by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
February 6, 2016
I recently came across three reasons why tinnitus will never go away. So if you can’t get your tinnitus to habituate and fade into the background (at least to some degree), see if one of these reasons might apply to you.
Here is an excerpt from the new 7th edition of my tinnitus book, “When Your Ears Ring”.
About 10% of people with tinnitus find that nothing seems to help them. Dr. Jastreboff, the father of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), with rare insight, explains why.
He reports that 82% of patients experience clear improvement, although approximately 90% of patients report at least some improvement. “Regarding the remaining 10%,” he explains, “I have learned to predict when TRT will or will not be successful.”
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There are those who take large doses of benzodiazepines. (His definition of a “large dose” is 1.5 mg or more per day, but this may vary depending on the specific benzodiazepine you are taking. In this case he was specifically talking about Alprazolam (Xanax). Benzodiazepines prevent neural plasticity and hence any habituation to tinnitus.)
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There is a group of patients who use tinnitus as a means of getting social attention, who need to feel victimized, and will never get better because they do not want to put an end to what makes them special.
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There are a group of patients who do not want to get better for financial reasons, so that they can receive health care benefits, after a car accident, for example.
If you fall into any of the above classes, you now know the very first thing you must do if you ever want to get control of your tinnitus.
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You can get your own copy of the new, expanded 7th edition of “When Your Ears Ring” when it comes out for the same price as the current 6th edition—just $22.95 plus shipping if you act now. The day the new 7th edition comes out (sometime in late February, 2016), the price will immediately go up. So save now. Click on “When Your Ears Ring 7th Edition” to order the new 7th edition and it will be shipped to you as soon as it is available.
I have confirmed Meniere’s Disease. I was not on any meds (benzodiazepines) when I developed Meniere’s. My ears did however start ringing with anything from low static sound to loud horns blowing in the distance. After going through the vertigo spells w/ nausea, tinnitus, loss of balance and then hearing loss, I was put on Valium 2 X’s daily – 2.5 in morn and 2.5 in evening. If I have a spell sometime throughout the day or wake up during night in a full blown spell, as I sometimes do, I am to take a 5mg tablet plus the nausea med. I have 4 grown children who believe my tinnitus and hearing loss is due to taking valium after reading this article about benzodiazepines. ?????
Hi Paula:
When you have Meniere’s as well as are on Benzodiazepine drugs, it can be hard where to assign the blame for tinnitus and hearing loss since both Meniere’s and the Benzos can cause these conditions.
The truth may be that both contribute to both of these conditions.
Incidentally, if you want to get rid of your Meniere’s, read my article “Atlas Adjustments Alleviate Meniere’s Disease” at http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/atlas-adjustments-alleviate-menieres-disease/. The good news is that everyone that has followed this treatment protocol and has gotten back to me has reported success.
Cordially,
Neil
I have been taking 1.0Mg of Clonozaplam for over two years now. I started to develop low grade tinnitus a few years ago but it was never that bothersome. Last week I had a spike in the sound literally over night in both ears. I stopped for a couple days but has come back again just as strong. Im scared to be honest of something like a brain tumor or worse if thats possible. I take med for stress and anxiety. Could the Clonozapam be the cause?
Hi Tim:
Clonazepam causes tinnitus in numbers of people. So it is possible that this is what is happening in your case. I doubt you have a brain tumor causing this tinnitus spike, but if you are worried about it, have an MRI–then you will know–and hopefully calm down again. Remember, both stress and anxiety can make tinnitus worse, so anything you do to calm yourself down is all to the good.
Also, long term use of Benzodiazepines (of which Clonazepam is one) is not a good idea. Over time the Benzos become less and less beneficial, and you develop more and more side effects. If I were you, I’d start slowly tapering off the drug and learn how to control my stress and anxiety by other means–a good counselor would be my choice.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr Buaman we spoke the other day on a different thread (I had the spinal tap and other things that could have caused the Tinnitus) I am also taking a benzo for my anxiety caused by the constant ringing and would like to start tapering off soon what dosage would you recommend for a safe taper? I take 1 mg (two .5 mg a day) normally however on bad days i take 1.5 mg. i started off taking 2 mg in the beginning for about a week or so but stopped doing that, I started taking the medication on 12/17. Also since we last spoke I saw a neuroradiologist who is ordering me an MRI of my spine to see if I am still leaking CSF. Should I be concerned that the MRI will make things worse for me? Thank you.
