Tinnitus Started After Being Two Weeks on Zoloft — What Should I Do Now in the Early Stages?

[Ben Johnson]

Hey guys,

I just started noticing tinnitus one week ago. I've always had it if I listened for it but it rose to the surface one week ago and it's been REALLY TOUGH!

I damaged some nerves in the C2/C3 area 7 months ago and I immediately had constant full headaches on the right side and bad anxiety out of nowhere. This anxiety jumped to breathing OCD for about 3 months then, out of the blue, my anxiety latched onto tinnitus. I had started Zoloft about 2 weeks before the tinnitus kicked in. My psychiatrist had me immediately stop it and started me on Seroquel 50 mg. I'm taking it and .5mg of Klonopin to get to sleep. I've also found that meditation really helps well to calm me down.

It's not even that loud when I cover my ears. It just rises to the surface when there's no masking sounds. I haven't been to any specialists yet. I really don't even know where to start. Can anyone give me a road map? I've ordered Glenn Schweitzer's book about tinnitus and am looking forward to reading it.

Are there any things I should buy to help deal with these early stages? Sound maskers? Hearing aids? Sound machine?

I'm very early in this process and want to do all I can to habituate and/or discover the cause and try to get rid of or alleviate the tinnitus.

Thanks for any help you can provide. God bless!

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum.

When tinnitus is new it tends to cause negative emotions and we suffer much from it.

It is best to learn from the success stories from people who had gotten better as they walk their talks.

So I recommend you to try to read as many success stories as you can. They can help lift your spirit and reduce your anxiety. They also contain insights and wisdom from those who have gotten better. I was in a mess a few years back afflicted with ultra high pitched dog whistle tinnitus and severe hyperacusis which turned all normal sounds unbearably loud and piercingly hurtful. I also had relentless anxiety and panic attacks. I never thought I could recover and have a good life again. But here I am living a normal and absolutely enjoyable life. I list some pointers which have helped me greatly. If you wish to read it, here is the link:

From Darkness to Light, How I Recovered from Tinnitus & Hyperacusis

You may want also to read the most read success story 'Back to Silence' with a simple effective strategy by @I who love music:

Back to Silence

There are a lot of things you can learn from Tinnitus Talk to help you get better. Don't panic. If the ringing bothers you or cause sleeplessness it is best to try masking it with nature sounds of similar frequency as the ringing. Download free tinnitus masking apps to your phone and use a Bluetooth speaker. Also check out this page of Tinnitus Talk giving you some sound advice on what to do to help yourself.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic

Best wishes and take care. God bless.

 

[Ben Johnson]

@billie48,

Your story is so inspiring. Can't imagine how mentally strong you have become.

Habituation seems like the most ideal solution to tinnitus for me. Trying to pinpoint the cause seems so needle in a haystack.

I am going to have my ears checked out. Should I go to an audiologist or ENT? Thanks.

 

[billie48]

ENT can check more than the hearing that an audiologist is specialized in. Anything in the inner ear such as infection, fluid, or ETD etc should be checked out by ENT.

 

[Ben Johnson]

Got a new symptom to go with the tinnitus today. Yay for me...

I started noticing everytime that I swallow, I hear it loudly in my inner ear. It doesn't hurt or cause discomfort. It's just loud and noticeable.

Can anyone speak to this?

It's really annoying and makes me wonder when and where this hell is going to end. Thanks.

 

[Rockman]

This recently happened with me. I think it has to do with the Eustachian tube and the tympanic inner muscles. Just my guess.

 

[Ben Johnson]

Update and request for comments:

I'm right at 3 months of tinnitus and I can't say that it's gotten any better but I can say that I I'm more used to it.

The biggest issue I'm having now is major depression. The tinnitus has kind of taken a back seat to it. My psychiatrist prescribed Amitriptyline at the lowest dose and I'm wanting to try it but of course I'm hesitant because of the potential for side effects. The only thing that helps me not be miserable is Klonopin. I take .5 mg once every 2-3 days but I'm considering taking it regularly as I'm feeling desperate.

I tried Prozac and quit it after 1 week as it seems to have caused this bout of severe depression I'm dealing with now.

Can anyone provide any insight as to taking these meds? Also, I'm 4 days removed from the Prozac and hoping that once it's out of my system then maybe the depression will subside some.

Please respond if you have any insight. Thanks.

 

[CC_16]

Update and request for comments:

I'm right at 3 months of tinnitus and I can't say that it's gotten any better but I can say that I I'm more used to it.

The biggest issue I'm having now is major depression. The tinnitus has kind of taken a back seat to it. My psychiatrist prescribed Amitriptyline at the lowest dose and I'm wanting to try it but of course I'm hesitant because of the potential for side effects. The only thing that helps me not be miserable is Klonopin. I take .5 mg once every 2-3 days but I'm considering taking it regularly as I'm feeling desperate.

I tried Prozac and quit it after 1 week as it seems to have caused this bout of severe depression I'm dealing with now.

Can anyone provide any insight as to taking these meds? Also, I'm 4 days removed from the Prozac and hoping that once it's out of my system then maybe the depression will subside some.

Please respond if you have any insight. Thanks.

Do all these meds really help with depression? I read that they don't.

How do you feel?

 

[Ben Johnson]

Do all these meds really help with depression? I read that they don't.

How do you feel?

It's hard to say. It's different for every person. Some of the ADs I've tried have made things worse so I immediately stopped taking (like Prozac). As far as helping the tinnitus, the goal is to take something that calms the associated anxiety and depression... I can say that Klonopin really helps take the edge off but you have to be careful with it because it's addictive.