Alcohol and Its Effect on Tinnitus

[Louise]

My do you avoid it as much as possible now Map, des it ever worsen it permanently?

 

[Map]

I had pretty bad worsening three months ago when going through benzo (Xanax) withdrawal. I took 1mg of it every night for 1 month. And I unfortunately drunk some alcohol that time too. I am not sure if it is connected, but it might be.

Now I am just scared to drink as much alcohol as I did before.

 

[Louise]

I can understand that. Luckily its never worsened mine permanently, only noise has done that so far.

 

[Map]

I wish I never took that benzos I was prescribed. It worsened everything for me, but there is no way to get it back now...

My tinnitus changed from high-pitched EEE tone to loud electric darting monster, my eyes filled with floaters and I have somewhat bigger sensitivity to light. I blame taking benzos for that.

 

[Louise]

Mine is an electrical darting monster too. Never still. Just moving and flowing electricity and static waves all the time.
Yes, and loads of floaters I have too through Clonazepam.

Did you get the floaters etc whilst you were on the medication or only when you were coming off it?

 

[Map]

It appeared when I lowered my dose and started to taper.

 

[Louise]

Yeah, that's what I've read all over the net. Tinnitus and floaters are common symptoms when people come off Benzos. I got my floaters whilst I was on it though so its that which has made me start to taper.

 

[Map]

Mine is an electrical darting monster too. Never still. Just moving and flowing electricity and static waves all the time.

This is exactly the sound. But there remains still high pitched hissing at the background too, which is for me less bother some than this "electricity sparks". The main problem is, that these electrical waves comes randomly for some seconds and are so loud I can hear them almost over everything, even loud car traffic outside. It seems they come not from ears, but somewhere behind my head. When they come, they immediately take my attention and scares me as hell.

I really dont't know how long I will be able to survive with this endless torment

Sorry for being depressive, but I am coming through worst episode of my life now. My life shrinked only to surviving on day-to-day basis and liberating sleep.

 

[Deep]

Lots of mind altering drugs change your perception of T, since I have had it (a few months) for me alcohol small amounts = noise reduction - large amounts = more noise. But in both cases alcohol makes me feel good, I mean its an anti-depressant right? Other things some of you cheeky lot may want to know such as cannabis can heighten my perception of T, very rarely can it lower the volume. MDMA distances the T and you mind find it slightly easier to tune out. That fact is you just don't care, but in the morning after it is definitely more perceptible, this will subside within a couple of days. Nicotine & cigarettes, have not noticed or have been able to key point any change from smoking one as of yet, but I only have 1 or 2 a day. But don't get me wrong, I am not a drug fiend, in fact I am quite healthy, although sometimes I need to have fun with my friends, and sometimes this evolves certain chemicals, I have definitely limited my intake on all though, and I highly recommend if anyone notices a negative permanent shift from taking any chemical, stop immediately... Quit while your ahead

I have only gone off on a crazy one talking about a few different popular drugs because I have realized that there are quite a lot of young people on this forum to whom are still experimenting.

 

[Danny]

After reading all of this I need a drink and to hell with Tinnitus.....geeez I'm going for the wine in the plastic bag and for those of you who live in the USA i've got 3 cans of Billy Beer left from the mid 1980's

 

[mick]

A 1/4 of a glass? Steady on there Mick, you don't want to go crazy with that stuff

Yeah - I don't know what came over me. I just have a wild streak in me.

i've got 3 cans of Billy Beer left from the mid 1980's

Wouldn't that be a hoot - to discover that Billy Beer cures tinnitus! Please conduct that experiment for us Danny, and let us know the results. (Is Billy Carter still alive? I wonder if he has T?)

 

[click]

Lots of mind altering drugs change your perception of T, since I have had it (a few months) for me alcohol small amounts = noise reduction - large amounts = more noise. But in both cases alcohol makes me feel good, I mean its an anti-depressant right? Other things some of you cheeky lot may want to know such as cannabis can heighten my perception of T, very rarely can it lower the volume. MDMA distances the T and you mind find it slightly easier to tune out. That fact is you just don't care, but in the morning after it is definitely more perceptible, this will subside within a couple of days. Nicotine & cigarettes, have not noticed or have been able to key point any change from smoking one as of yet, but I only have 1 or 2 a day. But don't get me wrong, I am not a drug fiend, in fact I am quite healthy, although sometimes I need to have fun with my friends, and sometimes this evolves certain chemicals, I have definitely limited my intake on all though, and I highly recommend if anyone notices a negative permanent shift from taking any chemical, stop immediately... Quit while your ahead

I have only gone off on a crazy one talking about a few different popular drugs because I have realized that there are quite a lot of young people on this forum to whom are still experimenting.

