Tinnitus: What does all that noise mean?

[Ariel]

1 hour ago, Bp1961 said:

I think there should be a separate thread for Tinnitus only symptoms since it's a major symptom that hits many of us.

 

@Bp1961

You're in it, this is the Tinnitus help topic. 

[Bp1961]

2 hours ago, Ariel said:

 

@Bp1961

You're in it, this is the Tinnitus help topic. 

 

Oops...my bad...lol

 

Thanks @Ariel

[ChessieCat]

7 hours ago, Bp1961 said:

I think there should be a separate thread for Tinnitus only symptoms since it's a major symptom that hits many of us.

 

If you are meaning that you think there should be another topic about tinnitus, SA likes to keep similar information in one topic so that it is easier for members to find.

[Bp1961]

Thank you @ChessieCat, it was my mistake. This is the Tinnitus topic/thread.

[Bp1961]

If you are experiencing Tinnitus, please share your experience and what do you do cope with it. For me night time is the toughest going to sleep with it. I use a sound machine and  play ambient sounds from https://youtube.com/c/dalesnale some times I'll place the speaker under my pillow. 

[Altostrata]

My tinnitus started decades before I took any psychiatric drugs. It was from an ear infection.

[unblocktheplanet]

I think I'll try acupuncture. Here in Thailand, acupuncture is used mostly for pain relief. But it must work on nerve pathways. If would be brilliant if it improved my sensorineural deafness!

[rmce72a]

My tinnitus started a year or two ago long before I started to taper. It is terrible on days I have high anxiety, which is about 2/3 of the time. I try to ignore it, but some days (like today) it is so loud it is impossible to ignore. I think of all my symptoms, tinnitus is the very worst. It's a vicious circle. Anxiety causes the tinnitus, and the tinnitus increases the anxiety. I could cope with everything else if this constant noise would stop. It makes everything 100 times worse. It is truly making me crazy. I have to find a way to control it, but there aren't any, apparently.

[unblocktheplanet]

Dear 72--just my age! While I would not describe tinnitus as my worst symptom, compared to, say, anxiety, it's certainly a constant unwanted presence. There seems to be a relationship of tinnitus to anxiety; it never goes aways but gets more demanding of attention the scarier life gets. Started in 2019 after Alprazolam, may or may not be connected.

 

I experienced sudden onset left ear deafness in June. In the absence of outside sounds, tinnitus seems way louder. I've got an appt for acupuncture for both. It's a long shot but at least it's inexpensive (no insurance).

 

Please take a look at Knosretep's anxiety remedy on page 3 of my intro page & my replies: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/27236-unblocktheplanet/page/3/. This Thai juice is likely not sold in Indiana (unless you have a Thai grocery, they'll know immediately) but there are some on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Thai+decongestant+oils&crid=3HSK3OB5JY41X&sprefix=thai+decongestant+oils%2Caps%2C422&ref=nb_sb_noss. Not for inside the nostrils & be careful of irritation. I've bought some but have not yet tried it.

 

[HugHK]

Ugh I've just developed this un July... I think I'd sort of noticed it before but never really took bothered so clearly disappeared quickly. However one evening in July before going to bed I felt it come on, and that was it. It then disappeared (or faded) after a few weeks but it's back now... I also feel like I am much more sensible to loud noises, but not all noises: listening to music in my AirPods seems fine, but any form of loud, unexpected clanging (metal such as a fork falling on the floor), or car honking, or someone shouting, or even the sounds of my own voice if I have to raise it to talk in a noisy place... makes me jump and sweat. 

 

I'm still hoping it goes away on its own but wanted to ask, did anyone get any luck with the following methods:

 

Accoustic neuromodulation?

 

Tinnitus retraining?

 

cheers

[Bp1961]

@HugHK I started noticing my tinnitus in May, 1-2 months after stopping my psychiatric drugs. From what I gathered, there are many people that were able to eliminate the Tinnitus once they reinstated and were able to stabilize their CNS. I've noticed in your signature that you were jumping quite a bit with your dosage in a short timeframe. I kind of did the same and I think it might be a major contributor to triggering the tinnitus. Tinnitus has a high correlation with anxiety and depression as well as seratonin and dopamine levels. So I really think that if you work now on finding your optimal dosage to stabilize at you might be able to get rid of the tinnitus.

