Hi all -- I've posted on here before a few times, but I've never really introduced myself. I developed tinnitus suddenly last fall, five days after my COVID-19 vax. I can't be sure that's what caused it, but it's my best guess. No obvious hearing loss, just tinnitus in both ears, left much worse than right. I also have a bit of reactivity or hyperacusis (not sure of the exact definitions for those) and lots of sleep disruption.
The weird thing is that most of my tinnitus is intermittent, and really regular: two quiet days (can only hear a faint noise in a quiet room if I look for it) followed by a really loud day (left ear, more of a hiss than a ring). It's been on this schedule from the start. If I get really stressed or tired, I might skip one of the quiet days, but I've never had two loud days in a row, nor, until recently, more than two consecutive quiet days.
About four months in, I was desperate for sleep. My doctor prescribed some low-dose Remeron (Mirtazapine), which has worked like a charm for me - I sleep great now. She also threw in a prescription for Clonazepam, for occasional use. I tried it on a loud day -- it really did little to knock down the volume of my tinnitus; not really worth the risk of taking it. But I also tried taking it (small dose, 0.25 mg) the night before my loud day, and low and behold, the tinnitus never started the next day. And it stayed gone for the next two days, too. Five days of peace in a row! I didn't take Clonazepam last night, and so of course, my loud tinnitus is back today, right on schedule.
So here's my question: how often can I take Clonazepam before I start to develop a tolerance for it? I think every third day might be risky, but what do you think about every six days? The half life seems to be somewhere between 40-60 hours, so it takes a long time to leave one's system. Given the many stories about the hazards of Clonazepam use, I'd rather err on the side of caution. Maybe I should just save it for days when having super loud tinnitus would really suck (days of concerts, holidays, etc...)
Any advice and perspectives are appreciated. Also, if anyone has any idea what the physiological cause of this sort of cyclical tinnitus is, please share. It's so strange.
The weird thing is that most of my tinnitus is intermittent, and really regular: two quiet days (can only hear a faint noise in a quiet room if I look for it) followed by a really loud day (left ear, more of a hiss than a ring). It's been on this schedule from the start. If I get really stressed or tired, I might skip one of the quiet days, but I've never had two loud days in a row, nor, until recently, more than two consecutive quiet days.
About four months in, I was desperate for sleep. My doctor prescribed some low-dose Remeron (Mirtazapine), which has worked like a charm for me - I sleep great now. She also threw in a prescription for Clonazepam, for occasional use. I tried it on a loud day -- it really did little to knock down the volume of my tinnitus; not really worth the risk of taking it. But I also tried taking it (small dose, 0.25 mg) the night before my loud day, and low and behold, the tinnitus never started the next day. And it stayed gone for the next two days, too. Five days of peace in a row! I didn't take Clonazepam last night, and so of course, my loud tinnitus is back today, right on schedule.
So here's my question: how often can I take Clonazepam before I start to develop a tolerance for it? I think every third day might be risky, but what do you think about every six days? The half life seems to be somewhere between 40-60 hours, so it takes a long time to leave one's system. Given the many stories about the hazards of Clonazepam use, I'd rather err on the side of caution. Maybe I should just save it for days when having super loud tinnitus would really suck (days of concerts, holidays, etc...)
Any advice and perspectives are appreciated. Also, if anyone has any idea what the physiological cause of this sort of cyclical tinnitus is, please share. It's so strange.