, when tinnitus is the main cause of the anxiety, in my opinion it is best to see an Audiologist or Hearing Therapist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management. The only way to understand tinnitus and to give good quality counselling and to have an idea how it can affect a person is to live with it. Many of these health professionals have tinnitus. Preferably one should have experience of it being mild, moderate and severe. A tinnitus therapist will help remove and demystify a lot of the negative thinking that is often associated with the condition. If you are advised to try another antidepressant please consider it. The antidepressant will act as a safety net so your mood doesn't become too low.

Please click on the links below and read my posts.

Hope you start to feel better soon.
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus and Mental Health | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Hi there,

I too had high bouts of anxiousness when my tinnitus started. I also had horrible side effects with SSRIs.

Here are a couple of things that helped me:

1. Tinnitus Talk - reading through posts like Michael’s above and his advice was extremely helpful.

2. An app called OTO it has self paced CBT therapy along with tools that help tinnitus.

3. Ashwagandha - is a vitamin derived from the plant that targets anxiety and stress. It can help relief your anxiousness.

This journey is hard, but we can achieve habituation. It will get better.

Here if you need someone to talk to.

 

Hello and welcome.

I'm sorry to hear about your problems.

I've been through something similar a few months ago (anxiety, severe headaches, dizziness and insomnia).

It wasn't vaccine related, but that's not important.

What is important to know, from my experience, is that if you don't get enough sleep, things will keep getting worse.

I reached a point where I was waking up in the middle of the night in pain, shaking, crying, having all kind of strange symptoms even though I was taking sleeping pills.
My body just didn't know how to relax and how to function anymore.

In that moment, the only thing that helped me was Mirtazapine.
I've used it in low doses and just for a few days, to get out of that black hole.

After that, I started using Magnesium bisglycinate, Tulsi tea and some silver linden extract in order to normalize my sleep pattern and reduce my anxiety.

Another important thing that helped me a lot was socializing with my friends.
After getting the COVID-19 vaccine, I felt more relaxed and I started meeting them again.

It's important not to be alone and think all the time about your problems.
The secret is to keep your mind distracted.

Good luck and feel free to share your problems with us.
We are here to help