I'm Really Struggling, Sorry Everyone

Hi Click,

No I havent tried anything diet related really. Mainly because my T is through noise damage so excluding foods I've always eaten and that never previously caused a problem doesnt seem a likely solution. Although having said that my ears are different now, excitotoxicity and oxidative damage and all that. So its quite feasible that something would affect them adversely now that previously didnt bother them.

The T doesnt go up and down either like you might expect if you'd irritated it by foods, it goes worse, and then worse and then worse. No back-sliding with my T

My head is swirling with all the research on things that might help and I dont feel able to make sense of much at the moment. I will look into Glutamate & Nitrates at some point soon though.

x

 

I saw something you'd written about Bethistine earlier Fish and have written it on my list for the doctors on Monday. Its there algon with; Xanax, Clonazepam, Lorazepam and Remeron. I really didnt want to go the drugs route but I'm just not coping.

 

Thanks Erik, that's really comforting. My fear is it wont end up being temporary though and I dont want to be reliant or hooked on meds. Its for me to ensure that doesnt happen though.

 

My GP said that betahistine didn't really have any side effects Louise, apart from decreasing appetite - some women are prescribed it to lose weight apparently. Were you offered it? It seems standard for T in the UK alongside the GP looking at you as though you're mad (well mine did anyway!).

As for the food thing. I just think that if food can aggravate it then maybe.. just maybe... a certain diet can also reduce it. Maybe one day I'll actually know if it can

 

My GPs know nothing about T Jane. The first one literally told me there was nothing I could do. Betahistine is on the list for my Monday app anyway.

 

Mine gave me betahistine, a steroid nasal spray and anti biotics but I don't think she knew anything about T - I think she was just following instructions from a book. Maybe I was being unfair to her then - if yours gave you nothing. I believe I'm right in saying that, if requested, they have to refer you to a tinnitus specialist too Louise... not just an ENT. This was something someone told me. A friend of mine has had T for over 20 years and she was given a hearing aid which had a masking noise generator built in - on the NHS. She said it hurt her ear so she doesn't use it.

You have to push them though - don't you think so... to get the stuff we have a right to. With so many people having T you'd think GPs would be more geared up to treatment options & also give a more reassuring first appointment. Mine was dreadful - made me feel worse!

 

This is what I got from the NHS Jane.....

The female Doctor said "It might go and if it doesnt there is nothing you can do about it. Tune a radio off station" as I was breaking down in her office.

The Audiologist said "Its in your head" in reply to my question about where is it coming from if my hearing is 'good'. (My hearing is not 'good' by the way I do have hearing loss).

I went to another doctor and got a referral to ENT. From the ENT guy I got a referral to a Tinnitus Specialist (which I could have asked for on day 1 if I had known they exist in the NHS).

I waited for my appointment to come through, the letter went out in September, and in desperation today rang the hospital. They have never received the referral. This got faxed over and I have an app with someone on 7th Dec.

In between this I did see another doctor and asked for Amitriptyline which he gave me. I wont take it as it lists 'ringing in the ears' as a side effect! He also booked me another hearing test with the first audiologist to check if the theatre had caused more hearing loss (it didnt). I think this doctor will be more supportive and its him I'm going to see with my drugs list, which will include Betahistine.

 

Louise -
I've read there are actually very few ototoxic drugs. Certain antibiotics are very dangerous. I was at an ATA support group on Saturday and I met a young man who in 2000 was given an antibiotic that saved his life, but it caused him to have terrible tinnitus. Very sad story.

When a medicine says "may cause ringing in ears", like Amitripytyline, it's usually temporary. Aspirin, certain SSRI's like Zoloft, can cause temporary ringing in the ears.

On the flip side, these same drugs like Amitriptyline can reduce tinnitus. Same with Zoloft - it can make people cope better. This guy Kevin Hogan said that he's able to eliminate tinnitus using drugs like Clonezapam and Zoloft.

Also keep in mind, you did not get tinnitus from an ototoxic drug, you got it from loud music.

On another subject: I think you wrote somewhere that maskers are not a good thing. I can't find that quote. Why do think maskers are not a good thing?

 

Thanks Karl. If the ringing is temporary then fair enough I suppose, though I'd rather not have the possibility of that.
Clonazepam is number 1 on the list for my doctor.
There are certain antibiotics they give to Menieres people to purposely destroy the inner ear.

Yes, I wrote that total masking (where you cant hear the tinnitus at all) is bad. We all know you have to be able to hear tinnitus to habituate it. Another reason as well may be that if your brain is seeing the T as a threat it wants to monitor it and if you can hear it then it may turn it up to monitor it. I need to check that second thing with the Hearing Specialist tomorrow. I didnt mean that proper sound enrichment where it just under the level of the T is a problem.

 

It would be interesting and useful to formulate a questionnaire on both the psychology of members on this site and their overall dietary intake. There must be a common denominator.

 

We're looking for common denominators - not precisely psychology & diet... but still worthwhile

Please fill in the spreadhseet Youllbefine:

http://www.netdoodles.co.uk/tinnitus.html

 

I'm interested in hearing more about this, as I just bought a noise generator yesterday. Could it be that it stops one from habiting to there inner sounds?

I was at the Doctors last thursday and he prescribed me antibiotics for a possible infection in my eustachian tubes. I asked him if this could worsen my T and he said "no". I looked up the side effects and the first thing mentioned is hearing loss and T. All I could think was what a tard!