There are many types and brands of benzodiazepines and the dosage varies quite a lot . For example a dosage of 0.5 mg of clonazepam equals 10 mg of diazepam or 1.0 mg of aprazolam. So it isn’t very accurate to say that ” 1.5 mg is a large dose”
Hi Annemarie:
You are correct. I think he was specifically talking about Alprazolam (Xanax) so I have modified the statement I made to reflect this and to make it more general.
Thanks for the heads up.
Cordially,
Neil
Actually, no. I don’t take meds, I don’t want social attention, And my family are multimillionaires, so money is not a factor.
Forget your $22.95 for your book. If you can cure my tinnitus, I’ll give you a quarter of a million dollars cash. You can’t though.
Hi Jacob:
In most cases, tinnitus is not “cured” by somebody doing something to you. You get your tinnitus under control by how you deal with it. Chapter 16 in my book explains how this happens and what you need to do to bring your tinnitus under your control. If your tinnitus no longer bothers you, it doesn’t matter whether you hear it or not. I don’t let my tinnitus bother me so it is no big deal.
Sounds like you are not ready to help yourself.
Cordially,
Neil
I’ve had tinnitus for 3 years. Also I’m having stomach issues. Just completed upper GI, ultrasound and gallbladder functioning test.,, all are normal. Something is wrong! Burning in stomach which travels up my ear and causes pain and makes the T worse. Was prescribed all the GERD meds and I chose not to take due to worsen T. What could this be?
Hi Kimberly:
Since your doctor can’t find anything wrong, maybe you need to go to a chiropractor and see that your back is properly aligned. If certain vertebrae are out, they can cause problems with your stomach and GERD-like symptoms. That’s a good place to start and see if chiropractic treatment resolves your issues. A good chiropractor should be able to tell right away if vertebrae are “out” and could be the cause of your stomach problems.
Cordially,
Neil
I was exposed to a single loud noise in July and now, 6.5 weeks later I still have intermittent ringing in both ears. I refuse to accept that it won’t go away and am hopeful that I’ll have my “silence” back soon. Also, as of 2-3 days ago, I hear a muffled “water-in-the-ear” sound in my right ear when I tap the back of my skull. Is this TTTS? I am doing what I can to stay positive. Should I be worried about this new fluttering? Should I go to the ER? The tinnitus is there but I am keeping it at bay. Please help with any advice.
Hi Dan:
Since your tinnitus is intermittent, you have good reason to hope that eventually it will disappear.
I’m not clear on what you mean by “water in the ear” sound and then you mention a fluttering sound. A fluttering sound could be TTTS. I don’t know about that water in the ear sound.
As you probably know, TTTS is largely a psychological response due to anxiety and worry and related emotions. Perhaps you are paying too much attention and worrying about your ears and that is bringing on the TTTS.
Cordially,
Neil
I got tinnitus out of nowhere 11/26/19 it’s now 1/7/2020
Doctors are not sure what caused the onset as there are no problems with my ears or hearing.
I started taking .25 to .5 mg Xanax a day. It helps reduce the loudness…. it was extremely difficult for me to cope with it…. I have been taking them for 6 weeks. am I putting myself at risk?
Does my tinnitus seem permanent ?
Aaron
Hi Aaron:
Your tinnitus may have appeared to come out of the blue, but there is always a reason for it. It may be hard to find that reason though. It could be as obvious as exposing your ears to loud sounds/music, or taking one of any number of drugs, or as obscure as using a cell phone or exposing yourself to wireless technology.
Whenever you take a mind-altering drug such as any of the Benzodiazepine class of drugs of which Alprazolam (Xanax) is one, you are putting yourself at risk. Hundreds upon hundreds of people have reported GETTING tinnitus from taking this drug. Ditto for losing hearing from taking this drug. And when you try to get off it, often the symptoms get worse. So ultimately it is not worth it.
You need to learn how to deal with your tinnitus and bring it under control without drugs if you want to be successful. Drugs never get at the root of your tinnitus and that is what you want to work on to bring it under control so it doesn’t bother you any more and it may fade away entirely–depending on what caused it in the first place.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi There:
If you taper too fast or quit cold turkey any benzodiazepine drug, you leave yourself open to getting nasty tinnitus. This is one reason you have to taper very slowly off the benzos once you have formed a dependence on them.
One way to do this is to switch from shorter half-life benzos to the longest half life benzos–namely Diazepam (Valium). You need to find the equivalent dose of Valium as you are taking for Temazepam. Then stay on that dose until any side effects go away. THEN you can begin a slow taper off the Valium. A safe reduction is 10% on the reducing balance. The intervals between the reductions may vary depending on how your body reacts. You may need to stay at each level for a month (or more), or you may find you can taper faster–such as every two weeks or even every week.
