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  1. carolinet617

    Why Do Our Ears Crackle When Swallowing?

    I don't know what caused this but I remember one day when I was about 10 years old, I swallowed and heard my ears crackle. I'm now 32 and it has not stopped. I hear it every single time I swallow and can even kind of make it happen if I wiggle my ears. I didn't get tinnitus until a year ago so...
  2. carolinet617

    I Truly Think There Is Nothing That Makes Less Sense Than Tinnitus

    I don't know if people have brought this up elsewhere, but what I'm worried about is that I won't be able to afford treatment even if it is available. Even Lenire right now; I'm so happy and excited for everyone getting to try it but even if I lived in Ireland I couldn't afford the device. Due...
  3. carolinet617

    Experiences with Lamictal / Lamotrigine? Can It Make Tinnitus Worse?

    I wish I could be more helpful but my case is a little confusing because I've been on I think 21 psychiatric medications over the past 15 years and most of them have not helped me at all (this isn't typical, I've been diagnosed "treatment resistant"). I was on Lamictal for almost 10 years I...
  4. carolinet617

    Experiences with Lamictal / Lamotrigine? Can It Make Tinnitus Worse?

    Lamictal had no effect on my tinnitus whatsoever. I hope you feel better soon, no matter what you decide!
  5. carolinet617

    Experiences with Lamictal / Lamotrigine? Can It Make Tinnitus Worse?

    It's been all over the news in the US, vaping has been banned pretty much everywhere. There have been several deaths. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html
  6. carolinet617

    Wellbutrin (Bupropion) Experiences? — 3% Risk of Causing Tinnitus

    Sorry to hear that! Yeah, exactly...I try not to beat myself up about it but boy, I'd do anything to rewind a year. Then again, even if I noticed that it listed a 3% chance of tinnitus I probably would have thought "well that's not likely" and also not understood how truly debilitating tinnitus...
  7. carolinet617

    Wellbutrin (Bupropion) Experiences? — 3% Risk of Causing Tinnitus

    Hi there, I'm really sorry you're going through this. I've had major depression for 20 years and my tinnitus started almost a year ago to the day after starting Wellbutrin. I discontinued it in March and although the ENT said it would fade eventually, I still have it today. I wish I had better...
  8. carolinet617

    This is why you'll never see me post a "success story" (though I love reading them). Seems like...

    This is why you'll never see me post a "success story" (though I love reading them). Seems like mine can come and go whenever it pleases. My fault for getting my hopes up and trusting my ENT who other than saying "you have TMJ" and taking my money pretty much shoved me out the door.
  9. carolinet617

    After a couple weeks of quiet, T has returned after wearing my specially made $1,000 TMJ splint...

    After a couple weeks of quiet, T has returned after wearing my specially made $1,000 TMJ splint. Learned my lesson about posting successes
  10. carolinet617

    Finally some good news--seem to be having success with Nortriptyline. Fingers crossed it lasts.

    Finally some good news--seem to be having success with Nortriptyline. Fingers crossed it lasts.
  11. carolinet617

    Started Nortriptyline and Now My Tinnitus Is Spiking — Should I Stop or Could It Pass?

    Just checking in again in case anyone is following--it hasn't been long enough for me to consider myself a "success story" but after a rocky road slowly getting up to 100mg of Nortriptyline, I am experiencing mostly silence most days. Only other change I've made is 1950mg of Turmeric a day, but...
  12. carolinet617

    Q: Why Do Some Members Who Said Their Tinnitus Went Away Not Post Success Stories?

    I think these are all good answers. My tinnitus changes very frequently. I can go from having just a low tolerable tone in the morning that I barely notice to a severe screeching hiss that makes me feel suicidal by the end of the day. Normally though I'll have maybe one mild week and then...
  13. carolinet617

    I Can Hear Things That Many Cannot in Spite of My Tinnitus

    Interesting! My therapist (who isn’t an expert on this or anything, but I thought this was an interesting theory) thinks that since I’m now hearing a noise that my brain used to tune out, it’s now also not tuning out all kinds of other noises I previously never noticed. Like with the lights...
  14. carolinet617

    I Can Hear Things That Many Cannot in Spite of My Tinnitus

    Yep, same here! Sometimes I panic thinking I have a new tone, then just turn my head and it's gone.
  15. carolinet617

