Tinnitus for a Year Now...

[David Dubros]

Hello all.
I turned 59 in August of 2016 and for my birthday started a slow but progressive tinnitus.
I had lost my mother the previous winter and my job that summer.
In the middle of that i quit smoking and started vaping.
Well... it was brutal the first months with the tinnitus.

Spoke to my GP and he gave me lipoflavanoids.
They only made the tinnitus worse.

Then the ENT who said it was age related.
I have had schizophrenia since 18 and have fought the good fight all my life. But the T is something that really blindsided me.

I am on Flupenthixol for my illness and there are times when my T is roaring that i will double or triple my low dosage as it does indeed have a calming effect on my T.

I am an avid audiophile and the T has cut my hobby into bits.

I don't think I've developed depression but feel sad not to hear the sound of true silence anymore.
I have one quirk with my T .
It will go on for 3 to 5 days and then i wake up and there's nothing for the whole day. The very next day it returns.

Well that's my intro.

 

[billie48]

It will go on for 3 to 5 days and then i wake up and theres nothing for the whole day.

Welcome to the forum. Living with tinnitus, it is important to maintain a positive attitude as much as humanly possible. You have some break with silence for the whole day is a dream for many members here whose T doesn't have a break. So take this as a positive try to keep stress and anxiety low as these are bad for T. Have you tried masking your T?

 

[David Dubros]

Hi .thanks for your encouragement.
Yes with a whole days silence it enables me to recharge my psyche so that i can stay positive for the days ahead when i know i will suffer.
Ì take long walks when i get anxious and listen to the outside noise.
That is all the masking i can do as any otber type just causes my T to flare.
Again thank you.

 

[David Dubros]

Hi again.
I woke up this morning and my T was not there.
I expect it to come back through the night tonite but is this an indication that it will go for good?

 

[billie48]

This is definitely a good sign. People usually get better with T over time, either due to the body getting used to the ringing or that the ears become more stable over time, or that natural healing of the hidden cause of T (such as an inner inflammation) will occur over time. So if you can remain positive and calm even with some spiky days, then the brain will slowly get it that life goes on with or without T and it will then take T as a new normal in life and won't freak out over it. This will keep the limbic system away. With that it is only a matter of time that the brain thinks T is so unimportant that it will learn to fade it out from consciousness.

 

[David Dubros]

Thank you billie48.
Thats the answer i was really hoping for.
Its early evening and my T is still subdued.
It allows me to recharge my psyche for when it returns.
Again many thanks.
Oh and can my GP prescribe clonazepam for my anxiety? And no more caffeine.

 

[David Dubros]

Well the T returned this morning
Waiting for my GP to talk to me about the anxiety.
The T is not really the immediate problem but i find the anxiety literally cripples me.
Im going to ask him for a prescription for the anxiety.

 

[David Dubros]

Well spoke to my GP and he's giving me the Clonazepam as rescue medicine for my attacks. Yaay.. some hope.

 

[billie48]

Back then my GP prescribed me Ativan sublingual as rescue medicine and Prozac as AD as I was dealing with relentless anxiety and panic attacks. Try to use the benzos for short term. Later on when the Prozac kicked in to reduce the symptoms of the panic attacks. I phased out Ativan slowly. So make sure your clonazepam is for rescue and short termed use and when you phase it out, try to get the GP to work out a schedule for you. Take care. God bless.

 

[David Dubros]

Hello again billie48.
You have indeed been most gracious with your encouragement to me.
May i tell you that you have really helped me through a tough time.
You never know who's out there until you reach out.
Thank you from my heart a best to you and yours.
I hope i can help someone like you did for me.