6 Months In and Struggling with Depression/Anxiety

High pitched and loud tinnitus is the worst. Nothing you can do. Nothing.
I hear you brother, I hear you. I have that right now. Going to check out another TMJ specialist. Maybe just inner ear damage but I have to try everything. Sometimes a taper pack of methylprednisone will make mine go away for a couple days.

@JohnAdams mentioned high doses of curcumin can help. Maybe sometimes it's inflammation related?
 
@carolinet617, do you have any TMJ problems like clicking or crunchiness? Sometimes that can cause tinnitus. I'm looking into a different TMJ specialist for a second opinion.
I'm not actually sure! I do get jaw pain and mild clicking sometimes but not really to the point where it bothers me. My dentist thinks I'm probably grinding my teeth at night, not sure if that in and of itself could be causing it though.
 
I'm not actually sure! I do get jaw pain and mild clicking sometimes but not really to the point where it bothers me. My dentist thinks I'm probably grinding my teeth at night, not sure if that in and of itself could be causing it though.
As far I know any abnormal situation in a jaw may produce tinnitus. I have problem with TMJ, so called prognathism but I highly doubt this caused my issue in the head if I had no problems for 32 years. Jaw issues which made tinnitus active is small percentage.
I have jaw surgery next year but I doubt it will help me with this sound :|
 
As far I know any abnormal situation in a jaw may produce tinnitus. I have problem with TMJ, so called prognathism but I highly doubt this caused my issue in the head if I had no problems for 32 years. Jaw issues which made tinnitus active is small percentage.
I have jaw surgery next year but I doubt it will help me with this sound :|
It does seem doubtful. I have HF hearing loss and a static like sound. I still find it odd that I get a good day once in a while. Last time I think I had some methylprednisone left I was taking.
 
It does seem doubtful. I have HF hearing loss and a static like sound. I still find it odd that I get a good day once in a while. Last time I think I had some methylprednisone left I was taking.
I have TMJ and as far I understood jaw disorder may produce tinnitus but this is quite low percentage of the cases. I also doubt it that it is in my case. I have jaw issue but doubt that it's the reason of the tinnitus because for 32 years living with problematic jaw I had no issues with ears or jaw. So my problem had been compensated somehow.
The people who had tinnitus due to jaw issues, after surgery had no more ear noise. I would really like to be this in my case, otherwise I hardly see a point going along with this.
 
I have TMJ and as far I understood jaw disorder may produce tinnitus but this is quite low percentage of the cases. I also doubt it that it is in my case. I have jaw issue but doubt that it's the reason of the tinnitus because for 32 years living with problematic jaw I had no issues with ears or jaw. So my problem had been compensated somehow.
The people who had tinnitus due to jaw issues, after surgery had no more ear noise. I would really like to be this in my case, otherwise I hardly see a point going along with this.
Agreed. I have nasty static noise and am desperate. It very well may have nothing to do with my noise. I have a very loud click on my left jaw though.

TMJ surgeon will probably do a new 3D cone beam scan.
 
Next week gonna find some kind of physiotherapist which is familiar with jaw problems too. Gonna do neck and jaw massage.
Regarding tinnitus - in the beginning I had it in both of the ears. Now mostly on the right side, my left one is much calmer. Is this good sign or something normal?
 
If you are suffering from panic attacks then read what I just wrote in another post below. Hope it helps.

You don't need medication... dealing with panic attacks is simple. The method is very simple and counterintuitive and yet people seem to suffer from this from years sometimes, it's amazing to me and just goes to show the utter uselessness of doctors.

I have written about this before, I guess you could search for it, essentially you just embrace it, wait and hope for another attack, decide to explore it, by now you should know it will not hurt you.

In fact, why don't you go into your bedroom or somewhere private and do your best to get an attack? What have you got to lose?

Thing is, and you might know this, the expectation of getting an attack can cause an attack, so... break that cycle, get one willingly, or try, it's practically impossible.

After failing to do that, decide to wait for the next one with the plan of "enjoying", "exploring" it... then you will break the cycle and never have another attack.

Please try this, you are suffering for no reason and this works, absolutely guaranteed!
It's barely a month since a friend of mine took this advice and it stopped his attacks in its tracks. He also did not believe me at first.