This is not a race, so slower is better as the chances of side effects showing up are less with a slower taper. If you find you are tapering to fast, stop tapering at that level and wait until the side effects go away, then resume the taper, but at a slower speed.
Your proposed taper may work for you. But you need to listen to your body and slow down if it is too fast–as per my outline above.
I wish you well as you become drug-free.
Cordially,
Neil
I have tinnitus for over 2 years now been taking lorazapm to help with sleep and anxiety issues was prescribed many anti anxiety meds and anti depression meds couldn’t handle the side effects could the lorazapm taking 1 mg a day be preventing me from
Habituation should I go to a detox for a few weeks to get off? Then what about my anxiety issues ?
In a rock and a hard place
Any place you could recommend such a complicated issue
Do you do counseling one on one ?
Hi Steve:
As you know, taking Benzodiazepines can prevent your from habituating to your tinnitus. thus you will not successfully habituate to your tinnitus if you take large doses of benzodiazepine drugs such as Alprazolam (Xanax). (Dr. Jastreboff’s definition of a “large dose” is 1.5 mg or more per day, but this may vary depending on the exact benzodiazepine you are taking. Benzodiazepines prevent neural plasticity and hence any habituation to tinnitus.
Dr. Jastreboff further explains, “The neural plasticity of the brain is essential in the habituation process. In my experience, doses of Xanax (Alprazolam) greater than 1.5 mg per day basically block the habituation process, thus preventing successful outcome of the treatment. Moreover, withdrawal from benzodiazepines may increase or even create the tinnitus perception. Therefore, while it is possible to achieve habituation over a longer period of time when patients are on relatively small doses of benzodiazepines, larger doses of benzodiazepines prevent habituation from occurring.”
and
“A third of my patients take benzodiazepines, because 70% of patients who suffer from tinnitus have sleep problems, and ENT doctors prescribe them as if they were sleeping pills.
When patients are on doses of 1 to 1.5 mg per day, I try to convince them to stop taking them altogether in the second phase of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. But if they take 2 mg or more, I know it is very difficult for TRT to work.”
Thus you’d be better off getting off any Benzodiazepines you are taking because they don’t really work anyway. Did you know that the “best practices” Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus states, “Benzodiazepines should not be used to treat tinnitus because clinical trials do not consistently show benefit.”
As Dr. Nagler explains,
“All things being equal (and they never are), in general, you are better off not taking benzodiazepines such as Alprazolam (Xanax) than taking them. The challenge lies in the fact that your anxiety level is apt to increase considerably as you come off Xanax because 1) the drug tends to be habit-forming; 2) the drug tamps down overall anxiety; and 3) the drug decreases tinnitus-associated distress without effectively addressing the underlying cause of the distress.” (Note: The importance of this third factor cannot be overstated.)
Since the Benzodiazepines can actually make your anxiety worse, I’d get off them and instead, if you need help with your anxiety, see a psychologist counselor who works with people that are anxious and learn how to successfully deal with your anxiety so you don’t need any drugs.
Also, seek help for your sleep issues–there are many things you can do to help you get to sleep–even when you have tinnitus. Chapter 23 in my just released 8th edition of “Take Control of Your Tinnitus” discusses “How to get a good night’s sleep if you have tinnitus”. In fact, it is packed with all the information you need to help you successfully deal with your tinnitus. Here is the link to this book, https://hearinglosshelp.com/shop/take-control-of-your-tinnitus-heres-how/
Cordially,
Neil
I guess I am in that 10%, I honestly have given up. I am 51 years old, my tinnitus probably started in my 20s. For many years it was only a one constant high pitch noise. I’ve always been hard of hearing from what I remember and in my 30s was diagnosed with reverse slope hearing loss and I use hearing aids. Through the years new sounds started making their way in like some looping sounds repeating sounds. Those come and go. Then a more constant lower pitch sound that added itself in. Some days I think I have 4 or 5 symphonies going on, and I think that contributes a lot of my difficulties hearing as they are quite loud. When I mention this to medical providers, they look at me like I am crazy or something lol So I frankly just live with it, best as I can. Nothing I have tried has ever helped.
I dream of silence one day 🙂 That would be just amazing
Hi Isabelle:
Actually, not. From what you have said, you don’t fit into either of the 3 classes of people who don’t successfully deal with their tinnitus.
