Neck Problems

[erniej]

I started having a loud ringing in my ears after I started a taper off of Xanax and now Klonopin.
I have been so sick from it I spent a lot of time laying on the couch watching movies.
I started having pain in my neck and shoulders if I sat up for any length of time. I also noticed that I could temporarily increase the pitch and volume by moving my neck front to back and side to side.
So I started doing neck strengthening exercises. Well the pain went away but my tinnitus went through the roof. The volume is off the chats. It's so loud right now I'm sick to my stomach.
I don't know what to do. I can't go to a doctor and ask for an operation to relieve it. I also have arthritis and bone spurs in my neck. A number of years ago I went to a specialist and he said that they didn't operate on bone spurs anymore because they only come back. So I wouldn't get anyone to do an operation to get rid of tinnitus.
So now I have the ringing from the Klonopin taper and now this.
I don't know what to do. I've posted here in the past about what a crisis I was in. The volume at the time wasn't this bad. I was getting quiet days off and on until I started the neck exercises.

 

[glynis]

Hi @erniej,
Hopefully your tinnitus will settle from the klonopin taper but neck problems can cause tinnitus.
A trained physiotherapist might be able help you with a few gentle exercizes and a special neck pillow at night to keep your neck in a good position.
.....lots of love glynis

 

[erniej]

A trained physiotherapist might be able help you with a few gentle exercizes and a special neck pillow at night to keep your neck in a good position.

That ain't gonna work. I was having a bad tinnitus day today. So I pulled my head GENTLY to the right. The volume and pitched changed. Then I pulled it GENTLY to the left. Same thing. Then, holy crap, now it's through the roof.

 

[erniej]

I woke up at 2:30AM this morning. Hissing ringing through the roof. It's coming up on a year now that this torture began. I keep hearing over and over that it will get better. It only gets worse. My neck is so sensitive to any movement that just laying my head down on a neck support pillow changes the sound/pitch. Tinnitus gives me headaches and makes me sick to my stomach. The other day I was backing my car out of the driveway and I had to stop and open the door because I started having dry heaves. I cry all the time. I'm crying right now.
I went through two years of Post Concussive Syndrome. Then lapsed into a two year major depression. Started to come out of that around this time last year when the awful tinnitus hit. The shit storm has been going on for five years now. I have tried EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING. Massachusetts Eye and Ear couldn't come up with anything to help me. I just emailed my best friend to tell him I'll most likely be checking out and I wanted to say good bye. He knows what I've been going through. About three months ago I was sitting in my garage with the top down in my car with it running. At the last minute I turned it off. I wish I didn't. I made a promise that I would never post anything like this. Sorry. You don't have to reply. What's happening to me is beyond the scope of anything this forum has to offer so I won't be coming back. That's not a criticism.

 

[JasonP]

I started having a loud ringing in my ears after I started a taper off of Xanax and now Klonopin.
I have been so sick from it I spent a lot of time laying on the couch watching movies.
I started having pain in my neck and shoulders if I sat up for any length of time. I also noticed that I could temporarily increase the pitch and volume by moving my neck front to back and side to side.
So I started doing neck strengthening exercises. Well the pain went away but my tinnitus went through the roof. The volume is off the chats. It's so loud right now I'm sick to my stomach.
I don't know what to do. I can't go to a doctor and ask for an operation to relieve it. I also have arthritis and bone spurs in my neck. A number of years ago I went to a specialist and he said that they didn't operate on bone spurs anymore because they only come back. So I wouldn't get anyone to do an operation to get rid of tinnitus.
So now I have the ringing from the Klonopin taper and now this.
I don't know what to do. I've posted here in the past about what a crisis I was in. The volume at the time wasn't this bad. I was getting quiet days off and on until I started the neck exercises.

I can relate to the Klonopin taper...It bothered me big time but somehow after taking some Lamictal it went down. I had to titrate up slowly. Its kind of weird..I am still trying to figure out how it works. I think I have figured out part of how it works but not fully...it has gone up and down and up and down but at least it is some relief whereas before it was not doing anything. I am trying to hone in now to see if I can get a consistent low....I think I had a decent 2 months in a row. I still am trying to taper off klonopin so that could be part of why it is acting up an down. (I really don't know for sure yet) I don't know if it would help you but you might could ask your doctor about it because it also is used off label for depression. I don't know what else to say. I totally understand your suffering.

 

[truesilence]

I woke up at 2:30AM this morning. Hissing ringing through the roof. It's coming up on a year now that this torture began. I keep hearing over and over that it will get better. It only gets worse. My neck is so sensitive to any movement that just laying my head down on a neck support pillow changes the sound/pitch. Tinnitus gives me headaches and makes me sick to my stomach. The other day I was backing my car out of the driveway and I had to stop and open the door because I started having dry heaves. I cry all the time. I'm crying right now.
I went through two years of Post Concussive Syndrome. Then lapsed into a two year major depression. Started to come out of that around this time last year when the awful tinnitus hit. The shit storm has been going on for five years now. I have tried EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING. Massachusetts Eye and Ear couldn't come up with anything to help me. I just emailed my best friend to tell him I'll most likely be checking out and I wanted to say good bye. He knows what I've been going through. About three months ago I was sitting in my garage with the top down in my car with it running. At the last minute I turned it off. I wish I didn't. I made a promise that I would never post anything like this. Sorry. You don't have to reply. What's happening to me is beyond the scope of anything this forum has to offer so I won't be coming back. That's not a criticism.

Have you tried Cold Laser Therapy?

 

[just1morething]

I just emailed my best friend to tell him I'll most likely be checking out and I wanted to say good bye

Mine is absolute torture for me too atm. I got back from riding my motorcycle.Why not try Dr. Shulman's gabapentin plus Klonopin for now? I don't know what to do myself. Options seem limited. I have neck issues too but not positive they are causing my terrible tinnitus.

 

[just1morething]

@erniej, Or try saline water and use a EarPopper if it's related to ETD. That is what I'm going to try. You could read over @engineerLA's protocol.

 

[linearb]

my suspicion is that improvement may be hard to come by while in the midst of a benzo taper; that whole deal was the worst three years of my life to date.

tinnitus isn't really a muscle problem, it's a problem in the part of the brain which first integrates audio and tactile nerve data (the dorsal cochlear nucleus).

nonbenzo muscle drugs like cyclobenzeprine (flexeril) are reported to help some people with tinnitus, and are generally easy to get a prescription for. the

 

[valeri]

@erniej
What were the exercises you did and were you told by a professional to do them?