Well I have awful anxiety and developed tinnitus as you can imagine it amplified my anxiety to a point I am struggling to sleep it has also left me suicidal to point I hit rock bottom last week and was admitted to hospital I am currently working my way through things just joined here looking for some positive messaging I know this could be permenant Im determined to not let this beat me was on another forum but ENT told me to avoid it like the plague and recommended here as a place best to chat to like minded people I have ordered a white noise machine although feel this will prove quite challenging as I am so use to sleeping in a quite environment I tried white noise on my phone and my anxiety went through the roof should I Just persist with it in the hope I get used to is I have ordered a masking machine off Amazon which other 40 different noises in the hope there are others that may help more.
New Tinnitus Support Needed : Well I have awful... - Tinnitus UK
New Tinnitus Support Needed
We are all different, and it is hard to know what advice might best help you. Nobody ever had an easy time when beginning to suffer from T. Someone else here (listen to them, they may know better than I do), might disagree, but my own thoughts are these.
(1) If you have been prescribed Lorazepam or some other anti-anxiety medication, stick with it. Likewise Sertraline or other antidepressant. Some say, or have found, that either or both might make T worse. I can only say that this was never true in my case.
(2) Slow down if you possibly can - by which I mean don't rush to find the magic sound therapy / device that will have an immediate impact in lowering your T. Probably there isn't one, but if you can get into a better place mentally, and over the hump of T's immediate impact, then eventually you will find things that help. That might include things that you have rejected now, but in time they may help.
(3) Have you been offered CBT / TRT or other therapy? If not, enquire about it. You might be the kind of person who can be helped by it. Provision varies from one NHS area to another, but it is worth a try.
(4) If you are mobile and can get out of the house for some pleasant walks, then go as often as you can. They help in all kinds of ways - well for me they do.
That is all I can think of for now. Remember that everyone on this forum has been where you are now, and we found ways to cope.
Thank you for the reply I have private medical cover from my work so I am going to speak to them about CBT/TRT I'm also being referred to a hearing specialist as a doctor at A & E said my ear drum was slightly compacted with wax with only small bit visible he gave me bi carb drops but wondering if I might need to have the wax removed physically by a ENT specialist as the bi carb drops don't seem to be clearing it I'm hoping it's something as simple as clearing this but focusing my mind on all potential outcomes from what I understand from my GP they have said its more likely the anxiety keeping me awake than the tinnitus itself currently.
Drops alone never cleared the wax from my ears. My GP practice is one which offers modern syringing by nurse - works every time.
Incidentally, though he is not a T specialist, the ENT Consultant Vik Veer has a brilliant youtube channel in which he deals with many issues, including wax removal, and his own experience it dealing with T. Highly recommended.
Good luck.
youtube.com/@VikVeerENTSurgeon
Cheers to be fair this all started after I had microsuction to clear wax then got a ear infection it's only in one ear I'm still hoping it will settle on its own I can manage it if I can sleep thats my main problem only just went off work but need a few weeks to find a balance of some sleep to be able to function back at work I'm AXA my private medical cover says hopefully i can see a specialist in a couple weeks
That’s exactly what happened to me. And it’s the same situation which I am at the moment. I hope to see an ENH specialist soon as short term fixes don’t appear to be working. Maybe I just need to be more patient but right now it’s hard. I’m with you and thinking of you through this.
Will also add its weird during the day my tinnitus feels like mild static the pinging only comes about in the evening
Thank you for that link, Perlcoder.
As always, I don't speak for anyone else (and some have a different experiences), but for me T seems to be a "chaotic system".
Although primarily in my left ear, and originally a hiss, it can be a hiss, ping, welding torch, bat detector noises, and other things besides - sometimes simultaneously. Volume varies from mild to terrible It can jump from one ear to the other, or be central in my head. Even after > 20 years, it can still stop completely for hours, or a full day - usually because I have been concentrating hard on some task - but I can't make it stop by deliberately concentrating in that way.
I have given up trying to understand or predict any of its manifestations.
