Benzos and Tinnitus: Help or Hindrance?

[David J]

To Matt and User ID,
In my opinion, your use of drugs falls under the heading of "you do what you must do!" The drugs obviously help and improve the quality of your life. If you use them with the awareness that they may be causing or impacting your "T", then that is your choice and your responsibility. That is sort of the dilemma with doctors being pressured to not prescribe certain drugs. Certainly, they should not hand them out like candy, but they shouldn't deny them to someone who's life they can improve. A doc can monitor the amount prescribed to insure they aren't being misused. The patient needs to be educated and........here is a novel idea........they should be permitted to "take some responsibility for themselves."

 

[Lisa88]

To Matt and User ID,
In my opinion, your use of drugs falls under the heading of "you do what you must do!" The drugs obviously help and improve the quality of your life. If you use them with the awareness that they may be causing or impacting your "T", then that is your choice and your responsibility. That is sort of the dilemma with doctors being pressured to not prescribe certain drugs. Certainly, they should not hand them out like candy, but they shouldn't deny them to someone who's life they can improve. A doc can monitor the amount prescribed to insure they aren't being misused. The patient needs to be educated and........here is a novel idea........they should be permitted to "take some responsibility for themselves."

I agree with you, David J in terms of education. I think many doctors are unaware of the long term implications of benzos on t. Yes, it can be created as a withdrawal symptom, but to treat existing t in the long term is another story, and one that has not been studies.
It has taken me months to discover and research how this may impact t, as well as going through it myself.
If my doctor had said to me, Lisa, here are some benzos. It will help your t in the short term, but in the long term, you risk worsening your t. I would have chosen to take it in the short term.
This information is lacking in the tinnitus community in general.
I really hope someone reading this thread new to tinnitus and benzo use may be educated a bit more into the long term impact on t.

 

[Bart]

I read the book by Pawel J. Jastreboff and Jonathan Hazll about Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and they clearly state on page 187:

'Alprazolam (Xanax)and other benzodiapzepines impair plasticity in the brain and reduce learning ability, thus counteracting TRT (and habituation).We strongly oppose the use of alprazolam for tinnitus.'

I try to keep my use of the benzos to an absolute minimum, but sometimes they are necesarry.

 

[amandine]

So is it okay to take a very low dose of xanax as and when i need it? ususally to get a few hours more sleep than the usual 4 hours that i normally get. Plus living in a highly abusive inhappy situation which i cannot change. I have tried the police but they do nothing. Partner has told them that i have mental issues ie the T and the stupid police here believe him.......so I am lost. So can I take a xanax as and when needed just to be able to hang onto life......which to be honest may not last much longer as i have run out of coping strategies. Police were here again yesterday, third time in 3 days over the weekend. He is smashing and screaming and threatening until I call the police and when they arrive he is all nice and normal.Of course by this stage I am shaking like a leaf. He does not understand that I am really frightened of him when he goes into these rages and the police offer no help to me.
My T is now going thru the roof.......is there any connection between the stress of him and the T or is it crazy today because I took half a xanax this morning to get a few more hours sleep?

 

[xanaxvictim]

beware of benzo, I got 24/7 T and H during withdrawal from very low dose after only a very short term use.

 

[Larry OT]

@amandine
It sounds like you need to get out of the relationship. No one deserves that behavior. My relationship with my wife is fading as she has no care or concern for my health. It kills me that she has no positive support for me. No doubt the stress of our relationship makes T worsen. But we have kids and I don't have anywhere to go.
I take meds to calm the worst days of T and my relationship. It's not a good answer to our pain but for now I would crumble without some relief from time to time.
I hope to taper off, but not till certain life events are somewhat stable. Your relationship stress will certainly make your T worse.one key of dealing with T is to remove stress as much as possible.
I hope things improve for you.

 

[amandine]

@xanaxvictim

as i have said, i only take it very very sparingly.....half a 0,25mg pill every few days at most.

Even when i feel that i need it, I dont take it. So taking one half every few days at most cannot addict me or do any harm.

@Larry OT

I understand what you have written.
On top of my situation here where there is no work or anything to do and no money, my so called partner has no self control when he gets angry. He does not understand that I am in fear of him when he goes berserk. Then when he smashes things and is screaming and calling me names and telling me I will be dead in 2 weeks or he is going to kill me - and I beg him to stop and he wont, and then I run out of the house and hw wont stop, then he refuses to allow me entry into the house, all this was bad enough but I coped with it - and then I got T. And when he has done this and I have called the police, it is my fault that the police came, why did I do that and how embarrased he is. He cant even understand that i need him to not scream at me. He cant even lower his voice. I am supposed to go to the police to bring a complaint against him but it will do no good......how am i supposed to get better like this. My anxiety is huge.....and I dont want to take another xanax......

