Hi everyone!
I'm starting this thread because I'd like to gather advice from other tinnitus sufferers. My story is, unfortunately, probably a common one.
I'm 27, and my 24/7 bilateral tinnitus started almost three months ago (December 19, 2024) after a night out at a loud bar where I stayed for two hours. I left with ear fullness, pain, and a sensation that my ears were stuffed with cotton. The ringing only started the next day. When I saw a doctor, he noted that my eardrums were extremely red and irritated. He prescribed Prednisolone and Polydexa (ear drops) and was confident the tinnitus would go away without any lasting effects, as it was very faint at the time.
I started a round of Prednisolone at 60 mg for 14 days. Four days after the trauma, my tinnitus became louder and more piercing, and it hasn't really improved since. I also developed slight hyperacusis, which made socializing impossible throughout January.
On January 11, I saw an ENT who specializes in tinnitus and treats it with low doses of antiepileptics. As a result, I started taking Gabapentin at 500 mg/day for two months. Around the same time, my GP prescribed 3 mg of Bromazepam (Lexomil) before bed because I was on the verge of losing my sanity due to sleep deprivation and anxiety. I initially felt like my tinnitus was getting "softer" and thought it was due to Gabapentin. At the time, I was completely new to benzodiazepines and didn't know anything about GABA and tinnitus.
I also had an audiogram and a speech-in-noise test, both of which came back within the normal range—though my right ear had a mild dip at 6000 and 8000 Hz (15 dB) and performed worse than my left ear on the speech-in-noise test.
Before this acoustic shock, I was already recovering from a professional burnout and at the start of a depressive episode. Tinnitus was the final blow. I started seeing a psychiatrist because my depression was spiraling out of control. Since mid-February, my psychiatrist has prescribed 60 mg of Cymbalta (Duloxetine) and wants me to taper off Bromazepam. However, when I started reducing Bromazepam, my tinnitus returned with the same piercing tones as in January—leading me to believe Gabapentin wasn't actually helping. The "improvement" I had likely came from Bromazepam, which I still take before bed.
Now, I don't know what to do. I can't stay on benzodiazepines forever, but I worry that I might be hindering any potential improvement due to their effects on neuroplasticity (from what I've read). I'm extremely cautious with sound exposure and only leave my apartment with earplugs. I'm only three months in, and it's still a "quiet room" tinnitus, but I'm starting to despair that my life has been completely derailed by just two hours at a loud bar.
For context, I have no history of acoustic trauma and was always very careful with earphones. Going out to loud places was never really part of my lifestyle—the first and last time I went to a club was actually seven years ago.
I'd really appreciate any advice, especially regarding benzodiazepines.
Many thanks!
I'm starting this thread because I'd like to gather advice from other tinnitus sufferers. My story is, unfortunately, probably a common one.
I'm 27, and my 24/7 bilateral tinnitus started almost three months ago (December 19, 2024) after a night out at a loud bar where I stayed for two hours. I left with ear fullness, pain, and a sensation that my ears were stuffed with cotton. The ringing only started the next day. When I saw a doctor, he noted that my eardrums were extremely red and irritated. He prescribed Prednisolone and Polydexa (ear drops) and was confident the tinnitus would go away without any lasting effects, as it was very faint at the time.
I started a round of Prednisolone at 60 mg for 14 days. Four days after the trauma, my tinnitus became louder and more piercing, and it hasn't really improved since. I also developed slight hyperacusis, which made socializing impossible throughout January.
On January 11, I saw an ENT who specializes in tinnitus and treats it with low doses of antiepileptics. As a result, I started taking Gabapentin at 500 mg/day for two months. Around the same time, my GP prescribed 3 mg of Bromazepam (Lexomil) before bed because I was on the verge of losing my sanity due to sleep deprivation and anxiety. I initially felt like my tinnitus was getting "softer" and thought it was due to Gabapentin. At the time, I was completely new to benzodiazepines and didn't know anything about GABA and tinnitus.
I also had an audiogram and a speech-in-noise test, both of which came back within the normal range—though my right ear had a mild dip at 6000 and 8000 Hz (15 dB) and performed worse than my left ear on the speech-in-noise test.
Before this acoustic shock, I was already recovering from a professional burnout and at the start of a depressive episode. Tinnitus was the final blow. I started seeing a psychiatrist because my depression was spiraling out of control. Since mid-February, my psychiatrist has prescribed 60 mg of Cymbalta (Duloxetine) and wants me to taper off Bromazepam. However, when I started reducing Bromazepam, my tinnitus returned with the same piercing tones as in January—leading me to believe Gabapentin wasn't actually helping. The "improvement" I had likely came from Bromazepam, which I still take before bed.
Now, I don't know what to do. I can't stay on benzodiazepines forever, but I worry that I might be hindering any potential improvement due to their effects on neuroplasticity (from what I've read). I'm extremely cautious with sound exposure and only leave my apartment with earplugs. I'm only three months in, and it's still a "quiet room" tinnitus, but I'm starting to despair that my life has been completely derailed by just two hours at a loud bar.
For context, I have no history of acoustic trauma and was always very careful with earphones. Going out to loud places was never really part of my lifestyle—the first and last time I went to a club was actually seven years ago.
I'd really appreciate any advice, especially regarding benzodiazepines.
Many thanks!
