I've Become Isolated and Reclusive Due to Tinnitus and Blurred Vision

[Juan]

When I started out with this condition, I wished it was life threatening: having the torture end by simply being removed from existence seemed like a heavenly blessing. Not meant as negative criticism, but the "it's not life threatening, stop worrying" statements felt like a bad excuse to me to just end the discussion. I was not afraid to die, I was afraid to keep living like this. Being only 32 years old, it felt like my wonderful life ended just when I had started to build it up.

That was half a year ago, and my perspective has changed a lot now. Though I still find the sounds annoying at times, I found out that heading out and finding new (or old) things to do that I enjoy, over time it made me value my life again.

@all to gain
In that way, I agree with John: no one else can pick you up, you have to find a way to start enjoying life again by yourself (although other can of course support you in doing so). Find something, new or old, that you like to do. Starting to do so is the hardest part, but as days progress, you will notice you get used to the new tasks that are part of your chosen activity, and you will start enjoying them more. In my case, I used something simple that helped me to go outside again at the same time (Pokemon Go).

Not at all saying that this is easy to do: it will feel like trying to move a mountain at first. But trust that you have the capabilities to do so. You are unique as an individual, but you are also a human being, and as history pointed out plenty of times, humans have outstanding abilities where it comes to adaptation to new situations.

Sometimes hyperacusis or tinnitus just worsen no matter what you do. This is my case, sadly. I haven't done anything very unusual, but I did kept living despite very severe hyperacusis. Took the blows and the hyperacusis, I can tell you, did not go away, or the hearing problems. They just changed and I lost hearing, and still have hyperacusis and tinnitus.

 

[Tybs]

Sometimes hyperacusis or tinnitus just worsen no matter what you do. This is my case, sadly. I haven't done anything very unusual, but I did kept living despite very severe hyperacusis. Took the blows and the hyperacusis, I can tell you, did not go away, or the hearing problems. They just changed and I lost hearing, and still have hyperacusis and tinnitus.

Correct, we can't just "fix" the problem, and it doesn't go away by ignoring it. I wish we could, but all we can do right now is influence the way we respond to it. Because of the complex nature of tinnitus, the difficulty of this differs greatly per case.

I recovered to a functional state in just a few months, so I assume that my case of tinnitus is a mild one: and my minor hyperacusis symptoms disappeared quickly, I feel blessed by that fact. I feel for you guys who have it worse. Hopefully Lenire or one of the other projects turn out successful and give every one of us an awesome life back.

Keep it up guys, I salute your mental strength!

 

[Bobby Sinatra]

Propranolol and Prozac.

i still find it hard to believe that medications can do lasting damage... you're still fairly recent into it

 

[all to gain]

i still find it hard to believe that medications can do lasting damage... you're still fairly recent into it

Lasting damage in what sense? They seem to annihilate the hair cells and hearing from what I have read.

 

[FGG]

Lasting damage in what sense? They seem to annihilate the hair cells and hearing from what I have read.

I think you a lumping all ototoxic meds together. Aminoglycoside antibiotics (and some other antibiotics occasionally in some people) and some chemotherapeutics do this. Most aren't as dramatic and some don't affect hair cells at all. Tinnitus can occur from glutamate excitation without permanent damage.

 

[Kriszti]

I think you a lumping all ototoxic meds together. Aminoglycoside antibiotics (and some other antibiotics occasionally in some people) and some chemotherapeutics do this. Most aren't as dramatic and some don't affect hair cells at all. Tinnitus can occur from glutamate excitation without permanent damage.

I'm not sure of my root cause, but I did use a topical ointment containing neomicin for eczema on my hands before onset. It contains 3500 IU. I had used the same cream before that, and my whole family used it too without any problem. Even if it did cause permanent damage, could the loudness of tinnitus still lower? There was not a word of this side effect on the med. The leaflet only stated that if it gets into contact with a ruptured eardrum in big dose, it might be ototoxic. I can't prove it, of course, and I have like 5 other likely cause including headphone use, but I'm so bummed and sad about this as well. I googled antibiotics because of a resistant HAI and still wasn't aware of this. I could kick myself.

 

[FGG]

@Kriszti

I did a little searching and it is not common but is possible from topical application, especially on broken skin or deep cuts.

Did this happen recently? If so, if it were me I would consider trying to get steroids. I wish I had.

The loudness of tinnitus can absolutely lower even with antibiotic ototoxicity. Mine has.

 

[all to gain]

I think you a lumping all ototoxic meds together. Aminoglycoside antibiotics (and some other antibiotics occasionally in some people) and some chemotherapeutics do this. Most aren't as dramatic and some don't affect hair cells at all. Tinnitus can occur from glutamate excitation without permanent damage.

I'm a layman in terms of all of this. So in terms of future cures/treatments is there still hope me? I hope so.

