Member- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
Forget GABA for a While... Think Glutamate?!
- Thread starter mock turtle
- Start date
Louise -
I have my own ups and downs. Two weekends ago, "Mr. T" had me in the dumps.
...whoops, wrong Mr. T!
I keep thinking of ways to experiment to decrease my T. Eardrops, UST, maskers, fasting, sound tracks, accupuncture...I've gone from knowing zero about tinnitus to becoming a human guinea pig. My wife doesn't quite understand, saying that if she had it, it would be no big deal. I think that to some people it's no big deal, but to others it's a big deal. I'm a "listener", and I think that's why it's a big deal to me.
On the positive side, they say most people habituate. Listen to Captain Kirk, a.k.a. William Shatner: "Trust me, it does get better."
Lesson: Listen to Captain Kirk, not Mr. T.
I have my own ups and downs. Two weekends ago, "Mr. T" had me in the dumps.
...whoops, wrong Mr. T!
I keep thinking of ways to experiment to decrease my T. Eardrops, UST, maskers, fasting, sound tracks, accupuncture...I've gone from knowing zero about tinnitus to becoming a human guinea pig. My wife doesn't quite understand, saying that if she had it, it would be no big deal. I think that to some people it's no big deal, but to others it's a big deal. I'm a "listener", and I think that's why it's a big deal to me.
On the positive side, they say most people habituate. Listen to Captain Kirk, a.k.a. William Shatner: "Trust me, it does get better."
Lesson: Listen to Captain Kirk, not Mr. T.
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
Ha ha, that's brilliant Karl.
I've read that something like 10% of all people have T and of that 10% only about 20% are bothered by it! How can anyone not be bothered by a noise in their ear, a nasty noise at that, which wasnt there before?!
Your 'suffering' is supposed to be all down to how you think about it, your reaction to it. I monitor it too and I've probably definitely filtered it 'in' rather than 'out'.
Has Captain James T actually habituated it then? I didnt think he had as he's still talking about it all the time
You keep on experimenting Karl, my hopes are all pinned on you as I think you'll unearth the answer before the scientists! After all, you have a vested interest....
I've read that something like 10% of all people have T and of that 10% only about 20% are bothered by it! How can anyone not be bothered by a noise in their ear, a nasty noise at that, which wasnt there before?!
Your 'suffering' is supposed to be all down to how you think about it, your reaction to it. I monitor it too and I've probably definitely filtered it 'in' rather than 'out'.
Has Captain James T actually habituated it then? I didnt think he had as he's still talking about it all the time
You keep on experimenting Karl, my hopes are all pinned on you as I think you'll unearth the answer before the scientists! After all, you have a vested interest....
Louise -
There is some truth that we create our own psychological vicious cycle. Dez Dog ("No Freaking Out") posted a very good presentation showing how some people have the psychological "ingredients" that predispose them to suffer more from tinnitus than others. People with obsessive tendencies, which fits me, is a personality type that can have trouble with tinnitus.
Did you know that ears make sound? Many newborn infants have sounds coming out of their ears. Doctors routinely listen for this with their stethoscopes, and they consider this to be healthy.
Very weird story: In Minnesota, the owner of a dog complained that a sound was coming out his dogs ear! The sound was so loud, the veterenarian could hear it without a stethoscope!
This makes me wonder: What did that dog think? Did it bother him? Could it sleep? Or was it no big deal?
My guess is a dog is able to adapt to tinnitus.
Maybe the more we focus on the sound, the bigger a deal it becomes.
There is some truth that we create our own psychological vicious cycle. Dez Dog ("
Did you know that ears make sound? Many newborn infants have sounds coming out of their ears. Doctors routinely listen for this with their stethoscopes, and they consider this to be healthy.
Very weird story: In Minnesota, the owner of a dog complained that a sound was coming out his dogs ear! The sound was so loud, the veterenarian could hear it without a stethoscope!
This makes me wonder: What did that dog think? Did it bother him? Could it sleep? Or was it no big deal?
My guess is a dog is able to adapt to tinnitus.
Maybe the more we focus on the sound, the bigger a deal it becomes.
I think I'd adapt more easily if I was a dog... might even enjoy T as it would give me something to listen to inbetween food, walkies, licks & cuddles
I listen all the time for my T so I must be in the 'listener' category. I don't understand how anyone can 'not listen' - it's right there - in your head. I know that people who don't listen habituate more quickly but I just don't get how they can manage not to listen.
