New to Tinnitus. Making My Life Hell. How Do You Deal With It?

Hello guys My name is Jason and I am from India. Let me tell you all how it started

Around 1.5 years ago I was diagnosed With extreme generalized major depression, Anxiety disorder and Extreme Panic attacks. so I was prescribed SSRI escitalopram . After taking it for around 3 months I totally stopped it all of a sudden due to it causing extreme side effects. and i choose to live with GAD and panic attacks instead of the side effect

Now just about a year ago one night I was trying to sleep and out of o where this death voice came from within the right ear the **** Tinnitus. I had it for 1 day and it caused extreme and severe stress, Anxiety and panic attack . couldn't bear it was driving me crazy due to the fact I had all these mental disorder couldn't ignore it either so Went to the ENT. all he did was put some medical solution in my right ear and out came lots of ear wax. After the solution The only time I was able to hear tinnitus was in complete silence which made me uncomfortable After that the tinnitus gradually decreased Up to the point I couldn't hear it anymore and totally forgot about it.

Recently 6 months ago I developed Hyperacusis, coudn't tolerate car noise, pressure cooker and high pitched voice of any kind. Was prescribed vitamin medicine which made it better but not normal.I also used to have tinnitus high pitch out of nowhere occasionaly for 10 seconds around 1-2 times a month Though did I use to listen to music all day on headphones way before all these problem came in my life and I know it could have damaged my ear but I don't think it did as My hearing is totally normal and perfect. I think my GAD,panic attacks and depression with stress developed Hyperacusis with phonophobia

From about a Week ago My anxiety,depression,panic attacks and hyperacusis got worse very very worse. Don't know why this happened suddenly and now 2 days ago I woke up with again the Death voice tinnitus which has been consistent uptill now and its driving me crazy. I don't have cold but I have non stuffy nasal blocakage/congestion and just a very mild Fever. but the tinnitus is back and its driving me crazy since my anxiety is as its worse upto the point of suicidal thoughts.I don't know in which ear it is but most likely in the north east of my head. It sounds like crickets much difference that what it was before. I cannot imagine living with this sound for the rest of life i am unable to ignore it due to anxiety and panic attacks. I feel like I want to die.. advice would be greatly appreicated

What do you guys think ? Please give me advice and suggestion . when did yours get better ? and how does it impact your life and do you always hear it are you able to ignore it? Any advice would be of greatl help Thank you

 

hello friend. my name is Danny, 35 from Canada.
I used to suffer extreme panic attacks like you. The emergency services knew my addresss by heart LOL since I was calling them on a daily basis at one point.
Well went on Propranolol on as needed basis whenever I had an attack, this helped calm me down immediately, plus I left an abusive relationship and started having sex again. Over 2 years my attacks diminished.
Now the bad news:
After two years, I got hit with a fire alarm then I went to see fireworks had a panic attack and hellishly loud tinnitus began next morning.
My advice to you is to just get used to the cricket sounds - believe me its not as bad as you think, my tinnitus sounds like a fucking jet engine. If you control your panic, your tinnitus may fade away.
But take my warning, stay away from very loud noise because your brain is fucked right now due to all this chornic panic/depression/anxiety, so your central nervous system is basically on overload.
Carry hearing protection with you in very loud situations put them on promptly.
Good luck.

 

Thank you for the advice I have ordered hearing protection but its insane to just be like "getting used to it" , doesn't it impact your life now doesn't it annoy you anymore ? how long did it take for you to forget it ?

 

Hey buddy.
Hang in there. I've been running from tinnitus for 40 years.
Protect your ears wherever you go. Make life your mission. Don't let tinnitus get to you. I discovered a lifetime of wonderful acoustic music only after concerts and headphones ruined my ears. Also I discovered the wonderful benefits of weight lifting, cardio exercises and eating nutritious food. I swear to God, there's no medicine (that I've ever tried) that beats getting healthy and strong. I mean HEALTHY and STRONG. I can tell you that tinnitus has had a HUGE positive impact on my life. You won't hear that often.