Hi there. Parts of your story are very familiar to a lot of us. I couldn't sleep with sound therapy at first because I was so used to silence. The biggest mistake I made at the start was not using the right sound therapy. Its massively important you match the frequency to your tinnitus. Most sound machines I have are limited in this. I find YouTube and some apps much better. White noise, brown noise violet etc were no use to me. I mostly use the Art of Zen on YouTube with a sleepband at night. After a year I now only need it at really low volume. If you persevere with it you will get there. Other advice here is good also. Make sure your day is busy. Morning is extremely important. From the moment you wake up, distract your tinnitus. I use a cheap radio with a really tinny speaker to play classic fm before I leave the house. Also try to stop analysing tinnitus as its normal for it to go up, down, change sides, pitch etc. Unfortunately tinnitus is a bit of a marathon but you will get there. Take care.
Thank you Soonybee Well im hoping a few weeks off work will give me a plan to formulate on how to proceed Im going to percifear with the sound masking I am currently using my phone and you tube and seems hit and miss so far I am contemplating paying for sleep easy buds but currently holding off to see an ENT to see if this is indeed wax related I mean ive always been a light sleeper so this hit me like a sledge hammer im finding that I dont sleep then the following night I crash because im soo exhausted so I can sleep with it my doctor I have seen seems to be pretty insistent if I can solve the anxiety side of this tinnitus or not I should be able to sleep better so im hoping on that the doctor has also suggested mirtazipine which im currently contemplating as a temporary measure.
I completely feel your pain. I've had tinnitus for around 20 years, mainly perceived to be the left ear and have always been able to deal with it until the last 2 weeks. For some reason it's just amplified and no matter what, I cannot ignore it. I feel absolutely hopeless at the moment. I have a GP appt tomorrow to see if I can be referred to ENT and to ask for something for the panic attacks that I'm having right now. I can't understand how I'd habituated for years and out of the blue I suddenly can't.
Good luck with your CBT x
Thank you I'm contacting them to go onto mirtazapine for the sleep I have heard postive things about that short term I think if I can get my sleep back to tolerable levels I can manage the anxiety I'm quite lucky in the fact mine appears very mild in comparison to alot on here light pinging noise at night mild static noise during the day that easily gets droned out I slept better last night but had to use the telly to mask out the sounds not ideal and I still woke up several times but it's an improvement and functioning a bit better today.
I'm pretty sure you shouldn' be trying a noise that causes you anxiety. I originally bought a masking machine. Over a few days listened to all the sounds for about 5-10 minutes at a time. Found the one I liked best . Used it every night for years . Find the one thats most calming.
Hello. I am also in a similar situation to yourself. I’ve been really struggling the last couple of weeks with the constant ringing / hissing noise in my left ear. I’ve been to see the GP twice, taken drops and had most of the wax removed. It’s actually got worse since then, I though that would sort it, hopefully it will I just don’t know. Maybe I just have to try and get used to this over time. I’ve had to take some time off work as it’s really hard to concentrate on anything atm. Sleep has been pretty awful, but have been given tablets to help as a temporary measure. I have been trying to get out as much as possible and escape the silence, listen to soothing music and sounds. It’s had a huge impact on my life recently. Trying my best to stay positive, but it’s very tough. It’s great that there is this forum and support network in place.
I'm taking mirtazapine it seems to be helping with the sleep Im lucky as it seems my tinnitus is very mild can't hear it during the day unless I look for it only at night and it seems to come and go now after a week so I'm hoping that's a sign it might be sorting itself out I think my problem is more the anxiety of hearing it then actually it keeping me awake just remember the vast majority of tinnitus cases clear up within 12 months my GP told me so try and stay postive that's what im doing it's frustrating as I've had this for over two weeks now and the first week I slept fine it's only when I started to focus on it the tinnitus did I bring it to the front of my mind.
Lini9901, can I ask what strength the mirtazapine is? I have an ENT visit for the first time who specializes in Tinnitus. I have high anxiety and stress for a few weeks with my tinnitus I have had since last December. I really need to take something to help with my anxiety until I can work on longer term destressers like CBT. All of the discussion about the potential to have the Tinnitus be worse really amps up my stress.
Hi I take 15mg I will say its been a bit of revelation taking it myself be prepared to initially wipe you out at first taking it and feeling very groggy for a few days it hit me like a sledge hammer to begin with but it wares off eventually this its really helping take the edge off my anxiety it also very sedative so you have to make sure it's taken before bed I will say if anything my tinnitus has been alot better when taking it as well.
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