MemberI know you all say that the Xanax doesn't affect the tinnitus signal but I promise you that it does for me. I take it three times a day and I noticed that the pill I take in the morning always softens my tinnitus. It doesn't work like that in the afternoon but in the morning it does.
I went through CBT from January through the beginning of May when my therapist said that I didn't need to come back anymore for my tinnitus. My CBT included a six class course in teaching a toolkit to handle anxiety. We also worked steadily on exposure and recently I have gone entire days at work with no masking. I regularly practice relaxation and mindfulness of breath, etc. I have gotten to the point where I can hear my T and forget about it for small periods of time.
My questions is: Can one habituate and not really be aware--is the process that slow? I ask because I am no longer really unhappy--I am more myself most times and I live my life. I still have bad days but they aren't as bad as in they were in the beginning and now I have quite a few almost good days. I work full time --and I'm super busy on weekends. I haven't missed any work but the first few months were a nightmare. I was fortunate to have a supportive boss--he has tinnitus too.
I can't give up the Xanax--my primary care physician has said I may need this medication the rest of my life (I'm an older woman) as I was becoming dysfunctional. I couldn't drive on the NJ parkway or any highway with more than two lanes. I was also worrying excessively--I had three major life stressors in as many years. I tried an SSRI but I had a terrible reaction to it so we (my doc and I) decided to try Xanax because I also had panic attacks when I first got T and brcause Xanax has been shown to reduce the T signal in some people.
Also, I think Xanax gets a bad name as I take .5 3 x's a day and never have interddose withdrawal or whatever they call it. I have forgotten doses and had no adverse reactions. I've been on it 6 months. It's not a dangerous drug if taken as prescribed--no more and not more often--just as prescribed.
I went through CBT from January through the beginning of May when my therapist said that I didn't need to come back anymore for my tinnitus. My CBT included a six class course in teaching a toolkit to handle anxiety. We also worked steadily on exposure and recently I have gone entire days at work with no masking. I regularly practice relaxation and mindfulness of breath, etc. I have gotten to the point where I can hear my T and forget about it for small periods of time.
My questions is: Can one habituate and not really be aware--is the process that slow? I ask because I am no longer really unhappy--I am more myself most times and I live my life. I still have bad days but they aren't as bad as in they were in the beginning and now I have quite a few almost good days. I work full time --and I'm super busy on weekends. I haven't missed any work but the first few months were a nightmare. I was fortunate to have a supportive boss--he has tinnitus too.
I can't give up the Xanax--my primary care physician has said I may need this medication the rest of my life (I'm an older woman) as I was becoming dysfunctional. I couldn't drive on the NJ parkway or any highway with more than two lanes. I was also worrying excessively--I had three major life stressors in as many years. I tried an SSRI but I had a terrible reaction to it so we (my doc and I) decided to try Xanax because I also had panic attacks when I first got T and brcause Xanax has been shown to reduce the T signal in some people.
Also, I think Xanax gets a bad name as I take .5 3 x's a day and never have interddose withdrawal or whatever they call it. I have forgotten doses and had no adverse reactions. I've been on it 6 months. It's not a dangerous drug if taken as prescribed--no more and not more often--just as prescribed.
