Posted by marshall26 on July 8, 2007, at 17:58:44
In reply to Re: Tinnitus, posted by FredPotter on July 8, 2007, at 16:20:54
For what it’s worth, tinnitus from excessive noise always had more of a pure tone quality for me, like having a high pitched tuning fork embedded in my ear.
I also got tinnitus after discontinuation of antidepressants and benzos. This type of tinnitus was qualitatively different. It sometimes sounded like cicadas going off inside my ear, other times like a humming fridge in the middle of my brain. The medication induced tinnitus also had more of an “electric” feel to it, like there was an electric motor humming and vibrating inside my brain. Weird, I know.
I don’t think it’s always caused by nerve damage. The source could be within the region of the brain that processes hearing. This is probably especially true of the type caused by medications. I just can’t see how psych meds could physically damage nerves in the ear.
Here’s my theory:
I notice there’s always some subtle sounds going on inside my head if it’s very quit and I listen very closely. Most times these sounds are so faint that they are almost impossible to pick up. When there is a dysfunction in the area of the brain that processes sound these internal “head noises” can be amplified to the point where they start to overcrowd normal sounds. That’s my best guess.
I don’t know if this helps anyone.
poster:marshall26
thread:767895
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070630/msgs/768479.html