Tenacious Tinnitus Club – Ear Pressure, Noise and Hyperacusis

[[ge...]]

Does anyone here have any coping mechanisms for dealing with T? Anything that would help with habituation, and especially sleep at night.

 

My problem at night is I do fall asleep, but I wake up three or four hours later and can't get back to sleep. I just toss and turn trying to make the noise go away.

 

Any ideas would be very welcome, particularly on "speeding up" habituation.

[Guest [...]]

getmeoffthis,I dont know if this helps at all,but I have tinnitus,and at 14months off,Im just now noticing it starts to fade,almost goes away at different times of the day,and then comes back.It wasnt doing that before,it was all teakettles firing all the time it was so loud!I just lived with it all along the past months,praying it would heal too,and now I am getting less ringing at times during the day.Its weird,because all my other symptoms are doing the same,comes and goes all day long.I never had tinnitus until using Lorazapam,so I know thats what started all this in the first place.Im hoping that it will fade away with the other symptoms the longer Im off.It is so annoying,isnt it!Distraction is the only thing that helps me,I like my Ipod head phones with good music,or waterfall/crick water sounds to relax in general.It helps to block the tea kettle sounds for awhile.It doesnt seem to keep me awake,so Im not sure what you can do there,but I always have a fan going at night for the white noise,so maybe thats why I dont hear it as much.Take care!

[[or...]]

getme I bought a white noise machine from amazon. I use the "rain" setting at night and it has made the world of difference! It blocks out my T as well as any stray outside sounds. It was a great investment.

 

During the day the T is not so bad as I am busy with other things. It's only when my mind is blank (duh) that I really notice it.

 

Hope you can get some relief. It's one of the few benzo s/x I have left.

 

Okatz

[[Er...]]

Off topic but has anyone that has been on this thread recommended to the mods that they start a tinnitus group under the main menu, other, along with insomnia anxiety depression, other medications

 

Depression Other Medications General Health & Well being, Alternative Therapies & Supplements.

 

It seems like it is such a complex issue with a lot of different therapies and perspectives that it could use its own category.  The posts on here are so diverse and have such a range of topics that I think it could use its own folder.

 

Thoughts, all? 

 

I'll check with the mods, figure out how to do that today. 

 

 

[[ge...]]

Off topic but has anyone that has been on this thread recommended to the mods that they start a tinnitus group under the main menu, other, along with insomnia anxiety depression, other medications

 

Depression Other Medications General Health & Well being, Alternative Therapies & Supplements.

 

It seems like it is such a complex issue with a lot of different therapies and perspectives that it could use its own category.  The posts on here are so diverse and have such a range of topics that I think it could use its own folder.

 

Thoughts, all? 

 

Sounds good to me. Let's do it.

 

I'll check with the mods, figure out how to do that today.

[[Er...]]

I sent a copy of what I just posted to the mods.  We'll see.  Probably won't get back to me until Monday (today's Sunday).

 

By the way, has anyone tried LENS for tinnitus?  It's a neuro stimulation thing.

 

Info here:

 

http://www.brainneurofeedback.com/

 

We have a local practitioner here:

 

http://www.thecloverclinic.com/

[[ge...]]

This thread has been dead for too long.

 

Here's a link to a study on treating tinnitus with Melatonin and Sulodexide that may have promise.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808686/#!po=2.77778

[[pe...]]

I have something unusual to share.  Last night my left ear popped very loud while I was sleeping and woke me up.  It seemed to relieve pressure in my ear and now my tinnitus is much quieter.  Of course, I will have to see if it continues.  My tinnitus started differently that all of you.  Mine started with an episode of brain swelling due to water intoxication.  I'm thinking possibly the brain swelling created pressure in my ear and slowly this pressure is being relieved.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's how I'm thinking about it.  Either way, I know that people with brain swelling can experience tinnitus.

 

PD

[[sn...]]

I have something unusual to share.  Last night my left ear popped very loud while I was sleeping and woke me up.  It seemed to relieve pressure in my ear and now my tinnitus is much quieter.  Of course, I will have to see if it continues.  My tinnitus started differently that all of you.  Mine started with an episode of brain swelling due to water intoxication.  I'm thinking possibly the brain swelling created pressure in my ear and slowly this pressure is being relieved.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's how I'm thinking about it.  Either way, I know that people with brain swelling can experience tinnitus.

