Reactive Tinnitus — Removal of Reactivity. Is It Possible?

I did abruptly stop them after 4 years of use.

People who have gotten reactive tinnitus from benzos (I'm not pretending to know their whole story):

@RaZaH
@Brian P
@Kristen Aber

Countless people on BenzoBuddies.

 

The way I would describe mine is both my ears have an epileptic fit of loud fizzing when exposed to a constant sound, which only needs to be 30 dB too. I'm 11 months in.

Is your tinnitus bilateral? The only thing to help me has been Clonazepam, which I've used since April. I've used it sporadically so far (30 mg total) since acquiring it mid-April. I originally had ear pain for the first 4 months.

 

Everything I kept quoted above is very similar to me, 19 months in now to the reactive and hissing part, along with a rumbling hum I have had for 20 years. Joy of life ruined, music ruined, audiobooks ruined, doing hobbies I used to enjoy ruined.

 

Music soothed my mind and calmed me better than any drug could. To have that taken away is so cruel, especially not being able to wear any type of headphones.

 

It can be worth experimenting with a few speaker types. I eventually invested in a pair of near-filed monitors like these. The sound is much less intrusive to hyperacuse-y ears than laptop speakers for example (even expensive MacBook Pro ones) that were driving me crackers.

 

Thanks @UKBloke for the recommendation of some quality speakers I do still listen to music, just at a much lower level than my pre-tinnitus days. But not on my headphones anymore I just loved my headphones and being in my own world. It helped me destress.

 

Are things any better, @Aline Mohymont?

 

Actually, no. My reactive tinnitus is off the roof. I went to see an otologist that specializes in hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus. I don’t know what all the fuss is about the use of the “reactive” term. Doctors are using it to describe the type of tinnitus I have. Anyway, my tinnitus is a category 4, level 10. So, it’s bad. The only thing that got better is my hyperacusis. I did sound therapy, though.

Yes, it’s in both ears. High pitch hiss, plus a church bell in the left with occasionally Morse codes and the “eeeee” in the left.

And again, my tinnitus was not the result of a sound trauma; it was a combination of ototoxic meds (Neomycin, Azithromycin, and Methylprednisolone).

It is just hell!

 

@Aline Mohymont, I'm almost 1 year in with tinnitus, pain hyperacusis for 5-6 months. Loudness hyperacusis almost back to normal (80-90%). Reactive tinnitus the same or slightly worse but unstable with debilitating days and bearable days. Waking up is depressing, although I sleep 6-7 hours on 30 mg Mirtazapine.