I tried to find somewhere else to live - had an appt today to go see the house and got a call today that they have already let it yesterday. Why they didnt tell me that in the first place and I would have been there on Sunday to view it.

I dont know what to do. The police are waiting for me to come to the station. But even if I place a complaint, it will take months if they do anything or maybe they will still do nothing. I am in an impossible situation. Bit like yourself. I was always able to cope before the T but now I cant and I think that I will definitely die soon.

He has told me not to make a complaint.....so I dont......and then he will go and be berserk again.
And when I try to discuss with him about me making a complaint, he just starts screaming again,
i have doctors reports from the physical violence.
And if I did not have this T then I would not make a complaint but just be biding my time until we return to UK.
But now I cannot even contemplate going to back to UK.
Seems all i have left is to stay here until I die.....
So to tell me that I need out of this relationship doesnt help me I am afraid cos i do know this - and so do you - and yet you stay...
why do we do this......stay in a disastrous relationship......I will tell you why......cos as you said......nowhere to go.......

 

[Larry OT]

@amandine

I have kids and my family is so important to me. Even if it hurts because of marriage problems. I really can't bear to break the family apart ever. It's so hard without support but I know I get so manic on bad T days. My mind and mouth do not function properly. I can understand my wife's fustrstion with me. It's not easy being a part time parent because I am crippled on bad days. It's not who I am, but I fall so hard.

You need to find another answer. You don't have kids and your abusive relationship is hurting you so.
Please seek help from others near you. I am in therapy and trying to minimize the meds, but I have to keep some sanity any way I can.

I hope you will be ok, whatever you do.

 

[Bart]

@amandine sorry if I tell you this but get out of this relationship, anything is better than being abused, especially if you got T to deal with.

It is ok to put yourself in the first place for awhile, do not let anyone tell you otherwise, please take care of yourself.

I wish you all the best.

 

[amandine]

easy to say, practically impossible to do when all the help the police can offer is for me ''the nutcase'' to go to a 'centre'' miles from here........and then what?? He in the meanwhile stays here in nice warm house with dog and english tv and no problems. How is any of this fair? Prosecute him! and that helps me how? Vindictive? what for? I want peace and quiet and sanity and friends and anything that makes life worth living........even if alone, I still wont have that .......I live in the middle of nowhere with no human intereaction except for the police coming round!
I had a house to go to see today to rent for myself. Got a phonecall early today to say they had rented the house out yesterday. So you see I cant get away even if I wanted to........or maybe I can spend a night in the womans shelter or sleep in a shop doorway.

 

[Larry OT]

@amandine

Come on- don't quit. You can find another house. It takes time, but it's the best thing for you. What about a room rental from someone?
Why not go home to UK. It sounds like you really need to make a change.
Don't quit. Find a way. You've got the this far. Keep going stronger.

 

[amandine]

@Larry OT

How to get ot UK? and once there to live where? with a family that I know in London? Very noisy and dirty city. Before the T yes with no problem. Now with the T, how?
I sleep 4 hours a night and am feeeling anxious and unsteady.
He is being nice again now and fearful I guess re police. But he will do it again of that I am sure even tho he says he wont. Can I get him to understand that no matter what, he should not use violence or the fear of it against a woman. He does not have the right to cut off the internet or phone. He does not the right to refuse to allow me to go about the house as I wish or to keep me through fear locked up upstairs. He does not have the right to insult me or call me names or abuse me verbally on religeous grounds. Does he understand any of this......certainly, till the next time,
No I have begged from the people I know in UK to come and give me some pyhsical help to get out of here but I get none. The biggest help I got was from the offer of housing with this family in London....that is the only one.
When I called my millionaire cousin (she inherited a million pounds and a string of properties in London from her parents) and told her on the phone what was happeining (this was in 2012) she said ''not my problem"" and that was it....by the way she is a lawyer, family law, mediationg between warring couples so they reach an amicable solution....and earns good money from it......her education and properties funded by her parents...lousy selfish family, my brother stole my money and is now in Canada and my other brother died young as did my mother,,,,,
so tell me where i can go to get some help.......my other friends in Uk, husband has just been told he has stage four prostate cancer and is terminal..........how can the help me?
Last night he cut off the internet and finally when he allowed me entry into the house (after the police had left and he said he wouldnt start again) he again went berserk. The police had said that unless i left the house and went to a hospitla with them, then if anything happened again they would not come out....gee thanks I feel so protected now.......so he went berserk again and after chasing me out of the house, I crept back in again several hours later while he was asleep. When he woke up he again went berserk, took off the internet and chased me upstairs under threat where the ''jew bag''' can stay (in silent cold bedroom frightened of him.
Today he says why was I afraid of him?
You tell me how to make rhyme or reason out of any of this...I cant