Remember, this isn’t getting rid of your tinnitus, but rather, successfully dealing with it. If the rules are that you have to get rid of your tinnitus, then I’ve failed too since I’ve had my tinnitus for more than 70 years.
But the rules are that you habituate to your tinnitus. And I’ve done that. I do not let my tinnitus bother me–even though it is there all the time. Sometimes hours go by when I’m not aware of my tinnitus (but it’s there if I listen for it–which I don’t do), but whenever I write, talk or think about tinnitus–like I am right now–I hear it loud and clear. The key is that it does not bother me. It is just a background sound I can safely ignore.
The looping sounds and symphonies you are hearing are not tinnitus. That is another condition called Musical Ear Syndrome (MES). It is a close cousin to tinnitus. But tinnitus is an unmodulated sound whereas MES sounds are modulated such as music, singing and speech.
A lot of hard of hearing people have MES, but don’t mention it to anyone for fear of being thought crazy. If you are interested, you can read my comprehensive article on the subject at https://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/musical-ear-syndrome-the-phantom-voices-ethereal-music-other-spooky-sounds-many-hard-of-hearing-people-secretly-experience/ .
When I was a boy, I didn’t know what tinnitus was, so when there were no real sounds around, just my tinnitus, I called it by the oxymoronic name of “the sound of silence”.
Cordially,
Neil
I took Prozac, 40mg a day, for 2 years, no issues or problems (to treat GAD). January of this year my dr had me taper off Prozac since I was doing fine. From feb-April I was taking no medication and doing great.
Middle of April i had a panic attack (related to family health issues). Dr had me go back on Prozac and prescribed trazadone for some insomnia issues I was having. He prescribed .25mg of Xanax to use as needed. I’ve used it daily for the last 6 weeks. Randomly, about a month ago, got a sharp and deafening noise in my left ear that lasted several seconds. It went away, but now there is a high pitch frequency, low volume 24/7 in my left ear. I’ve got to an ENT/Audiologist, they said I have perfect hearing.
I stopped taking the Xanax about a week ago for fear that maybe it was a culprit. I still have the ringing.
I asked my psychiatrist about the Prozac or trazadone causing it (even through I had been on Prozac for years before without issue). He said that in his 35 year career, I would be his first patient that reported tinnitus caused by Prozac or trazadone – he said it is very rare, less than 1 percent.
In any event, I’m at a loss. What is your advice? While I have settled with this being a life long thing (I’ve had it for a month now) I do hope that it goes away.
Hi Dave:
Of the three drugs you were taking, I’d rate Alprazolam (Xanax) the highest risk for getting tinnitus, Fluoxetine (Prozac) the next and Trazodone as the least risk.
However, when you are taking 3 drugs at once, and all can cause tinnitus, they can have a synergistic effect. So it’s hard to put the blame on any given drug.
I think your doctor is way off on his concept of rarity. The PDR lists Fluoxetine as causing tinnitus in one in every 50 people taking this drug. I wouldn’t call that particularly rare. Considering how many people take this drug every year, that works out to hundreds of thousands of people each year getting tinnitus from this drug. I call that significant, not rare.
The PDR figures for Trazodone are 1.4%, so also a significant number of people each year get tinnitus from this drug. In both cases, the placebo is 0. This means that ALL the tinnitus in the above two studies were due to the drug and not to other factors.
If you got off all drugs, it is possible that your tinnitus would go away, but there is no guarantee. Sometimes that happens, but other times the tinnitus persists as it forms an endless loop in your brain.
If that happens, you want to learn to habituate to your tinnitus so it no longer bothers you. Then, whether you hear your tinnitus or not, who really cares? I’ve had tinnitus for more than 70 years now, but why cares? It’s not a problem. It’s just there, although I can go for hours without even being aware I have tinnitus. That’s how habituated I am to it. My book on tinnitus teaches you how you can do the same.
Cordially,
Neil
Dear Neil, thank you for hosting this site. I got tinnitus about 15 years ago when I was on interferon and improperly tried a scuba diving valsalvo to clear my ears , then made it worse by getting my jaw stuck out after losing so much muscle nothing worked. I tried TRT, which seemed to replace one sound with another. I did complete TMJ therapy and just lived my life and habituated the tinnitus. Cut to 15 years later, going through replacement of both bottom bridges, the dentist opened my bite too much, so after 3 months of intense TMJ discomfort is now closing it some for better front occlusal. as soon as we started closing my bite, my TMJ are on fire again and I could immediately hear the tinnitus again, loudly. I have been using a about .25 -.5 of .25alprazolam for muscle/pain control, and have use similar amounts over the years with no problem, although I don’t like it on my brain, and using it too long is a real challenge to get off it, so not a fan for long term. So, I am getting another set of temporary teeth milled this week, to hopefully alleviate some of the TMJ and myofacial stress, but now I have to deal with a much louder tinnitus.