 

[Chinmoku]

Some people who got tinnitus from pregabalin had it go away all of a sudden after two years off the drug. It's anecdotal but I know one person where this happened. Her hearing improved too. So in her case it wasn't damage to hair cells

 

[Kriszti]

@Kriszti

I did a little searching and it is not common but is possible from topical application, especially on broken skin or deep cuts.

Did this happen recently? If so, if it were me I would consider trying to get steroids. I wish I had.

The loudness of tinnitus can absolutely lower even with antibiotic ototoxicity. Mine has.

Not that recently. The high pitched one started 3 weeks ago, pretty late for steroids, I guess.

 

[FGG]

Not that recently. The high pitched one started 3 weeks ago, pretty late for steroids, I guess.

I would get to an ENT and at least try. You may not get full benefit but you might get some after 3 weeks. At least talk to one about it ASAP.

 

[all to gain]

Some people who got tinnitus from pregabalin had it go away all of a sudden after two years off the drug. It's anecdotal but I know one person where this happened. Her hearing improved too. So in her case it wasn't damage to hair cells

I really would like to find out what my tinnitus woud be like if I came off of Prozac. I came off of propranolol ages ago though, and that may have played as much a part in my getting tinnitus as the Prozac.

 

[Kriszti]

I would get to an ENT and at least try. You may not get full benefit but you might get some after 3 weeks. At least talk to one about it ASAP.

Oh, I did go to two ENTs and one GP. Before the high pitched sound, I had a low hum which is barely audible right now. They told me, that it's not acoustic trauma, no sudden hearing loss, steroids won't help me. I went to the first one 4 days into my low buzzing.

 

[Chinmoku]

I really would like to find out what my tinnitus woud be like if I came off of Prozac. I came off of propranolol ages ago though, and that may have played as much a part in my getting tinnitus as the Prozac.

But propanolol is yet another drug that should not attack hair cells directly. What is more likely is that serotonergic drugs excite the part of the brain that is responsbile for hearing and raise the gain, so that you hear things you wouldn't normally hear. I had a great cold while I was on pregabalin and that started tinnitus, but my hearing loss was already there before, and the cold or pregabalin did not worsen it. It looks like these bloody psychopharmaceuticals alert the brain that you have hearing loss and the brain, who had ignored previous hair cells damage, all of a sudden becomes aware of it. However, for some people, coming off the drugs reverts the process and the brain stops paying attention. It doesn't work for everyone, though, some people get stuck on the tinnitus for years.

 

[MRItechssuck]

I really would like to find out what my tinnitus woud be like if I came off of Prozac. I came off of propranolol ages ago though, and that may have played as much a part in my getting tinnitus as the Prozac.

I have never been on any drugs, haven't had alcohol in a decade, but I am a caffeine (diet soda) addict.

If your situation can handle it, reducing the variables could help, or could hurt. I did the prednisone 60mg for a week "just in case" and my tinnitus has settled in at a worse level.

Either way, it's not good to be on any medication for a long time... so if you can safely do it, it's a goal anyone should try in my opinion.

Good luck, and tomorrow is another day.

 

[FGG]

Oh, I did go to two ENTs and one GP. Before the high pitched sound, I had a low hum which is barely audible right now. They told me, that it's not acoustic trauma, no sudden hearing loss, steroids won't help me. I went to the first one 4 days into my low buzzing.

Can you see an otologist? They are an ENT subspecialist that just deals with ears. They are a lot more on the ball usually.

 

[all to gain]

But propanolol is yet another drug that should not attack hair cells directly. What is more likely is that serotonergic drugs excite the part of the brain that is responsbile for hearing and raise the gain, so that you hear things you wouldn't normally hear. I had a great cold while I was on pregabalin and that started tinnitus, but my hearing loss was already there before, and the cold or pregabalin did not worsen it. It looks like these bloody psychopharmaceuticals alert the brain that you have hearing loss and the brain, who had ignored previous hair cells damage, all of a sudden becomes aware of it. However, for some people, coming off the drugs reverts the process and the brain stops paying attention. It doesn't work for everyone, though, some people get stuck on the tinnitus for years.

It's all above me! Knowing my luck if I did come off of Prozac my tinnitus would become worse.

 

[Kriszti]

Can you see an otologist? They are an ENT subspecialist that just deals with ears. They are a lot more on the ball usually.

The first one who I visited was an otoneurologist, who treats patients with ENT issues and dizziness, vertigo. He was nice, but didn't do much else than looking into my ears, then test with the tuning fork thingy, and referred me to an audiologist and prescribed Piracetam. This was 4 days in. 7 days in I went to the audiology and visited an other ENT who said that nothing can be done, but prescribed Betahistine. The end of the same week, the law hum quieted down, but on the next Monday, I started to notice the high pitched one, which fluctuates between ears and brain. I don't know whether it is some variation of the low hum, neomicin caused it, or maybe the very severe lack of sleep, anxiety through the roof and the meds together. It spiked considerably after an MRI, but now it's faded back close to baseline, but my emotional response to it is not the best to put it mildly.