 

[Larry OT]

@amandine
Leave him. He's poison. Find a way. Find a woman's shelter. Find help from some service that helps women in crisis.
I'm sorry for your troubles. It's very hard.
I have my own hell to sort through.
Peace,Larry

 

[Marlene]

Amandine ,when you lived in UK ,where did you live ? If I had no family at all ,I know I have friends,we all have that's been made over time ,I know today I could pick up a phone and talk to someone here in UK ,and I'd get help guaranteed ,you must know someone here ,just got to .Hey I've lived here,there and everywhere ,but you meet people and make friends ,that's why I'm saying this .Cant just be your partner you've ever only known .
How long have you been together ,was he always like this ,drinking and abusive ? The police will yes answer a call ,but given time they will get pretty tired of it ,if you don't take action ,they've been called out 3 times in 3 days ,they must notice the drink in your home ,plus he must reek of it,if no physical marks on you from his violence they can see ,well your well and truly out on a limb ,maybe he's a sly drunk ,ever thought he's doing his best to getting you to leave .
I'd crawl back to UK ,than put up with that ,or the nearest shelter for women in France .Your decision in your hands !only you can change it .How much misery are you willing to take ? Wishing you all the best ,but do something to change your situation .

 

[billie48]

Everyone's T and experiences are different. I take Xanax. I've taken it for 9 months. I have taken my life back and am habituating. My response to my T is less and less. I am no longer anxious and I don't worry excessively anymore. I've not increased the dosage or frequency and have no side effects. I don't feel any effects of the Xanax either--I just feel like my old self. I had a thorough med exam and gave a complete history as my doctor wanted to be sure I didn't have any past substance abuse/addiction problems before he prescribed. My ENT and CBT therapist both agreed about taking Xanax for my anxiety, which I had long before the onset of T.

I work everyday except weekends, I walk two to three miles a day. I go out with husband--help him with his business. We recently had a major medical emergency and I was able to handle it, T and all. I go out to family functions and with my friends for lunches and dinners. I have some bad days but they aren't like they used to be. I continue with my day/plans no matter what my T is like that day.

There are people who are helped by these drugs.

Sometimes the use of drug is no choice for some anxiety sufferers. The symptoms are too severe to survive long term. I know of a T sufferer in our area who is near deaf which means her T is mostly unmaskable & loud. She was in ER couple of times for anxiety and panic attacks and her marriage also failed during this tough period. Her parents are also ill and old and she has to care for them. She actually is an angel to call me to during my toughest time to support and encourage me despite her own struggle. The last we talked a few months ago, she told me she has been on Klonopin for 12 years just to survive her anxiety but she is living a normal life how and more habituated to her T. For me during my panic attacks, no amount of will power seems to be able to stop them. They just kept coming until Prozac and Ativan put a stop on them. To some, using drugs to control severe symptoms is a life safer. Life is tough. I feel compassionate to those who have no choice but to use meds to control their own sufferings. Like Kathi, I am also jogging and walking daily even in cold Vancouver. By Christmas I will be out in frigid cold to fish the mighty Steelhead in our wild Canadian rivers. Those are good times to help the body slowly get off from the meds for panic attacks for me.

I am not using meds for my T right now, just for panic attacks. But Xanax has done something for people in quieting down their severe T. Kevin Hogan is one pushing for the use of Xanax. I also find this link with some favorable user reviews of Xanax on their severe T:
http://www.drugs.com/comments/alprazolam/for-tinnitus.html

 

[Florida John]

I'm weening of Ativan after 4+ years of taking 2 mg a day. It sucks but I am at a point where I can go the whole day from 12 -14 hours with out touching it. It does chill out eventually.

where you taking it for Tinnitus?

 

[SoulStation]

where you taking it for Tinnitus?

I now take 2 mg of Klonopin daily for anxiety/T.
I'm in the Northeast NY/CT area. USA