Anyone notice a link between Tinnitus / Insomnia?

General Discussion
#1

Haven’t posted in a while .

Was doing a lot better from Aug to dec 2020. Started Amitriptyline 10mg for a separate condition ( chronic pain ) and it knocked out the pain , boosted mood a little and helped with sleep. I also noticed the finasteride ‘tinnitus’ was the quietest it had ever been .
In November of this year I was sleeping 7 hours a night , which for me hadn’t happened in years . I was thrilled to be doing so well .

Exactly one week ago , I had a bad night .took until 2am to fall asleep . Then got 5 hours . Same thing the day after . It got progressively worse until last night I pretty much had a zero hours sleep , haven’t had one of those since I initially withdrew Finasteride .

Heartbreaking to have these when you have been doing so well . One thing I have noticed - the tinnitus is back and it’s raging . I even hear it when I’m outside . This hideous high pitched frequency almost whooshing that never stops .

When I had the terrible insomnia before it was as loud as this - my theory is the tinnitus and insomnia are interlinked particularly in this condition .
Anyone else have some similar thoughts or experiences ?

#2

Same observation…Brain fog, insomnia, anxiety (with absolutely no apparent reason) and Tinnitus all go hand in hand in my case…Somedays all is little better, on others worst…

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#3

It’s bloody awful innit ? You forget how bad it is until you go through it all again .

I hope you are doing better mate … what’s been your best method to keep going and try and deal with it ?

#4

The worse my sleep the worse the tinnitus. I notice it’s particularly loud when I first wake up. Certain foods increase the volume too

#5

Exactly the same here - as soon as the tinnitus increased the insomnia got worse. That weird kind where you barely sleep but still don’t feel tired . Thought I was past this shit , so over it man .

What’s your sleep pattern been of late @LazarusRy?

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#6

Sorry mate. 3 hours per night for the last 3 years, sometimes I get back to sleep for maybe another half an hour of light sleep. I often awaken on the back of a troubling nightmare and the tinnitus is hissing at full volume. 11years ago I had it in one ear only and only noticed it when in quiet surroundings now it’s in both and it’s apparent no matter what. I switch off from it but do notice the things that make it worse. My PFS has obviously got worse with time however I only discoverd what was damaging me approx 3 years ago and was still on both fin and minox on and off. PFS is unpredictable at best

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#7

The only thing that has helped me was benzodiazepines. Not the drug you wanna be on, however it helped with the tinnitus, anxiety and insomnia. Doctors are hesitant to give these medications out. Maybe you could ask your doctor for a prescription for a week or two and see if it works. I have been on them for over a decade and they have managed my symptoms. Tolerance has been a big problem for me over the years. Obviously, long term use isn’t recommended.

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#8

They might be an option …I am using some Zopiclone tonight which acts on a similar mechanism but slightly different to a benzo . It was pretty good before but I just didn’t want to build up tolerance …tonight will be the first time I’ve used one since July though so it’s not been too bad . What was your pattern like with sleep ? Mine was getting better but if just hit a rough patch this last week

#9

That sucks being like that for 3 years mate …u never tried Temazepam or Zopiclone ? I know they are not the greatest meds to get into a relationship with lol what do you think causes the finasteride induced insomnia ? Is it something to do with GABA receptors and levels all mashed up perhaps?

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#10

Absolutely. A lot of my symptoms come and go together including tinnitus and insomnia.

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#11

Yes mate gabba as well as other receptors. I’m sensitive to almost everything. Even the likes of lavander on my pillow brought on an immediate allergic reaction. I was prescribed different meds a year ago and all took me to a new hell. I’m afraid I’m completely fucked. Every part of me has been effected and is continuing to deteriorate. Too much of this poison got into me and set switches off / catastrophic chain of events

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#12

That’s a total nightmare , you’re an awesome bloke and I’m sorry this has happened to you this way . Your positivity and determination to carry on regardless, as well as supporting others is always inspiring mate . I hope you find some solution be it a med or a discipline that brings you some relief. :pray:

It’s funny so many of the anti depressants today are aimed at fixing serotonin I often feel that GABA levels are overlooked by the medical industry …sure you have benzos which temporarily fix GABA but those were not designed to be used long term . As far as I’m aware there isn’t a med that can be used long term to improve GABA…could be wrong though

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#13

What’s your current sleep pattern like @trav ? What’s it been like at its worst?

#14

My sleeping pattern was a lot better. I also used a drug called Rozerm That worked pretty well for me and it’s not a controlled substance. It works on melatonin receptors in the brain, however it’s a prescription drug. You can DM me if you want more information. Over-the-counter melatonin never worked for me at all. I was told by a doctor that the more anxiety you have, the worse tinnitus gets.

#15

Thanks for those words mate, I was put on paroxetene weeks after taking propecia. Obviously unaware of what had brought anxiety and insomnia to me for the first time in my life. It helped for a number of years. I believe it works on Gabba. It lost its effect “receptors” which is when things started to fall apart That was over a decade ago. . If I hadn’t continued taking fin in ignorance I believe paroxetene would have been the difference between a life of living as a pose to one of suffering

#16

I think it might have to do with inflammation. I also noticed this

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#17

Inflammation is a part of this no doubt

#18

It’s alright. I can sleep through the night 90% of the time which is a marked improvement over my previous PFS years - I think the biggest issue is that I don’t feel rested 90% of the time no matter how much I sleep .

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#19

What brought the change ie more sleep though not recuperative or restful

#20

With me this has to do with overstimulation of my brain. When you sleep your brain gets rest and is not stimulated, hence less tinnitus. I also have light sensitivity and visual snow, tinnitus almost always coexist in the majority of people with these two. Researchers busy with visual snow think it has to do with overstimulation of the brain probably because of defect inhibitory system of the brain. You can test this yourself. Sit in the dark and just do nothing for a long period (at least 1 hour). I feel better the longer I sit in the dark, plus my tinnitus also gets less intense since then you do not stimulate (overstimulation with pfs) the brain.