Need a Little Help

Hello

My name is Lauren and my tinnitus started at the end of March. I am almost certain it was caused by Lexapro. I was on Lexapro for about 5 weeks and stop immediately since the on set of tinnitus.

My tinnitus started off as blaring car horn in my left ear but has faded quite a bit since then. What seems to really bother me the most is that it changes a lot during the day. It’ll be a high pitched hiss to not being very notiable to a low drone humming sound.

I am just looking for a little bit of support. Because of all of this I have become fairly depressed. It has taken a complete mental toll on me. Any words of encouragement or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Tinnitus can be variable so don’t let that concern you, but I can promise you that most people overcome it. Whether it fades completely, or not, the odds are in your favour that you’ll come through this a stronger person than ever. It’s normal to be depressed and anxious in the early days as it’s a lot to take in, so go easy on yourself. Try not to spend too much time ruminating, and reading about it, as this can instill you with fear and make you become obsessed with it. Instead, try and take some time out, if you can and relax somewhere like a spa for the day. The more you can relax yourself the better. In time you will stop caring.

Have a read of this girls success story:

Hello everyone,

This is a little of my story and what I believe about tinnitus.

Four years ago, I woke up one morning with both ears ringing - both at different pitches and very loud. I made a visit to the doctors, was referred to the ENT and later had an MRI scan. I then developed hyperacusis after taking s herbal remedy for blocked Eustachian tubes. During this time of waiting and reading about tinnitus on the Internet and on many negative, disheartening forums and notice boards, I gradually became more fearful, anxious and depressed and truly believed that there was absolutely no way on this earth that I could live with the level of sound it was causing. A normal and happy life seemed completely out of the question and seemed like an impossibility.

I slowly changed from being a happily married mum of two wonderful teenage daughters to a completely depressed, anxious and suicidal wreck. I was unable to leave the house due to the frequent panic attacks and to the constant crying. I spent hours sitting and waiting for the tinnitus to go so that I could have my life back. I would constantly monitor the sound and check which rooms in the house it was better or worse in. Life was a nightmare. Every morning on waking, I would go straight into a panic attack. I lost three stone in weight and really did reach meltdown point. I lost my will to live and my fight against tinnitus.

However, at about ten months, my husband and our very good friends decided to take me away on holiday as part of an attempt to help me recover. I didn't want to go as was terrified of flying and I was still crying a lot at the time. Anyway, I went along.

During that holiday, I remember being in the car and forgetting about tinnitus for about 15 minutes. It was a massive turning point for me... I was amazed that I had actually managed to forget about it. I'm not saying that a holiday is the answer but I do know that it was getting out and about and doing things again that started to make a difference.

After that, the times of forgetting became more frequent and lasted longer. Later, I stopped reading about tinnitus and stopped trying to find a cure. Slowly but surely I started to live again.... I literally felt like I had come back from the dead. I stopped speaking in a monotone voice and started smiling again. Life all of a sudden was good and I was loving every minute of what I felt like was a second chance to live.

Nothing had really changed. I still had tinnitus - It seemed to be just as loud. The only thing that had changed was my perception or beliefs about tinnitus..

Over the past few years I have learned that tinnitus does not make me depressed or anxious. However, it's fair to say that depression and anxiety make tinnitus worse. In my experience, I have found that Tinnitus is largely a central nervous system problem and is exacerbated by negative emotions. Fear is the ultimate culprit which creates anxiety and depression. Our bodies go into fight or flight and our brains subsequently focus so intently on the noise because it is perceived as a threat. This results in the tinnitus sounding so much more 'intrusive' or louder.

In my personal experience, when I lost my fear of tinnitus, the anxiety left and so did the depression. The added bonus was that because my brain no longer perceived it as a threat, It stopped focusing on the noise which resulted in the tinnitus being much less intrusive and so it was so much quieter. I soon found that I was able to go for very long periods of time where I didn't even hear it.

For the majority of the time, tinnitus doesn't bother me. If I do hear it, it doesn't cause feelings of anxiety, panic or depression. However, if it ever does raise it's ugly head and becomes the monster that it once was, I know that in order to fight it, I need to focus on looking after my emotions. Positive beliefs have a powerful effect on our bodies and tinnitus is definitely a problem which is conquered in this way. Tinnitus doesn't stick a chance of ruining our lives when we are not fearful of it. If tinnitus doesn't cause us fear or depression and doesnt bother us, then it's as good as if its gone - think about it.

If you are reading this and are at your wits end, I want to let you know that things can and do improve massively. My life is as good now with tinnitus as it was before tinnitus. Take one day at a time. It just takes a little time and a different way of thinking.

Love to you all,
God bless,
Aly
xx

 

Welcome to the Tinnitus Talk forum.
A lot of T friends here may share similar situation like you.
The first couple months will be struggling but eventually you will habituate with the T.
Try busy on many things or let the music surround you to distract from the T sound.

May God bless you !

 

Welcome to the forum. You have been well advised by Ed and robHing. You are welcome to post and rant your feelings out here on TT as most of us have been where you are and understand the suffering you are having right now. It is understandable and T can get people stressed an depressed. Yes I was in the same shoe way back when my T was new and yes it surely exacted a mental toll on me too. I was in a mess with ultra high pitched tinnitus plus servere hyperacusis. I struggled through each long, dark day with relentless anxiety and panic attacks. I depended on medicines just to survive the initial months. So you have my empathy. But today I live a normal, happy and absolutely enjoyable life. I wrote my success story and shared some helpful strategies. If you wish to know the strategies, click on this link below. Take care. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

I just wanted to say thank you for the responses. I am trying to keep my anxiety under control but it is quite difficult. I have so many fears and I am having a very hard time living life. I feel like I am in constant survival mode. I am just very let down knowing that a medication caused all of this. I took Lexapro just to control minor anxiety I was dealing with. Now I am experiencing more anxiety and depression than ever before in my life. I know things will get better, I do have faith in that, but I am having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. More advice or kinds words are always welcome.

 

@Ping43,
I hope the last few days for you have been a little better and getting outdoors when you can helps low mood.
Love glynis

 

Remember time is an important and almost common element of improvement or success even among those of us who have gotten better or have written success stories. Nobody is a super human and that it will take some time for the body to get more used to the new normal. I had a hard time too to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel at your T age of 2 months. In fact I was so messed up by anxiety and panic attacks plus depression and sleeplessness that I had to depend on drugs just to survive each long, dark day. So don't count yourself short. As you said, have faith that things will get better. Most people will find improvement in 6 months to 18 months. Try not to rush it. Try to be engaged with life and distract from paying attention to T. My advise to newer sufferers is that, if you know that most likely your are going to do better in a few more months, or a year or so, then try not to worry too much about the daily variations of T, the little bumps along the way of habituation. This way you can be more positive and calm which help tame T a lot as your stress and anxiety level is low. Take good care. God bless.

 

@glynis

I had an okay week so far. Except today my other ear started to ring and had put me right back into panic mode. I am just feeling so defeated. So lost. I know one day i will feel okay possibly even better. But it’s the pain that makes us stronger I guess. Praying for a better day tomorrow ❤️

 

@billie48

Thank you very much for the kind words. I am really glad I decided to log into the forum. Time is the greatest healer. I just pray the courage to get through this. One day at a time.