Tinnitus + Anxiety

Hi guys/Gals,

is your tinnitus causing you anxiety? My tinnitus is super loud and it causes me a bit of anxiety. I was on some herbal stuff, but now I am trying to handle this beast alone. I had a rough week last week, had a flu or some sort of sickness. The week after just having withdrawals and still feeling it.

Is anyone, here handling their anxiety due to tinnitus, without meds?

My tinnitus is so loud, that its impossible to not have some sort of anxiety. I don't have tons of anxiety, but just a little and I've been sick for almost 2 weeks, so that plays a lot into my situation.

Be blessed

 

Sorry to hear you're having a rough time at the moment @fishbone. I take St John's Wort, it's herbal and good alternative to mild antidepressant and doesn't affect tinnitus.
Michael

 

I have anxiety from tinnitus. It isn't so severe that I need anti anxiety medication but it definitely affects my life greatly

 

Consider taking St John's Wort for your anxiety. It is herbal and is a mild antidepressant and wont make tinnitus worse. It will help calm you.

 

For me at the moment I would say anxiety is the hardest part to deal with. You can't wish it away. Benzos are a dead end solution but work very well. I am interested in Buspirone or rTMS and will be seeing the doc next week to discuss. I'm at the point where if he gives me the ok to use clonazepam forever I just might do it. He's younger than me so my lifetime supply should be secure. LOL Clonazepam works but when I stop I suffer pure misery of depression and worse anxiety for days and days after. Starting and stopping is no longer an option for me. Lexapro beat me up pretty good too. I guess I'm just hyper sensitive to these medications.

 

I don't take any meds or supplements. Its really almost a daily battle esp with not knowing right now what if anything is causing the nerve damage. I almost had an attack this morning when I didn't hear the chirping birds. So I got through that with prayer and jumping in to the day then listening to a few good songs on a short drive. Not anything you don't already know or do I'm sure.
Hope you feel better.

Lynn

 

I feel for you @fishbone. You've always been good to me and everyone else on here, and you're a beacon of positivity. So, it ain't nice to see that's it getting you down, but it's understandable. Tinnitus can suck the life out of us in a heartbeat; it's just the unpredictable nature of the beast, and way it affects our emotions.

I'm not gonna preach to you because there's nothing I can say. You have lived this for 3 decades now, so you deserve some kind of medal . Stay strong, and if you need anything from me just give me a shout.

 

Hi @fishbone,
Sorry to hear your having a tough time at the moment and not doing great also due to naughty ears and sick and dizzy.
Hope the weekend is relaxing and hope calmer ears.
Stay strong ,your great positivity and advice to others is brilliant and this is when we have to dig deep to fight it the best way we can and be kind to our selves.
Love glynis

 

I have severe, non-maskable tinnitus and equally severe anxiety, but I don't use medication to manage it and I am 'fine' now. Not perfect, but fine. It took a while and I still get shaky sometimes, but it's not as bad as It was. In fact my attacks are far and few between these days.
I've found that peppermint tea helps a lot though, so does lavender. Natural remedies makes me feel more in control when my anxiety is playing up, as opposed to pills, so it calms me more. But it's different for everybody.

Hope you feel better!

 

Tinnitus comes in many different forms and no two people experience it the same. One thing is for sure. When it is loud and intrusive, and the level of intensity is sustained, it can be seriously debilitating and is comparable to any acute medical condition, because of what it can do to a person's state of mind.

Michael

 

Around 2 months ago I had severe anxiety for 3-4 days. It was a nightmare as my symptoms were 'mild-panic-atack-bad', but almost constant. I got no work done, which contributed to more stress...

What helped me break this vicious circle was:
1) running. During my worst day, I just decided to run a mile. I was so desperate, nothing worked. My heart was pounding even before I started running but I pushed myself and after the run I felt normal (ish) for the first time in few days. Huge turning point.
2) leaving the house and forcing myself to talk to people.
3) pukka night tea I think it's all placebo but it calms me down a bit.

I don't know if that's helpful at all... I hope you will figure out what works for you very soon. Talking to a psychologist might be dome solution too.. Anxiety, in contrast to tinnitus, can be successfully treated.

I wish you all the best @fishbone

 

Thanks folks for your input. I'm usually very good about all of this, but I did try a new supplement and it made matters worst for me and on top of that I had a very bad cold/flu..whatever it was that made me very sick for over 1 + week and i'm feeling horrible from the supplement I took as well. It's been a 2 week grind for me.

With God's will, Love and martial arts...the old fishbone will be back and supporting and loving this board as usual

 

Hi @fishbone

I go in my garage and have some beers and try and find something to do listening to the radio. I'll play my ps4 for awhile. Ill go outside and do some yard work. You can always go kick somebody's butt at one of your practices to

 

Thanks man! I am going to school to train tonight, if my anxiety is curbed, i'm still going regardless. Thanks again

 

No problem man, I've read a lot of stuff you have said, and you have helped me cope with your pure will just to do what you love to do even though it makes your t worse.

 

We all have our downtimes @fishbone. Last weekend my tinnitus was so loud I had to take my clonazepam, something I haven't taken for months.

