I Need Your Knowledge — How Did I Get This and What on Earth Is Going On?

Hey guys, just a couple of questions I need help answering.

I got my tinnitus after I took modafinil (drug to help with sleeping), being ignorant over the half life and dosage I ended up overdosing. When the final pill i took that day got into my blood stream my eyes went bloodshot I had stabbing pains in my left ear and tinnitus introduced itself to my life. The tinnitus has stayed ever since an has been getting progressively louder over the last year.

So does anyone know what happened in my body? I have no hearing loss but loud tinnitus. Is it a chemical thing in the brain or something to do with my ear/inner ear/nerves?

Secondly, i've developed hyperacusis due to a noise exposure a few months ago, I now also have a low humming noise in my head.

Why is this progressing and any chance of it stabilizing?

 

Hi KaneJudging by the fact that you developed H after a noise exposure I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say that Modafinal may have had an effect on your hearing.What was the noise exposure may I ask?Its hard to know because no one here can investigate you ourselves so anyone's guess is as good as any.Did you have any tests like Neurological examinations MRIs that sort of thing?

 

Hey,

Yeah I had an MRI a few months after it started and I was clear of anything abnormal. The noise exposure was from loud bassy speakers in a bar (forgot earplugs and took the last and worst seat in the bar), although the H had been creeping on slowly.

My most recent audiogram acctually showed 5 db fluctuations across some frequencies in my right ear but well within normal range.

 

H is still a mystery and in all honesty it's hard to pin point what exactly is the cause.Lots of people myself included have no measurable hearing loss but yet still suffer from T and H.Thats where hidden hearing loss comes in I.e auditory nerve damage etc.Maybe go have your LDLS done and then an Auditory Evoked Response Test done within your LDL limit.Should show auditory nerve damage.

 

You got modafinil for sleeping problems?
Putting aside the fact that modafinil has a ton of extremely dangerous side-effects, its a stimulant and not a downer.
A doctor prescribed it to you?

 

it's pretty commonly used for narcolepsy and other sleep disorders; not as a sleeping pill, per se.

 

There are many causes of tinnitus including drug reaction or side effects, ear or Eustachian tube infection, inflamed ear drum or injury , fluid build-up feeling pressured, TMJ, blood circulation, noise exposure or acoustic trauma, neck problems, hearing loss, Meniere's, barotrauma from flight, grief for loss of loved ones, stress, anxiety & panic disorder, etc. Any one of those above can cause or aggravate T. A common cause for worsening T besides hearing loss is stress/anxiety increase. Sometimes, our reaction to T can be so stressful and anxiety overloaded that T just find more fuel to aggravate more. They also can cause bad sleep or sleeplessness, which is another major reason T can spike. So it is best that we try to say positive and calm as humanly possible as we can. Some people may find the need to get prescription drugs such as benzos to help, but they can be addictive. So you may want to try natural alternatives, such as Lemon Balm, Valerian, Hops, Catnips, Passion Flower, Chamomile, Lavender, Kava, Melatonin etc. You can google search each of them to know their use and see if you can take them as a supplement. Check out this site on using natural herbs for helping to sleep or to calm the nerves.

http://www.christopherhobbs.com/library/articles-on-herbs-and-health/herbs-and-natural-remedies-for-insomnia/

 

I know, I was just wondering because the op wrote 'help with sleeping' - which I interpreted as lack of sleep.

 

Ah yes, to clear that up. It was to promote wakefulness during the day.

 

Thanks alot @billie48 , I'll have a look at them. I've been debating whether to go on some anti-depressants recently but I am deciding to do CBT training (fortunate enough that my family can afford it) before I resort to pills.

One thing you said actually sounds like it could be the cause of my T the injury to my ear. I think it could be the case that the inflammation I experienced damaged the auditory nerve. I'm guessing H is also an indicator of significant damage as well. Does anyone know of any doctors on here that has an idea about this?