Tenacious Tinnitus Club – Ear Pressure, Noise and Hyperacusis

[[Er...]]

Wow, this is an interesting board.  I have this weird inclination/theory that folks that used their ears a lot or were audiophiles/centric get the T the worst during benzo withdrawal.  I listen to folks all day at work and always had headphones on before the w/d. 

 

Don't know, could be nothing to it. 

 

Very inspired by Birdman though!  Keep it up!

[[Bi...]]

Wow, this is an interesting board.  I have this weird inclination/theory that folks that used their ears a lot or were audiophiles/centric get the T the worst during benzo withdrawal.  I listen to folks all day at work and always had headphones on before the w/d. 

 

Don't know, could be nothing to it. 

 

Very inspired by Birdman though!  Keep it up!

 

Thanks eric I will.  This sxs is so annoying as it lasts so long.

[[Er...]]

True.  And part of the annoyance for me is that it migrates and evolves, changes so often.  When I get used to it, it shifts/sounds different and freaks me out for a week.

 

Can I ask what yours sounded like when you noticed it started going away?  Mine is like a shimmer that works up to a grind, heavy in one ear one day and in the other the next. 

 

Take care, Birdman and for what it's worth, reiki really helped me recently, I need to go back.  I think it hits you at a deep, deep level where when you think about it, this stuff started at a cellular and chemical level so why not? 

[[Bi...]]

I have been off amytrip for 3 days now and I still feel fine.  I need to be careful and not promise false hope.  I'll be the first to admit that I have experimented with every drug available on the Gabaergic lists with no fantastic results.  I was lucky to find a doc that helped me fuel this quest and I am also happy that this benzo experience scared the crap out of me so I was quick to discontinue drugs that did not help.

 

My only sxs left is tinnitus maybe Amytrip helped?  Either that or I was turning a corner anyhow and it's all just coincidence, I may never know.  I do not feel any worse after two short secessions of amytrip use.  I'll quit for 2 weeks and try again.  Then I'll know for sure what's up.

[[Ne...]]

For what it's worth I will be off 5 months in 6 days. My major symptom in withdrawal was tinnitis and I can say the improvement is fantastic. No longer do I get that sceeching at wake ups that I described aa a broken phonograph record with the needle out of the groove. Most of you will be to young to remember that or radio static but that's the best I can do.

I am missing the upper range of my hearing and it got worse as the result of severe H3N2 Influenza this December which left me with Vertigo BPPV variety and more hearing lose. Maybe it was a viral labryinitis to boot.

 

Anyway MAJOR tinnitus improvement to very mnageable to gone on a daily basis.

[[dy...]]

Good to hear your getting improvement. Any improvement is the best news. I am 4month benzo free at the moment, no increase or decrease. Mine has kind of stayed the same for like 2months.

 

Also, didnt know the flu could that, is that really a thing?!

[[Er...]]

Again, amazing stories and I'm so glad I found this board. 

 

Mine just took another jump higher, an octave higher and it comes in and out, rattles in my head - borders on like a dog whistle it's so high.

 

Really weird stuff.   

[[Hi...]]

I just dtarted getting ringing in my ear at two months off. Also ive been getting these rpisodes where theres a loid buzzing in my left ear and then my hearing disapears completely for a bit its very scary. Why is this just starting to happen now. Does anyone else have this

[[Bi...]]

For what it's worth I will be off 5 months in 6 days. My major symptom in withdrawal was tinnitis and I can say the improvement is fantastic. No longer do I get that sceeching at wake ups that I described aa a broken phonograph record with the needle out of the groove. Most of you will be to young to remember that or radio static but that's the best I can do.

I am missing the upper range of my hearing and it got worse as the result of severe H3N2 Influenza this December which left me with Vertigo BPPV variety and more hearing lose. Maybe it was a viral labryinitis to boot.

 

Anyway MAJOR tinnitus improvement to very manageable to gone on a daily basis.

