Tinnitus scares the hell out of me

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Has anyone completely healed who had the bad tinnitus? I have crackling and swooshing and popping in my ears all day long. The pressure and pain and inability to hear or focus is horrible and I have read many success stories but I have yet to come across one where someone says they had this symptom and that it goes away one day. I am getting better a little bit but the tinnitus isn't and I am thinking I have permanent hearing and focusing problems and that I need to go and see another ear specialist to see if I have wax or fluid trapped in my ear canal. Even tho two ear specialists have already told me I do not have any hearing problems, when they told me I was fine I wanted to laugh like a crazy person cuz they don't know what I am feeling. Could someone please help me to stop panicking and give me good news that this is honestly a symptom that leaves after awhile, or atleast tell me it doesn't so I can approach this as a medical issue and see another specialist im getting really distressed with this shitty tinnitus. thanks a lot everyone

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I just had tubes put in my ears last month.  Even before i went off Valium i had pressure in my ears. They were ringing and i had hearing loss.  It's been about a month and they're still ringing but not as loud and they're starting to pop and open up finally.  He said it could take up to 8 weeks to drain because i had so much fluid in there. 

I would see an ENT if i were you.  My doctor kept telling me i was fine too but when he put the tubes in he saw all of the fluid in there.  Keep trying.

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I haven't yet read why tinnitus is so common in benzo withdrawal, but I know it is. This is one symptom I expected and wasn't surprised at. I have had it for two years, and it used to be much, much worse. Mine was a high pitched whining sound, like something electrical hissing in my brain. I still get it but usually only when I haven't slept well (which is still a lot!)

I am glad you've been checked out, and they found nothing wrong. I would suggest that you try to find things to distract you from it. Some people use headphones (or an ear bud) and listen to music or books.  And just distracting yourself in general helps a lot. There is no reason to be scared of tinnitus, and yes it will go away in time.

east

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Tinnitus is one of the reasons I began taking an OTC med for sleep. I developed it in 1998 after having a cold and sneezing too hard......go figure. Anyway, early on in my w/d and recovery it was so bad that it hurt my ears. I would have to hold my head in my hands and just rock back and forth. I kept trying to think of a way out but knew that I just wanted the suffering to end.

 

It stayed like this for a long time. Then it would lessen a bit and that felt ilke a huge relief. I already knew that for me, an increase in the tinnitus and head pressure always signalled the start of a mind wave or a psychological wave which always had the organic fear and the repetitive thoughts of this never ending. I somenow knew that the organic fear escalated the tinnitus....b/c I was either in a state of chemical panic or on the verge of panicking.

 

As time went on, the severity of the tinnitus began to lessen. Unless I have one of those waves that includes the head pressure I cannot even hear the tinnitus. It is now quieter than it was before all this began 16 years ago.

 

I believe it will lessen for you with regard to intensity and frequency. I still have a small fan on my nightstand and even though I don't need the white noise to distract from the tinnitus, I find the noise comforting. Maybe a fan will help you if it keeps you awake at night.

 

Two things that are known to worsen tinnitus are adrenaline and glutamate. Both of those are high until we heal more.