When I have it, it bothers me - whether it's low or high. Although it bothers me more when it's screaming. The only time it doesn't bother me is when it is absolutely not there - not anywhere - even when listened for in complete silence...
It doesn't get louder when I listen. Just like it doesn't get worse when I have stress.
So may different causes of / types of / reactions to... T - just wish it wasn't so confusing.
Haven't got any obsessive tendencies that I know of though - well I didn't have until I started obsessing about tinnitus!
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
I've also wondered about dogs Karl and recently saw some noise protection headphones for them!! Doubt it would bother their sleep as they wont be worrying about its effect on their livelihood and ability to pay their mortgage 
I know people give out otoacoustic emissions and they can be measured, and are measured in babies and people in comas as they cant do the subjective hearing tests. I did think those things were audible though.
Yes, I've read the stuff about certain types of people struggling more with T than others. I am one of those too. A 'Type A Driven Personality' apparently and also a perfectionist. I only read in a T book yesterday, whilst I was fighting the panic in the HBO chamber actually, that "perfectionists have a tough time with tinnitus". Ya dont say.
I'm also a little OCD, have to have things straight and lined up and stuff like that! So some nasty noise in my previously perfect in order ear isnt going down too well at all
I read some stuff a doctor had written in replies on a forum on the whole focussing on it makes it worse thing. I will post them.
I know people give out otoacoustic emissions and they can be measured, and are measured in babies and people in comas as they cant do the subjective hearing tests. I did think those things were audible though.
Yes, I've read the stuff about certain types of people struggling more with T than others. I am one of those too. A 'Type A Driven Personality' apparently and also a perfectionist. I only read in a T book yesterday, whilst I was fighting the panic in the HBO chamber actually, that "perfectionists have a tough time with tinnitus". Ya dont say.
I'm also a little OCD, have to have things straight and lined up and stuff like that! So some nasty noise in my previously perfect in order ear isnt going down too well at all
I read some stuff a doctor had written in replies on a forum on the whole focussing on it makes it worse thing. I will post them.
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
These are the quotes from the doc on a site I found. They make sense and I have just copied out chunks that appealed to me and that I told myself I must keep re-reading.............
"Second, do NOT dwell on your tinnitus or you WILL make it worse. The best thing is to learn to totally ignore your tinnitus and focus on other things. When you do this you probably won't even be aware you have tinnitus for hours at a time. Learn to treat it the same as you do the sounds your fridge makes for example. No one sits on the edge of their chair raptly listening to the fridge. Instead, you so totally and completely ignore it that if I asked you whether your fridge is running, you'd have to listen for it. Treat your tinnitus the same."
"It's always possible you tinnitus will be permanent. Just remember what I said before about focusing on your tinnitus. That can make it go permanent. So protect your ears in noisy places and focus on things other than your tinnitus and hopefully it will go away in time."
"There is no way I can predict whether your tinnitus will be permanent or not, BUT I can tell you this, IF you continue to worry about your tinnitus it will only get worse, and you don't want that.
So here's the deal. First, in the future (beginning now) you have to protect your ears from loud sounds. When you are going to be around loud sounds, wear ear protectors–ear muff style or the foam protectors you put in your ears. This will ensure you don't make your existing tinnitus worse.
Second, you need to forget about your tinnitus by focusing on the loves of your life. When you are engrossed in something else, you'll find you typically aren't aware of your tinnitus.
Over time, as you do this your tinnitus should fade into the background (and maybe fade completely away).
I can give you hope that if you do this, your tinnitus will cease to bother you, but I cannot guarantee that it will go away. Only time will tell.
One more thing, don't overprotect your ears and wear ear protectors when you don't need to. Doing this will actually make your situation worse."
"What can happen is that if you don't "let it go", your tinnitus can get worse even though the wax is removed. So you want to learn to remain neutral to your tinnitus and basically ignore it by focusing on the loves of your life."
"Thank you for your good advice, I am making good progress with your advice you gave me back in November,
I have had Tinnitus 3 months now. I controlled my stress and anxiety and its almost halved the Tinnitus noise, I only check my T once a day now as thinking about it constantly seems to amplify it. I am getting on living my life happily. Thank you once again Dr Neil"
"If your hearing is "bad" after 7 days, you likely have more than a temporary hearing loss, but permanent damage to your ear. If this is the case, your tinnitus could be lifelong too. However, you can do things to help bring it under control. As I've said many times, you need to learn to ignore your tinnitus as much as possible and don't focus on it. That is one secret to successfully dealing with your tinnitus."
