Yet Another Tinnitus Sufferer

Hi, I'm Samoo

I suffer from tinnitus and ocasional vertigo from 12/2014, so it has been 5 months since.

My tinnitus stared in very stressful period of my professional life (i've got promoted, we've stared many new projects).

After seeing an neurologist for the first time in December 2014, she told me that my tinnitus must be caused by anxiety disorder, so she prescribed me an Trazodone antidepresant. Trazodone helped me to get better and regular sleep, but also introduced many side effects (headaches, allday sleepyness, , dry eyes, dry throat, hypotensia). I've been taking this medication for 4 months now without any positive effect. My anxiety got lot worse, I got recently few pannic attacs, and all of this woke up hypochondriac part of mine.

So I've started seeing a psychiatrist, and told me that Trazodone is not good medication for this type of problems. So now I'm dropping out Trazodone, and on Monday I will get some new and hopefully better suitable antidepresants.

What bothers me more, is that I've switched neurologist and she immediately ordered me an MRI brain scan and told me about multiple sclerosis and brain tumors.. After these I can't stop thinking of worst case scenarios for any minute.. and I'm desperately waiting for my MRI appointment (1,5 weeks from now).
I've got also often pain in neck and tinnitus is changing when i move move my head, so she will also examine my neck.

Please give me some tips how to cope with these unpleasant times of waiting for MRI scans and constant worying.

Thanks a lot!

 

Before the doctors can rule out this or that with MRI, I think at this stage your best option is to control the things you can control, and that is your reaction to the situation. It is a high probability that T is due to stress. Anxiety and panic can create their own symptoms to worry about. So try the best you can to do some exercise or enjoy your hobbies to relax yourself. Tinnitus is tough initially for most people. So you are just being normal for reacting the way you are. Perhaps read up the success stories. There you will find most people went through tough struggles too at first and eventually find ways to get better. That will give you some confidence and hope plus tips to get better. Here is TT's link to some advice and tips plus some masking tracks to get you started. Take care & God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic/

 

Hey, Samoo:
My disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. I happen to have grown up and into senior citizenhood with a cochlear implant (@two years ag0). I've been on my share of anti-whatever to control my anxiety/depression (I can't differentiate). I finally reached a point in life where I stick to two drugs (I'm trying not to take as much and one I never took much of at all) that work and it would be contra-indicated with tinnitus. We all make choices.
1. Tinnitus and vertigo seem to too often go hand-in-hand and vertigo often is due to issues in the inner ear.
2. I learned from this forum and believe stress increases tinnitus. If I still worked in the computer field, my tinnitus would likely be louder than it is now. The field and commute were hellishly stressful.
3. Trazadone is an old drug (thank goodness). It does cause the symptoms you mentioned. When I was taking heavier-duty stuff or didn't sleep much and had a dr. appt., my blood pressure tanked. So, I understand all the stuff you mention.
3a. I can't assume anything these days. Just tell me your doctor is titrating you off Trazadone, please.
4. Let me get this straight: You went to a new neurologist, who without tests told you it could be from
MS or a brain tumor? If this is true, tread carefully with her. Doctors are not supposed to do that. Without
knowing, telling you unconfirmed diagnoses like that can make anyone go into a tail spin. It's unethical (again, if I read that right). BAM! You don't know what's happening and you're worrying about the what if without knowing.

I reached a stage where a number of things changed in my life. I developed excruciating headaches. It wasn't my glasses, and I eliminated what I could in life. I went to a neurologist who dismissed me - I guess my headaches (which lead ME to think I had a brain tumor - he didn't say it) were beyond his knowledge base and I'd call him an arrogant idiot. What changed for me was the dopey number of diet sodas with aspartame I was drinking. I already believed aspartame was a neurotoxin. I stopped the onslaught of sodas and the headaches went away. My point - doctors aren't omnipotent. I depended a lot on my own brain/noodle to figure out a number of things that happened to me and to my pets.

So, #1: You're worrying about the unknown. I understand worrying about the fear of the unknown and it's still not a given. I thought I had a brain tumor. I wasn't obsessed about it because I had no clue what caused it. But my focus was figuring out what changed recently in my life. It worked.