 

I tried masking, TRT, Qigong at first it helped. Actually the Quigong for tinnitus helped me the most for temporary relieve of symptoms when my tinnitus was raging. There are a few videos on YouTube with different techniques. You can try them and see if it works for you. Other than that, I would try any of the methods available and see if it can help you.

 

GL

[FindRest]

Wanted to share something that has helped my tinnitus recently. 
 

Three years ago, I got intense tinnitus a few months after a dr CT’d me off of Effexor.  It was one of many symptoms, which also included terrible neck and shoulder pain.

 

Currently (3 years later), I’m being treated for a dental injury and facial pain and have been in PT for over 2 months.  My PT has been working on my neck a lot, trying to get it “unlocked”, hoping that it would help relieve some of the facial and jaw pain. BTW, I have worn a dentist-created mouthguard for well over 20 years.
 

Well, it was an amazing feeling once she was able to get my neck moving again like it should have been. Not only has it made a big difference in facial pain, but my tinnitus went completely away for a few days! It comes back every so often, but is much softer. I’m still in PT, so I hope I’ll even see more improvement.

 

I know that tapering still affects my tinnitus, as it gets worse the week or two afterwards. I always thought it was purely a chemical thing, but now wonder if the increased neck/shoulder muscle tension of a taper can also increase tinnitus or even cause it. Just a thought. I imagine it’s a combination of all of the above, including the impact this tension is having on our jaw joints.

 

Either way, physical therapy on my neck has made a huge difference on my tinnitus! It involves a deep massage with the PT’s fingers pressing in areas around the cervical vertebrae and moving my head into certain positions. I don’t know the official name of the maneuver, but your PT probably would.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by FindRest

[FreeMe]

My tinnitus started shortly after I stopped lexapro. It seems so loud sometimes that it's hard to hear conversations. 

I'm so relieved to find this thread. I started thinking I was imagining it started when I came off the meds but I was sure I'd never had it before. It seems to have gotten worse in the last couple of months.

I'm hoping as time goes on that it will stop. 

 

[jon1]

My tinnitus started about 4 months after stopping completely.

 

It’s sporadic though. I tend to wake up with it, have it in the morning, then it fades by the afternoon.

 

There’s a definite link with tiredness and/or exercise though. It’ll often start up once my blood starts pumping in a workout.

[Thorin]

I’ve had very loud, persistent tinnitus for a week now. It has not stopped once. Start time of the tinnitus coincided with: a wave, having a tooth removed and having an extremely itchy ear that I treated with cream used for nappy rash. The sound is a high pitched noise that I hear in the centre of my head and in both ears. It’s driving me crazy!!!

[j1290]

@Thorin

Not even kidding, tinnitus about drove me crazy some time ago.  I stayed up for days, really out of my gourd because of it.  Talking about it makes me hear it haha I remember talking about it with some friends and they were like I forgot I had it till you mentioned it.   I think I told you having a fan on, a white noise machine, and I got accupuncture and no joke that helped.  It wasn't permanent but it did enough, and I don't even believe in that stuff.   If that ever happens again I hope I'll be quicker to take something to make me go to sleep so I could make better decisions, because I was totally out of it after a day or two awake.  Ooof!

[Thorin]

33 minutes ago, j1290 said:

@Thorin

Not even kidding, tinnitus about drove me crazy some time ago.  I stayed up for days, really out of my gourd because of it.  Talking about it makes me hear it haha I remember talking about it with some friends and they were like I forgot I had it till you mentioned it.   I think I told you having a fan on, a white noise machine, and I got accupuncture and no joke that helped.  It wasn't permanent but it did enough, and I don't even believe in that stuff.   If that ever happens again I hope I'll be quicker to take something to make me go to sleep so I could make better decisions, because I was totally out of it after a day or two awake.  Ooof!