"If you get your stress and anxiety under control, and protect your ears from loud sounds from now on, your tinnitus may slowly fade into the background. It is important not to obsess over your tinnitus as this just makes it worse and it will never go away. You need to treat your tinnitus as a totally usless noise–one that you never listen to–just like no one sits on the edge of their chair raptly listening to the fridge. Instead, they totally ignore it. Thus, treat your tinnitus as "fridge noise""
"I've had T for about a year and have gone from seriously thinking about suicide and not believing that life could be worth living again to hearing T about 50% of the time and just finding it mildly irritating to very irritating dependng on my state of mind/health. The biggest improvement for me was realising and fully accepting that it is just the perfectly normal sounds of the brain which are amplified because the body is full of adrenaline due to stress. Most people who work for the NHS are unfortunately totally inept at dealing with and treating anyone who has this condition and make things far worse by telling patients (very wrongly) that there is nothing that can be done. This is the worse thing to say to a person with tinnitus as it immediately increases the stress levels and therefore the volume (or perception of brain sounds) increases. Most doctors look in your ear when they may as well look at your big toe. The sound is your brain and is perfectly normal; you are just listening to it because your body has gone into survival or fight or flight mode and is much more aware of every sensation, especially sound. I took antidepressants and tranquilizers and had difficulty stopping them but was told by a very kind pharmacist to see a kinesiologist as that is the only way to safely stop such strong drugs. I didn't even know what a kinesiologist was but boy am I grateful to that man! You get all the answers you need from your subconcious mind, that knows you better than anyone so you are told exactly when to stop the drgs and howlso I was given lots of help with coping with the temperory condition of being aware of the music of the brain. When you understand it fully you can ignore it and the volume decreases. It takes time. It can be difficult but is worth every second of effort. Avoid silence,live life to the full in spite of T and apart from avoiding sound of any kind that is too loud (which everyone should do) do not listen to it to see if it is louder! The fact that you are listening to it alerts your body when you react to the sound and the volume increases. Difficult, I know, but don't give it attention it will only demand more. You CAN be T free. All the best. Alice."
"Second, do NOT dwell on your tinnitus or you WILL make it worse. The best thing is to learn to totally ignore your tinnitus and focus on other things. When you do this you probably won't even be aware you have tinnitus for hours at a time. Learn to treat it the same as you do the sounds your fridge makes for example. No one sits on the edge of their chair raptly listening to the fridge. Instead, you so totally and completely ignore it that if I asked you whether your fridge is running, you'd have to listen for it. Treat your tinnitus the same."
"It's always possible you tinnitus will be permanent. Just remember what I said before about focusing on your tinnitus. That can make it go permanent. So protect your ears in noisy places and focus on things other than your tinnitus and hopefully it will go away in time."
"There is no way I can predict whether your tinnitus will be permanent or not, BUT I can tell you this, IF you continue to worry about your tinnitus it will only get worse, and you don't want that.
So here's the deal. First, in the future (beginning now) you have to protect your ears from loud sounds. When you are going to be around loud sounds, wear ear protectors–ear muff style or the foam protectors you put in your ears. This will ensure you don't make your existing tinnitus worse.
Second, you need to forget about your tinnitus by focusing on the loves of your life. When you are engrossed in something else, you'll find you typically aren't aware of your tinnitus.
Over time, as you do this your tinnitus should fade into the background (and maybe fade completely away).
I can give you hope that if you do this, your tinnitus will cease to bother you, but I cannot guarantee that it will go away. Only time will tell.
One more thing, don't overprotect your ears and wear ear protectors when you don't need to. Doing this will actually make your situation worse."
"What can happen is that if you don't "let it go", your tinnitus can get worse even though the wax is removed. So you want to learn to remain neutral to your tinnitus and basically ignore it by focusing on the loves of your life."
"Thank you for your good advice, I am making good progress with your advice you gave me back in November,
I have had Tinnitus 3 months now. I controlled my stress and anxiety and its almost halved the Tinnitus noise, I only check my T once a day now as thinking about it constantly seems to amplify it. I am getting on living my life happily. Thank you once again Dr Neil"
"If your hearing is "bad" after 7 days, you likely have more than a temporary hearing loss, but permanent damage to your ear. If this is the case, your tinnitus could be lifelong too. However, you can do things to help bring it under control. As I've said many times, you need to learn to ignore your tinnitus as much as possible and don't focus on it. That is one secret to successfully dealing with your tinnitus."