 

PD

Thats interesting PD. I didnt know you had water intoxication. Im glad youre doing better. 

 

Snowy

[[pe...]]

I have something unusual to share.  Last night my left ear popped very loud while I was sleeping and woke me up.  It seemed to relieve pressure in my ear and now my tinnitus is much quieter.  Of course, I will have to see if it continues.  My tinnitus started differently that all of you.  Mine started with an episode of brain swelling due to water intoxication.  I'm thinking possibly the brain swelling created pressure in my ear and slowly this pressure is being relieved.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's how I'm thinking about it.  Either way, I know that people with brain swelling can experience tinnitus.

 

PD

Thats interesting PD. I didnt know you had water intoxication. Im glad youre doing better. 

 

Snowy

 

Thank you so much Snowy!  Yes, the water intoxication and tinnitus (along with anxiety and depression) was what started my benzo journey.  :'(  I'm so glad that's all behind me now! 

 

PD 

[[sn...]]

I have something unusual to share.  Last night my left ear popped very loud while I was sleeping and woke me up.  It seemed to relieve pressure in my ear and now my tinnitus is much quieter.  Of course, I will have to see if it continues.  My tinnitus started differently that all of you.  Mine started with an episode of brain swelling due to water intoxication.  I'm thinking possibly the brain swelling created pressure in my ear and slowly this pressure is being relieved.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's how I'm thinking about it.  Either way, I know that people with brain swelling can experience tinnitus.

 

PD

Thats interesting PD. I didnt know you had water intoxication. Im glad youre doing better. 

 

Snowy

 

Thank you so much Snowy!  Yes, the water intoxication and tinnitus (along with anxiety and depression) was what started my benzo journey.  :'( I'm so glad that's all behind me now! 

PD 

Me too PD...Me too

[[pe...]]

I have something unusual to share.  Last night my left ear popped very loud while I was sleeping and woke me up.  It seemed to relieve pressure in my ear and now my tinnitus is much quieter.  Of course, I will have to see if it continues.  My tinnitus started differently that all of you.  Mine started with an episode of brain swelling due to water intoxication.  I'm thinking possibly the brain swelling created pressure in my ear and slowly this pressure is being relieved.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's how I'm thinking about it.  Either way, I know that people with brain swelling can experience tinnitus.

 

PD

Thats interesting PD. I didnt know you had water intoxication. Im glad youre doing better. 

 

Snowy

 

Thank you so much Snowy!  Yes, the water intoxication and tinnitus (along with anxiety and depression) was what started my benzo journey.  :'( I'm so glad that's all behind me now! 

PD 

Me too PD...Me too

 

   

[Guest [...]]

Perfect daughter,If you dont mind my asking,what is water intoxication?Did you have dizziness with that too?Thanks!

[[pe...]]

Thank you for asking 2200.  Here's a brief description about it:

 

How much water does it take to kill a person? To be honest, not all that much. Paracelsus, the 16th century scientist known largely for establishing the role of chemistry in medicine came up with the concept that everything can be poisonous, or not, depending on the dose. Although modern chemistry has since gravitated away from this belief, the saying still stands true in regards to the earth’s most essential element: water.

 

It takes about 6 liters of water to kill a 165-pound person, according to a YouTube video recently released by the American Chemistry Society. Surprisingly, death by water, or water intoxication as it’s officially known, happens quite a lot. It’s common among young people who challenge themselves to “water drinking contests,” or athletes who mistakingly over-hydrate while training, Scientific American reported.

 

Although water is essential to life, when a person drinks too much their blood becomes dangerously diluted of salts. According to Scientific American, this causes a condition called hyponatremia, and severe cases of hyponatremia lead to water intoxication. Some of the main symptoms of water intoxication are headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, and mental disorientation

 

When a person drinks too much water the kidneys cannot flush it out as well and this causes the excess water to enter the cells and cause them to swell. When the brain cells begin to swell the situation can turn lethal fast.