    I Can Hear Things That Many Cannot in Spite of My Tinnitus

    Yes, it’s interesting! I think some people definitely have triggers but it seems like some don’t as well. It seems that some people have a fairly consistent noise and tone all the time that doesn’t change much but for others it varies due to all kinds of factors. Some people are triggered by...
  16. carolinet617

    I Can Hear Things That Many Cannot in Spite of My Tinnitus

    Ugh, same. For me it’s lights. I’ve started eating meals in almost darkness because I can hear the overhead lights in the kitchen and it triggers my tinnitus because of how high pitched the buzz is.
  17. carolinet617

    Suicidal

    I don’t know your whole history but when I first got tinnitus I was having intermittent severe pain and pressure in both ears. The ENT did nothing. Luckily my primary care doctor thought to look up my nose and noticed my sinuses were quite blocked and so for the past few months I’ve been using...
  18. carolinet617

    What Is the Loudest Thing You've Ever Heard in Your Life?

    Being inside my house as it was struck by lightning when I was 7 :wideyed:
  19. carolinet617

    Started Nortriptyline and Now My Tinnitus Is Spiking — Should I Stop or Could It Pass?

    Just in case anyone is following--after a few days the spike went away, so looks like either it was a coincidence, or just a temporary side effect. In fact, the past few days my tinnitus has been noticeably quieter so I'm gonna stick with it for now as this is a pretty promising change (I have...
  20. carolinet617

    Turmeric with Curcumin Seems to Be Helping

    I've long thought inflammation is responsible for a lot of my issues from depression to IBS to now tinnitus. I had my doctor run a c-reactive protein test and indeed it showed very high levels of inflammation (though unfortunately it doesn't point to where in the body it is). My theory is it's...
  21. carolinet617

    Turmeric with Curcumin Seems to Be Helping

    Ok, so here's my 2-week check-in of 1950mg a day. I will preface this by saying I made a big mistake in starting 2 new treatments at once which is making is near impossible to figure out which is helping (or if the combo of the two are). Basically, my tinnitus has been significantly lower. The...
  22. carolinet617

    Tensing My Jaw Makes a Crunching Sound, Pushing My Lower Jaw Out Increases My Tinnitus

    Hi there--my ENT diagnosed me with TMJ and I just went to get a splint made (they said it would help align my jaw properly and protect my teeth from the grinding). Was yours a night guard or a splint? My dentist implied that wearing the splint could help the tinnitus or at least the...
  23. carolinet617

    So I'm extra-sensitive to electronics now. I can hear the lightbulbs in my kitchen buzz which...

    So I'm extra-sensitive to electronics now. I can hear the lightbulbs in my kitchen buzz which spikes my T. Dinner by candlelight I guess :X
  24. carolinet617

    What's Better? Staying Home on Sickness or Work a Job with a Bit of Noise?

    My take is going to be a little different because I had to stop working due to severe panic disorder 2 years BEFORE my tinnitus started. I thought that after being at home in a comfortable environment with less responsibility (while also getting treated by therapists and a psychiatrist) I would...
  25. carolinet617

    Poll: Does Nortriptyline Increase/Decrease Your Tinnitus?

    Ah, gotcha. I'm seeing my doctor in a few days and will get her input but I'll probably stop as well. I just can't risk it staying like this permanently. I also use a sound machine at night, there's no way I'd get any sleep without it! Thanks! :)
  26. carolinet617

    Started Nortriptyline and Now My Tinnitus Is Spiking — Should I Stop or Could It Pass?

    Hi there, I know there are a few posts about Nortriptyline on the forum but I couldn't find exactly what I'm looking for so was wondering if anyone has any input. I've had severe depression/suicidality for 20 years, long before I ever got tinnitus. I was put on 25mg for a week, then increased...
  27. carolinet617

    Poll: Does Nortriptyline Increase/Decrease Your Tinnitus?

    Hey there! I know this is an old post, but I was wondering if after the nasty withdrawal your T went back down to its "normal" level. Mine has been haywire on Nortriptyline for 2 weeks, changing sound/volume/switching from ear to ear and I'm wondering if I should stop it now to prevent permanent...
  28. carolinet617

    Why Is There No Cure for Tinnitus?