2: When you get the results of the MRI, something(s) may shift in your life. You'll do what you want and assuming the worst is likely going to increase tinnitus.

All I can say is shift your focus to other things you enjoy. But telling you this doesn't mean much from a person not going through what you are. I do know out of all the forums out there, you're on the best one. We're here to support you. Most of us have tinnitus in various degrees. I'm deaf - an added bonus here - and have my own experiences to draw upon. There isn't a magic formula to put your stress in check (anyone have one?).

Good luck.
*** Ooops, my disadvantage here is not knowing about masking because I can't hear. But white noise and masking can work as the poster wrote. It's a good start for you.

 

Thak you for your responses, it lifted my mood up.

@Brianna, yes you read me right my new neurologist mentioning undiagnosed diseases to me didn't help at all. But I assume I will know for sure soon, MRI is just 10 days away, and after few more days I will have, hopefully positive results.

Anyway now I'm having a bit of withdrawal effects of Trazodone, but this seem common and should be away in few days.

Thanks for all the support and nice words, it is blessing for me that i found this site, wish it happened few months earlier.

 

I don't think I took enough trazadone to withdraw from it. I just remember how druggy it left me. My guess is any
drug you've built up to (a normal dose), would leave you with a little withdrawal hence titrating up and titratrating down.

I've seen you say you found the forum a bit late. But, hey, you're here now.

A physician guessing what the round red circle on my chest is one thing. (She had to bring out her books on that one and I was concerned it was lyme - not a chance - round it was but not a bullseye.) A physical telling about major things that could send a patient into a tailspin should be .. I can't even write it. I remember hearing about idiotic stuff years ago. It's a guess and an annoying one at that. Just be careful about the results and you may want to consider a second opinion.

The MRI is soon. I propose a mini-operation by tinnitustalk to remove the dopey seeds planted in your head by your physician! Man, what a stupid (sorry) doc.

 

I had very bad vertigo several years ago. My ENT prescribed me Triamterene. I havent had an episode since. In addition I use Ocean Nasal Spray - its a sea water mist. It helped to eliminate the sounds I was hearing in that ear. I recently started having pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear. Im taking very small doses of xanax and its been helping with the awareness and the anxiety. Just started on a regimen of lipoflavinoid vitamins as well. I had the MRA done and would suggest that you do that so you can eliminate any sort of brain or blood vessel issue.

Dont worry so much. Your alive and well except for the ear issue. Id rather have this ear problem then be blind or disabled or something worse. It sucks. I know. But think positive. I read that a lot of people experience this problem and the body heals itself over time and it goes away. There is always hope.

 

Thanks again for all nice words, this place help me to see that I'm not the only one with same problems at all.

Today my psychiatrist prescribed me with some low doses of Venaflaxine and after few days in I should start also with Sulpiride. According to what she said this should help with panic and anxiety. I'm a bit worried anyway because Venlafaxine seem to have tinnitus as side effect in 1-10 of 1000 patients. I will ask her again about this but also I hope this wont be my case.

I'm also looking forward to Wednesday, my new neurologist will examine my neck problems which may be linked to tinnitus.

So thats about my news, at least there is some progress.

 

This is super common. Google "somatic tinnitus". Some people find some amount of relief from muscular interventions of one kind or another.

Try to breathe deeply and slowly when you find yourself getting distressed, and tell yourself, "My anxious thoughts are not real. It is just anxiety".

Tinnitus is much more common than brain tumors. So is hypochondria.

 

Thanks for all comments, especially this sentence helped me a lot to calm down.

So, tomorrow is my MRI appointment, and after that up to 7 workdays of waiting for results.

Apart from that, my AD meds are slowly kicking in, I feel a bit more energy, and more optimistic days (but also few side effects). Hopefully MRI results will be good, I expect that it will help me to be much more optimistic.

 

I've got results from MRI and neck x-ray.

MRI was clean, this message made me very happy

Neck x-ray showed some problems so I was prescribed a month of rehabilitation excercises. My neurologist is suspecting these neck problems from causing my tinnitus and vertigo.

Anxiety is finaly under controll, I'm back in work. So very good news.

Thank you all for all the support.