"If you get your stress and anxiety under control, and protect your ears from loud sounds from now on, your tinnitus may slowly fade into the background. It is important not to obsess over your tinnitus as this just makes it worse and it will never go away. You need to treat your tinnitus as a totally usless noise–one that you never listen to–just like no one sits on the edge of their chair raptly listening to the fridge. Instead, they totally ignore it. Thus, treat your tinnitus as "fridge noise""
"I've had T for about a year and have gone from seriously thinking about suicide and not believing that life could be worth living again to hearing T about 50% of the time and just finding it mildly irritating to very irritating dependng on my state of mind/health. The biggest improvement for me was realising and fully accepting that it is just the perfectly normal sounds of the brain which are amplified because the body is full of adrenaline due to stress. Most people who work for the NHS are unfortunately totally inept at dealing with and treating anyone who has this condition and make things far worse by telling patients (very wrongly) that there is nothing that can be done. This is the worse thing to say to a person with tinnitus as it immediately increases the stress levels and therefore the volume (or perception of brain sounds) increases. Most doctors look in your ear when they may as well look at your big toe. The sound is your brain and is perfectly normal; you are just listening to it because your body has gone into survival or fight or flight mode and is much more aware of every sensation, especially sound. I took antidepressants and tranquilizers and had difficulty stopping them but was told by a very kind pharmacist to see a kinesiologist as that is the only way to safely stop such strong drugs. I didn't even know what a kinesiologist was but boy am I grateful to that man! You get all the answers you need from your subconcious mind, that knows you better than anyone so you are told exactly when to stop the drgs and howlso I was given lots of help with coping with the temperory condition of being aware of the music of the brain. When you understand it fully you can ignore it and the volume decreases. It takes time. It can be difficult but is worth every second of effort. Avoid silence,live life to the full in spite of T and apart from avoiding sound of any kind that is too loud (which everyone should do) do not listen to it to see if it is louder! The fact that you are listening to it alerts your body when you react to the sound and the volume increases. Difficult, I know, but don't give it attention it will only demand more. You CAN be T free. All the best. Alice."
- May 8, 2012
- 1,601
- Tinnitus Since
- 04/15/2012 or earlier?
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Most likely hearing loss
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
- May 8, 2012
- 1,601
- Tinnitus Since
- 04/15/2012 or earlier?
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Most likely hearing loss
I wish I could walk away from Tinnitus like I can from the noise from my fridge...Ignoring it is the hardest except when I am at my busiest. Unfortunately, I cannot be busy 24/7 but it has been getting easier every month.
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
lol, Mr T, thats funny Karl. I use a simple obus form noise maker at night ($30.00 Shoppers drug mart) I set it to waterfall and can't dwell on my T this way. I tried to get my name on that chart but I couldn't. I got my T whilst playing soccer in 2006, but I think I had a lot of stress and that had something to do with it, then once the T came it was anxiety/dizziness/vertigo/vomiting/ everything was tenfold bc it freaked me out even more.
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
I am now getting panic attacks. This seems worse than the T. They feel terrible. I've had to get some anti-anxiety medication from the doctor (I asked for Clonazepam due to it being mentioned all the time on the T sites). Its good, it has stopped the panicking feeling. But how long before I become immune to it or have to stop taking it as its only supposed to be short-term. I have been in a real mess this week with the panic attacks.
Dianerose, you mention the anxiety/vomiting etc which sounds like panic. Did this get better for you?
Is there anyone else out there who can offer any experiences with proper panic symptoms (getting very hot, not able to breathe properly, feeling like you're going to lose your mind or die)? I'd really like to hear what people have done to eradicate this (if its possible) particularly from people who have T 24/7 and yet have managed to get over the panic.
Sorry, I know this is not the subject of this thread.
Dianerose, you mention the anxiety/vomiting etc which sounds like panic. Did this get better for you?
Is there anyone else out there who can offer any experiences with proper panic symptoms (getting very hot, not able to breathe properly, feeling like you're going to lose your mind or die)? I'd really like to hear what people have done to eradicate this (if its possible) particularly from people who have T 24/7 and yet have managed to get over the panic.