Hey mate, I’m going to try all those things you mentioned. Will give anything a go at this point. I couldn’t tell if you still have it or just had it for a while during withdrawal? I know what you mean about not sleeping. Before I realised this was withdrawal I went through a few months of pretty bad insomnia. Kinda hoping the tinnitus is the same. It was really bad and freaked me out then it just slowly got better over time. Was losing it for a while!

[j1290]

16 minutes ago, Thorin said:

ust had it for a while during withdrawal?

I still have it, but honestly hasn't bothered me in probably a decade or so, but it was legitimately ruining me for a while there.  I felt the same way, I would have tried anything.   I couldn't tell you if it was AD related or not, but considering how much of my brain this stuff activates, I sure can't rule it out.   I definitely became completely irrational after being up for a few days due to it.  I might have even gotten some sleeping pills at that time.  Unless I'm in a really quiet place or have it in mind, I don't notice it.  The less worked up I get, the sooner I forget it.  Easier said than done!

[Thorin]

3 minutes ago, j1290 said:

AD related or not, but considering how much of my brain this stuff activates, I sure can't rule it out.   

I could absolutely be wrong but my gut’s telling me this is another withdrawal symptom. 

 

4 minutes ago, j1290 said:

I definitely became completely irrational after being up for a few days due to it

Anyone would! Fortunately I’ve been able to sleep with it so far. I can imagine how it would drive someone crazy at night though.

 

4 minutes ago, j1290 said:

Unless I'm in a really quiet place or have it in mind, I don't notice it.  The less worked up I get, the sooner I forget it

That’s great to hear. I’ll be happy if I get to that point I guess……

[Tridentata]

I developed tinnitus that never completely disappeared after a course of antibiotics (Cipro) several years ago. Withdrawing from amitriptyline has definitely aggravated it, but now that I'm tapering more slowly and not having such bad early morning awakenings (with high heart rate and loud tinnitus) it is dropping back to tolerable levels. 

[Thorin]

5 hours ago, Tridentata said:

I developed tinnitus that never completely disappeared after a course of antibiotics (Cipro) several years ago. Withdrawing from amitriptyline has definitely aggravated it, but now that I'm tapering more slowly and not having such bad early morning awakenings (with high heart rate and loud tinnitus) it is dropping back to tolerable levels. 

I’m glad it’s settling down for you again. Tinnitus is the worst! I’ve only had it for a bit over two weeks and it’s driving me crazy. Reading that it settles down calms me a bit

[Tridentata]

Everyone is individual, of course, but I hope it will settle down for you. For me, it tends to be worst when I wake from sleep, say from an afternoon nap, or waking in the week hours with what I assume is a cortisol surge from the withdrawal. Getting to a more stable place with the tapering helps with the tinnitus.

[Tridentata]

that should have been "wee hours" -- like around 3 or 4 a.m.

[Tulip52]

Two days after a 10 percent taper  my ears suddenly stopped up and started ringing more so then ever.  Really hope it goes away soon.. pretty scary!

[Thorin]

2 hours ago, Tulip52 said:

Two days after a 10 percent taper  my ears suddenly stopped up and started ringing more so then ever.  Really hope it goes away soon.. pretty scary!

Mine started 3 weeks ago or so. Just recently I’ve gotten used to it and it doesn’t bother me as often. It’s  still there though. Most people seem to report it easing up or stopping but it can take some time. Like yourself I hope this stops. Have your other symptoms stopped over time (maybe to be replaced by a different symptom?). Mine stop and change so I’m hoping the same thing happens with the tinnitus.

[Tulip52]

The antidepressant actually is what started the tinnitus for me but it was mild.   With this  recent 10 percent taper its much worse. The adrenal cocktail and epsom salt (magnesium) soaks three times a week help ease my cortisol spikes and help my anxiety a little.  The taper before this one had me waking up every couple of hours at night.  This taper has me sleeping most of the night, still waking up at 3 a.m. and oddly I’m still sleepy most of the day.

