Tinnitus

Anyone have some tips for dealing with tinnitus?  It sounds like a high speed drill is running right by my ears and it's been going on for a month now.  I can only distract myself for short periods and it's very difficult to do at night.  I keep telling myself it's going to end some day, as it did for tropicalsoul, but I need to be able to better cope with it until then. Thanks guys.

Anyone have some tips for dealing with tinnitus?  It sounds like a high speed drill is running right by my ears and it's been going on for a month now.  I can only distract myself for short periods and it's very difficult to do at night.  I keep telling myself it's going to end some day, as it did for tropicalsoul, but I need to be able to better cope with it until then. Thanks guys.

 

Sory to say beep, it came back.  It's off and on now.  Sometimes louder than others but one thing I have noticed it that stress turns it up loud.

Anyone have some tips for dealing with tinnitus?  It sounds like a high speed drill is running right by my ears and it's been going on for a month now.  I can only distract myself for short periods and it's very difficult to do at night.  I keep telling myself it's going to end some day, as it did for tropicalsoul, but I need to be able to better cope with it until then. Thanks guys.

 

I had tinnitus when I first started tapering off klon. I did it too fast. I had it for three days, until I took a step back in my taper, so I know how distressing it is.

I found that having background noises at all times helped a lot. A fan, or AC going at night, not sleeping on that side of my head.

 

Funny thing, if it hadn't been for my shortlived tinnitus, I wouldn't be here at BB! I did a search on it, and benzo buddies popped up!

Dave and Bobbers both pm'd me about it and eased my worried mind. Thanx guys.  

 

I found that having background noises at all times helped a lot. A fan, or AC going at night, not sleeping on that side of my head.

 

Yeah, I run a fan in the bedroom all night and the tv is on most of time on low volume.  Unfortunately, I have it in both ears.  Sorry to hear it came back, TS.  I guess if you get a break from it now and then it would be bearable.  IOW, I would settle for that right now.  My doc wants me to see an ENT which is scheduled this week.  I'm pretty sure he can't help but thought I'd get my hearing checked anyway. 

hi Beeper,

You know i've tinnitus for years, barely in the back round. But for the last 4 months it's been really loud in both ears. I never put that together with the pills because ,like I said I always have had it. It makes me crazy. Sometimes it gets a little quieter. It always gets worse if my neck is tight. I'm still looking for a miracle cure, so if you find one let me know.I do notice if I roll my head side to side and then up and down, I get this big pop and it stops. But then it comes back so I do wonder if it has something to do with alignment? Let me know if you figure it out. Kel

I've had the background thing for years, too, but this is a whole other level.  It was hear that I read it could be a w/d symptom.  If it is, then I know it will eventually fade.  Can't help but wonder if I'm paying for some rock concerts from my youth now, though. 

That's what I thought, in my former life I was a bartender and cocktails,always with a live band. Thought maybe it was getting louder with age and menopause. You know all the lovely things we never think about in our twenties that we pay for later. lol

I found this in a Salon.com article:

 

"Not everyone gets a bad vibe from all the noise. In remote regions of China, tinnitus is welcomed as a sign of wisdom. In parts of Turkey, it portends good luck. And, according to Jastreboff, certain religious sects in India feel that tinnitus is an intimate message from the very voice of God."

ok then, I'll just go with flow and maybe get something from it.

hi beeper caral here about your tinnitus i have had it since i was 21yrrs old im now 62 yrs saw an ent some yrs ago and found out i had a degree of deafness in my left ear it is distressing but as yet no cure vic has developed it this past couple of years and he has never had benzos but it is good your getting it checked out its not serious but a real bore when there is no let up perhaps yours will go away 

"Not everyone gets a bad vibe from all the noise. In remote regions of China, tinnitus is welcomed as a sign of wisdom. In parts of Turkey, it portends good luck. And, according to Jastreboff, certain religious sects in India feel that tinnitus is an intimate message from the very voice of God."

 

Well then,  I guess you should all be greatful for this wonderful gift.  You might have to move to China, Turkey or India though.....

 

Seriously though, I didn't get this one...thank god.....  But I couldn't have the TV on or anything when I was trying to fight through the insomnia.

Can you hear it in the shower, Beeper?  If you can't, that's good news: it's maskable.

 

What I did in the early days (it's going on four years since it started) was make MP3's using:

 

Tinnitus Masker Pro  <<  About $23 for the Standard program

 

Aire Freshener  << Free

 

Atmosphere Lite  << Free

 

Even if you don't make MP3's, you can leave the sounds you select running on your computer in the background.

 

I found audio books to be helpful when trying to sleep.  I never did get past the first few pages of Harry Potter. 

 

For support, I found Tinnitus Support Message Board to be the best. 

 

It does get better as time passes.  Your body stops perceiving it as a threat and it becomes an annoyance.  A big %^&*&%$# annoyance sometimes, but you will get used to it.

 

All the best,

 

Ed

 

 

Ed -

 

Thank you for the information and those great links.  I can hear it in the shower so maybe it isn't maskable.    Pooh.

 

I do listen to audio books when I go to bed and have been for a couple of years.  It was a way to quiet or distract my mind and now I do use it to try and steer my consciousness away from the annoying buzz/screech. I will definitely check out that support board.

 

Thanks again. 