 

Hi NSH,

 

I am so happy to know your tinnitus is healing, thanks for posting. We need a lot of encouragement with this symptom.  Ashton says tinnitus is the last sxs to go.

 

I too lost the upper range of my hearing just after my C/T.  I wonder if it's from the benzo's and if we ever get it back.

 

 

[[Bi...]]

I just dtarted getting ringing in my ear at two months off. Also ive been getting these rpisodes where theres a loid buzzing in my left ear and then my hearing disapears completely for a bit its very scary. Why is this just starting to happen now. Does anyone else have this

 

Hi Hip,  I also have left ear dominant tinnitus from benzo withdrawal.  It also peaked when I jumped the first time.  I reinstated since my first taper was too fast. I did second taper much slower at the speed of my symptoms.  I actually had ear pressure and pain along with the tinnitus it was pretty intense! VERY LOUD!!

I am much better now. We do heal but its very slow.  Search this forum for  modulation exercises.    It really helped me. 

 

Also try ACRN sounds        http://generalfuzz.net/acrn

 

I also wear white noise maskers ear buds, it's a big relief.

 

Take care.

[[Bi...]]

Again, amazing stories and I'm so glad I found this board. 

 

Mine just took another jump higher, an octave higher and it comes in and out, rattles in my head - borders on like a dog whistle it's so high.

 

Really weird stuff.   

 

Hi Eric,  I read in your footer that you have the "CEMENT EARS",  I had it too.  It's a small muscle in your ear that is cramping called the tensor tympani.  I did modulation exercises to free it up and it really helped me.    Search this forum for  modulation exercises.

 

They also gave me baclofen to relax the tensor tympani but it was not fun to taper

 

 

More info on it  https://www.google.com/search?q=tensor+timpanie

 

 

tensor tympani syndrome and benzo's  http://www.tinnitus-pjj.com/misophonia.html

 

All links

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=tensor+timpanie&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=tensor+timpanie+benzo

 

Good luck

 

[[Hi...]]

This is the one single symptom i thought i had escaped..... but nope havin all these new physical sx pop up in month three. Yeah!!!

[[Er...]]

Thank you, Birdman.  I will try these exercises! 

 

I made it through Big Hero 6 with the wife, boys and neighbor boys last night with not a lot of discomfort.  Last time I tried to do that (Guardians of the Galaxy) I needed noise cancelling headphones, earplugs, maskers, and a lot of breathing exercises.  Just used one earplug for the reactive side (left) and then maskers afterward.  Little steps.  The hyperacusis and reactivity were low yesterday so why the heck not?

 

Do any of y'all have a reactive side where the T goes up and up if it's noisy?  Road noise and big fans really get me in that respect.

 

 

 

 

[[Be...]]

Hi,

 

I just experienced something very strange with my hearing. I have tinnitus in my left ear, a high pitched tone. I have a light dimmer on the bedside lamps and when it is turne down low, it too emits a high pitched tone. I hear it only when my head is upright and centered. When I tilt my head down or back, I don't hear the lamp dimmer tone. I had hoped I hit on a way to control my tinnitus. If only it were so easy! But what I seem to have inadvertently hit on was a way to eliminate irritating noises based on the position of my head.

 

Bennie

[[Hi...]]

Bennie its funny you mentioned this. I just discovered something very similar. My tinitus just started a couple days ago but have had severe hyperacusis from the beginning of my ct. So anyways firstly i have it in my left ear also and have noticed certain things trigger it such as a light buzzing or the hiss of a tv or computer. At first i thought this hissing noise was only in my head but have noticed if i turn the light or tv off it dies down. Now the interesting part is if i turn my head i can hear these buzzing and hissing sounds with my left ear but not with my right. So the noise is actually there its not just in my head but its like my left ear is tuned to pick up these extremely high frequencies. So weird because other people cannot hear it. But when i turn it off it dies down. Also im having episodes shere i cant tell where sound are coming from and sometimes my hearing cuts out completely. Very scary.