Skull cracking horrible chronic headaches and tinnitus drove me to the Body-For-Life program in 1997. 20 minutes of quick exercise, and all you can eat. I know, it sounds too good to be true. It was my last desperate move to find relief from ungodly horrible, suicidal headaches that I had for over 20 years. It worked, AND the tinnitus decreased!!!!! I still have some tinnitus, probably "bad" tinnitus if you could measure it, but I could care less. It is what it is. I would say you can't wish it away, or think it away, or even medicate it away, but you can create 'Patterns of action" in life that draw you closer to your healthy goals. And the positive effect of this almost unreal.

I was very bad off in '97. I was 38 years old, which is not old, but I was unhealthy and worn out from headaches and tinnitus. Today I'm 55 and SO much better, healthier, stronger, more positive, and able to help others which is the most important thing really.

Anyone who's up against a wall should check out Body-For-Life or Bill Phillips Transformation.
It 'cured' my depression, anxiety, panic attacks, annual cold and flu, crappy attitude, aches and pains, sore knee, clicking shoulder and greatly reduced my tinnitus and my response to it. Imagine in 6 months being a different person. I didn't really want to do the program but once I started, I couldn't stop. I truly believe I'd be dead now from the headaches and the tinnitus aggravation if it weren't for this program. I can say this because 3 times I truly wanted to die - truly die. But I've had 17 WONDERFUL years now, yes, with tinnitus.

Good luck.

 

Go to ENT imediatelly for some prednisone (or other corticosteroids) influsions and vasodilatation drugs. Take high doses of vitamines - A, B12, C, E, and N-acetylcysteine (works well again reactive oxidation in hearing cells). take it for min.10 days. Go as soon as possible, first 48 hour are most importnant.

 

Hello It 4 am here so its not possible at the moment i will surely go today. but I am 101% sure the ENT won't prescribe me with all that you have mentioned and especially the drugs, last time when i had tinnitus he prescribed me bilovas tablet (some ginko biloba tablets) and esfolin plus(folic acid). I can get the vitamins over the counter bu not sure about drugs.. BTW what are these drugs and why is it so important the first 48 hours?

 

A, B12, C, E, and N-acetylcysteine - those are free, you dont need prescribation. And try melatonine - very strong antioxidant, it can be very helpfull in early stage of T. But causes sleepines, so be carefull and dont take it before you sit in the car as a driver.

ginko biloba and betahistine are good for vasodilatation.

All of tose drugs can help calm down your stressed hair cells in the cochlea and help in elimination of reactive oxygen species. N-acetylcysteine against hearing loss was testet by US army btw.

Corticosteroids - tests significally shows, they have strong anti-inflamation effect and in first 48 hours can be very very helpfull in problems with tinnitus and hearing (hyperacusis too). Usually ENTs prescribe Prednisone.

Why 48 hours? If are hair cells too damaged, usually die after 5 days, but in first 48 hours their inner celular mechanism make a decision, if they stay alive or not. They need support from above written drugs and vitamines.

-------

If you have money, you can also try 10 treatments in hyperbaric chamber, but there is loud noise from compressors, so take cotton or soft earplugs (and be carefull by using it in HB chamber, because until air pressure is growing, you need empty ears to balance pressure)

I hope you understand my not very good english.

 

I had severe tinnitus and hyperacusis a few years ago. My tinnitus is ultra high pitch and loud. It is like 20 times the pitch of the dentist drill. It screams & resonates in my whole head. My hyperacusis turned all normal sounds unbearable. They appeared glassy in quality so the tinnitus made it like metal scratching on glass surface. It was unbearable. Prior to tinnitus and hyperacusis, I also suffered from anxiety and panic disorders for decades. So my T & H literally opened flood gate of hell of relentless anxiety & panic attacks and I was overwhelmed. I had to depend on meds like Ativan, Prozac and sleeping pills to survive each long day.

