No Sleep. Feeling Desperate.

How do you cope with no sleep? None last night. Not even 5 minutes. I feel wretched, like I can't go on with this torture anymore. I've been like this 5 months now. I get 4 hours max. I tried meds before but they created more problems than they solved. Lay awake all night listening to PT all night long despite sea waves on my sound machine. Sitting here crying.

Help. About to crack. Could do with hearing something positive.

 

@AuntSally
Tinnitus can play havoc with one’s sleeping pattern especially for someone in the early stages of having the condition like you. Although you have had some tests at ENT, it’s good that you will be seen again in December. Hopefully they will be able to find out what is causing the tinnitus, because this can determine the best way forward regarding treatment.
Keep using your sound machine and I advise not to use headphones even at low volume. In a previous post you mention a dislike for taking antidepressants. I understand that but they can help prevent a person becoming too low by providing a safety net. The more stressed a person is the louder the tinnitus will appear to be. The more relaxed they are the less intrusive it is. It can become a vicious circle, so try and stay with it and give it time to build up in your body. Have another word with your GP about your lack of sleep.

Michael

 

Thanks Michael. I dont know what to do. Everything I did with medication seemed to add a new dimension to the original tinnitus problem. I recognise that I'm struggling and yet have become completely paranoid about medication. I expect I should sleep tonight but probably not much. The most sleep I've had since mid june is six (broken) hours. But usually average about 4. I tried mirrazapine, which only worked for a few nights then I was back to three or four hours. I didn't see the point in continuing for so little gain. And then I'd developed an electrical static noise in my head. I haven't had it since I stopped the mirtazapine. I'm so full of fear.

 

find trazadone slow release, 1/3 of pill to 2/3, normal dosage of that antidepresive is 300mg, but sleeping dosage is 50mg. You can combine it with melatonin 3mg.

Some people use theralen (antihistamin) old type that has side effect of making you tired, so you might if there is in drops use 2-4 drops (not 20-40 as prescribed), but must be taken at 18:00 as it will stay in body until next day noon.

trazadone is not addictive nor theralene, nor melatonin as it is natural hormone for sleeping.

One thing that is important, you MUST make a dark room, and avoid eating in evening at all cost as drinking fluid, cos as soon you go to toalet, or turn light on melatonin in your brain is killed and sleep is finished.

 

In my opinion the less medications the better. I only get about 5 hours a night. I don't need too much sleep. I have a flat speaker that plays white noise mixed with other sounds right near my head. I don't put it too loud but it does help mask the T. Do not take any naps during the day........... Best

 

I occasionally take sleeping medication if I'm wrecked.
Lately I try to do relaxation exercises and they do help me fall asleep faster. Don't be frustrated if it does not work for you right away, that will keep you awake..
http://www.livestrong.com/article/500025-ways-to-loosen-up-tight-muscles/
http://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-jacobson-relaxation-technique

 

Have you tried xanax? It can be extremely helpful

 

Phenergan (antihistamine) 30mg helped me get through. At the start 2 or 3 times a week, now once a fortnight or less. I used to sleep 8 hours easily now 4 or 5 hours suffices without any ill effects.

 

@AuntSally ,
I totally understand what you are going through and the lack of sleep can really impact on you.
Don't give in and chat with your doctor as low dose AD's can help sleep some times 10-20 or 30mg is needed.
Keep a sleep diary as can help keep your doctor informed .
Hope you slept last night.
I'm going through the same .....lots of love glynis

 

It's horrible , I would rather to die then living with this constant 1000 bees in my head with an extremely loud pitches -

 

Yeah I drank a strong brew of chamomile tea and slept for seven hours last night, although I woke a few times and went back off again. Probably due to having no sleep the night before. No way to know what will happen tonight. This T has turned me from loving my bed to being afraid of it. Some manage to turn it around though from what I read. You live in hope.

 

Will have to try chamomile tea ttoo....lots of love glynis

 

For me, despite the fact that probably my tinnitus is caused by cold turley withdrawal from lorazepam, it is lorazepam that helps me the most with tinnitus. Not only it relaxes me to the point that it doesn't annoy me, but it calms it down to a much lower level. But before use any kind of benzodiazepine (or withdraw) do it after consulting a specialist. I took this staff from my mother, got addicted and had no idea that it could cause tinnitus after cold turkey withdrawal.

 

I used to sleep between 1-3 hours a night. I'm back to sleeping normal (I just hit six months). I'm sure sleep will return for you as well.

I went (and still go, just much less often) for CBT. I was advised not to use ADs / Benzos. For sleep I used melatonin nightly, benadryl occasionally, and chamomile tea to relax. It's the nerves that keep you up as much as it is the noise. That'll get better in time, I'm sure.

 

I tried benadryl too, which is called nytol here in britain and can be bought over the counter. Maybe it was a bad night when I tried it but it didn't work for me. Although I did find, quite by accident, that plain old paracetamol reduced my tinnitus and seemed to calm me and I slept a bit better. You can't take paracetamol every day of course.

I slept poorly again last night. Three or four hours in total. Very broken. And my PT in my right ear is screaming. Feeling anxious, grim and emotional.

 

@AuntSally
In an ideal world no one wants to take tablets, but I think you should reconsider your thoughts on not taking medication to help with your anxiety and insomnia. They take time to work and for the body to adjust to them and they don't necessarily have to be taken long term. Unfortunately, the alternative could be more of the same of what you are currently experiencing and that isn't good. Forums can be good for getting advice form people which can be helpful, but I believe you need professional help and strongly advise you to go back to your GP where I think you will get it.

