Living with Tinnitus Caused by Stress / Antidepressant Pristiq — My Coping Strategies

Hi everyone,

I have had a double whammy with tinnitus because mine is not only related to stress but also, I suspect, to the use of an antidepressant called Pristiq.

After a great deal of research I found something that gives me some relief: very low doses of Xanax. When my tinnitus has become loud and I need a break, two doses of 0.5 mg of Xanax helps. I take one at bedtime and if I wake up in the night, I take another. This can result in such a reduction in my tinnitus that I can get one if not several days of peace. Sometimes a 0.5 mg dose at bedtime for 3 to 4 days can give me days of relief.

I also use a recording from Audible called Tinnitus Sound Therapy/Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. I play it with excellent noise-canceling earbuds, at a level just loud enough that I can still hear the tinnitus, to aid my habitation. You can find earbuds that have different levels of noise-canceling that can allow you to play it and still hold conversations and/or watch TV.

I also listen to a good book because it helps me ignore the tinnitus, because I can't follow the story and listen to the tinnitus at the same time.

I really thought I was going to be hospitalized in the psych ward when this all began and it's still very difficult to cope at times but I continue to work on strategies to cope and will be working closely with an excellent psychiatrist to determine if there is an anti-anxiety medication that could help me that does not aggravate and increase the tinnitus.

I am also interested in a treatment called Lenire. It's currently only available in Europe. They have applied for FDA approval here in the US and it is being considered.

My heart, my prayers and my love go out to all of my fellow tinnitus sufferers, take care of yourselves and don't give up finding out what works for you personally.

 

Oh wow!

You're a rock star. I'm going to use some of your advice on my worst days (I have Lorazepam instead of Xanax).

Also, I have never heard of Lenire! I'll have to look it up.

Thanks for sharing everything. It's awesome to hear you are winning the battle. Even if it's taking longer than we want.

EDIT:

I looked up Lenire and the fantastic people on this site reported a lot on it. Check out this thread:

Lenire — User Experiences and Reviews

 

Hi. Good to read your post. It sounds like a similar journey to mine. Great that you’ve had positive experience with Xanax.

 

Hi all,

I had a big increase in my tinnitus a few months ago making it unbearable to me and causing panic attacks and depression. I started the frantic search for a solution that I'm sure many of you are familiar with. I started taking supplements. Vitamin D with K2, Lipoflavonoid, Methyl CPG,DHEA, B12 injections, Magnesium, Zinc. I had testing done; some of these, like Vitamin D and B12, I showed as being low. I then went to a Upper Cervical Spine specialist, not just a general chiropractor and found that my spine was a wreck, especially in the upper vertebrae of the neck. I've had two treatments.

I had found that Alprazolam would help quiet my tinnitus but I don't want take it all the time so I had been looking for alternatives.

Yesterday I started Ginkgo Biloba and last night I took Doxylamine Succinate and PharmaGABA for sleep. This morning my tinnitus was so quiet and, although it seemed to fluctuate throughout the day a little bit, it has remained very quiet and a few times I had to listen for it.

I am soooo hopeful that this will stick. I prayed for guidance and honestly some really cool things have happened on this journey. I don't know which of these things or if all of these things together are making a difference. I know what works for me might not work for others, but I'm hoping tomorrow will be the same.

I just wanted to share because I know how hard we are all looking for solutions.

Lots of love and Merry Christmas to you all.