1. do you have any experience with the T diminishing after the dental situation gets better, and
2. do I just listen to the noise and meditate and let it become a non-threat (easier said than done ) to habituate again. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I forgot to mention that using (rain/fan) masking on spotify seems too close to the T noise and I wonder if it makes it worse, so have gone to easy instrumental guitar as back ground.
Years ago when I habituated, I used outdoor jungle and bird and flute back ground music for a year or 2, do you have a comment on masking ?
If all this is covered in you book I’ll gladly order it up.
thanks much, John
Hi John:
Having your TMJ out of proper alignment can definitely result in tinnitus, typically somatosensory tinnitus where the tinnitus signals are sent to your brain by nerves apart from your auditory nerve.
Thus, getting these nerves calmed down can eliminate tinnitus from this cause.
You mention that you are having trouble habituating to your present tinnitus, and getting off the Alprazolam you are taking is a real challenge. This means you are building up a dependence on this drug. Perhaps you didn’t know this, but when you are on any of the benzodiazepine class of drugs of which Alprazolam is one, is that when this happens it is very difficult or impossible to habituate to your tinnitus. You are on a relatively-low dose, and people on such a low dose can habituate to their tinnitus. In your case, I’d suggest you get off the benzos to remove that impediment to habituating to your tinnitus.
Hopefully, when you get your dental work adjusted properly to get the tension off your TMJ, your tinnitus should begin to fade away.
Sometimes tinnitus is not only from your TMJ, but is also due to your cervical vertebrae being out of proper alignment. So seeing an upper cervical chiropractor (http://www.upcspine.com/) would be a good idea too.
The kind of sound you use for tinnitus masking can vary from person to person. The conventional wisdom is to use a random sound such as white or pink noise, fractal music or water sounds of various kinds. Jungle sounds are also random and should work.
Typically, you want to avoid non-random sounds such as music as you can begin to actively listen to known music and you don’t want to do that when you have tinnitus. You want to passively listen to the random sounds which you quickly ignore, and in so doing, at the same time also ignore your tinnitus. You don’t do this the same with non-random sounds.
However, use whatever works for you, no matter what anyone else says.
I don’t believe in masking your tinnitus–that is, totally drowning it out as the sounds often have to be too loud for your ears. Since you have done TRT, you know that you partially mask your tinnitus by using the background sound at a level lower than your tinnitus. You increase the volume to the point where the background sound begins to mix with your tinnitus.
All the above and much more is covered in the 8th edition of my book, “Take Control of Your Tinnitus” if you want to learn more about all kinds of tinnitus and how to deal with each kind.
Cordially,
Neil
Dear Neil, thank you so much for your kind response, and reminding me about the passive v. active listening, it’s been 15 years since TRT, so a reminder is helpful. My primary has offered duxolitine as an alternative to alprazolam , for my GAD and chronic muscle ache. I don’t know if the side affects are worth it. anyway, I will be ordering your book today. God Bless you for hosting this website.
Hello. My ears started buzzing went to ent. Have bad high frenergrency hearing loss. The ENT said it just dropped off part of it dead he called it. First he said my ears will always ring . Then I was talking to him about habiturated and the noises start to fade away. He mentioned herbs he then agreed with talking about habiturated. But he confused me . Do I have a chance to habitchued this or should I get a hearing aid too? My other hearing is good.
Hi Connie:
If your tinnitus is a result of hearing loss, it will probably last as long as your hearing loss. For example, I’ve had tinnitus for more than 70 years now because I was born with a severe hearing loss.
However, I am so habituated to my tinnitus that hours go by without my hearing it (or at least being aware of it). But right now, because I am writing to you about tinnitus, my ears are screaming away. But the good news is that within 5 minutes of finishing this reply, I probably won’t even be aware I have tinnitus. That’s how habituated to my tinnitus I am.
Your doctor was probably telling you that you have a dead zone or region in your cochlea.
You can habituate to your tinnitus. Getting a hearing aid and giving that ear something real to listen to can often help your tinnitus, at least while you are wearing the hearing aid. But when you take it off at night, your tinnitus will likely come back. So you still want to learn to habituate to your tinnitus so whether you are wearing hearing aids or not, your tinnitus won’t bother you. (I’m wearing my hearing aids and it makes no difference with my tinnitus whether I am wearing them or not.