[[Be...]]

Hip hop,

 

How interesting and odd. The sounds are in fact coming outside of my head. Things I never heard before. And the air cleaner is no longer just a hum, but this garbled carnival music. THAT, I cannot tolerate. I never had tinnitus until about a month ago. I read in the Ashton manual that it can be one of the last stages of healing—if I remember correctly. Well, I'm not close to jumping. I had a two week window which made the tinnitus bearable, but now I'm in a premenstrual wave and I hear that whine all the time. Can't tune it out.

 

Bennie

[[Hi...]]

Im sorry. It is quite annoying. Lol after my last ct i litteraly have every single physical and mental sx that alternate and combine with no distinct pattern but this ringing tinitus .

Was literally the one single symptom i thought i had escaped.... until a few days ago. I am also tapering off phenobarbital so i think it has been covering a vast majority of my physical sx and as i get lower on the dose the sx surface and stay. Cuz right now the tinitus is pretty infrequent but im looking forward to becoming a resident on this board. Lol ya its like the damaged cns hss increased the perception of frequency. Im ganna have to do some research on this one its very interesting sx. Its the only sx i havd that doesnt absolutely terrify md though it is annoying. Im so thankful i dont have to deal with a menstrual cycle on top of this. Lol. My hat goes off to you ladies

[[Dr...]]

 

Do any of y'all have a reactive side where the T goes up and up if it's noisy?  Road noise and big fans really get me in that respect.

 

Yes Eric g  I have noticed that my T is constantly battling for first place. It seems that there is no sound loud enough to compete. I am convinced that T has nothing at all to do with the ears. And when we can finally discover which part of the brain is producing all of these high pitched sine waves and hissing then and only then will a solution finally make itself evident. As always, I wish you all some respite from this hell.

Dream

[[Er...]]

Dreamovie:

 

Thank you and yes, this is something we need to battle through.  I had a "window" today following a really bad day yesterday - was in bed but luckily I could read some. 

 

I'm reading Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen, very funny, we all need a good laugh once in a while.

 

For the longest time I just could not read. 

 

Hang in there, DM! 

 

I'm thinking about you!

[[Bi...]]

I was off Amytrip for 6 days.  The night before last I took 60mg and yesterday I had a superior day with lower tinnitus.  Last night I took 40mg.  Took 2 hours to fall asleep.  Slept good once asleep.  Today less symptoms again, less tinnitus and a bit sleepy.  I believe Amptrip is very effective for me at this stage.    I have read amytrip is as hard to get off as benzo's for some people so this concerns me.

 

I still think it's interesting that the symptoms do not come back even when I stop taking it.  Still unsure what the downside is if any.

 

Labrat #1  signing off

[[cu...]]

I was on Amitriptyline for several years, high dose maybe 100-150 mg, can't remember. I didn't have any problems coming off it. Hopefully you will have no problems as well. I am thinking of trying it again for the tinnitus. I will follow your posts.

[[Bi...]]

I was on Amitriptyline for several years, high dose maybe 100-150 mg, can't remember. I didn't have any problems coming off it. Hopefully you will have no problems as well. I am thinking of trying it again for the tinnitus. I will follow your posts.

 

That's interesting cuddlemuffin.  I hope I can get off Amytrip as easy as you did. This is my third trail with great results.  Each time I take it I reach a new level of healing that actually seems to hold for some strange reason.

 

Amytrip is the only AD that is also a glutamate antagonist but there is more to it.

 

Also I have been reading that TrkA and TrkB is largely responsible for brain plasticity and again Amptrip binds to Trk  like glue increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and could also bring together a mismatched pair of TrkA and TrkB thus correcting the mismatch after years of benzo's and Z drugs.  Could Amytrip  be acting as a trigger that says "HEAL" to our brain cells and Trk's?