 

I am seeing my new doctor today where we will review my case. I get where you are coming from @Michael Leigh and yes, but I am so conflicted. I do want to help myself but drugs go against everything I believe in. Up till now I have lived my life as natural as possible. Cooked from scratch. Even baked my own bread by hand. I was your classic natural woman. This has been a lifechanger. I really don't know what to do. Give it more time? Try and calm down. Or take the antidepressant? I tried it for a few weeks. It made me feel horrible, detached from myself, and just added this whole other dimension of doom, with the thought that it will alter my body and brain chemistry and the prospect of dependency. I'm really frightened.

 

And I do believe a lot of my pulsatile tinnitus (now in both ears) is down to prolonged stress and anxiety. It's gradually gotten worse last few months. often my whole head is pounding, especially lying in bed at night. If I thought antidepressants would really genuinely work and not mess me up even more I would be totally willing to give it a go for six months to a year. Other issue is I dont really trust doctors and psychiatrists and they seem to know diddly squat about tinnitus.

I'd be interested to hear from people with tinnitus who were genuinely helped by antidepressants. Then got off them ok and got on with their lives, with or without tinnitus.

 

Whilst I agree with your naturalistic approach to life (I hope that's the right term) tinnitus and other medical conditions that can affect us, are not natural and the mind and body may need additional help to cope with these conditions. I have had tinnitus for twenty years. There was a time I had to take an antidepressant to help cope with it - I didn't want to take this medication but it prevented me from becoming too low, which will increase anxiety and stress and make the tinnitus more intrusive.

I have habituated to my tinnitus twice in the 20 years that I've had it. It took me 4 years to habituate the second time and I needed additional help with clonazepam (benzo) as the tinnitus was extremely severe. I am not talking the kind of tinnitus that many people have and are able to work. I am describing a tinnitus, when it is so loud, intrusive and debilitating, one's only option is to go to bed for most of the day.

My tinnitus ranges from: complete silence, mild, moderate, severe and very severe. Fortunately it no longer reaches the extreme levels that I've mentioned which could last for days. Occasionally, I still take clonazepam when the tinnitus is very intrusive and usually for just one day. Whilst this can be an addictive drug if taken regularly I am very thankful that it is available because it helped me back on the road to recovery.

Michael

 

While Michael is right, you should always consult a doctor. I think you should spend some time reading how benzos caused some of the most severe cases I've read about on this site.

I opted not to do benzos as it can be like treating a scrape with sandpaper.

Have you tried wine? Jokes aside it helps a lot.

 

Is wine better choice than benzos?

 

Everyone reacts to antidepressants differently. I tried them briefly but relised my problems were caused by lack of sleep not depression. I believe mirtazapine also caused random muscle contractions throughout my body which was pretty frightening for a while.
Wine can help in small doses. i found it calmed the sounds and allowed me to sleep quite well. However anything over 2 or 3 glasses of red was counterproductive.
I also tried diazepam and temazepam briefly when I was really anxious about going for an MRI. They helped but again I didn't want to become addicte so don't take them now.

 

You are also right Tom. I was prescribed clonazapam as a last resort because my tinnitus reached such severe levels I just couldn’t cope and my consultant knew this. This was after having TRT for two years. Although I had made some improvement, the treatment wasn’t as successful the second time around.

Anyone that has had tinnitus for less than one year, then I consider them to be new to the condition and should explore traditional forms of treatment before trying medications such as clonazepam. Their doctor should closely monitor the amount taken and frequency to avoid dependency. Clonazepam is not a cure, but taken occasionally, can be beneficial for some people that have loud intrusive tinnitus.

Michael

 

I think we agree here. I relied on wine at night to keep calm. My first few months with tinnitus included some of the most frequent use of alcohol of my life. Not the heaviest drinking persay, but 1-3 glasses daily really helped me a lot.

 

Indeed, we do agree Tom. I am a firm believer in whatever it takes (within reason) to help one cope with tinnitus then do it. Many a night I have drank a glass or two of Merlot wine or Brandy, to help me cope when nothing else helped me. It was my lifeline.

 

No sleep will affect your brain and cause anxiety and depression so take the pills. Antidepressants such as Celexa and welbutrin often take a month to have a positive effect but initially may cause increased anxiety. So stick with them for at least a month. I use ambien to sleep on occasion but it can be addictive. Nevertheless it works well and better than no sleep by far. I haven't tried any benzos. They are stronger than antidepressants and have more side effects. Especially if you drink alcohol.

Trazodone increased my tinnitus with the very first pill. However, everyone is different so you must try what the doctor suggests and give it time to work.

 

Has anyone ever had pulsatile tinnitus in both ears? My unilateral PT has recently worsened and gone bilateral. I can't cope with this. Do antidepressants really help?

 

Good advice firealarm. Anxiety and depression makes tinnitus worse. Tinnitus makes anxiety and depression worse. One feeds the other and it can become a vicious circle. The calmer and more relaxed a person is: stress, anxiety and depression become less and the tinnitus will be less intrusive.

 

Ok I might try a glass of wine tonight and see what happens. I used to drink a lot if wine before this happened. Maybe it would do no harm..... ??? And more natural than psychoactive drugs. Lack of sleep has become a bigger issue than the tinnitus. If I could sleep I think I could cope.

 

AuntSally - I started doing that as well, accompanied by 1 or 2 melatonin pills. I personally would get through about 2 hours of sleep before having to get up and repeat, so I've discontinued that. I saw that as taking me down the wrong road. But if just one glass of wine well get you through the night, I would agree that it would be a more natural way to go. Good luck.