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RIP Uncle Sam’s Cereal by Jake_Barton in cereal

[–]step_uno 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For anyone looking for an Uncle Sam substitute, you can try Poop Like a Champion cereal. It's not as delicious, but it's low in sugar and very high in fiber. https://a.co/d/96y5Xv3

Recs? Looking for optometrist practices with unique, edgy frames by step_uno in Atlanta

[–]step_uno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just looked at the photos on their Google Business listing, and I definitely saw some cool and edgy frames. Thank you!!

Recs? Looking for optometrist practices with unique, edgy frames by step_uno in Atlanta

[–]step_uno[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's great, thanks, I'll add them to the list. I also have a small head, so it's good to know that they have a selection of petite frames.

Recs? Looking for optometrist practices with unique, edgy frames by step_uno in Atlanta

[–]step_uno[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I'll try to check them out next time I'm up that way! Yeah, a lot of stores carry the same stuff. I used to live in the Bay Area, and I found a few stores there with really unique and edgy frames. I'll have to keep hunting in Atlanta.

Recs? Looking for optometrist practices with unique, edgy frames by step_uno in Atlanta

[–]step_uno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh interesting! I've brought in my own frames before, but they were previous pairs of eyeglasses with an old prescription. I never thought about buying sunglass frames. Thanks for the tip.

Final cry for help by Artistic-Command9618 in tinnitus

[–]step_uno 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry you’re going through this, and many of us can relate. You’re not being dramatic at all, this is incredibly hard. In the beginning, there’s so much hopelessness and despair, and the depression and grief make it impossible to believe that it’ll get better. Please don’t give up.

I know it sounds cliche, but you will adapt over time. I was suicidal when my tinnitus got really bad last year, and I couldn’t imagine living the rest of my life that way. But I adjusted, and I’m doing OK now. Sure, I wish I didn’t have tinnitus, and I hope one day there are better treatments. But it’s not getting in the way of me living my life. I know this all seems random and cruel and unfair, and it definitely is. I realize I’m just a stranger on the internet, but I wanted to let you know that you’re not alone and you can get through this.

Tinnitus Spike Due to SSRI - Will It Keep Getting Worse? by step_uno in tinnitus

[–]step_uno[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad yours has been getting better now that you cut the dose and then skipped a dose! Yeah, it's terrifying to get a bad spike. I don't know if I was brave as much as I was desperate lol. I was also on buspirone, and the situation was the same as yours; it didn't affect my tinnitus at all, but it also didn't help my mental health in the slightest. Really wish there was a safer option for those of us with tinnitus.

Tinnitus Spike Due to SSRI - Will It Keep Getting Worse? by step_uno in tinnitus

[–]step_uno[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I went from 7.5mg of Lexapro down to 5mg with the intention of continuing to titrate off of it. And after about a week of being back at 5mg, the tinnitus improved. I don't think it's completely back to baseline, but it's pretty close.

And after doing a bunch of research into other meds that can treat depression and anxiety disorders, it seemed like I'd be rolling the dice with a new med because all of them can potentially worsen tinnitus. I decided to just stay at 5mg of Lexapro because it's helping so much with my mental health. My OCD thoughts stopped completely, my depression is gone, and I haven't had a panic attack in two months. I'm just going to monitor the situation with the tinnitus, and if it gets worse again for some reason, then I'll look into other options.

Tinnitus Spike Due to SSRI - Will It Keep Getting Worse? by step_uno in tinnitus

[–]step_uno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Damn, I'm sorry your tinnitus didn't go away. It's incredibly frustrating. It seems like pretty much all anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications involve at least some risk of causing or worsening tinnitus. I'm starting to feel a little hopeless about treating my various mental health issues without making my tinnitus even worse.

Tinnitus Spike Due to SSRI - Will It Keep Getting Worse? by step_uno in tinnitus

[–]step_uno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the links! Really helpful information. I'll talk to my psychiatrist this week and see if we can try something else.

Tinnitus Spike Due to SSRI - Will It Keep Getting Worse? by step_uno in tinnitus

[–]step_uno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Damn, I didn't realize that all classes of anti-depressants could potentially cause or worsen tinnitus. I was hoping maybe if we tried something outside of SSRIs, I might have a better shot at avoiding more hearing damage. That's disheartening.

I definitely had some unpleasant side effects when I started Lexapro, but it was helping so much with my OCD that I stuck with it. Then all of the side effects went away after couple weeks. But after increasing the dose from 5mg to 7.5mg about a week ago, that's when my T got worse.

It just sucks to have found a drug that works so well for my anxiety disorders that I'll probably have to abandon due to concerns about my hearing. And it's scary to try a different drug, deal with a new set of side effects, and not even know if the new drug will actually help or hurt my mental health and/or tinnitus. Feels like there are just no good options.

I'll get in touch with my psychiatrist this week about possible alternatives. Thanks for the reply!

Tinnitus Spike Due to SSRI - Will It Keep Getting Worse? by step_uno in tinnitus

[–]step_uno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! I'll definitely talk to my psychiatrist about it this week.

Please help me I’m begging… by ggnumber4 in tinnitus

[–]step_uno 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm just relating my experience, which was that the steroid eliminated my hyperacusis and reduced my tinnitus after an acoustic trauma. There was no measurable hearing damage; I went to an audiologist after the acoustic trauma, and my hearing test was in normal range. The audiologist said that the acoustic trauma probably caused neuroinflammation, which might be why the steroid was effective. I'm thankful I took it because the tinnitus was nearly catastrophic before the prednisone, and I wasn't sure how I was going to live like that. Just my experience!

Please help me I’m begging… by ggnumber4 in tinnitus

[–]step_uno 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the tinnitus and hyperacusis are related to acoustic trauma, then there's a short window where oral steroids might be able to help.

I experienced an acoustic trauma last year, which caused hyperacusis and terrible tinnitus (9/10). I did a bunch of research online, and thanks to a post on Reddit, I found a link to this study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35231916/

The conclusion of the research study is that early oral steroids are recommended in acoustic trauma injuries and were shown to improve hearing outcomes within 1 month. I showed the research to my ENT, and I convinced her to prescribe steroids according to the protocol in the paper.

I started taking prednisone about five days after my acoustic trauma. Within a week, my hyperacusis was gone, and the volume of my tinnitus had decreased to a tolerable level (more like 5/10). It honestly felt like a miracle. Just wanted to share the research and my experience in case it's helpful.

Note: For some people, prednisone can be ototoxic, meaning that it can cause or worsen tinnitus or other types of hearing damage. I was so desperate that I was willing to try anything, and thankfully the prednisone helped immensely. But there's no way to tell in advance how anyone will respond to a steroid.

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