 

[Sybelle]

Otoxic drugs....I wish there was more information obtainable. I'm two months into a spike that I'm convicted Lymecycline is responsible for! Yet I can find only negligible information about tetracyclines and nothing substantial to corroborate my worry...

As for SSRIs, I've had Tinnitus be exacerbated by Citalopram and thankfully the spike lasted 6 weeks before fading to my baseline.

 

[Bill Bauer]

There are horrible diseases and health conditions out there, way worse than tinnitus.

The only ones that come to mind are being paralyzed and chronic pain.

 

[Harley]

The only ones that come to mind are being paralyzed and chronic pain.

That is true, but the paralyzed person is most likely still able to sleep and thus escape his/hers condition at least for some significant portion of the 24 hour cycle.
Person with severe screaming tinnitus has literally no escape, as the tinnitus destroys that one last coping tool, which most people in these horrible situations have left at their disposal.

Chronic pain can be debilitating for sure, but there are literally dozens of different pain killers and substances such as medical marijuana aimed at reducing the symptoms.
There is not a single one available to reduce tinnitus.

In the end, both of the above conditions are being taken seriously or somewhat seriously by the medical establishment.
Tinnitus is not.

 

[Jack V]

Chronic pain can be debilitating for sure, but there are literally dozens of different pain killers and substances such as medical marijuana aimed at reducing the symptoms.
There is not a single one available to reduce tinnitus.

In the end, both of the above conditions are being taken seriously or somewhat seriously by the medical establishment.
Tinnitus is not.

1 - granted there is no "cure," but there are treatments geared towards reducing tinnitus, with promising new ones in the pipeline, discussed every day in this forum.

2 - While not as common as they should be, there are medical personnel who take tinnitus seriously. I've found a few near where I live - you just have to dig down a bit to find them.

I spoke to a friend of mine recently who experienced both chronic pain and tinnitus. He basically views tinnitus as a form of chronic pain, and just as he went through a long process of emerging from pain, he went through what for him was a similar process of emerging from tinnitus (habituation).

 

[Juan]

The only ones that come to mind are being paralyzed and chronic pain.

I can think of many, like leukemia, renal diseases, going to dialysis, blind people etc etc

 

[Bill Bauer]

leukemia,

Light at the end of a tunnel. A tinnitus can last over 50 years without end.

blind people

the paralyzed person is most likely still able to sleep and thus escape his/hers condition at least for some significant portion of the 24 hour cycle.

Blind people aren't reminded of their condition 100% of the time when they're awake.

renal diseases, going to dialysis

I don't know much about those diseases, so I can't comment.

 

[Juan]

Blind people aren't reminded of their condition 100% of the time when they're awake.

Come on Bill! They're blind! What do you mean they are not reminded? They can't see.

 

[Bill Bauer]

2 - While not as common as they should be, there are medical personnel who take tinnitus seriously. I've found a few near where I live - you just have to dig down a bit to find them.

But there is nothing they can do, right?

 

[Harley]

Light at the end of a tunnel. A tinnitus can last over 50 years without end.

Blind people aren't reminded of their condition 100% of the time when they're awake.

I don't know much about those diseases, so I can't comment.

Here's the thing:

Tinnitus is basically unique in the way it tortures people, as it is beyond the scope of human comprehension and simply has no analogue.
Sure there are other extremely horrid conditions out there, but not like this.
No words can adequatelly describe the horror of tinnitus.

In order to function, people need to be able to sleep, relax and day dream.
We are not meant to be "on" all the time.
Tinnitus essentially shifts the brain into a perpetual state of high alert and keeps it there indefinitely.
It's like having the switch stuck in the "on" position with no way to turn it off, except for one.
This leads to a state of complete exhaustion (both mental and physical), which then leads to suicide.
Humans are simply not built for this type of torture.

 

[Bill Bauer]

What do you mean they are not reminded?

When they lie in bed and get ready to fall asleep they can stop thinking about their disability. There are many other times when they can do it if they wanted to - daydreaming, etc.

 

[Harley]

Come on Bill! They're blind! What do you mean they are not reminded? They can't see.

They don't need their eye sight at night when they sleep.
That is their escape.
With tinnitus, there is no escape day or night, as tinnitus destroys your sleep.

 

[daiso]

Propranolol and Prozac.

Hi @all to gain
Did a search on propranolol and this post came up. Was wondering if you are still on propanolol? If yes, how long you've been taking this before your T started? If not, did you notice any effects on your T after off propranolol? When you took it, what was your dosage?
I just might need to take this, knowing its danger, but sometimes there are just no choice.