Sorry, I know this is not the subject of this thread.
Hi Louise, that is definitely the worst part of having T, is the anxiety and panic attacks. I really feel for you. Sometimes they call these drugs "short-term" because they don't intend for you to be on them forever; I was worried I wouldn't be able to take amitryptiline for very long, and when I mentioned this to the doctor, she said I was to take it as long as I needed. It's one of the things you shouldn't worry about. I don't know about the tolerance, or even if you can become tolerant; these are questions for your doc.
There are some great books out there for understanding and dealing with panic and anxiety. Here is one that I always come back to:
Power Over Panic, by Bronwyn Fox
I bought mine years ago from Amazon, but here's a PDF I just found. This goes into detail on what's happening to you, and why, and offers ways to cope with it.
With a handle on the anxiety, you might to read a little about CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy); this is a technique for "thinking about thinking", or understanding our thinking, rather than just suffering from our thinking helplessly.
I hope some of this helps.
DD
There are some great books out there for understanding and dealing with panic and anxiety. Here is one that I always come back to:
Power Over Panic, by Bronwyn Fox
I bought mine years ago from Amazon, but here's a PDF I just found. This goes into detail on what's happening to you, and why, and offers ways to cope with it.
With a handle on the anxiety, you might to read a little about CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy); this is a technique for "thinking about thinking", or understanding our thinking, rather than just suffering from our thinking helplessly.
I hope some of this helps.
DD
Louise -
I'm sorry to hear this. 10 years ago I went through that experience. I call it the "heaby jeebies". That was my first experience taking clonazepam. As Dez Dog explained, these anti-anxiety meds are short term. I don't think there is a problem if you keep it at a low dose, especially for sleep.
Usually an SSRI (Prozac, Zoloft,...blah-blah-blah) is given for anxiety, depression or obsessive compulsive thoughts. These take at least a week to kick in. They work.
I think you are "analyzing this thing to death", to make the right decisions. I do the same thing. It's a situation that is very difficult to take control of. There aren't many "handles to grab" to fix the problem. When you're told "not to think", it becomes the only thing you can think about. It's like we're on a boat that takes "X" amount of time to make passage before we can get on with our lives. ("Ah, Captain, sir, how much longer until we reach port?" to which the Cap responds, "Get back below deck! No talking! Arrggh!")
I remind myself that there seem to be a lot of people who have come to terms with tinnitus: Does anyone hear from Jim? Must be doing fine. Markkuu is dealing with T at something like his 90% Pre-T level. Tinn Man, said that he completed 18 months of TRT and he no longer needs to wear his maskers. Other names from the past: Arthur...where are ya? Seems they've gone on with their lives. That's a good sign!
Erik -
Tell me about it. Sometimes I play my guitar a lot just to get away from the tinnitus. As John Lennon said, "I've got blistas on my fingas!".
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
DezDog & Karl, thanks very much for your messages. Its comforting to know other people have suffered what I'm going through and have found ways to cope.
The panic attacks are the worse feeling. I didnt know at the start of this I'd have that to deal with too. This thing is just relentless. I'll read the PDF DD, thanks. I do find it very difficult to control my own thoughts, always have done. Dont you?
I read the leaflet that comes with Clonazepam. Definitely short term it says and that you much tell your doctor if you want to stop taking it, dont just stop! It lists severe anxiety as an effect of coming off it after longer term use. I'm seeing the doc today to ask about the immune thing and how long its safe to be on it.
What do you think of Amitriptyline DD? My doctor prescribed me that after I asked for it but I only took it on 3 separate nights and then stopped. I'm thinking of asking for Sertraline (Zoloft) as its safer long-term though probably doesnt alleviate the panic as well as Clonazepam?
Karl, yes I've been analysing it for 5 months. Its hard not to as that's how I deal with problems and its also been my day job for the past 25 years! Got a problem then find a solution by working very hard on it. You cant do that with T though and that goes very against the grain for me. The fact I cant actually do much about it makes me feel helpless and then again panicky. I think that's why I've just crashed now, 5 months on. I've analysed everything I can for a solution and have come to the conclusion that the only thing you can really do is to accept it and learn to both come to terms with it and live with it. I think that's where I am now, that realisation has just dawned properly. I hope this is a patch, where I am mourning what I've lost and then I'll accept it and then it will become easier. Is that how it works? Its so painful. I didnt cry really when I first got it, I wouldnt let myself. I'm crying a lot now. I cant eat either, which up until now hadnt been a problem.
