Tenacious Tinnitus Club – Ear Pressure, Noise and Hyperacusis

[[ml...]]

Hi guys...

 

I thought I may ask a question, as I am unsure what tinnitus is, but I think it is affecting me now. I CT from Ativan 9 months ago and have been doing pretty well now. After a terrifying and horrific acute CT, things began to settle down at about 6 months.

Month 3-5, I had major head pressure headaches, plugged sinuses, ear pain and bad pressure for almost 4 months. All that finally began to drift away a couple months ago, with the occasional flare-up, but pretty mild in nature as of now.

 

The major pressure headaches started to subside a couple months ago. I get a mild one every now and then. But I have noticed in the last 3 weeks or so, this constant humming type sound inside my head. It kind of reminds me of the sound you hear when you put your ear to a seashell and add a slight higher pitch to it. White noise-ish, with a buzzy higher hum to it.

It's in the background and I hear other things, but can tell it sort of "dulls" my hearing. Like a blanket over your ears.

I don't notice it so much if I'm watching TV, listening to someone talk, or just distracted. Its so hard to describe. It seems to be constant, 24/7 and sometimes comes with light popping inside the ear and some mild pressure in the ears. It will also at times, get a ringing along with it, that will last for a few seconds, then the higher ring goes away, left with the still constant sound in the background. The left ear seems worse than the right.

 

I guess what I wanted to know, is does this sound like tinnitus and has anyone developed it 9 months in?

I am sure the CT set me up for a bit of a longer haul here and some issues that may take longer. I was clueless and just had no idea a taper was the way to go and by the time I figured out what the fresh hell I was in was caused from, I decided to keep going and never look back. I have healed in so many areas, the ear thing seems to linger on, but I don't recall having this "sound" inside my head before.

 

You know how it is, everything is so sensitive, its hard to know whats normal until this is all over.

 

I sure appreciate the help.

 

Thank you! 

magic

[[no...]]

Hi guys...

 

I thought I may ask a question, as I am unsure what tinnitus is, but I think it is affecting me now. I CT from Ativan 9 months ago and have been doing pretty well now. After a terrifying and horrific acute CT, things began to settle down at about 6 months.

Month 3-5, I had major head pressure headaches, plugged sinuses, ear pain and bad pressure for almost 4 months. All that finally began to drift away a couple months ago, with the occasional flare-up, but pretty mild in nature as of now.

 

The major pressure headaches started to subside a couple months ago. I get a mild one every now and then. But I have noticed in the last 3 weeks or so, this constant humming type sound inside my head. It kind of reminds me of the sound you hear when you put your ear to a seashell and add a slight higher pitch to it. White noise-ish, with a buzzy higher hum to it.

It's in the background and I hear other things, but can tell it sort of "dulls" my hearing. Like a blanket over your ears.

I don't notice it so much if I'm watching TV, listening to someone talk, or just distracted. Its so hard to describe. It seems to be constant, 24/7 and sometimes comes with light popping inside the ear and some mild pressure in the ears. It will also at times, get a ringing along with it, that will last for a few seconds, then the higher ring goes away, left with the still constant sound in the background. The left ear seems worse than the right.

 

I guess what I wanted to know, is does this sound like tinnitus and has anyone developed it 9 months in?

I am sure the CT set me up for a bit of a longer haul here and some issues that may take longer. I was clueless and just had no idea a taper was the way to go and by the time I figured out what the fresh hell I was in was caused from, I decided to keep going and never look back. I have healed in so many areas, the ear thing seems to linger on, but I don't recall having this "sound" inside my head before.

 

You know how it is, everything is so sensitive, its hard to know whats normal until this is all over.

 

I sure appreciate the help.

 

Thank you! 

magic

 

 

Hi Magic  The above white noise, pitch and tone changes  etc your describing is Tinnitus, my description and others would probably  be a close match or a match for yours.

 

Love Nova xxx  :smitten:

[[no...]]

After experimenting today I've realised that my right ear can hear treble based sounds louder than bass and the left ear the other way round. I did notice this previously when I was able to wear headphones to listen to  guided meditation, but assumed it was actually just the headphones not my ears as well. This also explains why out of the gang of different ear plugs I have stacked up why one ear feels a bit better and the other still exposed wearing two of a matching pair , and by accident wrongly putting two odd ones in worked better except I can't remember which one did what in which ear. 