 

"Rapid and severe hyponatremia causes entry of water into brain cells leading to brain swelling, which manifests as seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, brain stem herniation, and death," M. Amin Arnaout, chief of nephrology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School told Scientific American.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/water-intoxication-just-how-much-h2o-does-it-take-kill-person-312958

 

 

In my case, which I'm sure is quite unusual, I was triggered to drink excessive amounts of water by the drug trazodone.  The trazodone made my mouth very dry and I kept drinking more and more water because I interpreted the dry mouth as needing more fluids.  The excess water I was drinking caused my sodium level to slowly decrease until it was at a very critical level.  My initial symptom was tinnitus, which at the time I blamed on the trazodone, so I didn't go to get it checked out.  On the day that it became critical, the noise in my head was so loud I told the doctor that it was like having a freight train in my head.  I was also very anxious and mentally disoriented, but I did not have any dizziness that I remember.  I started projectile vomiting.  My blood pressure was sky high.  And I had brain swelling caused by the very low sodium level.  My sodium level was only 109, with normal being between 135 and 145 milliequivalents per liter.  The doctor was unsure if I would make it through the night.  He told my family to start praying because I could die of a heart attack or a stroke with a sodium level that low.  I guess I still have a purpose on this earth because I survived.  I was in the ICU for 5 days while they very slowly brought my sodium level back to normal and monitored my progress.  Interestingly, if they bring your sodium level back up too fast it can cause a lot of neurological problems.  So this near-death experience was the beginning of my benzo journey.  I was very anxious in the ICU and they started me on Klonopin.

 

PD

[[Er...]]

This thread has been dead for too long.

 

Here's a link to a study on treating tinnitus with Melatonin and Sulodexide that may have promise.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808686/#!po=2.77778

 

GMOT:

 

This is very interesting, I need to check it out with my functional neurologist and maybe my naturopath.

 

Thanks and take care, meditating and sending you and the rest on this board quiet vibes. 

[Guest [...]]

Perfect daughter,Thankyou for telling us how this happened!What a scary thing to go through.Ive always thought it was stupid when the health experts would tell everyone to drink up to 10 glasses of water a day even if you werent thirsty.I think in general most people have a pretty good thirst radar,and know whats the right amount to drink to keep their body in balance,since everybodys different.I can see where having a dry mouth can make you want to drink water,because its usually a sign of being thirsty.Im so glad you made it through being so sick!

[[pe...]]

Perfect daughter,Thankyou for telling us how this happened!What a scary thing to go through.Ive always thought it was stupid when the health experts would tell everyone to drink up to 10 glasses of water a day even if you werent thirsty.I think in general most people have a pretty good thirst radar,and know whats the right amount to drink to keep their body in balance,since everybodys different.I can see where having a dry mouth can make you want to drink water,because its usually a sign of being thirsty.Im so glad you made it through being so sick!

 

Thank you so much 2200!    Yes, it was very scary at the time.  And I am much wiser about water and electrolytes now!  I agree, I think our thirst is our best gauge of the water we need.  I also think it's a good thing to add a little sea salt to our water if we are going to be sweating a lot or doing a lot of physical activity that requires us to drink a lot of water.  I usually take 1/4--1/2 teaspoon of good quality sea salt everyday now just to be on the safe side.

 

Back to tinnitus...it is just such a mystery how and why the low sodium and brain swelling caused it.  Did the swelling do something to my ears or did it injure something in my brain that caused it?  Or did the low sodium somehow cause it?  Tinnitus is so strange and it seems that doctors don't really understand it all that well.

 

PD 

[[Ba...]]

Last Friday I developed severe left ear pressure. It is bad most of the time. It is the beginning of my taper (made 4 .5mg cuts of V)

 

On Monday morning my throat started hurting.  I went to the Dr. and rapid strep test came out positive - was given Z-Pak as I am allergic to penicillin. My ear pain is still so extreme. so I'm assuming it is a withdrawal symptom.  Just a note, I started taper in tolerance withdrawal so I have no choice but to get off meds. 

 

I am one of the older BB's and I am having a difficult time with the fact that this ear pain will likely last the rest of my life.

 

Some input please.

 

[[...]]

My tinnitus gets worse or changes with each taper.  Has anyone experince this? And has anyone's tinnitus decreased after their taper? 

[[ge...]]

Mine decreased after I stopped tapering and reinstated, but it hasn't gone away.

[[Mu...]]