Sorry, that was an outpouring.
I will cling on to those names you listed Karl, that people DO come to terms and become comfortable with their lives again.
The panic attacks are the worse feeling. I didnt know at the start of this I'd have that to deal with too. This thing is just relentless. I'll read the PDF DD, thanks. I do find it very difficult to control my own thoughts, always have done. Dont you?
I read the leaflet that comes with Clonazepam. Definitely short term it says and that you much tell your doctor if you want to stop taking it, dont just stop! It lists severe anxiety as an effect of coming off it after longer term use. I'm seeing the doc today to ask about the immune thing and how long its safe to be on it.
What do you think of Amitriptyline DD? My doctor prescribed me that after I asked for it but I only took it on 3 separate nights and then stopped. I'm thinking of asking for Sertraline (Zoloft) as its safer long-term though probably doesnt alleviate the panic as well as Clonazepam?
Karl, yes I've been analysing it for 5 months. Its hard not to as that's how I deal with problems and its also been my day job for the past 25 years! Got a problem then find a solution by working very hard on it. You cant do that with T though and that goes very against the grain for me. The fact I cant actually do much about it makes me feel helpless and then again panicky. I think that's why I've just crashed now, 5 months on. I've analysed everything I can for a solution and have come to the conclusion that the only thing you can really do is to accept it and learn to both come to terms with it and live with it. I think that's where I am now, that realisation has just dawned properly. I hope this is a patch, where I am mourning what I've lost and then I'll accept it and then it will become easier. Is that how it works? Its so painful. I didnt cry really when I first got it, I wouldnt let myself. I'm crying a lot now. I cant eat either, which up until now hadnt been a problem.
Sorry, that was an outpouring.
I will cling on to those names you listed Karl, that people DO come to terms and become comfortable with their lives again.
Louise,
It is *extremely* hard to control your thoughts. When you're scared, you're scared - it feels visceral, how can it possibly be because of your thoughts? It's worth working on though; you get the benefit of knowing you're taking action, you also get to understand why you're anxious, and the act of doing exercises is itself a distraction (albeit an inward-focused one).
Here's a link to the MoodGYM, which I linked in another post after yours, which I found really helpful. Spend an hour on it, without debating with yourself whether you want to or not. If it helps, great. If not, it was only an hour.
Amitryptiline saved me in some ways, since it gave me my sleep back, which was a huge (but not the only) step to getting back to normal. I still have some, but haven't used it since May.
DD
It is *extremely* hard to control your thoughts. When you're scared, you're scared - it feels visceral, how can it possibly be because of your thoughts? It's worth working on though; you get the benefit of knowing you're taking action, you also get to understand why you're anxious, and the act of doing exercises is itself a distraction (albeit an inward-focused one).
Here's a link to the MoodGYM, which I linked in another post after yours, which I found really helpful. Spend an hour on it, without debating with yourself whether you want to or not. If it helps, great. If not, it was only an hour.
Amitryptiline saved me in some ways, since it gave me my sleep back, which was a huge (but not the only) step to getting back to normal. I still have some, but haven't used it since May.
DD
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
Louise -
I am definitely going through my own ups and downs. A part of it may be that it's Thankgiving - the big "kick-off" of the holiday season - which I always find stressful.
If there is anything I can tell you: If things get so tough, there are medicines that can make living more tolerable. My own "Plan B", sort of a last resort, is to ask my doctor for an anti-depressant. "Plan A" is to habituate in my present state of mind. But if I get worse, I'll ask my doctor for something that will make my life more tolerable. Presently I take Remeron, which is almost like taking nothing, but it allows me to sleep.
I've read others say that one trick to tolerating tinnitus is to sort of detach yourself, and attempt to look at yourself from the outside. If tinnitus were a refrigerator, it would be no problem, because the refrigerator is outside our bodies. Sometimes these psycho-medicines, even alchohol, help us temporarily detach ourselves from ourselves. When I get home, I greatly look forward to taking my maskers out and having a glass of wine. This gives me somewhat of a break.
Yesterday I got home, and my younger daughter had just won a big scholarship to college. We celebrated by going to "Ted's" which is our "celebration" restaurant. So I'm sitting there, dwelling on my tinnitus and some bad things that are happening where I work,...and also thinking that I've got to be there for my family.
