Recent content by Ksharky13

This is my worst fear. I have rather mild tinnitus (possibly from my original vaccine booster back in 2021) and have lived in constant fear of having something, like a COVID-19 infection or some medication like an SSRI, make it much worse. Posts like this amp up my anxiety. It’s to the extent...

I also want to mention that I have been trying not to over-protect my ears/hearing. I still protect in typical loud scenarios, like using lawn equipment. However, I went to a restaurant in an old Victorian house last week. Not too big, maybe 15-18 tables. It was pretty full on Saturday night...

HI all. Well, I have reached a point where my chronic anxiety & panic disorder have gotten to the level that I’m convinced I have no other choice but to try an SSRI to deal with it. I had been on one for about 25 years and stopped in 2022 (which I believe opened the floodgates to where I am...

How is Susan Shore not the keynote speaker this year? I am losing what little hope I have left that her device will actually be approved and, even if it is, will not be as successful as we have been led to believe.

I have moderate tinnitus (which progressed from mild to moderate over the last 1.5 years for no apparent reason). I also have an extreme anxiety disorder and have been trying to treat it with just therapy and related tools. However, it’s not working at all. My anxiety keeps getting worse and is...

Thanks for the response. I have to believe that the double protection I’m using is more than sufficient to avoid any potential hearing damage. It’s easy when you have tinnitus to think that noise levels that are normally safe all of a sudden become dangerous “just because.”

I bought 3M Pro-grade earmuffs today with 30 dB NRR. I mowed my lawn (riding mower) with those earmuffs and foam earplugs. It took about 40 minutes. It did not sound or feel too loud with respect to being dangerous. I could hear my tinnitus while mowing (probably because of the double...

Would wearing foam earplugs (NRR of 29), along with Rifleman (for gun range) over-the-ear headphones, be sufficient protection for mowing the lawn with a riding mower? It takes about 40 minutes in total. The Rifleman headphones seem to block out more noise than the John Deere ones I got when I...

Thanks. Yes, I am certainly aware that tinnitus from SSRIs is reported as being “rare,” but even a very slim chance is too much for me to risk with my current mental state. Of course, I’ve found a handful of reports from people on here who had been on an SSRI (including Sertraline), had been...

Unfortunately, I am in the group of people who have gone down that rabbit hole and doom-scrolled my way into being petrified of trying anything that could help either my tinnitus or severe anxiety. I was on Sertraline for over two decades with no issues; I have been off it for two years and now...

Thanks for the response. Yes, the ENT pretty much based his diagnosis based on minimal tests and long conversations. As you know, they can’t really see inside the middle ear without some kind of invasive procedure. But he did, at least, seem pretty knowledgeable about MEM & TTTS. It seems a lot...

Mirtazapine is a tetracyclic antidepressant that I have also researched a lot and have considered for my anxiety disorder. It is reportedly very safe for tinnitus, which is why I would even consider it. I am so afraid of taking anything that could make my tinnitus worse. It can cause weight gain...

Update on my situation: I had my ENT appointment last week. He basically confirmed what I already thought, unfortunately. However, he said it is highly likely to be stapedial MEM and not TTTS, based on my description of my symptoms and his experience. Actually, this seems like worse news since...

I’m afraid you read my post incorrectly. I had mild tinnitus when I got off of the SSRI. It did not get worse for several months after, and continues to do so. I don’t believe it had anything to do with coming off the SSRI. In fact, I don’t recall any major withdrawal symptoms from getting off...

I totally agree. When I first went on an SSRI over two decades ago, I had no tinnitus and didn’t remember any initial side effects. I tolerated it perfectly for a long time. I got off it in the summer of ‘22. I had mild tinnitus then, and it’s moderate now. I have been going through a serious...