Tinnitus from Alcohol Withdrawal

Hello,

I'm relatively new here and to tinnitus but I'm thinking that this is now my new normal.

Short intro. Lost a friend to suicide at the end of the January. Just happened to be in the best shape and place of my life as well. I didn't handle things well and started drinking pretty heavily (500ml- 750ml) vodka a day for most of February.

Finally decided to get my act together last week of February and stupidly went cold turkey and quit drinking. I went through 5 days of withdrawal with no benzos etc. Got through it but now have a constant ringing in my ears. I did go and see a doctor earlier this week and have loaded up with some Diazepam but I'm thinking the damage has already been done.

Anyways, I guess this is something I need to adjust to... already hating it, I love silence more than anything else in the world.

I have an appointment next Friday with an ENT but not holding out too much hope.

 

Welcome to the forum.

ENT is no help for tinnitus unless the cause of it is from some infection or medical problem of the ears. So be ready for their nasty comment like "you have to learn to live with it". My ENT literally told me "the only way I can stop your ringing is to shoot". Gosh!

Saying that, you seem to have the right attitude to treat the tinnitus as a new normal. It may be just a temporary new normal, you never know, as you are suffering a withdrawal which can usually fade away in intensity. I hope that will solve your problem.

In the meantime, if the ringing bothers you, you can try to mask it or do something that interest you to distract your attention from it. Given time, your brain will be bored with the sound and will then learn to fade it out from your consciousness.

Take care. God bless.

 

Sorry to hear about your friend and the suffering you're going through. I'm about 6 weeks into tinnitus and it's no fun.

This board is a WONDERFUL resource that I recommend taking advantage of. There are also some really good videos on YouTube. My advice would be to focus on the positive and the success stories. Stay away from the negativity. No matter the situation, it does not help. Hopefully, some of the veteran Tinnitus Talk posters will chime in with tips on what you can do to help alleviate your symptoms. I'll be happy to help if I can.

 

Sorry to hear about your onset. I don't think there's much you can do, other than waiting it out. What I have to say though is, don't beat yourself up by thinking the alcohol withdrawal was the reason for it. It may be idiopathic or maybe there's a (treatable) cause for it.

For such a mysterious thing like tinnitus, we often correlate things that are to blame because that was what we were doing at the time. Especially for alcohol withdrawal, it's extremely rare that that alone can cause tinnitus. So, I believe you may need to invistigate a bit more at an ENT, a second ENT, other specialties and so on.

Be careful also, because some ENT tests and earwax cleaning (microsuction) can be way too harsh for the ears and cause more problems than good. I hope you get better soon!

 

I have a feeling there's a good chance it will fade with a little bit of time. Get the maximum amount of sleep and protect your ears. Hope nothing but the best for you.

 

Thank you so much for the replies. I really appreciate knowing that I'm not alone in this... it's truly horrible.

@DimLeb - you mention it's rare for alcohol withdrawal alone to be responsible for tinnitus. I wasn't aware of that, I thought it was a fairly common side effect. In retrospect, I should have done it with help (benzos etc) rather than cold turkey but I guess that's something I'll need to accept.

Can I ask if there is anyone else on the board who had a similar experience and found any relief? If so, what was the timeframe?

Again, thank you all for the replies.

 

I have learned that stress/anxiety is a huge contributing factor. As things calm down for you, you will hopefully start to do better.

Try to be good to yourself and do whatever it takes to calm yourself down and relax. Easier said than done but it does help. Light exercise is good. Meditation isn't fun but it can help calm down your central nervous system. I enjoy drinking warm calming teas (no/low caffeine). Do anything you can to distract yourself from the noise - TV, conversation, phone, reading, etc...

Most importantly, try to stay positive!

 

Thanks... I've got 3 young children who are my world. I'm afraid I've ruined everything... no more concerts, sporting events.

Sorry for the doom and gloom but yeah things are looking pretty bleak right now.

 

How are you now?

 

Still have the tinnitus, some days are better than others, although it's always there 24/7.

 

3 months in and my tinnitus has only got worse. I've also developed eye floaters which I think have always been there but are much more noticeable now.