    Wow. And the first line of the first paragraph is "Tinnitus is a common condition..." Unbelievable :banghead:
  29. carolinet617

    Turmeric with Curcumin Seems to Be Helping

    I've noticed the exact same thing! I've had daily anxiety for years and it's noticeably been less since I started the curcumin. Like you, I can't be sure yet, but it's an interesting theory for sure.
  30. carolinet617

    Turmeric with Curcumin Seems to Be Helping

    Quick update from me--I've been taking it with meals and woke up today in the closest I've had to silence in months. Now, it's only been 2 days so I'm by no means calling it a success yet, but promising at least. I did sleep very well last night and my tinnitus is very reactive to stress/lack of...
  31. carolinet617

    Turmeric with Curcumin Seems to Be Helping

    I've been so scared to try something new but at this point I'm so fed up with the T I'm willing to go ahead and give this a try. Not much left to lose! I just took my first pill of the curcumin linked below and will check in here and see if anything changes. For brief background I originally...
  32. carolinet617

    Officially diagnosed with TMJ today. Not thrilled but at least I have another avenue to explore now

    Officially diagnosed with TMJ today. Not thrilled but at least I have another avenue to explore now
  33. carolinet617

    6 Months In and Struggling with Depression/Anxiety

    @just1morething @Extreme @Forsberg Just an update--thank you to everyone who suggested I look into TMJ. Despite no real jaw pain or anything, I was diagnosed with it by my ENT today. I know that doesn't mean the end of my problems but it at least gives me a new avenue to go down--my dentist had...
  34. carolinet617

    Anybody Get Tinnitus Spikes from Yoga?

    Gotcha, yeah my body is going haywire at the moment as I'm still in withdrawal from one medication and withdrawing from another. I'm gonna rest for a bit until things even out and then definitely start back up with it. I think it could definitely help with the emotional side of things but I also...
  35. carolinet617

    Anybody Get Tinnitus Spikes from Yoga?

    I'm not too familiar with the styles but it's a 90 day online subscription type thing and varies each day. It's mostly gentle yoga with very light vinyasa so no inversions or anything like that. Mostly just learning the basic asana and breathing. Very much a beginner program.
  36. carolinet617

    Anybody Get Tinnitus Spikes from Yoga?

    Yes, it really is so complicated! The whole dizziness issue started for me last December when I fainted on an airplane and then started having recurrent episodes of dizziness/lightheadedness. Their theory was that it was low blood pressure so they took me off the meds, but then it shot back up...
  37. carolinet617

    Anybody Get Tinnitus Spikes from Yoga?

    Yes, I have had a full blood workup and everything was normal except I have had high blood pressure and cholesterol for years. I'm on medication for both of those though so my blood pressure is now normal. The one thing they can't figure out is the cause of my dizziness, but it's not constant so...
  38. carolinet617

    Anybody Get Tinnitus Spikes from Yoga?

    Yeah, I've stopped for the past week. It's frustrating because I know exercise helps health so much in general but even things like walking at a moderate pace make me dizzy lately.
  39. carolinet617

    I'm Not Dead

    Hey there! I'm so happy to hear you're doing better, thanks for sharing. Stories like this make it easier to bear. I was just curious, did you do anything in terms of therapy/medication/etc. to help or was it just time? Did you initially try anything that didn't help or made it worse?
  40. carolinet617

    Anybody Get Tinnitus Spikes from Yoga?

    I went to an ENT and they did what's called ABR and VNG testing to see how I reacted to various stimuli around my ears. I don't understand it exactly, but they told me I fall within the normal range. They basically told me that Meniere's is specifically associated with vertigo and not dizziness...
  41. carolinet617

    Anybody Get Tinnitus Spikes from Yoga?

    Hey everyone, I recently started a yoga practice (like just the past 2 weeks, I've done it off and on before but nothing advanced by any means). I've heard a lot of people recommend it as something that could potentially help tinnitus or just stress relief in general, I know there are a lot of...
  42. carolinet617

    Suicidal

    Thanks for your input! Yeah, I've been following this thread for a while without commenting so I can't remember who exactly has said what, I just wanted to add my own story for what it's worth. And yeah, I know from experience to taper down very slowly. Unfortunately now isn't a great time--I...
  43. carolinet617

    Suicidal

    That's great that you got such good results with HBOT! I'd love to try it. I can't speak for everyone of course but my issue is primarily financial. I'm in the US and my insurance does not cover HBOT or pretty much anything that they consider "experimental." I've been unable to work for 2 years...
  44. carolinet617

    Suicidal

    I'm not replying to anyone in particular, just wanted to add to the general benzo discussion. Benzos are absolute hell to get off of, I don't think anyone is disputing that (I've been there before). They shouldn't be taken lightly or without knowledge of the risks. THAT BEING SAID, at one point...
  45. carolinet617

    Suicidal

    I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through that. So much of that is incredibly unethical. I've heard of people going into psych facilities and coming out with PTSD from the experience alone. It scares me because at the times I'm at my worst, I used to always think "well, the psych ward is a last...
  46. carolinet617

    Can a Medication (Losartan HCTZ) Now Worsen Tinnitus If I Took It Before without Problems?

