Worsening of Hyperacusis — Lyrica

Hi everybody,

It's been a long time i haven't been on the site. I should admit I wanted to cut off with all Tinnitus subjects related even it was still there.

I was beginning to feel a bit better, I was habituated to T, even still annoys me but didn't give me anxiety like before. I could sleep again and could even forget it when talking or doing something. It was a huge step for.

But bad luck was there. I have moderate H too, but oddly didn't bother me much than my T. I could enjoy some happy moments but not as before.

Between in June I saw a therapist. I thought he could just ease my T. But he did worst. He triggered a TMJ problem and I had 3 weeks with pain, lack of balance, neck and face pains. Thanks God, it has subside and I could be a bit relieved.

But 15 days ago, another incident came on. I was with my family enjoying a little bday celebration for my niece, nothing extraodinary. I had my earmuffs on because of the dishes. but then put them off and a balloon has bursted. I totally forgot the balloons overthere and I'm just pissed off.

My left ear which was the healthy one (I have a very mild T in this ear but didn't bother me) had as shock. My T has spiked and my ear was aching and burning.My T in both ears were spiking during some days and even change tonalities. Thanks God it has decreased.

My hyperacusis has worsened, every little sound hurt my ears and my face is in pain. My ear when sleeping is burning though this symptom is getting a little bit better.

But I'm hiding in my home, I'm so sad. I hope I will feel better and that is just temporary. My neck and my crane are burning too. I wish I could back in time and let my earmuffs on my ears. At least I could go outside protected without fear and pain.

The doctor precribed me Lyrica. I take it since yesterday but I'm feeling dizzy and more tired than usual. I read, it could be ototoxic and is not very useful for pain. It seems to have lessen my pain a little bit. I don't know what to do, just praying God. I began to watch TV at a very low volume again, it seems ok for my ears and I hope I could do it like before. I hope I could even talk to people without hurting. Sometimes, it's ok and sometimes it hurts.

Even using my earmuffs are painful on my face (less than a few day ago), and earplugs seems to hurt my auditory canals too, that's why I stay at home. I don't want to believe that my H is going severe, I refuse to admit it.

I still have this heavy point in my left ear, and I now have like burning in my arms and my spine sometimes.

I was wondering, does it worth to take Lyrica?

Sorry for my long post, but I need some comfort as I don't know how to see my life at this point. When I wake up in the morning, I have sometimes a shake wondering if it's all true and I'm thinking about all the people i know going on with their lives. In the same time, I stay strong, stronger than my first onset but I don't know if I will hang on longer.

Thanks for reading and I will appreciate some support cause I really need it right now.

Cheers

 

the two things I would do right after a new acoustic trauma is to get on Prednisone ASAP and do lots of LLLT - both will help if its early enough.

That's why I stock a good supply of Prednisone at home just in case, and of course my LLLT and other light devices are ready and used daily.

No idea what Lyrica is or what it is supposed to do..

 

Lyrica can help some with the pain and the anxiety but it was never designed to treat mostly unknown and complex problems such as hyperacusis. Stick with it for a while and see what happens, it's not the ototoxic devil people make it out to be. In my opinion it's not even that dangerous. Take some NAC with it if you're scared of further damage.
Prednisone is nice but not a long term solution.

 

Hi Bobby,

Thank you. That was my first reaction. I already took Prednisolone, during 6 days. As for LLLT, I'm too afraid to use it now, I feel my ears are very sensitive.

 

Hi undecided,

I decided to take Lyrica. I'm not taking it for Hyperacusis but for my facial pain, which was triggered by this new incident. I felt some light dizziness and fatigue the first 2 days, but today it's ok. It seems to have lessen my pain which is a good point. And feel more relaxed too, surely the anti-anxiety effect of the drug. Somebody told me that it would be hard to quit, but my doctor prescribed it just for one month and at the lowest dosage ... and for the pain not the anxiety. I'm ready to take if it could ease my pain. I take vitamins and magnesium too. I do have some NAC but someone told me that it can damage the ears... Weird.

I agree with you, that steroids are not really good on a long term use but has surely saved my hurt hair cells this time.

 

There is a long thread here on TT about NAC, I think the general consensus is that if it doesn't help your tinnitus, at least it has some neuro-protective and antioxidant properties that may help when taking possible ototoxic meds in parallel.

