Suicidal

[Exit]

Clonazepam helps me, particularly at 1 mg. It definitely helps the tinnitus and helps the loudness hyperacusis a hair, but ultimately makes me care about all of it less.

Unfortunately, I have to take 2 week breaks or so to avoid addiction risk. I would love to take this almost daily.

So benzos only help people while stuffing them down all the time...?

I'm not going there yet. I also hate the drugged up feeling.

My hyperacusis is fine as long as I live in a bubble..

 

[Zugzug]

So benzos only help people while stuffing them down all the time...?

I'm not going there yet. I also hate the drugged up feeling.

My hyperacusis is fine as long as I live in a bubble..

Benzos are for symptom relief only so if you don't enjoy the feeling, you are definitely better off without them.

Do you have loudness or pain hyperacusis (as the primary complaint, many have both)? For pain, I would think in a different direction like trying CBD/CBG, ketamine, or Ambroxol (inhibits NaV1.8, which is present in nerve fiber nociceptor sites).

Benzos are likely only going to help you care about the pain a little less.

 

[Exit]

Benzos are for symptom relief only so if you don't enjoy the feeling, you are definitely better off without them.

Do you have loudness or pain hyperacusis (as the primary complaint, many have both)? For pain, I would think in a different direction like trying CBD/CBG, ketamine, or Ambroxol (inhibits NaV1.8, which is present in nerve fiber nociceptor sites).

Benzos are likely only going to help you care about the pain a little less.

My concern is mostly the ever increasing tinnitus...

I get pain if I were to not overprotect with earmuffs, but that's not a very big issue. At least not compared to your situation and some other lucky ducks around here.

 

[Stacken77]

My concern is mostly the ever increasing tinnitus...

What do you think is the cause behind the ever increasing tinnitus? Some driving force must be at work making it increase.

 

[Matchbox]

Yep. Plus the knowledge that you can't turn it off. That it's STUCK in your brain and out of your control. Having headphones on with tinnitus noise won't give that claustrophobic feeling, because they know they have the option of just turning it off.

And. You can't mask it. It follows you or embeds in your skull/objects wherever you go.

And. you start getting worse with new sound effects and tones.

If this were temporary, even a year or two, people could deal, but of course that's not the case, and that's where suicide comes in.

 

[Exit]

What do you think is the cause behind the ever increasing tinnitus? Some driving force must be at work making it increase.

Right now it's spreading more tones to the good ear... so blaming it on the spreading effect...

 

[pleasejuststop]

The torture, the claustrophobia. The lack of acknowledgement. I'm internally screaming. People do not understand the horror of tinnitus. I wake up to panic attacks every single day. Every second. I try to explain but people don't understand. This life is torture. I'm at the end of my rope.

 

[Stacken77]

Right now it's spreading more tones to the good ear... so blaming it on the spreading effect...

What is causing the spreading effect, and can it be stopped? In my case, I gained many new tones and increased volume because of loudness hyperacusis and shocks from trivial noise. There are quite a few others with the same experience, and there are those who got a lot better after treating the hyperacusis with sound therapy.

If hyperacusis is not at play here, there must be some other driving force behind it.

 

[Exit]

What is causing the spreading effect, and can it be stopped? In my case, I gained many new tones and increased volume because of loudness hyperacusis and shocks from trivial noise. There are quite a few others with the same experience, and there are those who got a lot better after treating the hyperacusis with sound therapy.

If hyperacusis is not at play here, there must be some other driving force behind it.

Don't know what to say really...

My hyperacusis was worse last year, I've become so good at protecting now that it can go many months between trivial loud noise that hurts, but as we know one of those might be enough for damage...

I also drive a loud car in tunnels with bad tarmac everyday (earmuffs), have music and fan on 24/7.

And walking in nature often with nice water and wind noises.

So I don't think there's much more sound therapy I can do except walking around city centre unprotected or use TRT nonsense...

Do you agree to a certain point?

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Don't know what to say really...

My hyperacusis was worse last year, I've become so good at protecting now that it can go many months between trivial loud noise that hurts, but as we know one of those might be enough for damage...

I also drive a loud car in tunnels with bad tarmac everyday (earmuffs), have music and fan on 24/7.

And walking in nature often with nice water and wind noises.

So I don't think there's much more sound therapy I can do except walking around city centre unprotected or use TRT nonsense...

Do you agree to a certain point?

Why is TRT nonsense?

 

[Stacken77]

Don't know what to say really...

My hyperacusis was worse last year, I've become so good at protecting now that it can go many months between trivial loud noise that hurts, but as we know one of those might be enough for damage...

I also drive a loud car in tunnels with bad tarmac everyday (earmuffs), have music and fan on 24/7.

And walking in nature often with nice water and wind noises.