    Thanks for the input! Ugh, sorry to hear that! I had actually been considering amitriptyline or nortriptyline if my depression does continue to worsen but now I'm leaning towards not risking it. Tinnitus worsens my depression on its own!
  47. carolinet617

    Suicidal

    True. Just running out of ideas unless some kind of promising treatment makes it to the US in the next few years :(
  48. carolinet617

    Suicidal

    I know people on here have mixed feelings on TRT but I went in for an initial consult (I'm in the US), did the pitch/loudness match and everything, and then was rejected by my insurance and couldn't afford the treatment ($3,000 for the very cheapest device). For about a week I had a glimmer of...
  49. carolinet617

    6 Months In and Struggling with Depression/Anxiety

    Thanks, yeah, Klonopin has stopped working for me so I'm going to try switching to Xanax once everything has stabilized a bit. I've been called "treatment resistant" and did TMS over the summer which helped my mood a bit but not my anxiety or tinnitus. I'd never go off anything that was helping...
  50. carolinet617

    6 Months In and Struggling with Depression/Anxiety

    There hasn’t been so far, and yeah, I’m doing it slowly and one at a time (and not just for tinnitus. I’ve been on 19 psych meds in my life and none have helped/some have made me worse). I don’t have TMJ, I think that was someone else, but yeah I’ve wondered if the ear infections are related...
  51. carolinet617

    6 Months In and Struggling with Depression/Anxiety

    Yeah, the sleep is a HUGE thing for me. I'm currently going off a few of my meds just in case they're affecting the tinnitus as well, but after that I definitely want to try curcumin, heard great things!
  52. carolinet617

    6 Months In and Struggling with Depression/Anxiety

    I was on generic bupropion, 150mg of the XL. My tinnitus started a week after my first pill.
  53. carolinet617

    I honestly woke up like.."omg it's a miracle" only to be right back to my original state the...

    I honestly woke up like.."omg it's a miracle" only to be right back to my original state the next day. Desperately trying to think...did I take any different meds? Eat differently? Do ANYTHING AT ALL out of the ordinary? I know spikes are normal but the past few weeks I've been in incredible...
  54. carolinet617

    T suddenly almost disappeared Monday, I was shocked. Tuesday it shot back up to normal level...

    T suddenly almost disappeared Monday, I was shocked. Tuesday it shot back up to normal level. Can't figure out why and its driving me nuts
  55. carolinet617

    Can a Medication (Losartan HCTZ) Now Worsen Tinnitus If I Took It Before without Problems?

    Hi there! For a bit of clarification, I was on Losartan HCTZ for blood pressure for about 10 years before my tinnitus started and was fine with it. In January of this year, I was switched to Metoprolol and also started Wellbutrin which I believe was the cause of my tinnitus. I realize now that...
  56. carolinet617

    Non-Ototoxic Medication for Panic Attacks?

    Sorry to hear that! Mine has been tolerable the past few days but I've also been really busy and distracted and for me I know it gets louder when I'm at home in the silence (I know not everyone is like that). I'm not sure if the Klonopin is helping the tinnitus or not or just keeping my anxiety...
  57. carolinet617

    Non-Ototoxic Medication for Panic Attacks?

    Oh no, I'm so sorry! I'm about to get off Buspar myself. Luckily it didn't affect my tinnitus, but it's made me so dizzy that I can't function. I really wish doctors were more informed about potential side effects!
  58. carolinet617

    6 Months In and Struggling with Depression/Anxiety

    Thanks, my doctor showed this to me as well, it does help occasionally :)
  59. carolinet617

    Safety and Effectiveness of rTMS in the Treatment of Tinnitus

    Yeah, I ended up paying quite a bit but my insurance covered most of it. For that, I had to prove that I’d been on dozens of antidepressants over the years with no success before they would cover it. I didn’t even mention my tinnitus so I don’t know what the criteria is for that, mine was just...