OK Tenacious Buddies, I could use a sanity check and some advice if anyone reading this can provide it.  Ear symptoms have always been the worst for me.  Left-ear, high-pitched tinnitus appeared first, soon followed by hyperacusis. Then came this occasional blocked/dead ear feeling with even more sound sensitivity and a sensation like my ear drum is a thin piece of sheet metal that might be used to make thunder sounds for a high school play.  This was accompanied by a feeling of dread/near-panic that took me months to overcome.

 

I completed my taper at the end of December.  After a few months, things seemed to start improving.  The hyperacusis seemed much improved and the "sensitive dead-ear" didn't seem to be happening at all.  The tone of the tinnitus also seemed to soften from its blaring high-pitched ring to something a bit less alarming.

 

Just over five months out, though, things started getting worse again.  All of my ear sxs were back, as bad as ever, maybe worse.  And now at seven months out, the tinnitus is blaring again and in addition to the high-pitched tinnitus, I now have this frequent low hum like the hum an amplifier makes when the volume is turned up too high.  When I move my head around, this sounds like the intermittent hum of a Star Wars light-saber.  And then there's this occasional horrible new feeling that some too-loud sound is assaulting me when there is no sound, save for the tinnitus.  All of this is literally starting to hurt my head as well as my ears.

 

This relapse coming months after completing my taper has got me wondering (yet again) if this really is benzo withdrawal at all, despite the string of docs and specialists who could find nothing wrong with me last year.  And I'm starting to feel panicky again -- which is a bottomless despair.

 

I have taken no other meds since December, save the occasional single Benedryl at bedtime.  But I should mention there is one stupid thing I did.  When I started feeling better, I began having an occasional beer or two.  Since that seemed to have no ill effect over some weeks, when I went on vacation, I drank freely, having 4 or 5 beers for like five days straight.  I felt fine during this time, maybe better than I had been feeling.  It was a few days after that vacation (after I had stopped drinking) that things seemed to start going south.  I haven't had a drink in 6 weeks now, but things seem to be getting worse instead of better.  The long delay makes me doubt that the alcohol had anything to do with the worsening sxs -- a thought that is really scary, since there is no other apparent cause.

 

Sorry for the very long message, but in case you can't tell, I am freaking out.  Any words of wisdom or "heard this befores"?

 

Many, many thanks . . .

 

[[Da...]]

I don't know but I can relate.

 

Tinnitus in my right ear.

Hyperacusis, muffled/blocked feeling in left ear.

The sound of my own voice seems to reverberate in my head.

When I hum, I can definitely feel some kind of block in my left that I definitely do not feel in my right.

 

Been checked out by two ENTs, an ear-specific doctor, hearing exam, CT and MRI are clear. I don't care what anyone or any test says- I FEEL some physical issue going on in my ear! And it's not "all in my head" like some callous doctors might say.

 

When I clap my hands loud, or drop some silverware- something high frequency, I can feel a DISTINCT whoosh or soft thud in my left ear only.

[[Co...]]

I'm 23 months out and still get ear piercing tinnitus. I got a shot of rocephin yesterday for an infection and it reved up everything especially the tinnitus. When will it ever end!

[[Mu...]]

Yeah, I was also to two different ENTs and a host of others including a Hearing Institute and a neurologist.  The neurologist was a really nice guy, but ultimately clueless.  He actually suggested trying clonazepam to treat the tinnitus.  I told him that from what I'd learned clonazepam should not be taken for more than 2-4 weeks (this was after I had finally read the Ashton Manual).  His reply: "Nah, I have patients that have been taking it for years."  He was the last specialist I went to. 

 

DanMan and Cool, hope things start quieting down for you soon.

[[Da...]]

Yeah, I was also to two different ENTs and a host of others including a Hearing Institute and a neurologist.  The neurologist was a really nice guy, but ultimately clueless.  He actually suggested trying clonazepam to treat the tinnitus.  I told him that from what I'd learned clonazepam should not be taken for more than 2-4 weeks (this was after I had finally read the Ashton Manual).  His reply: "Nah, I have patients that have been taking it for years."  He was the last specialist I went to. 

 

DanMan and Cool, hope things start quieting down for you soon.

 

Yeah, Benzos are a common prescription by ENTs for tinnitus patients. It doesn't take it away--just causes you to not care by lowering anxiety about the noise--until of course, as we know, it stops working.

 

Horrible that that kind of thinking is "accepted" and pervasive in the "treatment" of tinnitus. Ativan was the cause of my tinnitus.