You might ask how would you muster the courage to "enjoy/explore" something so horrible ? Simple, you should look forward to never having a panic attack again ;)

I agree with @RaZaH that this may help you @carolinet617 . His approach is actually called the Paradox Approach in anxiety therapy term. Many prominent anxiety/panic treatment sites are advocating this approach as the most potent weapon against anxiety and panic attacks. So besides CBT techniques which go into the root of the problem to disarm the age old mental cognitive distortions that cause havoc to our mental health, this paradox approach is a potent weapon to use against anxiety and panic attacks, especially the latter. I have used it a lot in my battle with anxiety and panic attacks and I know it works as it has helped me greatly to free myself from chronic panic attacks. Google search 'paradox approach for anxiety and panic attacks' and you will find much information and support for this approach. Here is one of them:
https://www.anxieties.com/66/panic-step6c#.XTYYG45KgdU
 
In addition, I have occasional bouts of dizziness/vertigo including one a few years ago so bad that I couldn't turn my head without vomiting for 3 days (I am currently waiting to undergo testing for Meniere's which I can't do right now because of some of the medications I'm on

There are many causes of vertigo. Meniere's is one of them. BPPV is a common cause. I had vertigo so bad one time that I vomited everything in my stomach. But I found a simple exercise that cured my BPPV vertigo in one day. I have shared this to many friends who told me about their sudden vertigo and it heals them all. So if you have BPPV, try this half somersault maneuver invented by a lady MD. It never hurts to try this Caroline next time you have vertigo.

 
There are many causes of vertigo. Meniere's is one of them. BPPV is a common cause. I had vertigo so bad one time that I vomited everything in my stomach. But I found a simple exercise that cured my BPPV vertigo in one day. I have shared this to many friends who told me about their sudden vertigo and it heals them all. So if you have BPPV, try this half somersault maneuver invented by a lady MD. It never hurts to try this Caroline next time you have vertigo.



Thanks, my doctor showed this to me as well, it does help occasionally :)
 
Today after a year and nine months, I would say I am in a much better place. Emotionally it does still affect me when it hits hard but I learn to tell myself that it will get better the next day or two. I now get good days after a few bad ones so I try to enjoy the good days as much as I can. I notice that my tinnitus is eventually getting quieter although it is very very slow and sometimes the volume goes back to full volume for a bit but not for too long.

I believe one day I will get my life back and be normal again.

Winston
This puts a smile on my face, knowing it can become a lot better in time :)

Thanks for your honesty. I hope your life will get back to normal one day!
 
I'm not actually sure! I do get jaw pain and mild clicking sometimes but not really to the point where it bothers me. My dentist thinks I'm probably grinding my teeth at night, not sure if that in and of itself could be causing it though.

I also have the grinding teeth, but this means that we have the jaw too tight and stressed... So we have to reduce the stress and the tensions in the jaw by doing exercise methods, global relaxing (all the body) and abdonimal breathing... It really helps !

And if you like massages, just go ! :)

I have started a massage therapy since last week for the neck, shoulders and back... Very relaxing for the body and mind ! :)
 
Has there been an improvement since going off your meds? Please be very careful with your depression and anxiety medication. It's best to make one adjustment at a time, regarding all of those meds. I'm wondering if the previous ear and TMJ issues could have somehow made it easier for the Wellbutrin to cause the tinnitus. Have people with nearly perfectly fine ears developed tinnitus from Wellbutrin?
 
Has there been an improvement since going off your meds? Please be very careful with your depression and anxiety medication. It's best to make one adjustment at a time, regarding all of those meds. I'm wondering if the previous ear and TMJ issues could have somehow made it easier for the Wellbutrin to cause the tinnitus. Have people with nearly perfectly fine ears developed tinnitus from Wellbutrin?

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.

Wellbutrin unfortunately does seem to cause tinnitus regardless just from anecdotal stories if you search online...my doc looked it up and I think the incidence is 6% of patients which is quite big. For some it goes away when the med is stopped, but at this point I'm thinking mine is permanent and have heard many similar stories. None of the ENTs I saw were surprised and said they'd had several patients with Wellbutrin as a cause. But of course many people take it and are fine. Just makes it all the more frustrating!
 
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.

Wellbutrin unfortunately does seem to cause tinnitus regardless just from anecdotal stories if you search online...my doc looked it up and I think the incidence is 6% of patients which is quite big. For some it goes away when the med is stopped, but at this point I'm thinking mine is permanent and have heard many similar stories. None of the ENTs I saw were surprised and said they'd had several patients with Wellbutrin as a cause. But of course many people take it and are fine. Just makes it all the more frustrating!

I'm glad. Certainly don't want you to feel worse as you're trying to solve this problem. I tried many meds as well and Xanax was the miracle medication for me. Also remember that your body changes over time... some meds stop helping. Because of this I've swapped between Paxil and Celexa for depression over many years. I truly hope you find something that helps. Both anxiety and depression are terrible.