 

TrkB has the highest affinity to the binding of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and NT-4. BDNF is a growth factor that has important roles in the survival and function of neurons in the central nervous system. The binding of BDNF to TrkB receptor causes many intercellular cascades to be activated, which regulate neuronal development and plasticity, long-term potentiality, and apoptosis.[6]

ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trk_receptor

 

Could Amptrip be a key in B/Z healing?  I sure feel

a lot better lately but I am also 8 months off, hmm.  

 

MORE  ON TOPIC of  TrkA and TrkB,  the root of brain plasticity and Amitriptyline and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)

 

http://shared.web.emory.edu/whsc/news/releases/2009/06/antidepressant-stimulates-brain-growth-factor-receptors.html

 

This sure is an interesting google search if you have the time! 

Amitriptyline, TrkB, brain-derived neurotrophic factor

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=brain+growth+factors&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=Amitriptyline%2C+TrkB%2C+brain-derived+neurotrophic+factor

 

[[Bi...]]

ALSO 

 

amitriptyline, an antidepressant drug, directly binds TrkA and TrkB and triggers their dimerization and activation

 

 

we pretreated primary cultures with test compounds (0.5 μM each) for 30 min, followed by glutamate treatment. NGF, gambogic amide, or amitriptyline pretreatment significantly protected hippocampal neurons from apoptosis, while other tricyclic drugs tested had no effect (Figure 1D and data not shown).

 

Truncation of amitriptyline binding motif on TrkA but not the corresponding region on TrkB abolishes the receptor homo- and hetero-dimerization. Moreover, amitriptyline suppresses neuronal apoptosis elicited by kainic acid in a TrkA-dependent manner. Hence, amitriptyline acts as a TrkA and TrkB receptor agonist and possesses marked neurotrophic activity.

kainic acid to a large degree is responsible for benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms

 

ref  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2844702/

 

 

Amytrip controls  TRK!

 

TRK Receptors, Controlling the Life or Death of Neurons

 

Neurotrophins can promote both neuronal cell survival and death.  Trk receptors are known to positively affect neuronal survival and differentiation through their activation of different signalling cascades, including the Ras/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway and the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) pathway, which act to intercept nuclear and mitochondrial cell-death programs.  

 

ref:  http://www.ebi.ac.uk/interpro/potm/2005_8/Page.htm

[[cu...]]

I'm going to speak with my boyfriend about it, he's a medical doctor but honestly I think you know more about this situation than he ever could. So your 8 months off what? I was on the Amitriptyline for fibromyalgia back in 1997-2001 approx. I just stopped it for some reason and I was fine. Sounds like you are very intelligent and spending time researching all this stuff. I appreciate your insight.

[[Bi...]]

I'm going to speak with my boyfriend about it, he's a medical doctor but honestly I think you know more about this situation than he ever could. So your 8 months off what? I was on the Amitriptyline for fibromyalgia back in 1997-2001 approx. I just stopped it for some reason and I was fine. Sounds like you are very intelligent and spending time researching all this stuff. I appreciate your insight.

 

Hi,  I was on about 9mg Ativan for 5 years and some xanax too

 

I tapered about 2 years with a few reinstates, some half ass tapering after failed C/T. I was a mess

 

I still have a nasty case of sticky extra loud left ear dominate tinnitus.  If I put on loud head phones I feel 100% normal so the loud T is all I have left for healing sxs.

 

Every time I take Amytrip I seem to reach a new level of "EAR" healing and it's extremely noticeable too!

 

I have been drawing a curve chart and I think after 6 more treatment sessions I will be OK, it's that noticeable!

 

Yes it's a glutamate antagonist for fibromyalgia.  I read so many stories of people that say Amytrip cured their fibromyalgia, or migraine's and after awhile they not longer had these afflictions, so this implies some type of healing?  TRK/MDRF ?

 

Let me know what your doc says, should be interesting