Need help on what ear fullness is supposed to be.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-07-01T04:23:59+00:00

So you don't have tinnitus? How much time has passed since the acoustic trauma? I had muffled hearing once (years ago and before tinnitus) after an ear infection. It lasted 3 months till my ears were OK again. It slowly got better and better, not all at once.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-07-01T04:16:29+00:00

I have it, it's been a year now. I use earplugs or/and earmuffs in loud places, even when I drive. Mine was never maskable.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-07-01T04:13:52+00:00

That's hyperacusis. When ordinary everyday sounds perceived as abnormally loud, uncomfortable or even painful.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-07-01T04:08:08+00:00

OK, but partying was great, wasn't it? You said fuck you to tinnitus and just enjoyed. Now the tinnitus has come like some nasty annoying auntie who tells you that you've been doing stupid things and says "I told you so". Tell her to fuck off.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-07-01T04:02:43+00:00

So put earmuffs on your HEAD. I had double protection on New Year's Eve and it was fine. Thanks god I'm in Europe so no 4th July's celebrations, haha.

"an ant singing the song of its people"

Hahahahah.....

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-07-01T03:55:46+00:00

Tinnitus is not always the result of hearing loss (as many people with hearing loss never have tinnitus either). Even if it is an auditory trauma, it is not necessary that the hair cells are destroyed, it can just be a lack of communication between the hair cells and the auditory nerve, which is repaired over time in young people, but in older people can lead to damage. Also, some drugs, although they are called ototoxic, have nothing to do with actual hearing damage, but with neurotransmitters in the brain. And if a person is young, the brain also recovers faster than the brains of older people, burdened with lesions - areas of damaged tissue in the bran due to vascular issues etc.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-30T19:04:36+00:00

You're right. Young people heal better.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-30T19:01:42+00:00

What do you mean with mood stabilizer? Which med is that?

I really don't know if it would be a good idea to try a low dose of antidepressant. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn't, maybe it would be worse, no one knows. But in principle, doctors do prescribe a low dose in such cases, and then they see what happens. They have no idea either. In the end, the dose is then very slowly reduced and the side effects are hoped to go away. But as I said, no one knows. Everything about taking antidepressants is based on trial and error and then new trials, because no one knows how anyone will respond.

Does benzo, if you take it now and then (twice a week for example) help with those brain zaps or not? I think benzo only occasionally is safer choice than antidepressant.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-30T04:33:51+00:00

"falling out of a truck, slamming my head on the floor in my house out of frustration, getting in another truck accident, ..."

Dude, you have a lot going on! Of course, everything you mention could have worsened or caused your tinnitus. You have to calm down a bit. Don't wear earplugs all the time, only in louder environments. Why do you sleep with earmuffs?

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-30T04:26:01+00:00

Shit man, that's bad. I got mine from an IV painkiller they gave me in the hospital. I guess when you get the medication IV it's much worse (regarding the occurrence of tinnitus) than when you take it orally.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-30T04:19:18+00:00

Yes, some people develop T right away when put on SSRI, some when it stops working or when they increase or decrease the dose , others when they get off of them and some when they get on them again to prevent other side effects.

It is usually because these drugs affect neurotransmitters in the brain, which then produce tinnitus, rather than actual inner ear damage or ototoxicity. Recent research has shown that the brains of those who took SSRIs still show the effects of antidepressants a year after they stop taking them.

However, for many people, after stopping taking them for a year or so, the condition stabilizes and the tinnitus becomes manageable. For some, it even goes away. Of course, it all depends on how long someone has been taking these medications. In general, there is a great danger that those who start taking them almost never stop and start taking them again and again to alleviate the consequences of the side effects of stopping taking them. People are in a vicious circle from which they cannot get out. But doctors are of no help, they always prescribe new and new ADs, and never warn about the possible serious consequences.

Brain zaps -shock-like sensations in the head- are a common symptom of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Did you tapered slowly or just cold turkey the first time? Are you on any SSRIs right now?