 

And also ear plugs work on the bass or treble by the pair so that why pairs keep appearing to be faulty as well, and the other problem is this no ear plug cancels out the air travelling sound and the ear bones vibrating sound at the same time as well. That's  why its hard trying to mask the hyperacusis as well as deal with the other hearing problems I have.  And I can't wear the noise cancelling ear defenders I've bought as even the pressure from my reading glasses is painful and ear plugs effect the head pressure and brain squeezes it as well. 

 

 

Love Nova xxx  :smitten:

[[ca...]]

Hi all, my TT started before my taper =Torance Withdrawl or maybe not? Since taper lots worse but my question is i find if i can get a nap in when i awake it ripping nasty loud anyone else find this to be so? ~Thanks ~CD

 

More tinnitus on waking is normal as your brain gets flooded with extra glutamate as a natural part of the waking process. The first thing I grab is my iphone and turn my ear buds to loud and listen to some music first thing, it helps those first nasty 10 minutes first thing in the morning.    If you really want to see how this works have your partner wake you up one morning yelling FIRE - FIRE!!!  That really makes for loud tinnitus 

Bird, thanks and i notice when running my Chainsaws i can`t here my TT LOL ! But figured the TT bit on waking was a brain reaction  ~CD

[[Bi...]]

I saw your post on the tensor tympani a while ago...Found it very interesting. Along with a lot of your other theories and thoughts on other topics over the years (somehow I always come across them through my searching, great minds I guess) You have a great way of thinking, even if some of your research didn't end in a result that solved the problem, they were very well thought out, especially the ones on adjunct meds and supplements. The one on oxytocin was brilliant. It just seems benzo wd can outsmart even the strongest of intellects. 

 

Benzo's sure out smarted me   In the end I had to suffer just like everyone else here. 

[[ml...]]

Thank you Nova for the reply...Its so weird and frustrating. I will just wait it out, like all the other crazy roller-coaster sx!

12 months Feb 1st, I'm hangin' tough!

 

magic

[[no...]]

Still having really loud hallucinations at sleep, the white noise ones of laughing or music have stopped, for now. Hyperacusis is really bad in terms of external sound, although I can hear my internal sound (cracking and stuff) Tinnitus is VERY loud....Super high pitched, more dominant in left ear, and pulses and switches tones a lot making me really dizzy. Also, lots of pressure in left ear and tension, believe it or not, fluid leaking, popping, ripping, periods of going semi deaf with a low hum tone and burning. My left ear is definitely more affected, right is just a light shrill ringing.

 

 

Mike,  the cracking , I get that as well really bad with the earplugs in, do you get it with or without ear plugs? I actually had it start without when I was in unknown tolerance WD,  and thought I had Arthritis really bad in my neck forming as it was worse when I moved my head. Then I found out about Crepitus, a medical term to describe the grating, crackling or popping sounds and sensations experienced under the skin and joints or a crackling sensation due to the presence of air in the subcutaneous tissue.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepitus

 

Then figured out mine was caused by air or gasses that shouldn't be where they were, or so I thought, but now I know exactly what it is, its the hairs in the ears we can hear where our conduction of sound is in disarray, or our brains ability to discern sound properly. I noticed that when I put earplugs in it dampened external sounds which unfortunately they don't help with much any more as my overall ear problems have worsened that what I first thought was crepitus kicked off each time. 

 

But after a while realised it was at the point the earplugs were expanding after I compressed them to put them in it got way worse and continued when moving my head from side to side. It does actually feel as if its coming from my neck, top of the spine crunching, which I can hear due to distortion of sounds by my impaired brain in my body I normally wouldn't notice. 

 

Plus the hairs being heard as well on movement, I can also hear my muscles like a bomb exploding in my head when I move , all sorts going on in my body and my startle response is shot to shit as well as pain, ear ache, generally well  mashed up in the ear department. Talk about from your head down to your feet? then the in-between bits as well, 

 

Love Nova xxx  :smitten:

 

 

[[no...]]

  Helpful Ear Gear For Hyperacusis Patients    http://www.hyperacusis.net/hyperacusis/helpful+products/default.asp

[[Bi...]]

I need to post this.  If anyone can relate to my experience I would appreciate comments.

 

I have no tinnitus today.  I took a drug that works wonders and I just wish I would heal without any more drugs but its not in the cards for me yet.  It's wonderful to have a tinnitus free day even for one day so I'd thought I'd share this and then again it may only work in my case as that's the way these things go sometimes.

 

This is the ONLY thing that has ever worked for me to get rid of my last  w/d s/x, tinnitus!

 

BTW, This is what everyday of my life feels like with benzo induced tinnitus 

  I know many of my friends on this thread can relate to the daily torment of tinnitus.