So I don't think there's much more sound therapy I can do except walking around city centre unprotected or use TRT nonsense...

Do you agree to a certain point?

I agree with you. It seems you get enough sound enrichment, so that's probably not the culprit.

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation, and I sincerely hope all of us make a recovery.

Stacken

 

[wagen]

So sorry to hear. If only this benzo withdrawal finally stopped. It takes so long. I'm tapering Clonazepam and it's a 24/7 nightmare.

Hold on, it will have to stop at some point. Can you at least sleep a little?

I used Clonazepam for 3 months a year ago because of insomnia.

Two weeks ago I got so desperate (=suicidal) that I gave in and took 0.5 mg again. It doesn't have the same sleep inducing effect on me anymore but it did calm me down a little bit. So, I'm thinking I should try to taper.

At what rate are you tapering and how does it affect your tinnitus?

How do you sleep?

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, best wishes to you!

 

[Sironketchup]

Why is TRT nonsense?

Why is TRT not nonsense?

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Why is TRT not nonsense?

I mean if it works for some, why hate it?

 

[Zugzug]

Why is TRT nonsense?

For the same reasons why if you stubbed your toe, ate a sugar pill, and reported that your toe improved 7 days later. Then a narcissistic, sadistic POS adds this example to a pool of similar data points and says that sugar pills have a 99% success rate of stubbed toes.

Then, when a bunch of people with truly fucked foot injuries require a cast or maybe even surgery or amputation, the POS says that the only reason why this would be the case is because the person wants to look injured so they can game the system for disability pay.

Also, placebo-controlled studies verify that, in fact, the sugar pill really doesn't heal foot injuries. Many patients actually report that the extra sugar increases their inflammation and even worsens the foot injury, all for the POS to say that this is impossible.

Then all of the research money goes towards implementing and tweaking $5,000 sugar pills, as opposed to better medications or procedures. Even tough as fuck Veterans are crying like babies because of the torture, but it does nothing to move the needle.

Oh, and when your foot doesn't heal, you constantly get told that you aren't consuming the sugar pill correctly -- after all, it helps 99% of people so you're just a fucking dumbass. Apparently, there's some magical way to consume it, by cutting the pill in half and putting half of it up your ass with the other half being consumed sublingually at 8:03 p.m., after consuming a dinner with 1048 calories over the course of 25 minutes and 16 seconds from 6:22 p.m. until 6:47 p.m. and 16 seconds, washing it down with unicorn piss.

When you start to see the bullshit, you are classified as a negative Nelly, unworthy of anyone's consideration.

This is TRT.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

For the same reasons why if you stubbed your toe, ate a sugar pill, and reported that your toe improved 7 days later. Then a narcissistic, sadistic POS adds this example to a pool of similar data points and says that sugar pills have a 99% success rate of stubbed toes.

Then, when a bunch of people with truly fucked foot injuries require a cast or maybe even surgery or amputation, the POS says that the only reason why this would be the case is because the person wants to look injured so they can game the system for disability pay.

Also, placebo-controlled studies verify that, in fact, the sugar pill really doesn't heal foot injuries. Many patients actually report that the extra sugar increases their inflammation and even worsens the foot injury, all for the POS to say that this is impossible.

Then all of the research money goes towards implementing and tweaking $5,000 sugar pills, as opposed to better medications or procedures. Even tough as fuck Veterans are crying like babies because of the torture, but it does nothing to move the needle.

Oh, and when your foot doesn't heal, you constantly get told that you aren't consuming the sugar pill correctly -- after all, it helps 99% of people so you're just a fucking dumbass. Apparently, there's some magical way to consume it, by cutting the pill in half and putting half of it up your ass with the other half being consumed sublingually at 8:03 p.m., after consuming a dinner with 1048 calories over the course of 25 minutes and 16 seconds from 6:22 p.m. until 6:47 p.m. and 16 seconds, washing it down with unicorn piss.

When you start to see the bullshit, you are classified as a negative Nelly, unworthy of anyone's consideration.

This is TRT.

Jesus lol dammit. So then wtf am I to do to heal myself? Sit on a cucumber and cross my eyes? Lol.

 

[grate_biff]

For the same reasons why if you stubbed your toe, ate a sugar pill, and reported that your toe improved 7 days later. Then a narcissistic, sadistic POS adds this example to a pool of similar data points and says that sugar pills have a 99% success rate of stubbed toes.

Then, when a bunch of people with truly fucked foot injuries require a cast or maybe even surgery or amputation, the POS says that the only reason why this would be the case is because the person wants to look injured so they can game the system for disability pay.

Also, placebo-controlled studies verify that, in fact, the sugar pill really doesn't heal foot injuries. Many patients actually report that the extra sugar increases their inflammation and even worsens the foot injury, all for the POS to say that this is impossible.