I may need to switch to "Plan B" and get some medicine if I am getting too depressed. Also thinking, perhaps I need to just stop myself from writing so much about tinnitus. Not sure if it is helping me. After 10-11 months, I'm at message count 296!
I am definitely going through my own ups and downs. A part of it may be that it's Thankgiving - the big "kick-off" of the holiday season - which I always find stressful.
If there is anything I can tell you: If things get so tough, there are medicines that can make living more tolerable. My own "Plan B", sort of a last resort, is to ask my doctor for an anti-depressant. "Plan A" is to habituate in my present state of mind. But if I get worse, I'll ask my doctor for something that will make my life more tolerable. Presently I take Remeron, which is almost like taking nothing, but it allows me to sleep.
I've read others say that one trick to tolerating tinnitus is to sort of detach yourself, and attempt to look at yourself from the outside. If tinnitus were a refrigerator, it would be no problem, because the refrigerator is outside our bodies. Sometimes these psycho-medicines, even alchohol, help us temporarily detach ourselves from ourselves. When I get home, I greatly look forward to taking my maskers out and having a glass of wine. This gives me somewhat of a break.
Yesterday I got home, and my younger daughter had just won a big scholarship to college. We celebrated by going to "Ted's" which is our "celebration" restaurant. So I'm sitting there, dwelling on my tinnitus and some bad things that are happening where I work,...and also thinking that I've got to be there for my family.
I may need to switch to "Plan B" and get some medicine if I am getting too depressed. Also thinking, perhaps I need to just stop myself from writing so much about tinnitus. Not sure if it is helping me. After 10-11 months, I'm at message count 296!
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
Its awful we are having to think of 'making life more tolerable'. What a way to have to live when it didnt used to be the case. Sorry for anyone reading this, its not very uplifting I know.
Its a real pressure having to be there for other people when you're feeling so rubbish about T. I sympathise with that. At least I can sit here alone and drive myself insane
Loads of people are on anti-depressants and they can be taken long-term without problems so its a good Plan B.
I think to habituate maybe not being on the sites is better - I dont know. I know one thing though I really like your posts and would miss them if you left. (No pressure though)
Its a real pressure having to be there for other people when you're feeling so rubbish about T. I sympathise with that. At least I can sit here alone and drive myself insane
Loads of people are on anti-depressants and they can be taken long-term without problems so its a good Plan B.
I think to habituate maybe not being on the sites is better - I dont know. I know one thing though I really like your posts and would miss them if you left. (No pressure though
)
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
I took a Clonazepam last night (0.5mg). It reduced the T right down, by about 75%. At that level I could live with it. I turned off the masker in the bedroom as I didnt need it (and I dont like it) and I felt normal for the first time in 5 months. I remembered lasy night how I used to feel. When I woke up the t was back (though still a bit quieter than normal). But the fact I'd had a night practically without it reminded me of how I used to be, then to have it back again has made me feel worse.
Clonazepam isnt the answer if you build up a tolerance to it and then need more. Which with most drugs is the case. I need to research this and also to research the mechanism it uses that's resulted in the blocking of the T.
Its not the reduced anxiety that stopped the noise, the effect on the T was too dramatic and too quick for it to be that. Its actually blocked it somehow. Wish one tablet would give that effect for a week, then it might be possible to use it long-term.
Thought I'd let you all know.
Clonazepam isnt the answer if you build up a tolerance to it and then need more. Which with most drugs is the case. I need to research this and also to research the mechanism it uses that's resulted in the blocking of the T.
Its not the reduced anxiety that stopped the noise, the effect on the T was too dramatic and too quick for it to be that. Its actually blocked it somehow. Wish one tablet would give that effect for a week, then it might be possible to use it long-term.
Thought I'd let you all know.
- Aug 19, 2012
- 1,144
- Tinnitus Since
- 29/06/2012 worsened Jan 2017 & Dec 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Noise exposure
It wasnt gone, but much, much reduced. It went very faint and sort of in the distance. So much easier to cope with than the searing screeching of its normal volume. If I could take the drug permanently and get that effect I would but I dont think its a long-term solution as what happens if you build a tolerance or have to come off the drugs? So I will probably try to be strong and leave it in reserve for the times I am really desperate, which is all the time actually.
Realistically habituation seems the only way. But I cant see me being able to do that.
Realistically habituation seems the only way. But I cant see me being able to do that.
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