 

I have experimented with a lot of drugs but only one works (if only for a few days so it's not a cure)  It is wonderful to have a silent day once in a while, gives me hope.

 

Here's what I do. I take 5 to 7.5 mg of percocet at about 5:00 AM in the morning (taking a larger dose works worse and creates insomnia)  Timing seems to be very critical as I MUST wake up while still under the mild effects of the drug.  Also it works better if I stay up all night watching movies and go to bed at 5:00AM and take the percocet then.  I go into this super ultra deep sleep and wake up tinnitus free at around 9:00AM and it lasts all day!  I can do this for a few days and then I hit tolerance and need to up dose and that's a dead end so I only do it twice a week now.  This gives me a nice break from my tinnitus hell and its the only drug that works out of the hundreds I tested. Dosing it in this weird late night ritual when I am dead sleepy gives a profound effect virtually wiping out the tinnitus for 18 hours!

 

Has anyone experienced this phenomenon with this drug and taking it in this late night way?

 

If it works for other people we need a smart researcher to figure out what's going on. (Any big pharma folks reading this want to make a million bucks? Work on this one!)  I get the feeling blocking mu and delta on waking blocks glutamate or cortisol for the whole day since I am sleepy and sedated all day long and not just because I stayed up late either, this is a very different feeling like a long sleepy mellow hang over (I am training my body how to feel better? How to be better? Maybe, it crossed my mind a few times)

 

It's not my intention to promote drugs and percocet is very addictive so be warned.  I have never had a problem taking this tiny dose twice a week.  I just think it's an interesting  phenomenon that should be remembered long after I have healed, someday soon I hope.

 

 

 

 

[[sn...]]

I'm happy to hear this Birdie. You are so methodical. If there is something to be discovered, You are first in line. Genius, to say the least. 

 

Snowy 

[[Bi...]]

I'm happy to hear this Birdie. You are so methodical. If there is something to be discovered, You are first in line. Genius, to say the least. 

 

Snowy 

 

Hi Snowy.  I'm not sure if I'm smart or stupid sometimes for messing around with more drugs   I am definitely impatient and want to feel better right now    This process is just too long, benzo recovery is ridiculous.  Hope is in short supply and having an occasional good day is a great way to keep hope alive.  I quit my antidepressant last month and I am feeling so melancholy.  It did help me get past the worst times but I am glad to be rid of it.

 

Keep on healing snowy 

[[sn...]]

I'm happy to hear this Birdie. You are so methodical. If there is something to be discovered, You are first in line. Genius, to say the least. 

 

Snowy 

 

Hi Snowy.  I'm not sure if I'm smart or stupid sometimes for messing around with more drugs   I am definitely impatient and want to feel better right now    This process is just too long, benzo recovery is ridiculous.  Hope is in short supply and having an occasional good day is a great way to keep hope alive.  I quit my antidepressant last month and I am feeling so melancholy.  It did help me get past the worst times but I am glad to be rid of it.

 

Keep on healing snowy 

Smart for sure. Drugs? Left to be decided. Benzo healing ridiculous? Definitely. Hope=Good Melancholy? Was it a dopamine agonist perhaps Welbutrin, etc?

 

Feel better my friend...Feel better.

 

Snowy

[[no...]]

Yes to the pain. Oh yes. Sometimes I have all I can do to talk myself out of going to the ER. Four doctors have  already looked in my ears and told me there is no infection going on. No redness. I do not have a temp. I am fine. I just have to get a grip on myself. So there's pain . . . take a Tylenol, I tell myself. Aaaargh. Some days are worse than others. Mostly I try to ignore it . .  or tell myself the pain will probably be gone tomorrow. It usually is.  Or the next day. But it always comes baaaaaack, whine. Usually in my left ear.

 

Not fun.

 

Okatz

 

Hi Linder and Katz,  That is good to know, I do not feel so bad now.  How can this create ear pain?  That's crazy.  One of the moderators said that the little hires are actually vibrating real fast from the glutamate overload.

Bird, I know you love to research so here's the info.  "Organ of corti", tinnitus <~~~ google search terms. 

 

The Organ of Corti is located throughout the cochlea.

 

Cool   Thanks Juliea

Cool video!  As you can see the cochlea's organ of Corti is somewhat like a piano key board if we were able to uncoil it and stretch it out.  When sound first enters the cochlea, the Organ of Corti hair cells that interpret high pitched sounds are hit with the vibrations first.  The high pitched vibrations stop right there.  Those hair cells get worn out over time, because they get hit with vibrations more often than the hair cells deeper inside the cochlea. The low pitched sounds have to travel all the way to the very inside of the snail shaped cochlea to get interpreted before the brain can make sense of the sound.  But all of these lower pitched sounds also do a sort of 'crushing pass by' of the hair cells that interpret high frequency vibrations. 

