I've Won Against Tinnitus 3 Times Over the Last 12 Years! :)

Trust me, I have been through difficult dark days on every occurrence, but each time I won and today I am enjoying a normal life.

I have learned that there are plenty of available treatment options/medications to lower the tinnitus volume to a point where it becomes unnoticeable unless in a perfectly quiet place. But they must all be taken under the guidance of a doctor.

My occurrences are the following:

1. 2010: Acoustic traumas. High-pitched tinnitus in right ear. Tinnitus became unnoticeable towards mid-2011.
2. Early 2020. Low-pitch hum in left ear likely from infection (COVID-19?). Lasted only 2 weeks.
3. Mid 2022. Sudden loud tinnitus in right ear with no apparent cause, in addition to sensitivity to certain noises. It took around 3 months to have significant improvements.

Today (February 2023), I am enjoying a normal life.

What helped:

1. 2010. Intratympanic injections of Dexamethasone and oral steroids (Prednisone) followed by treatment with Xanax over 6 months.
2. 2020. Prednisone + Stugeron + Xanax.
3. 2022. Muscle relaxants (Mydocalm) + Stugeron + Xanax + Vitamins B, D, and Zinc + Melatonin.

There are plenty of medications that can help lower the volume. It is important to consult with the right doctor and not to accept the famous ugly "There is nothing we can do about it. You will habituate."

Also, it is very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle with exercise and proper sleep.

All the best!

 

Hello, glad to hear you're better. Do you have hearing loss?

 

Do you regularly use Xanax, or for just spikes, or just during the initial acute phase?

 

To @TinniGone:

At the age of 68 there is no way that I am going to be on Xanax (even off and on) for 13 years.

My wife (who was a Surgical Tech for 32 years) notified me that there have been several warnings from qualified research groups (as reported in the New York Times) that long term usage among older people results in definite memory loss.

From Good RxHealth:

"People may have problems making new memories while Xanax is active in their system. This means they may forget events that occurred after taking the medication. In older adults, its effects on memory may last longer and be more pronounced."​

I know someone who was on it, and when in a store he searched frantically for 5 minutes for his glasses (because he assumed that he had inadvertently put them down somewhere) until he brushed back his hair and only then realized that he still had them on but pushed up onto his forehead.

There is now also the question regarding Xanax as a catalyst for incipient Dementia among the elderly.

Finally, in sufficient dosages it has been reported that withdrawal is more difficult than from Nicotine or Cocaine.

 

I had temporary hearing loss back in 2010 for around 2 weeks post the acoustic trauma.

Today my hearing is perfect across all frequencies, with the exception of 8 kHz in my right ear where, although I hear at 20 dB, the tone is very strange and muffled. In addition, also in the right ear, I have 40 dB at 9 kHz.

But doctors are not concerned at all. My understanding is that hearing loss above 8 kHz is usually not of concern because our brain does not need these frequencies for day to day survival and tends to ignore any hearing loss in these high frequencies.

Back in 2010 the it all started, I used Xanax for 6 months followed by 1 month of tapering. Otherwise I use Xanax just when I have spikes, but it always takes several days (if not weeks) to kick-in.

Since my last ugly occurrence in July 2022, I have been taking daily (very) small dosage of Xanax before sleep together with Melatonin. Some nights I completely fall asleep without them. But my doctor is supportive that I continue having a very small dosage for additional few months.

It has no impact on my day to day activities. I work more than 12 hours a day and travel almost every week.

Xanax is a serious medication with many side effects and must be taken only under the guidance of a doctor. I am currently taking a very small dosage at night - noting that I am physically a big boy aged 41.

I wouldn't take Xanax if it wasn't for tinnitus, but in my case it has been a miracle drug in reducing the volume drastically.

 

@TinniGone, thanks for the detail. Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin tend to reduce my tinnitus volume too. I just try to keep use of them to a minimum, 1-2x weekly at low doses. The poison is in the dose etc etc.

 

What is the age when you write about long term usage in “older people”? What is defined as the dosage in long term use?