What Am I Doing with My Life? My Life Is Consumed by Tinnitus

[BobDigi]

My situation was very similar to yours, Allan. I had tinnitus for 14 years before it got worse after a really loud gig. When that happened my life fell apart and it took a long time for me to get back to a stable mindset. You cannot force it and by obsessively reading about it and/or monitoring it you are making matters worse. You need to stop doing this. Take up a new hobby or give yourself a challenge to complete; something that fully engages you and takes your mind elsewhere.

I can always hear my tinnitus and it's really loud. I can walk into a busy bar, for example, and my dentist drill tinnitus will just cut right through with ease.

I know that feeling. Mine is so loud it has never once been "masked" I think it the combination of extreme level and the fact it's right in my head. But when I see people say they can mask their tinnitus with TV or music, I get so jealous.

 

[Allan1967]

Allan,

Do you have the kind of tinnitus that dies down for a couple of days and then comes back ringing hard for a few days then rinse and repeat?

Sort of but I would say it's not as regular as that. More like a week or two of Hell...enough to break my spirit then a day or two of manageable tinnitus which I can't enjoy because I know the Hell will start again soon @winstona

I liken it to being held captive, tortured then let out by your captor for a day or two before they drag you back in.

 

[Allan1967]

@Allan1967

Hi Allan. Everything you say, I can relate to. We are very alike you and I.
My tinnitus is also insanely piercing and high pitched. It´s really painful. I have severe Noxacusis as well so I have to wear ear protection everytime I pee, use the faucet or handle any kind of plastic or paper materials. It´s even worse when someone else makes these sounds when I´m not prepared.

All of this makes me very suicidal. My thoughts are on how to kill myself nonstop throughout the day.

Like you, I´m also getting off of Venlafaxine, and it makes both the tinnitus more piercing and Noxacusis even more sensitive. I´ve been on Venlafaxine for 20 years and even a 12,5 mg decrease makes my noise sensitivity go haywire. For me it settles a bit about two month after my last drop. You went cold turkey from 75 mg so you will have to wait for T to settle even though you are on another AD. But in the middle of withdrawal, everything feels utterly hopeless. I do not know about you, but I have extreme tremors, aching in every muscle, nausea and extreme anxiety also because of the Venlafaxine withdrawal. It´s an evil thing to get off, but I understand you wanting to get off of it.

Still, one thing that helps my tinnitus is this sound I found on YouTube. It's the only thing I´ve found to totally mask my tinnitus even on relatively low volume. Sit in a quiet room and try it out. I use it on my Mac laptop or connect it to my stereo. I don´t like using headphones because the tinnitus just leaps through the noise then, like with my in-ear noise generators. Hope it works for you as well.

@grate_biff Thank you. I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms from Venlafaxine that I am consciously aware of. My tinnitus seems to be a higher pitch, could that be related? Are you saying that coming off it has made it go higher but I can expect it to settle? I've been off Venlafaxine for about 6 weeks now.

 

[grate_biff]

I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms from Venlafaxine that I am consciously aware of.

Really? No anxiety, no nothing?

My tinnitus seems to be a higher pitch, could that be related?

That happens to me for sure. But I also get a lot of other reactions.

Are you saying that coming off it has made it go higher but I can expect it to settle?

Yes!

 

[Allan1967]

Really? No anxiety, no nothing?

That happens to me for sure. But I also get a lot of other reactions.

Yes!

Hi @grate_biff

Yes, nothing. First couple of days I could have cried like a baby but about 2 to 3 days afterwards I was ok. But nothing else noticeable.

All I can say is I think my tinnitus is higher pitched, but then again I'm not sure as it's always high pitched and I don't know if my memory recall is different to what the reality really was.

I hope to God it comes down a little or Neuromod come up trumps for me.