 

Due to the organ of Corti's high pitch-interpreting hair cells getting hit with vibrations more often than the low pitch interpreting one's, this is one of the reasons I believe we who are going through benzo withdrawal get hit with a high pitch tinnitus.  These cells/hairs are already weaker than the low pitch one's due to how the cochlea is arranged.  If the low pitch interpreting hair cells were at the entrance to the cochlea, our tinnitus would be very low pitched.  But this isn't the case and it isn't the way the anatomy of the cochlea is arranged.

 

 

 

In benzo withdrawal,  no external sound is needed to cause the high pitch interpreting hair cells to start vibrating on their own.  They are vibrating because they are reacting to something.  Is this excess or unbridled glutamate?  Very possibly.  Is this just because they are over sensitized due to the effects of the Benzo?  That too.   

 

But the reason our tinnitus is high pitched certainly has to do with the location of the high frequency interpreting cells within the cochlea's organ of Corti.  Of that I have little doubt.  We're hearing something all right.  Our brain is sensing/hearing all of those danged high frequency hair cells vibrating.

 

It's very likely that all of this excess hair cell vibrating will eventually calm down.  But we're dealing with microscopic parts of the body.  We are also dealing with the overtaxed hair cells to begin with.  These cells do not recover in the case of chronic hearing loss and our high frequency hearing due to the location of the high pitch interpreting cells, is the first to go, with age.  Tinnitus can be a sticky symptom. 

 

 

Reading about the above statement about  Tinnitus  being  high pitched Tinnitus, mine isn't just high pitched. The high pitch sounds like a dentist drill, and I also got a low throbbing vibrating thud like a wagon revving as well, and a factory with all it machinery working at once, has anyone else got anything like this going on? 

 

I also have ear pain, and the tympanic membrane in my ears is painful as well especially the right side, I went to the Docs with it before I knew I was in tolerance WD . It hurt terribly if water went in my right ear showering or swimming, and its painful when I put ear plugs in as well as it feels like the plug is hitting the membrane, and both ears drums vibrate like hell feeling like their being tazered and burning. And the noise feels like its assaulting my brain and ears at the same time and travelling around my body  :D I got some hell sxs going on physically and mentally but the Hyperacusis and tinnitus is compounding everything and its bought me to a standstill. Its agony on top of agony and fkn hell :'(

 

 

Love Nova xxx  :smitten:

 

 

 

[[Bi...]]

Can Silence Actually Drive You Crazy?

 

YES and lack of sound gave many normal people a case of high anxiety.

 

Just 45 minutes in a SILENCE BOX drove people so nuts and they had to urgently leave!

 

Interesting how sound perception and anxiety go hand in hand. Hum?

 

[[Do...]]

I have the high pitched sound which became very Loud yesterday. I use ear plugs, nature sounds and calm radio. I'm hoping it goes away eventually but assume it will fluctuate like all things in benzo withdrawal, and thereafter.

 

Not letting it be a big issue. I keep busy and relax when I can.

[[sn...]]

Can Silence Actually Drive You Crazy?

 

YES and lack of sound gave many normal people a case of high anxiety.

 

Just 45 minutes in a SILENCE BOX drove people so nuts and they had to urgently leave!

 

Interesting how sound perception and anxiety go hand in hand. Hum?

 

Cool video Bird. 

[[Bi...]]

Can Silence Actually Drive You Crazy?

 

YES and lack of sound gave many normal people a case of high anxiety.

 

Just 45 minutes in a SILENCE BOX drove people so nuts and they had to urgently leave!

 

Interesting how sound perception and anxiety go hand in hand. Hum?

 

Cool video Bird. 

 

  thanks snowy 

[[ca...]]

If ya don`t mind i need to jump on this thread as my TT has gotten worse the last week starting to get worried ! Thanks ~CD

[[Bi...]]

Sometimes healing is so slow we never feel any progress until we do some comparisons.

 

I went from white noise maskers to hearing aids about 7 months ago.  When I used the white noise maskers I always had them on Max power (10) or level 9 to cover my tinnitus.  I tried them on just for the heck of it and they only require sound level number 2 or 3 now to cover up my tinnitus

 

I figure one more year to heal 100%  (I said that last year :'()  Hard to believe I will have to wait 4 years for full healing.  It's a long journey for some of us.