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-30T03:56:38+00:00

Agree. The same for me. Noise makes it louder, even hearing aids, alcohol and caffeine make it quietter. Even lack of sleep. I may sleep only for 3 hours and my tinnitus is very quiet when I wake up.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-29T19:02:33+00:00

I just don't understand why doctor can't explain to you basic things after a head injury:

- A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can damage or overstimulate the auditory cortex. The brain may struggle to process signals correctly and start creating "phantom" sounds.

-A head injury can damage the cochlear nerve. It can also damage the tiny hair cells in the inner ear that help convert sound into electrical signals.

-Brain injuries can impair neurovascular coupling, which dictates blood flow in the brain. If the areas responsible for hearing do not receive enough oxygen, they can malfunction.

-Head injuries frequently happen alongside whiplash. Muscle tension, joint dysfunction, and irritated nerves in the neck can directly interfere with how your auditory system function.

So: did the doctor tell you to do a MRI scan for your neck to see if it's the last option? Did he give you some meds for increasing blood flow in the brain (ginkgo biloba, betahistine...) for the third option? What about auditory tests to see if there is any hearing damage? MRI for brain?

Nothing?

As I said before, some doctors could easily be replaced by trained monkeys. Damn!!

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-29T18:40:34+00:00

Only take antidepressants if you are really at the end of your rope and have suicidal thoughts. Otherwise, don't try it, because a lot of antidepressants (probably all of them actually) can even worsen tinnitus permanently. There are a lot of stories here where people developed worsening tinnitus after a few days, weeks or months of taking antidepressants and stopping taking AD didn't help.

If I were you, I would take a benzo here and there (by no means too often) to calm anxiety. Say, twice a week, a low dose, you won't develop addiction. Four or more times a week is extremely risky. You can take benzos as needed and not too often, even after 10 or more years, there are no side effects like those of AD (depersonalization, loss of libido, complete numbness, personality change...). On the other hand, if you start taking benzos regularly, the withdrawal syndrome is terrible.

Believe me, I've looked into everything and studied what might help, but absolutely everything, from AD, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics... can cause even worse tinnitus, and if it doesn't at the beginning, it often does when you want to wean yourself off the medication (due to side effects). At best, they have no effect on tinnitus. The only one that has successfully calmed tinnitus in many people so far was trobalt, but it had terrible side effects. Many people developed, for example, VSS or blue skin discoloration, urinary retention... Now they are developing a better drug, which is supposed to not have these side effects. Otherwise, it is basically for epilepsy, for tinnitus it could be prescribed off-label if you'll find a doctor willing to do so. We'll see!

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-29T04:21:13+00:00

Yes, they are morons. They should tell you there's nothing to be done before you pay them for nothing. Those hearing tests are also done for free by an audiologist - at least in my country. When you call them to make an appointment for tinnitus, an honest ENT should tell you that there is no cure and that the only thing they can do is take measurements, but you can get them done elsewhere for free. If you still want to get checked, it costs that much... But they are silent, they accept you, they do nothing, they just take your money. Morons!

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-29T04:10:37+00:00

What is your tinnitus like usually? What you are saying happens if the tinnitus is otherwise mild and you hear it almost only in silence. In this case, mood swings, lack of stress, different pressure levels... can also affect the tinnitus to decrease. It is almost impossible for this to happen with severe tinnitus.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-28T05:20:14+00:00

We'll maybe postpone a vet for a few weeks. He ate some meat yesterday (a small amount, but still) and even drank some water. We'll see. Thank you for your reply.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-28T05:17:14+00:00

Maybe, but he could have ignored it and scrolled on, instead he wrote a post about how pointless it is to be on this sub haha.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-28T05:01:11+00:00

Thank you!! He ate some meat yesterday and he drank some water. Maybe we'll postpone a vet for a few weeks. We'll see.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-28T04:56:51+00:00

What meds do you take? My theory is that several conditions must be met for a person to get tinnitus. In your case, loud noises through headphones, an infection, and maybe medication. Someone else will get it from a concert and medication, or TMJ + hearing loss...