Not sure why you've aimed it at the 'young ones' deep. Recreational drug use in excess in the seventies wasn't exactly rare and that's when us oldies were your age. Ask your parents ... ? Youngsters today are tame in comparison

 

[Deep]

True

 

[Louise]

This is exactly the sound. But there remains still high pitched hissing at the background too, which is for me less bother some than this "electricity sparks". The main problem is, that these electrical waves comes randomly for some seconds and are so loud I can hear them almost over everything, even loud car traffic outside. It seems they come not from ears, but somewhere behind my head. When they come, they immediately take my attention and scares me as hell.

I really dont't know how long I will be able to survive with this endless torment

Sorry for being depressive, but I am coming through worst episode of my life now. My life shrinked only to surviving on day-to-day basis and liberating sleep.

Yes, I have this sort of dentists drill in with it all sometimes too. It tends to come on in the afternoon and get louder.

So sorry for you Map. We all know how it feels, the torment. Mine has decided to be at its loudest this afternoon, I quite feel like screaming. But I'll just keep plodding on, trying to ignore it. Nothing else to be done.

 

[Louise]

Not sure why you've aimed it at the 'young ones' deep. Recreational drug use in excess in the seventies wasn't exactly rare and that's when us oldies were your age. Ask your parents ... ? Youngsters today are tame in comparison

Yeah don't be 'oldist' Deep

 

[Deep]

Damn you 'old' people!

 

[click]

Damn you 'old' people!

 

[Louise]

Damn you 'old' people!

.........

 

[James]

old people? Not any of us .

Updated alcohol report:
I think a glass of good Merlot is better than a Becks beer.
(at least for now)

 

[Leo1994]

When I drink alcohol my tinnitus increase alot, i mean it becomes like 3 times higher than normal, and my tinnitus is loud at normal stage. But, i've always wondered why is my tinnitus getting louder when i drink alcohol? And how hard can it be to find a drug with opposite effect? Ps. Just ordered picamilon, maybe it has to do with gaba?

 

[LadyDi]

Really? When I drink alcohol, my T usually decreases a bit for awhile. I've always figured that's because it acts on the neurotransmitters the same way that benzodiazepines do. But I don't drink much, given that I am on benzos and its not advised. Maybe it indeed is inter-reacting to your picamilon.

 

[Bacus]

Hi,Leo ,
When I have a scotch or two in the evening , it certainly brings my T down a notch or two.

But when I drink vodka it has an opposite effect.

Experiment, until u get it right.

CHEERS

 

[erik]

I drink occasionally (vodka, rum or tequila) and it always makes my T higher but only temporary. After I sleep it off, usually next day back down again.

 

[nanner]

I went on a diet for a year a decade ago and didn't drink a drop of alcohol the whole time. Didn't change a thing T-wise.

 

[yonkapin]

It goes either way for me, sometimes it'll go down and sometimes it'll go up. If I get really wasted, it definitely gets super loud, but by that point I'm way past the point of caring.

 

[Per]

I basically do not consume alcohol, well at least not for the past two years. Here the other day I tough "hey, perhaps I should try to get drunk!" Cause alcohol calms the central nervous system and that's good when it comes to T. But I've been afraid of the hangover and how I remember that was. In all I would presume alcohol to have the same general effects as benzo meds. But perhaps with a tad heavier hangover? Cause when u do alcohol its so easy to overdose, as that is mainly the purpose if u want a "good time" as I recall.

I don't think it's any weird if your T increases either as we all are so different, T is like a fingerprint or an iris. It's unique. But reading the posts here it seems to me that some drinks doesn't worsen the T drastically. So to conclude alot of people find alcohol and T quite ok but some not. I just recently started taking Xanax, or Xanor as its called here where I live. Thats a benzo and it takes edges of the fear and constant thinking, thus meaning the T gets less dangerous or threating for a short time. But this medication is a short term solution, it's not something to take all the time. Everything that actually helps is of course dangerous

 

[Golly]

I often have a drink or two (but no more) in the evening. My experience is that it calms down my tinnitus. It's hard to be sure, however, as it might be that I am paying less attention to the noise, or that I simply care less after a drink. -G

 

[Mr Registered User]

I'm also suspicious that alcohol may aggravate my tinnitus, but I have a hunch it may be due to being dehydrated.

 

[Erlend]

My T gets louder after I drink, especially if I get really drunk, but the next day it's like it's almost gone. Maybe I feel that because of the contrast to how it was when I wen't to bed, I dno.

 

[mick1987]

i am wondering if alcohol is stopping my 7 week long spike going down, like a bruise that won't heal. I drank beer regularly when i had mild tinnitus, it didn't affect it at all.
Now i have been drinking pretty heavily for 2 months because of this spike, it helps keep me calm in the evening and helps me get to sleep.
Now i am a few days sober i think im getting alcohol withdrawal that is making my tinnitus even worse, maybe hyper activity of the brain/nervous system?