Then all of the research money goes towards implementing and tweaking $5,000 sugar pills, as opposed to better medications or procedures. Even tough as fuck Veterans are crying like babies because of the torture, but it does nothing to move the needle.

Oh, and when your foot doesn't heal, you constantly get told that you aren't consuming the sugar pill correctly -- after all, it helps 99% of people so you're just a fucking dumbass. Apparently, there's some magical way to consume it, by cutting the pill in half and putting half of it up your ass with the other half being consumed sublingually at 8:03 p.m., after consuming a dinner with 1048 calories over the course of 25 minutes and 16 seconds from 6:22 p.m. until 6:47 p.m. and 16 seconds, washing it down with unicorn piss.

When you start to see the bullshit, you are classified as a negative Nelly, unworthy of anyone's consideration.

This is TRT.

LOL.
Now I Love You Dearly.
My man!

 

[Zugzug]

So then wtf am I to do to heal myself?

Jesus

 

[Kriszti]

Why is TRT nonsense?

Wouldn't be a problem with TRT if Jastreboff and co. were willing to admit that their method is not the cure-all treatment for tinnitus and it might not work for everybody, so actual further research is very, very necessary to help tinnitus sufferers. There are papers on TRT claiming that it does not work better then standard of care.

Jastreboff says in the interview by Tinnitus Hub on YouTube that TRT can help 95% of sufferers and the 5% who cannot be helped are "Flag Wavers" who use this condition as whining to attract social attention; people who have financial interest in having tinnitus; and people on benzodiazepines. I find his opinion very offensive, lacking in empathy, victim blaming, and overall very arrogant.

 

[Zugzug]

Wouldn't be a problem with TRT if Jastreboff and co. were willing to admit that their method is not the cure-all treatment for tinnitus and it might not work for everybody, so actual further research is very, very necessary to help tinnitus sufferers. There are papers on TRT claiming that it does not work better then standard of care.

Jastreboff says in the interview by Tinnitus Hub on YouTube that TRT can help 95% of sufferers and the 5% who cannot be helped are "Flag Wavers" who use this condition as whining to attract social attention; people who have financial interest in having tinnitus; and people on benzodiazepines. I find his opinion very offensive, lacking in empathy, victim blaming, and overall very arrogant.

Thank you for the informative counterpart to my answer. Now I look like less of a flag waver.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Thank you for the informative counterpart to my answer. Now I look like less of a flag waver.

Now I understand what you are talking about lol.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Wouldn't be a problem with TRT if Jastreboff and co. were willing to admit that their method is not the cure-all treatment for tinnitus and it might not work for everybody, so actual further research is very, very necessary to help tinnitus sufferers. There are papers on TRT claiming that it does not work better then standard of care.

Jastreboff says in the interview by Tinnitus Hub on YouTube that TRT can help 95% of sufferers and the 5% who cannot be helped are "Flag Wavers" who use this condition as whining to attract social attention; people who have financial interest in having tinnitus; and people on benzodiazepines. I find his opinion very offensive, lacking in empathy, victim blaming, and overall very arrogant.

Wow what an asshat lol.

 

[Óscar PP]

TRT, CBT and mindfulness are just modern shamanism for conditions on which Western medicine has nothing to offer.

I wouldn't be totally against them if at least they weren't preached as infallible methods.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Wouldn't be a problem with TRT if Jastreboff and co. were willing to admit that their method is not the cure-all treatment for tinnitus and it might not work for everybody, so actual further research is very, very necessary to help tinnitus sufferers. There are papers on TRT claiming that it does not work better then standard of care.

Jastreboff says in the interview by Tinnitus Hub on YouTube that TRT can help 95% of sufferers and the 5% who cannot be helped are "Flag Wavers" who use this condition as whining to attract social attention; people who have financial interest in having tinnitus; and people on benzodiazepines. I find his opinion very offensive, lacking in empathy, victim blaming, and overall very arrogant.

TRT is a treatment to help a person habituate to tinnitus, it is not a cure. I agree with a lot of Pawel Jastreboff's comments and don't believe he is victim blaming.

 

[Chinmoku]

I used Clonazepam for 3 months a year ago because of insomnia.

Two weeks ago I got so desperate (=suicidal) that I gave in and took 0.5 mg again. It doesn't have the same sleep inducing effect on me anymore but it did calm me down a little bit. So, I'm thinking I should try to taper.

At what rate are you tapering and how does it affect your tinnitus?

How do you sleep?

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, best wishes to you!

I'm tapering at 5% per week/every two weeks depending on the reaction. My tinnitus is aggravated and my sleep reduced. My tinnitus was getting worse also at a constant 0.5 mg dose so I might be in tolerance withdrawal but it's not so clear. If you have been on the drug only 2 weeks you might do a quick taper.