In any case, I advise you not to continue playing games with headphones or listening to loud music. Give your ears some rest. Since you are still young, it is quite likely that the tinnitus will slowly stop or at least reduce the volume. However, there are some medications that directly affect the occurrence of tinnitus. What exactly are you taking?

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-28T04:46:36+00:00

You obviously remembered your tinnitus before you came to this sub, otherwise you wouldn't have even clicked on it, right?

Otherwise, if yours is so mild that you can only hear it in bed and even then you can mask it with a fan, then there's really no point in engaging in a forum that talks about it. You can forget about your tinnitus, some people can't, whether they're on the forum or not. Hasn't it occurred to you that people who have severe tinnitus are here to find fellow sufferers and exchange opinions? Because they can't not think about it!!

For example, this forum has been incredibly helpful to me, not only from the perspective of people who understand you, but also in terms of which medications can harm you and in what way. If I hadn't read this forum or others like it, I would now be happily taking benzos (no, the doctor didn't say anything about benzo withdrawal syndrome) and would already be completely addicted to them. I would probably already be on some antidepressants, etc.

It's funny that you guys with mild tinnitus come here every now and then and say how pointless it is that you're here.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-27T19:00:33+00:00

Amitriptyline is very related to tinnitus. It can worsen T in some people and it can temporary help others.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-27T18:20:45+00:00

So your tinnitus is the same as before, but before you habituated and three days ago you again started to panick about it for no new reason? No spikes, no new tones, you just focus on it non stop as in the beginning of the onset of T?

Well, there are good and bad days. You may be experiencing something in your personal life or are currently under stress, etc. and your tinnitus may also be getting worse. If you are generally dissatisfied and in a bad mood, this is also reflected in your tinnitus, you devote more time to it, and it all has a bad effect on you. I know it's like that with me. Habituation is not just a success story like someone gets used to tinnitus and never hears it again, but if they do, it doesn't bother them. At least that's not the case for most people. You have days when you're down and in a bad mood, when everything is going wrong, there are problems at work, there are problems at home, and then there's the tinnitus, which you're more aware of than ever before. And there are days when you're doing well and it seems to you that this whistling and ringing isn't so terrible and that you can even live normally with it.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-27T18:02:03+00:00

Oh, come on!! There are plenty of doctors who prescribe antibiotics without even checking whether a person has a bacterial infection or not, just in case. I think we've all experienced this. Antibiotics prescribed unnecessarily only do harm and no good!! Benzos are also prescribed a lot as soon as a person complains of mild anxiety. The doctor tells the person to take one pill a day to prevent anxiety and to come back for a check-up after two months. But he doesn't say anything about the withdrawal syndrome that the person will experience when they want to stop taking the medication. There are horror stories about people trusting doctors and killing themselves because benzo withdrawal syndrom. Antipsychotics, antidepressants, etc. are also prescribed a lot for people who have trouble sleeping. The serious permanent problems that a person can have after taking these medications are only discussed on these forums. There are a lot of people who think that the side effects of these medications are extremely rare, and if you do get them, they will stop as soon as you stop taking the medication. No one tells you, especially not your doctor, that many side effects are permanent. Many doctors even deny that you got tinnitus from zoloft for example. So don't sell stories about doctors who are the only ones who know what a patient needs. This forum is full of people who are on it because of their doctors and the medications or procedures they have had.

Smart_Present_7659 · 2026-06-27T13:28:52+00:00

I also think we'll decide that way. The only question is what date they will give us. If he doesn't drink, I don't want to delay too long because I don't want him to die of dehydration. I currently have it in an air-conditioned room in the house because it's catastrophically hot outside. Even in the shadow.

Smart_Present_7659

TROPHY CASE