I thought I would never recover from this and I was suicidal. But after browsing through support forums, I realized that even loud T and bad H are livable and many people recover when given enough time to adjust to the new condition or take some treatment. I took their advice to get back to living and get busy, to have a more positive attitude and to give it time. Now I am fully recovered. My H has long faded. The T is still around but my body has hardened to this ultra high pitch ringing. I also find masking (or just partial masking in my case) to be quite helpful in the initial stage. I just download some nature sounds from Amazon.com to my ipod and had the ear buds in my ears if I needed them. It helps to know you can do something to minimize the harshness of the tinnitus shrill. Good luck and don't give up hope. There are many people posting their success stories.
Read them up to give yourself some hope. Don't worry too much and relax.

 

Hi Jason
I think your problem is psychological. Panic attacks, depression, anxiety etc.... feed the beast(tinnitus/hyperacusis). I think that you need to talk to your doctor about these conditions and I suspect he will try some anxiety medication to see if it helps. When your mind is in a state of alert/despair it makes it very hard to not focus on your tinnitus/hyperacusis. I went through all that shit when I first got my nasties. Sometimes I'm amazed that I got through it but I did and almost everybody else gets through it. You should be confident that you will also get through it. When you start to get better you will notice your tinnitus less and eventually you won't really care because you will get your life back again. It doesn't impact my life now and I do whatever I want to do regardless. I won't say it was easy but you can help yourself by not panicking, not being anxious and taking it one day at a time. Use some background music or noise to help distract you from the tinnitus. Use earplugs only when you feel you need to use them but don't use them all the time as it will retard your progress. You need to hear everyday sounds to overcome hyperacusis. And consider that more than one week ago your symptoms were less severe than they are now so there is scope for improvement when the conditions are right.

 

Thank you magpie this post was awesome and it really helped and calmed me down . :!!

Update : My tinnitus has lowered again and i do tend to notice it when I go out in cold without any sort of protection and its stays very high ptiched for like 20 - 30 seconds. other than that I am unable to hear it generally when I'm outside but I have this hyperacusis that tends to really hurt my ear from car noises .but when I am at homr like at night I am able to hear my tinnitus.

I have got various vitamin supplements like - Zinc and magnesium(Did research and it really helps lowering the volume), Folic acid, Vitamin B2,E and A.

Do you guys know any other of drugs that can heal partially if the ear is internally damaged or something ?

 

Michigan Man-

Thanks for the positive response. I'm 55 and have had T for the past year and still struggling. It's non-stop. I stay active but may need to increase the physical activity. It's definitely put in a tailspin.

Greg

 

@jason Bounre , Niacin and vinpocetine has helped me a lot. I take magnesium citrate too.

 

That's good news Jason that your T has lowered. My hyperacusis took a long time to resolve itself but it did happen. Gradually we become desensitised to all those sounds that give us grief. I remember how my ear used to hurt, it was quite painful. It was a slow process as I said but be confident that your hyperacusis will eventually resolve itself. Protect your ears from loud sounds by using earplugs when necessary but when you are home or in quiet places don't use them so that you allow your hearing/ears to reset themselves.

 

Hey everyone., I just checked in to give everyone an update . I no longer hear that sound since 2.5 months after being put on medication..Cheers !

 

Congrats Jason! Can I ask what meds you were put on?

 

That's amazing! Yes what meds? Do you mean the vitamins? Did you do anything else?

 

No, I tried every freaking vitamin and supplements out there every fudging supplement you can imagine but it didn't help.. I was taken to this local ayurvedhic doctor by my parents.. Idk, he gave me this orange color something to drink morning and evening adding 6 drops to water. I did it and it started having an effect in 15 days and gradually it tone down to 5% to nil. He has told me to take it for 6-9 months course . I still have severe depression but not hearing the sound anymore its like a new life

 

Am I to understand that you took something that you knew nothing about? very brave or very desperate.... or something else????
It would be very informative to the rest of us if you could find out the name of this so called orange stuff please so we can investigate.

