Tinnitus from THC-Induced Panic Attack

[rjbarrett99]

Hello everyone,

Not sure what I'm even looking for here but maybe advice or support. I am 22 and my tinnitus began I would say sometime last year, it was very very mild, where I would notice it very faintly before going to sleep. However, one weekend in December I had a major THC induced panic attack, and the loudness shot up exponentially. I was freaking out for days, I kept checking for it, googling symptoms (major hypochondriac) etc. While it never decreased to the baseline level, it went down to manageable levels.

However, within the last few weeks and suddenly the last few days, it seems to have gotten worse, to the point where I hear it almost all the time except when I am very distracted, and it is extremely loud when in complete silence. I try to mask it with white noise and stuff like that.

My question is, I am not sure if I was exposed to loud noises, but I certainly wasn't around the time the anxiety attack made it worse. Is it possible for an attack to suddenly make tinnitus worse? is there a correlation with THC? I suspect that one of the main problems is the anxiety itself, as I am constantly checking for it and honestly pretty miserable over the whole thing. It was even manageable when it got worse a few weeks ago, but my left ear now just seems to be screeching.

I also suspect that TMJ or (maybe ETD, I have frequent wax problems+infections) may be to blame. My jaw is constantly tight, probably from anxiety (big stressors in college right now, with relationships, career, etc), and I have pretty poor posture and tense back/shoulder muscles. But, it is annoying not being able to figure out what the root cause is. Can anxiety itself really amplify tinnitus this much? When I initially got better, the decrease in one of the tones I heard correlated with a decrease in physical symptoms of anxiety, so that might be a factor.

I am very worried I will never be able to habituate, especially with one ear having it much worse than the other. The worsening in my left ear is also accompanied with some weird fullness 'sticky ear' feeling in the mornings, which I thought was wax, but the ringing is still there.

Final question, does anyone have any experience with nightguards or TMJ exercises helping?

Very disheartened, just looking for any advice.

 

[GeorgeLG]

We are all different, you will have to learn the things that effect your individual condition. Tinnitus can be caused or aggravated by so many different things: Loud sounds, ototoxic drugs, Foods, supplements, TMJ, PTSD, anxiety, ...

For some people THC, CBD, CBG, etc help and for others these compounds make things worse.

Anxiety in general can make this worse and anxiety about it will definitely make it worse. Your sounds may go completely away but if they don't you can work to make them unimportant enough to not have a major effect on your life. Take a look at the back to silence thread. There are many other related techniques like EMDR, mindfulness, etc. They all operate on the principle of changing your thoughts and emotions about the condition to rewire your brain and reduce the impact that this has on your life. Most start with breaking the hyper focus about it, the fear/pain cycle that can cause you to get stuck on high alert.

You can get better.

George

 

[DimLeb]

Sorry to hear you're in such a bad place. I can't tell for THC, TMJ and anxiety making things worse, but I know for sure that this disease is unpredictable. It can do things for the better or the worse by itself.

In my opinion, it's more likely the infections and the substances may have caused it, than the anxiety and stress you're describing. Everyone has some kind of anxiety, but not everyone has tinnitus. When the reason is unknown, it's easy to blame it on that, even the medical community does that...

I personally observed mine worsen for no reason at all. Since it started almost a year ago, from an ever so slight hiss in my left ear, in time it grew to +2 or 3 tones in head/both ears and a bit of volume (still mild though).

With 97% staying at home, no loud noises, no headphones, no hearing loss, no coffee, no alcohol, no sugar/much salt, healthy diet, no infections or medications.

So yeah, just trying to say this shit has a mind of its own unfortunately...

 

[Mumbo]

Mine got much, much worse overnight. I had taken 5 MG of THC edibles before I went to sleep, though I didn't have a panic attack. I was actually feeling super relaxed at the time and hadn't experienced actual anxiety in literally years. I don't know if something happened while I was asleep, or if the THC was responsible. Regardless, I haven't touched THC since.

 

[Cenzo45]

I first noticed Tinnitus 20 years ago and it took quite a few years for me to get to a point where I don't notice it. About 4 weeks ago I was using 5mg THC a night for sleep due to an injury. I switched to a different product and within 30 minutes of taking it my Tinnitus got very loud. I stopped taking it immediately but the Tinnitus hasn't improved that much in the last 4 weeks. Has anyone else (e.g. Mumbo) noticed that the tinnitus goes away after THC, say after a few months?

 

[Cenzo45]

Also, to RJ Barret, its very disheartening at first, but you do get accustomed to it. I did get to a point where I didn't notice it, its just a shame that THC recently flared it up again. I am nowhere near as unhappy about it as i was 20 years ago (panic attacks etc 20 years ago). Now its ok. Audiologist suggested I buy the Bose Sleepbuds 2 (AUD$375). They are amazing, I now sleep better than I have in years with those in my ears (I listed to campfire or the rain sounds). I am also starting CBT therapy with a good (expensive) Psychologist to help me reinterpret what's happening.

Note that my audiologist suggested something interesting: our subconscious mind is always looking for threats (especially if you have high anxiety). For my mind it looks for sound threats, either in the form of high pitch sounds, or repetitive sounds that may annoy me. Because I am anxious about tinnnitus I grab on to those sounds and have trouble ignoring them. So if I use the sleepbuds to mask the sounds when its distressing, and also CBT to retrain my brain, I think I will be better off. I'll chime back in monthly to see how its going.

Month 1: Tinnitus is loud in quiet settings.