 

What I hate about the tinnitus is it makes me feel nervous so maybe it's really the anxiety that bugs me the most.  If I can't hear the tinnitus I feel 100% normal.  For the next year I will hang out in my artificial sound environment and keep hoping

 

 

[[ca...]]

I'm happy to hear this Birdie. You are so methodical. If there is something to be discovered, You are first in line. Genius, to say the least. 

 

Snowy 

Snowy, i never knew you dealt with TT ugg! If not for my sizzling in my ear going on things sure would be alot better ~CD

[[sn...]]

Sometimes healing is so slow we never feel any progress until we do some comparisons.

 

I went from white noise maskers to hearing aids about 7 months ago.  When I used the white noise maskers I always had them on Max power (10) or level 9 to cover my tinnitus.  I tried them on just for the heck of it and they only require sound level number 2 or 3 now to cover up my tinnitus

 

I figure one more year to heal 100%  (I said that last year :'()  Hard to believe I will have to wait 4 years for full healing.  It's a long journey for some of us.

 

What I hate about the tinnitus is it makes me feel nervous so maybe it's really the anxiety that bugs me the most.  If I can't hear the tinnitus I feel 100% normal.  For the next year I will hang out in my artificial sound environment and keep hoping

 

Yes Birdie, You're a Veteran.  Have ya been to any sand fests lately?  Oh and I was watching this one video and saw this pretty blond lady, dressed fashionable with big rimmed sunglasses on and a big friendly smile.  Classy looking lady. hmmmmm 

 

Feel better soon Birdie.

 

Snowy 

[[sn...]]

I'm happy to hear this Birdie. You are so methodical. If there is something to be discovered, You are first in line. Genius, to say the least. 

 

Snowy 

Snowy, i never knew you dealt with TT ugg! If not for my sizzling in my ear going on things sure would be alot better ~CD

 

Hiya there CD.  Yes, It sounded like I just got out of a very loud rock concert non-stop. I must say I was lucky that it didn't get as bad as others describe. I hope yer ears heal soon CD...and that goes fer you too Birdie...and everyone else here. 

 

Snowy

[[Bi...]]

Sometimes healing is so slow we never feel any progress until we do some comparisons.

 

I went from white noise maskers to hearing aids about 7 months ago.  When I used the white noise maskers I always had them on Max power (10) or level 9 to cover my tinnitus.  I tried them on just for the heck of it and they only require sound level number 2 or 3 now to cover up my tinnitus

 

I figure one more year to heal 100%  (I said that last year :'()  Hard to believe I will have to wait 4 years for full healing.  It's a long journey for some of us.

 

What I hate about the tinnitus is it makes me feel nervous so maybe it's really the anxiety that bugs me the most.  If I can't hear the tinnitus I feel 100% normal.  For the next year I will hang out in my artificial sound environment and keep hoping

 

Yes Birdie, You're a Veteran.  Have ya been to any sand fests lately?  Oh and I was watching this one video and saw this pretty blond lady, dressed fashionable with big rimmed sunglasses on and a big friendly smile.  Classy looking lady. hmmmmm 

 

Feel better soon Birdie.

Snowy 

 

Thanks Snony,  You too!

[[Bi...]]

I have read so much about how Alcohol is so similar to benzo W/D  and how alocohol and benzo's hit the same receptors.

 

So I looked up Alcohol withdrawal and tinnitus and hit Pay-dirt!

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=does+alcohol+withdrawal+cause+tinnitus&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

 

Turns out tinnitus is a very common S/X for X drinkers.  Very interesting.  Every report says it fades in a few years in the worst cases.

 

I wonder if Benzo gabaA down-regulation is worse than Alcohol gabaA downregulation.  I drank heavy for 20 years and I could walk away from a drink for months at a time OR did I?  Seems I was always drinking or finding a reason to party and I only quit around the time I started benzo's since the doctor warned me NOT to mix them so I quit drinking during the "BENZO YEARS"  Very interesting.  Maybe 5 years of benzo's just delayed my alcohol withdrawal?

 

So alcohol withdrawal cause tinnitus,  interesting.    I sure had bad tinnitus during hangovers but it faded so fast.

Can anyone confirm that alcohol withdrawal cause long term tinnitus? 

[[Wo...]]

I can't confirm, but I started to get tinnitus before I ever touched a benzo, and I was drinking too much. While I was on Klonopin the tinnitus was gone, and came back big time since jumping. So I think they are closely related.