I've also got a weird ear pressure/fullness that seems to distort my voice and other sounds when I'm out in shopping centres etc.

I just don't know what the hell is going on. I read these threads and try and find ones analogous with mine but I just don't know if I'll ever improve. I've seen absolutely no improvement and I seem to be developing new symptoms even though my hearing is apparently fine and MRI came back OK.

Sorry, not sure of the purpose of this message, just wanted to vent.

 

Hey @DaveRicho,

It’s good to vent! Particularly when you have to put on the ‘I’m ok act’ in front of your children.

Just wanted to say that I saw virtually no improvement until the 5/6 months mark & mine definitely got worse before it got better. Here’s my timeline:

1. ‘JUST’ high pitched tinnitus (onset)
2. High pitched and pulsatile (3 weeks)
3. High pitched, pulsatile, and intense fullness (4 weeks)
4. High pitched, pulsatile, fullness, hearing loss, distortions & mild hyperacusis (6 weeks)

In the round I have improved massively, and I have seen the most improvement in my mental health. I also no longer experience distortions, my sound sensitivity is improving slowly, and I can accept my noises - sometimes I can even feel relaxed while listening to them (for short periods). My main issue now is the fullness, but many people report that improving around the 1.5/2 year mark, so I’m trying to remain positive.

I’d say 70% of the time I’m doing OK, while at the 3 month mark I would have said 5% (if that). I’ve seen a huge improvement in my quality of life. Low dose Valium once/twice a week has really helped me. I’m around 11 months in.

 

Hey Dave. I’m 2 weeks into cannabis withdrawal and I too got eye floaters. My ringing spikes when I’m too hot. I find that ice packs on the back of my neck help.

@makeyourownluck has good insight. We might be riding this thing out for a few years. Do what you can and keep going!

 

Woah, I had no idea you were also dealing with distortions. I’m still dealing with them on and off. Sucks...

Anyways just wanted to say I love your mindset and good to see you having a better handle on things...

 

Yeah, I didn’t know what they were. I only found out when I posted a thread complaining about these mysterious noises in my house lol. They mostly disappeared around 9/10 months thankfully. I occasionally still get them in certain shops, but I just avoid them - almost as good as not having them at all.

Ah yes, the mindset, it’s amazing what the first week of sunshine can do for a person My health always improves in warmer weather. Need to get myself to a warmer country. It’s on the to do list.

 

I just checked that thread of yours, I even posted in it too... wow I’m so oblivious...

 

Thanks so much for the replies @makeyourownluck, @AxEars.

I'm realising while I've probably damaged myself not just as a result of this one episode, the continual stress and anxiety just fuels it into a continuous loop.

 

@makeyourownluck - can I ask what caused your tinnitus? Also with the ear fullness, did you have it in both ears or just the one?

 

I’m not sure what caused my tinnitus, it’s just one of life’s mysteries. The fullness was in my right ear only until 4 days ago, now it’s both I’m hoping this resolves soon. I’m sure it will. These things generally improve in time.

 

What happens now if you drink?

 

@David Dorci - I haven't drank in 4 months... I don't intend to for a while.

 

Ever think of Acamprosate? Might help in your case.

I would absolutely be taking Thiamine, B6, B9, Taurine, in any form too.

If your issue is upregulated sodium channels, a blocker might also be a good idea.

GABAR upregulation doesn't really have a drug yet. Some low dose GABAR antagonists might work but good luck getting those.

 

@Matchbox, thank you for the suggestions.

I'm taking a good quality multivitamin, B complex and Magnesium supplement. I'm also working my ass off again at the gym, it may not help with the tinnitus but at least it takes my mind off it.

 

I have the same problem. Tinnitus from alcohol withdrawal. I, unfortunately, haven’t stopped drinking. I wake up with ringing in my ears, until I have a few drinks. I did quit drinking for two weeks six months ago. The tinnitus went away. Then, I had three beers, and the tinnitus came back the next day.

I will tell you this, if I microdose on mushrooms (magic variety), the tinnitus goes away.

I just have to commit to quit drinking.