Cordially,
Neil
Dear Dr. Neil Bauman,
May you help me to get out of a difficult situation please? I am male, 29 y.o., in a quite good health, doing sports. I have tinnitus for a 4 years, it’s not disturbing me as just like you I am not paying attention to it. However, I am considering occasionally taking Xanax 1 tablet of 1 or 2 mg once a week or once every two weeks. Considering that this medicine is ototoxic but while not taking it everyday as many people do for some constant amount of time, does it more likely to cause my tinnitus go worse? Or the way I am planning to take is quite safe? Shake your hand on the distance.
Hi Alex:
Why are you considering taking Xanax? It is so easy to get hooked on it and so difficult to get off it. You are playing with fire when you take any of the benzodiazepine class of drugs.
In would be much better to take a herbal that has minimal side effects such as St. John’s Wort if you suffer from depression rather than a benzo like Xanax.
If you only take it occasionally, it might not bother your existing tinnitus. The problem is that there are no guarantees. It may not bother your tinnitus, or it may make your tinnitus much worse. There is no way to tell in advance, so the safest is not to take it to start with–then you never have to worry about it causing you problems in the future.
Cordially,
Neil
You are right, not worse it. Should be avoided!
Dr gave me 6 disapan 2 mg month . Then I got tinnitis from stress . Went to ENT and coming down wi th h worst sinus infection when I took hearing test that day . He said my ringing won’t stop. Now I was taking valium diaspan last 3 months first 2 mg twice aday then just once aday and every other day . And so on. My tinnitis is bad in evenings . Now a phychtrist has prescribe me 20 mg duloxetine. I don’t know to take it or not. And will I have a chance of habutate this. It’s like goes away when I’m going to sleep and very low in morning. But then my anxiety goes up later in eve. Can caffene or alcohol or me getting off th his disapan the end. I do have hearing loss . Audiolist said substantial. In one ear . But I can hear . Will this ever get better.
Hi Connie:
Diazepam (Valium) can certainly cause tinnitus. There have been hundreds and hundreds of reports of tinnitus from this drug made to the FDAs database.
Duloxetine (Cymbalta) has even more reports of tinnitus, so it certainly wouldn’t be on my list of drugs to take if I wanted to get rid of my tinnitus.
When it come to tinnitus and whether it is temporary or permanent so much depends on its origin and your emotional make-up.
For example, if you tinnitus was caused by Diazepam, then when you get off it, your tinnitus may go away in a couple of months or so. However, if you tinnitus was caused by your hearing loss, it will probably be permanent since hearing loss is typically permanent. However, in that case, you can habituate to your tinnitus so it won’t bother you no matter whether you hear it or not. My tinnitus is from hearing loss from birth and I’ve lived with it for more than 70 years. I’m habituated to it, but when I think about tinnitus (like right now as I write this–my tinnitus has spiked and is pretty loud–but even so, it is no big deal. Besides, I know it will fade away in about 5 minutes after I finish this post and go on to something else.
Be aware that your emotional/psychological state has a LOT to do with how you perceive your tinnitus. If you perceive your tinnitus as a threat to your well-being in any way, and thus you focus on it, it will tend to stay around and may get worse. However, if you think of your tinnitus as just a useless, unimportant background sound that is safe to ignore, and then you ignore it, (because it is not a threat to your well-being) your tinnitus will tend to fade away and your will have habituated to it.
Whatever increases your anxiety is something you have to deal with. For example, for some people coffee revs them up and thus their tinnitus as well. For some people alcohol does the same. If this is your case, then cutting them out is a good idea. Substitute calming beverages instead.
If it were me, I certainly would continue to reduce and get off the Diazepam and choose not to take the Duloxetine. Instead, I’d learn relaxing and calming exercises–both physical and mental/emotional and let my tinnitus fade into the background.
Cordially,
Neil
I have tinnitus in one ear only. I have taken 5mg of Zolpidem for 14 years. My tinnitus started three years ago. I don’t know if Zolpidem is the culprit. How can I stop Zolpidem safely?
Hi Patricia:
Since you can’t tell ahead of time whether you are physically dependent on Zolpidem, the safest way to get off it is to do a slow taper. A safe slow taper is to reduce your dose by 10% per month on the reducing balance. Thus it should take you about 3 years to get off it. Some people can do it faster, but others even slower. But the 10% per month is a good starting point.
Cordially,
Neil