 

WE are all humans bro. I took the dive with tinnitus and come here to help. I live, love, suffer like a human does. This past 2 weeks have been hell, but life happens. I'll always support this board and share my knowledge with all and hope to contribute and help someone

 

I didn't know that supplements can be dangerous! I also have anxiety. Especially when I wake up with tachycardia. It happens on it's own. Herbs haven't helped me. Only Xanax, which I tried a couple of times. It's great but... I don't take benzos due to the risks. @Ambassador if you take Clonazepam for a lifetime, doesn't that mean it will loose it's effect due to tolerance buildup? @fishbone i wish you all the best. Yes you're a beacon of positivity but it's probably logical to feel this way. Tinnitus is pure hell and no man deserves to experience such a thing.

 

Would clonazepam get you more sleepy than ativan?

 

I wish I knew the answer to that question. I can only go by what I read and I have read opposing reports, those who say 2 to 4 weeks only for Benzos then there are those who have been taking the same dose for 10+ years.
My one and only fear is stopping. I have used .5mg and it's a huge help but because I am concerned about tolerance and dependancy and withdrawal I tend to not take them. The crash I have when I stop is pure misery, anxiety and depression for days and it's just not worth it.
I will be seeing the doc on the 8th to see what he thinks I can do. I'm in my 60's and if taking them for the next 20 years is ok I might just do it. Or maybe buspirone? Or Elavil? Or Remeron? Or I'm hoping rTMS and skip the drugs all together, I just don't know.

 

@fishbone thoughts and prayers to you; you're always a positive influence here. Anxiety is a rollercoaster, I know that all too well. The most "heavy" anti-anxiety meds have a bad rep here and I understand why; but keeping some nearby just works mentally. Knowing that you have some element of control is a plus. Knowing that "okay, if I really can't do this, I have an out" is mentally good. Even if you never or rarely use them.

I watched The Fear of 13 on Netflix about a man who spent decades on Death Row for a crime he didn't commit before being released. He also suffers daily chronic pain. His outlook on life is very inspirational. He appeared on this podcast (some strong language):

INNOCENT ON DEATH ROW: THE FEAR OF 13 | True...

Take deep breaths, shake your arms and legs, remain positive and know that there are many others going through the same struggle. Good luck!

 

Thanks to everyone that said something in this thread. You are all exceptional human beings

Well folks, it was close to the sun going down and I had to take action and action I did take. I put a leash on my dog and we went for a good 1 hour + walk. That kinda helped me quiet down my nerves a bit. Then I looked at my watch and i had plenty of time to go to my martial arts class. It was a great class, we did tons of realistic defenses and offenses that relates to life and being safe or making sure our loved ones/friends are safe. The class went on for over 1 hour and 15 minutes...

I have had a pretty rough 2 weeks, but i gave it all tonight. I came home and said my prayer and the rest is in gods hand

I was still shaken a bit when i came home, talking with god or being spiritual has saved me and thats why I come here to help those that suffer from horrible tinnitus. Never give up friends...never

 

Never will brother, your positivity pours over everywhere here. I embrace it.

 

I have never taken ativan so can't answer your question. I only take clonazepam for the maximum of 2 days. The dosage 2x0.5 tablets per day. It does induce drowsyness but reduces the tinnitus to silent. I only take it occasionally now. My tinnitus ranges from: silent, mild, moderate and severe. Thankfully, it no longer reaches extreme severe levels that would last for many days.
Michael

 

Thanks Mike, I'm glad your extreme levels have settled down.

 

Thank you Jake. My tinnitus increased to very severe levels in 2008 due to a 2nd noise trauma. I believe this was caused by listening to my HI-FI but not sure. It took 4 years to habituate. Two of those years was having TRT for the 2nd time. It helped but wasn't as successful as the first time. I was left with variable tinnitus, resulting in no two days being the same.
Michael

 

Same here, mine never stays the same. Very hard to get used to something constantly changing.

 

Mine varies as well. It seems to be a really common thing Jake.

 

I have had the LOUD/garbage high pitch electric generator noise for close to 2 decades or more. In last 4 years my new microwave/air conditioner noise is there. They need to do some funding for curing this crap....

 

Me too. Im on the verge of doing this, and Im confident I have my GP with me. Im writing a letter to me him now as a last nail in the coffin so to speak

The last month or two I have really studied what it really means to be on benzo for life. As there are many different studies claming conflicting results its not easy to get a grasp of it. Some claim cognitive changes in the brain some do not. Likewise concerning dementia and depression etc..

But what I know is true to me, benzo will alleviate and sometimes totally quiet my T and make my severe H to be livable.

There is another member of this forum that have benefitted tremendous effect of benzo, and have been T free for many years. She is on quite the regime though, 5 mg Clonazepam a day. But this is the "sweetspot" for her and she doesn´t need to updose from there.

Her psychiatrist, actually specialising in addiction, put her on this regime, with additional drugs: Lamotrigine and Topiramate I think to counteract for excessive glutamate levels. This may be a sustainable solution, but Im no doctor, just desperate to get rid of this hell before I kill myself. Im 2 1/2 years in and Im not able to cope at all. No life. Just torture.

Right now Im on Lamotrigine to se if it can calm me and my T down as Im sure that a CNS in balance is T worst enemy.

This video explains how GABA can alleviate or quiet T:

Dr. Robert Aaron Levine's Tinnitus...