 

There are studies showing that NAC can Protect against noise damage but those used high amounts like 2.5 gr. a day

 

Thank you guys. I'll take again my NAC pills.

All I'm thinking is why this happened. I just began to stabilize.

 

Hello Sara, I'm in a situation not dissimilar to yours. I too have been living with T and H for quite some time, but eventually learned to get them under control to the point that I didn't think of them much anymore and they didn't really affect my life in significant ways. Then about six weeks ago I made what turned out to be a huge mistake, I spoke on my cellphone for too many hours and it strongly increased both my T and my H.
The T I'm slowly learning to handle again, I'm starting to get back the sleep I had before. (That is to say, waking up a number of times every night, and finally giving up and just getting out of bed at six or seven even on weekends, but enough to keep going.) But the H is a different matter. The amplification factor has gone up and all kinds of sounds I didn't really notice before bother me now, even the humming of the fridge at the other side of my apartment. Plus my ear hurts a lot now, which is something it rarely did before.
I also sometimes still can't believe this is even happening to me, it all seems so bizarre and unreal. And unfair too, I never get a second chance with this blasted affliction.

However, despite this setback and even with all the increased trouble I'm having with this now, I'm trying to keep up some hope. As I understand it, in many cases H slowly subsides as times goes by, and in any case I expect I will learn to get used to it more again, it's already starting to happen a little bit. I also ordered a CD with pink noise off the Internet, apparently that's helpful for some people too. And last but not least, sooner or later one of the research projects will make a real breakthrough, and there will be, if not a cure, then at least an effective treament for T, which will (I assume) help with H too. Just gotta hang in there and try to hold on to at least some form of the life we used to have, not let this take everything from you. That's how I see it anyway.

 

@Sara_Bond
Hey Sara long time no see

Back when my H was moderate I would occasionally get the burning hot ear from certain noises,a sharp noise or a loud impulse noise were the main culprits from what I can remember but apparently it's what's called a setback.For the most part I was living a care free happy life,my H didn't rule it nor control it but it was always in the backround of things,I was constantly monitoring traffic for someone who potentially was going to have squeaky brakes or someone ready to blow their horn.I even had a balloon popped in front of me but luckily it had no effect.Long story short give it a little time and it will ease off believe me it will,in my two years of moderate B I experienced three setbacks and they were exactly how you described your current situation.NAC will be helpful but time and silence with slight sound exposure will help also,I'm not talking traffic noise but take walks and watch movies for the next few weeks and you'll slowly see it back off again.
PM me if you need any more help.
Stephen.

 

Hey @bill 112

Thanks a lot for your post. It's been a long time indeed, wanted to go back to life (I did it partially, mourning on my previous life was a big mistake). I didn't count on my current blessings.

Me too, always controlling the traffic, BUT it sometimes bothered me and sometimes not (in a small city). The worst are bikes, I just can't with these ones. I even ravelled to the south of France visiting my sister for 2 days, and I did it! It was just before my last setback.

Now I just can't figure out going out without my earmuffs especially with traffic noise around.

Hope you're telling the truth. I feel a bit better (went to the post office this morning) but still sensitive and this facial pain, even fading away comes back from time to time which annoys me (tingling feeling).

My left ear is a bit better but still has this fullness from time too. But I stay positive and want to live right now even with the litlle blessings I have. Life is not easy, better with a good health, but we have to face hardships the best way we can.

So now my philosophy, I'm glad for every blessing I have from sleeping to eating to breathing to still see some dear faces. And hope we will all be healed one day, at least getting better.

 

Thank you @Karel.

Don't want people to suffer, but not feeling alone helps too. I agree with you on this line, unfair with this blasted affliction, the smallest mistake or lack of attention can be dreadful.

I try to stay positive and even I'm now more limited than my previous level, I still go on with my life (well atm not very exciting).

What gets me mad it that my healthy ear was injuried too but well I could not control everything in my life.

You're right, let's not this take everything out of us. Still hoping.

 

Hi Sara,
Are you still using taking the lyrica? If so how much and hows it going? Wish you the best!

 

Neither Lyrica, which I took briefly, nor prednisolone do anything to make H better. Prednisolone may have a very limited effect (almost nothing, and for many people nothing more than many non-steroid anti-inflammatories).