Hi Beeper,

I've had mild tinnitus for a long time but until a couple of years ago only heard it when I was in a completely quiet place. Then, out of the blue, it bumped up to a level I hadn't experienced before. Went to an ENT who was completely worthless (didn't even tell me about the TWO tinnitus clinics within a 1 1/12 hr drive from my home), had a hearing test which revealed a slight hearing loss but not enough (IMO) to cause such a big jump. Anyway, on my own I found a tinnitus clinic where I was fitted with sound maskers that completely mask the ringing. During my taper it has been a little to a lot worse, then gets better again. I think part of the problem is that I'm more sensitive to sound right now so even the sound of the maskers is sometimes annoying. I also use a "sound machine" at night to help me sleep. It has several different soothing sounds; ocean, rainforest, etc.

Stress makes it worse and I believe was the cause of the big jump I had two years ago. I was also told by a tinnitus specialist that it can be a symptom of menopause 

From what I've read here and elsewhere it seems like if you're experiencing tinnitus as a w/d symptom it eventually goes away. I hope that's true for you.

For more info on tinnitus check out the American Tinnitus Association at www.ata.org. They are at the forefront of the latest research and always give the straight scoop.

 

Lynne

Wow, Lynne, thanks for telling me your t. story.  I didn't even know there was such a thing as a tinninus clinc and now will find out if there is a tinnitus clinic here. Yeah, I'm not expecting much from the ENT in the way of help, more to find out if my hearing loss is worse.  I have a sound machine with nature sounds and also a CD but those sounds just distract me from it for a few seconds at a time.  I have an audio book running right now because I can't have the tv on for background noise.

 

Do you still wear the maskers?  Can you hear okay with them in?  Hope the volume has been dialed back for you or will do soon.

I wear the maskers pretty much 24/7 right now, except when I'm in the shower as water can cause them a lot of damage. But I can't hear the ringing in the shower anyway so it's no big deal. I can hear just fine with them in.

You should be able to find the nearest tinnitus clinic through the ATA website. A clinic can help you determine whether or not maskers would be effective or even worth it for you to invest in. They're pretty spendy (thank goodness for plastic!) so if it's a temporary thing it may not be worth it. On the other hand your quality of life could really improve if they work for you.

When what I now refer to as my "tinnitus meltdown" first started I was given ativan in the ER after a severe panic attack. With the help of a great doctor I crossed over to paxil which quieted the tinnitus. Not recommending that as a treatment (too many unacceptable side effects), but it was interesting to me that it helped. Needless to say that the one really beneficial side effect of paxil went away after I went off.

 

Good luck and wishes for quieter days ahead!

 

Lynne

I too have tinnitus, although I had it pre-benzos in a very mild form. The last week or so it had gotten really bad. I discovered that cutting out as much salt* as possible made the tinnitus much quieter-- and the effects showed up within 24 hours.  Hormones, thyroid, salt and of course benzo tapering can all play a part in exacerbating tinnitus, at least for me.

 

If you're newly off benzos you may need to give it several months or so for it to calm down.

 

*I'm one of those people who would eat salt out of the shaker so I had a very high salt intake. I stopped that a few days ago and my tinnitus is much much quieter.

 

rufus

rufus, thanks for this info.  I was wondering why mine is so loud some days and bearable others.  I think it's probably the salt, I have it because of the benzos but I've noticed that something makes it worse and now I know. 

I too have tinnitus, although I had it pre-benzos in a very mild form. The last week or so it had gotten really bad. I discovered that cutting out as much salt* as possible made the tinnitus much quieter-- and the effects showed up within 24 hours.  Hormones, thyroid, salt and of course benzo tapering can all play a part in exacerbating tinnitus, at least for me.

rufus

 

Wow, if it could be that simple, I would definitely cut down on the salt.  Shoot, and I just bought some salted almonds.    Thanks, rufus.

Hi everyone I developed tinnitus a month after tapering valium and it varies from day to day in volume. It also is driving me bats I

noticed when I wash my hair under the shower it disappears quite noticeably for a little while though it does come back. I

think its benzo related something to do with the brain receptors hopefully it will heal.

 

Basil 

Well, the trip to the ENT doc was disappointing.  He was sure that the tinnitus was permanent and due to age-related loss of hearing in upper range.  I mentioned benzos, salt and melatonin and he knew of no relationship.  (He did mention that they recommend restricting salt for Meniere's patients, though.) No one in this city does the masking ear aids and I doubt I could afford them anyway.  I'm just supposed to get used to it.  I wonder how long that will take?  It isn't screaming loud today but it does keep drawing my attention to it.  I guess over time I can learn to not pay attention to it but can't quite imagine how yet. 

Ibuprofen is known to cause (or make it worse) tinnitus even without benzos, I had a dr. tell me that and then I tried it on my own and he was right.    And Ashton has said that it's related to wd so until you have been off for a longer period of time I would try to wait it out and see.  I developed it with tolerance and it was constant until a little while ago and now it's off and on.  Mostly on but I have hight hopes!

Thanks, TS.  I am holding out some hope for it to at least lessen in volume.  There wasn't any event a month ago that could have caused it - like Shatner on the Star Trek set - so I am hoping it's a residual effect from the benzo withdrawal. 

My guess is that if it fluctuates at all then there's hope for it to permanently lessen in volume. Until my thyroid went wacky mine was so light that I had to listen to hear it. It still fluctuates and I've been off benzos for 17 months.

 

One thing I noticed as well is although the tinnitus seemed to be the same volume, I found I was hearing more stuff through it as time went on, which told me the tinnitus was actually lessening. Perhaps that will happen for you as well.

 

I've read where menopause can also cause and/or increase tinnitus.

 

I've also read where listening to classical music can help "reset" the ear so the tinnitus isn't so loud. COuldn't hurt to try it.

 

rufus

Thanks.  I'll try the classical music.  I'll try just about anything.