You mentioned " I do get jaw pain and mild clicking sometimes but not really to the point where it bothers me. My dentist thinks I'm probably grinding my teeth at night" which all indicate TMJ. Keep an eye on that grinding. It may be due to stress. If it continues, then it's best to treat it before your symptoms get worse and your teeth damaged.
This may have nothing to do with the Tinnitus... I was just wondering how much of a difference it makes (I had severe TMJ) with the Wellbutrin.
I have taken Wellbutrin for many, many years now and never had Tinnitus for more than a few seconds until two months ago. I would be surprised if it suddenly caused something like this, but I have no idea. Have you read about how it can cause Tinnitus? What happens?
 
I'm glad. Certainly don't want you to feel worse as you're trying to solve this problem. I tried many meds as well and Xanax was the miracle medication for me. Also remember that your body changes over time... some meds stop helping. Because of this I've swapped between Paxil and Celexa for depression over many years. I truly hope you find something that helps. Both anxiety and depression are terrible.

You mentioned " I do get jaw pain and mild clicking sometimes but not really to the point where it bothers me. My dentist thinks I'm probably grinding my teeth at night" which all indicate TMJ. Keep an eye on that grinding. It may be due to stress. If it continues, then it's best to treat it before your symptoms get worse and your teeth damaged.
This may have nothing to do with the Tinnitus... I was just wondering how much of a difference it makes (I had severe TMJ) with the Wellbutrin.
I have taken Wellbutrin for many, many years now and never had Tinnitus for more than a few seconds until two months ago. I would be surprised if it suddenly caused something like this, but I have no idea. Have you read about how it can cause Tinnitus? What happens?

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 me, unfortunately nothing has so far.

I think I just always assumed TMJ came with more intense jaw pain, but I'll definitely ask my dentist, I'm going pretty soon.

To be honest, I'm not sure. Science has never been my specialty so a lot of the info goes way over my head! I think antidepressants in general are known to be ototoxic, it's definitely not just Wellbutrin. But then tinnitus is a possible side effect of hundreds of meds and most people never get it.
 
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 me, unfortunately nothing has so far.

I think I just always assumed TMJ came with more intense jaw pain, but I'll definitely ask my dentist, I'm going pretty soon.

To be honest, I'm not sure. Science has never been my specialty so a lot of the info goes way over my head! I think antidepressants in general are known to be ototoxic, it's definitely not just Wellbutrin. But then tinnitus is a possible side effect of hundreds of meds and most people never get it.
Yeah I understand. I suggest trying what your dr recommends. Everyone is different of course. Many vilify Xanax so that's why I mentioned it. It truly was a miracle medication for me. I've also had some bad experiences before I tried the Xanax. I know exactly what you're going through. I was a kid when I went through it. All I'm saying is don't give up.

I would definitely say never rule out unlikely things. It turned out my TMJ was almost entirely caused by my wisdom teeth. After I had them removed (all needed it), all of my symptoms eased considerably. It wasn't my stress or anxiety. It was the wisdom teeth.
TMJ can develop over time into more intense jaw pain. Yes, TMJ pain can be excruciating. There's something about pain on and under your face that is particularly difficult to endure. So I absolutely say get this checked out when you can. Avoid any future issues. Not trying to worry you! It's just, you'll save yourself some issues if you can work on it sooner rather than later. Especially with grinding. There are some pretty simple things to try. For me it was clenching, and while both cause the pain, grinding is particularly harmful to the teeth. But the things you mentioned are textbook TMJ.

Yeah it would be hard for me to understand any specifics. But if I do find something, I will try to remember to let you know.
 
I'm glad. Certainly don't want you to feel worse as you're trying to solve this problem. I tried many meds as well and Xanax was the miracle medication for me. Also remember that your body changes over time... some meds stop helping. Because of this I've swapped between Paxil and Celexa for depression over many years. I truly hope you find something that helps. Both anxiety and depression are terrible.

You mentioned " I do get jaw pain and mild clicking sometimes but not really to the point where it bothers me. My dentist thinks I'm probably grinding my teeth at night" which all indicate TMJ. Keep an eye on that grinding. It may be due to stress. If it continues, then it's best to treat it before your symptoms get worse and your teeth damaged.
This may have nothing to do with the Tinnitus... I was just wondering how much of a difference it makes (I had severe TMJ) with the Wellbutrin.
I have taken Wellbutrin for many, many years now and never had Tinnitus for more than a few seconds until two months ago. I would be surprised if it suddenly caused something like this, but I have no idea. Have you read about how it can cause Tinnitus? What happens?

I don't know of any literature stating a timeline for ototoxic effects to take place. I would generally assume if you've been on a med for years it wouldn't be the culprit. But I have read that this may not be the case.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hu...fects-later-on_n_5b52481ee4b0b15aba8ed2a9/amp
 
@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 suggested I may grind my teeth at night and recommended I get a mouth guard, but I never did because of the cost. With confirmation of TMJ though I think it's worth a shot. This is the first time I've been tentatively optimistic about my tinnitus in months so very thankful for that.
 

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