Very happy for you that your T has diminished.

Rich

 

Hi Jason, can you please find out from your ayurvedic practitioner what herbs did he mix in the drink ?
Thank you

 

Yeah what the hell, tell us so we can try it out too

Experiments ftw

 

Yes what is this orange stuff?! Do you know the name and maybe the website or something of the practitioner who administered it to you? Would be great for us all here to check out. Thanks

 

http://www.holistic-online.com/remedies/ear/tin_alt_herbal-medicine.htm
Maybe some of the above ?

 

Tbh, I really don't believe herbs or potions can help, if people think they do I am sure it's just the normal healing process going on and that the t would have gone or reduced anyway. That's just what I think but I may be wrong.

 

I do believe in herbal med, it has helped me a lot. I see my naturopath regularly.

 

I really do understand in the western countries ayurvedhic / homeopathy is considered B.S but here in India its the mother of the treatments.. my tinnitus was a chronic case of ear damage from to much sound + damage for ssri and it was hell really hell I mean it can lead a person suicidal seriously. But I am thankfull to god that mine has decreased gradually..

I really don't know what herbs or plants they use they have their own ayurvedhic farm in ranch, Hathi ghode. and neither will they inform me of what stuff they use..probably a hell lot of ingredients and 30+ plants and weird stuff mixture... but I do understand the desperation and hope to get treated and I am willing to send some out there to anyone who wants to try it out and post about their exp here for free if its permitted to be received in your country

 

cant live with this anymore..... the suffering of tinnitus is unbearable!!!!

 

@stacey...we almost all felt this way.....believe me my T was very loud the beginning.....but you brain learns more and more to ignore it and it can even get lower. Give it time. I know you hate the sounds in your head but believe me.... you feel better over time....!!

 

thank you RicoS i needed to hear that because right now im at very low point dealing with this, im only 22 and I feel like its just not fair. Nobody in my family or friends understand because they dont suffer from tinnitus. I really hope in time it can get lower as you said because if it gets any louder...... :/. For now i dont even wanna leave out my house afraid it will only worsen my T.

 

@RicoS Hope u get my above msg. Again thanx, it gave me some hope. I just hope for a cure, an unlikely dream.

 

Stacey, RicoS is right. Give it time. Things at the beginning are always tough. We have all been there where you are now. My first 6 months were all hell, extremely high pitch dog whistle ringing 7/24 and with equally tough hyperacusis turning all normal sounds into piercingly hurtful sensation. Due to prior condition of anxiety and panic disorder, T & H just opened the flood gate of hell of relentless anxiety & panic attacks on auto mode. Depression, phobia, sleeplessness and what have u were there too to join in the sufferings.

But after a year or two, things started to turn around. The body needs time to absorb in the new condition and now I am hardened to the same ultra high pitch ringing. I have lost the fear for T and H just faded over time. Most of the time, my brain must fade out T too from consciousness when it doesn't perceive T as a threat. But it needs time to get to that state. I also focus on the positives in life now much more than T. I live an absolutely enjoyable life. T can go to hell.

If you feel your T very hard to handle, if needs be, get some masking tracks which work for your T. The body needs time to get used to things. So don't worry and don't be too sad about your situation. Hang in there and cheer up. The good life will be back. Believe it. If an anxiety and panic prone person like me can turn around give time, have faith that you can too. So be patient and be positive. Read up the Positivity thread as well as all the success stories to give you hope and comfort that you can be well too in time.

If there is any comfort, even celebrities have tinnitus and most live a productive life. Google celebrities with T and you will get a long list of names you are familiear with. I enjoy watching this video of David Letterman & William Shatner talking about their tinnitus in 1996. Shatner, the Star Trek Capt Kirk, admitted at one time that he was suicidal in the beginning. They both said their T got worse over time, but as of today they are still living a productive and normal life. I had a good laugh myself watching this video. So take care and don't worry too much. May God bless your recovery and guide you through the darkest time.