 

[Chinmoku]

TRT, CBT and mindfulness are just modern shamanism for conditions on which Western medicine has nothing to offer.

I wouldn't be totally against them if at least they weren't preached as infallible methods.

I was enrolled in a mindfulness course for tinnitus. I meditated religiously on the noise half an hour a day for three months but the tinnitus kept worsening and in the end I couldn't do it anymore. During the 8 weeks course we went from a group of 12 people to a group of 4, as 8 people left. Some time later an ophthalmologist proposed me a mindfulness course for visual snow. I left his office crying. They throw mindfulness at you whenever they don't know what else to do and this gives specialists an excuse to discharge you without trying other real medical treatments or taking some risks. ENTs love this because it gives them a place to put tinnitus patients. And hey, there are clinical trials showing mindfulness is effective for everything so if you don't respond it's your fault, we tried to help you.

This is not against vipassana meditation in general, it is an important practice in some respects, but western medicine has transformed it in a sort of panacea for everything they cannot treat, giving many medical doctors an excuse for not trying harder to treat the patient medically.

 

[Sleaford Mod]

Years ago I had an operation for an umbilical hernia which was treated by the insertion of a a surgical mesh.

A couple of days afterwards I encountered a forum with threads that warned off all-comers as to the dangers of having this procedure performed.

Having yet to personally experience the discomfort the contributors to that forum are going through does not mean that those folks were imagining the agony they were in. Far from it. And, as it turns out, concerns have subsequently been raised about the use of meshes to correct hernias.

Nevertheless, what I would suggest is that the posts in this thread are similarly unrepresentative of the wider tinnitus community when it comes to TRT and other approaches that facilitate habituation.

These approaches do have validity and will benefit the majority of tinnitus sufferers. However, they should, perhaps, not be presented in a dogmatic, one-size-fits-all manner that seeks to denigrate those who have not found them helpful.

 

[Chinmoku]

Wouldn't be a problem with TRT if Jastreboff and co. were willing to admit that their method is not the cure-all treatment for tinnitus and it might not work for everybody, so actual further research is very, very necessary to help tinnitus sufferers. There are papers on TRT claiming that it does not work better then standard of care.

Jastreboff says in the interview by Tinnitus Hub on YouTube that TRT can help 95% of sufferers and the 5% who cannot be helped are "Flag Wavers" who use this condition as whining to attract social attention; people who have financial interest in having tinnitus; and people on benzodiazepines. I find his opinion very offensive, lacking in empathy, victim blaming, and overall very arrogant.

Interesting interview. Evidently millionaire Kent Taylor, poor soul, tragically shot himself because he was a flag waver, or was trying to steal some disability money, or was taking benzodiazepines. Why, he should have been totally helped by TRT. Not to mention other tragic cases like Gaby or Allan.

"Flag wavers". Seriously?

 

[Sleaford Mod]

Interesting interview. Evidently millionaire Kent Taylor, poor soul, tragically shot himself because he was a flag waver, or was trying to steal some disability money, or was taking benzodiazepines. Why, he should have been totally helped by TRT. Not to mention other tragic cases like Gaby or Allan.

"Flag wavers". Seriously?

He was suffering from additional, post COVID-19 symptoms that your disingenuous post conveniently overlooks.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I was enrolled in a mindfulness course for tinnitus

I am sorry to hear that you had an unpleasant experience with mindfulness Chinmoku. It has helped some people to cope better with their tinnitus. Meditating and focusing on the tinnitus noise is something I would not recommend especially if it's very intrusive.

My understanding of meditation is that it's supposed to be done in quiet surroundings and this is not good for a lot of people that have tinnitus. For this reason low level sound enrichment, either using a sound machine or white noise generators is advised. This helps the brain to focus less on the tinnitus and more on sound enrichment. Over time the brain habituates to sound enrichment and slowly pushes the tinnitus further into the background making it less noticeable.

I believe tinnitus counselling can be very helpful. It can remove and demystify a lot of the negative thinking that surrounds tinnitus. Coupled with sound therapy using white noise generators, it can be very effective. This treatment takes time, up to two years so is not a quick fix.

ENTs love this because it gives them a place to put tinnitus patients

There is some truth in what you say because ENT doctors do not treat tinnitus, as it's not their area of expertise. They treat underlying medical problems that cause tinnitus, either medically or surgically. When no underlying medical condition is found to be causing the tinnitus, the patient should be referred to Audiology. Here, they will see either a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management. These are the correct health professionals to see.

Treatment can involve: counselling, sound therapy using white noise generators, medication or a combination of the three. Sometimes the treatment is called TRT. However, proper TRT requires following a strict protocol and often people practicing this treatment do not adhere to it, but have adapted the treatment to their requirements and therefore, it's not strictly TRT but good results are still possible.

Michael