Looking for Help

Sorry about my long post but I have time at work so I am looking for some advice. Not there is any good time to get T but when it hit just as I was coming out of a battle with depression, since then I have gotten depressed again.
1. I started hearing aids with maskers a few days ago and wear them as much as possible
2. I have increased my AD dose of Lexapro a few days hoping it will give my depression some help.
3. I try not to abuse Klonopin, maybe take it 3 times a week during the day and to sleep at night
4. I used to be a gym rat, now I try to walk on the treadmill 1/2 each day, best I can do right now
5. I listen to water sounds to sleep, I will say my sleep has gotten better, the crazy 3am spikes seem to be stopping
6. have no appetite in the morning but I force myself to e at. by 3pm my appetite seems to come back
7 I have not missed any work in the 3 months I have had it
8 I take all the suggested supplements
9. I do deep breathing exercise daily
10. I see a therapist once a week

I feel I got thrown a curveball, not that this is any better or worse but a few weeks ago I changed my a steady ring in my left ear to PT in my right ear/head.

I understand the goal is to live a normal life as possible, I get that, but I will admit I still feel sorry for myself and definetly obsess over this. Again I feel I would have been able to handle this alittle better if I had been alittle more stable when this hit me.

I know there is no blue print or template for everyone, but are there things I could be doing to get better or is it NORMAL to struggle so much in the beginning?
Thank you
Kevin

 

@kevin b, as I read through your 10-point list above, one question screams out at me:

Who is the captain of your ship?

By that I mean, who is coordinating your tinnitus care? Or are you trying collect information and "go it alone?"

And if you are trying to collect information and go it alone, how do you know if the information you are collecting is any good? I mean, it all makes sense. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's any good!

Stephen Nagler

 

no one is coordinating, who can help me do that?

 

It is this difficult when the condition first starts as all you want is for it to go away. After a while, you will habituate to your 'new normal'. It seems clear to me that your depression, which will 'amplify' the tinnitus, is not well treated yet. Lexapro by itself is not the most effective treatment and you should discuss either adding (eg. buproprion) or changing (eg. duloxetine). The low appetite first thing which improves by 3pm indicates a depressive illness.
Perhaps the most difficult thing to do is to achieve a balance. You want to devote enough time and energy to identify and treat all the treatable elements with tinnitus (anxiety, poor sleep, depression) but also you need to avoid immersing yourself in the disorder. Limit the time you look things up on the Internet and spend on this forum. It is difficult to habutuate when you also spend too much time focussing on the very thing you are trying to ignore!!
Time is the best therapy. We all feel out of control when first afflicted and I am sure you are doing the best you can. Don't reproach yourself - that is a waste of time.

 

I did very well on Lexapro for many years, when it seemed to lose its power in Novmeber I switched to Cymbalta, which I tried and did not do well on. I actually believe I got T from coming off Cymbalta. My normal dose of Lex is 20mg which I have been on for a month and we have decided to bump it up to 30 to see if that will boost me out of the depression

 

I believe you are doing excellent (ie. you have a 10 list plan). Only thing I can think of is using Melatonin for long term sleep management; about 6mg ½ hour before bedtime). Well done...!

 

Is melatonin considered "safe"?

 

Yes. Both short- and long-term. It is significantly better than the "addictive" effects of traditional sleeping pills - for which you will need to increase the dosage in order to maintain the same sleep inducing effect, over time.

 

I take one tablet every night along with camomile tea half hour before I go to bed. It works for me.

 

Great. I'm going to start taking it. I've used it before, and it seemed to work great. My problem is not falling asleep, it's staying asleep.

 

If you can't stay asleep I recommend you get sleeping meds so you at least get some sleep. (I take imovane here and there when I really need it)

 

AD med Mirtazapine/Remeron helps me sleeping. I take 30 mg 2 hours before I sleep. I am a robust sleeper and sleep 8-9 hours. Sleeping is my best relief from T. I have more problems during the day.