[Tulip52]

I will add that constipation is worse starting with my second to last taper a little over a month ago and I’ve been having tight/tension pain in my neck 

[Thorin]

Hi all,

 

this may help you habituate to your tinnitus over time and take some of the sting out of it. Unfortunately it’s a few years old and promotes the use of psychiatric medication in some instances. Please ignore that. I believe the practices in it will really help take some of the tinnitus stress from you: 

 

Please let me know if it helps over time.

[Thorin]

EMDR for tinnitus: A week ago today I did EMDR for my tinnitus. It seems to have helped to a degree. The tinnitus is as loud as ever. And I still don’t like it. It still irritates me and I wish it would disappear forever. But in the last week I have been aware of it less frequently. When I AM aware of it it irritates me but I’m not desperate to escape it. It’s unpleasant that it’s there but that’s all. I’m not stressed over it like I was before and it doesn’t make my anxiety skyrocket like it did before. It’s just annoying. That’s it. I find I stop paying attention to it more frequently now and it’s less distracting when I am aware of it. I’d like to add that for a number of reasons I struggled to engage in this session of EMDR and it still seems to have helped. I may ask for another session but even if it doesn’t improve any more than this I don’t feel like my quality of life is significantly impacted by the tinnitus like I did prior to the EMDR. If you haven’t done EMDR and you’re going to give it a go you should know that EMDR can cause all sorts of things to come to the surface and it can be pretty brutal at times. But it actually works which makes it worth it. I hope this helps somebody.

[Fosca]

I was wondering if anyone has had the experience of their withdrawal tinnitus getting worse after reinstating?  Maybe getting worse and then getting better once you've been back on the medication for awhile and found the right dose.  Haven't reinstated myself, but I'm thinking about it.  I have tinnitus from withdrawal and am worried about permanently worsening it.

[Joeindians]

On 2/18/2023 at 7:31 PM, Fosca said:

I was wondering if anyone has had the experience of their withdrawal tinnitus getting worse after reinstating?  Maybe getting worse and then getting better once you've been back on the medication for awhile and found the right dose.  Haven't reinstated myself, but I'm thinking about it.  I have tinnitus from withdrawal and am worried about permanently worsening it.

yeah for me big time. I reinstated last year and been off lexapro for about 3 and a half months and it is much worse. 

[Fosca]

15 hours ago, Joeindians said:

yeah for me big time. I reinstated last year and been off lexapro for about 3 and a half months and it is much worse. 

 

Sorry to hear that.  Seems like reinstatement's effect on tinnitus is a real gamble.  I've heard cases of it getting better, staying the same, and getting worse 😕 

[Fosca]

Has anyone's tinnitus just continually worsened in withdrawal?  I've been off for over a year and my tinnitus just keeps getting worse.  Unfortunately it was significantly worsened by watching a loud movie in July 2022.  I also have hyperacusis.  I wonder if the tinnitus is worsening just from exposure to semi-loud noises (that wouldn't affect a normal person).  I'm completely miserable and at at a loss.  I'm afraid if I try reinstating any dose of fluoxetine it will make it even louder.

[unblocktheplanet]

Off Mirtazapine 14 months. Left ear tinnitus just getting louder & louder. Have not been exposed to loud sounds.

 

Seems to me like you're fishing for the 'right' psych drug. I'm suffering but I'm pretty sure there aren't any.

[fullofdetermination]

The tinnitus I experience started with sertraline in the first days (50mg) and a second tone appeared when a doctor in the past suggested updosing to 150mg.

 

I wonder what are the theoretical reasons that justify SSRIs causing tinnitus and if this info could help us find any lead on how to treat or at least mitigate the symptom.

[NovaSouls]

I may have always had a small form of tinnitus in total silence since I was younger, but it's never made me anxious and I've never focused on it ever. I'm almost 4 months completely off Lexapro, and randomly I heard what i usually do last night and now its all i can hear and its driving me wild. i am wondering if this is withdrawal? could it be anxiety? Am i just noticing it more as a form of OCD? I'm scared of being stuck focused on it.