Tinnitus, any new hope?

[Zero]

I saw an older thread on the subject but it's a year and a half old.

Google doesn't show any obvious new treatments or therapies, but just wondering if anybody has seen any promising news.


Mine is starting to really annoy me and now I have it in both ears. Left ear has been that way since I bought a Les Paul Classic back in the 70s and a Fender amp with an 11 on the volume knob.

Right ear just started up about a year ago. No know cause.

Anyone? Any hope?

 

[TromboneAl]

Sorry, I haven't seen anything. I had a Hagstrom guitar, and a Fender Princeton Reverb amp.

Mine is constant, and sometimes when I notice it or pay attention to it, I think "How can I live with this?" But 99% of the time, I don't notice it at all.

I had a doc tell me that it usually gets better with age, as your hearing declines, but I think that is wrong.

 

[Nemo2]

Mine is constant, and sometimes when I notice it or pay attention to it, I think "How can I live with this?" But 99% of the time, I don't notice it at all.

Mine kinda sounds like cicadas in the distance.......mostly I don't (consciously) notice it, and when I do I try to ignore it.

If it disappeared overnight, (like my 6 month bout of sciatica did some 25 years ago), I'd probably go looking for it.

 

[Zero]

Sorry, I haven't seen anything. I had a Hagstrom guitar, and a Fender Princeton Reverb amp.

Mine is constant, and sometimes when I notice it or pay attention to it, I think "How can I live with this?" But 99% of the time, I don't notice it at all.

I had a doc tell me that it usually gets better with age, as your hearing declines, but I think that is wrong.

Seems like we've identified the cause, guitars and Fender amps. Class action suit?

One interesting study (but a tiny group of 50 patients) in Brazil that studied Acamprosate and got really good results, but a larger study at Oregon Health and Science University is in progress not getting the same good results.


Mine is constant and high frequency but occasionally the perceived volume changes and seems to be getting worse.

 

[grasshopper]

When I first moved to the homestead, I would sit on the porch and listen to the bugs buzz, except it never went away. I equate the buzz, to the knee that pops and the lower back annoyance, I will live with it.

I think I have had some even as a kid, I always thought it the was the gears in my head, and later the blood pulsing through my brain.

 

[martyb]

I have it pretty bad from working on, under, in and around running jet engines daily for almost 20 years, and then occasionally for the next 11 years. For the first 10-12 years, it was thought that either ear plugs or muffs was sufficient, but then one day it was determined that both types of hearing protectors must be worn at the same time..... The first 4 1/2 yrs was while I was on active duty in the Air Force. The rest of the time, I was doing the same type job, EXACTLY the same...even the same aircraft for the first 9-10 yrs. Later, F-16's were even worse than the Phantoms. Later it was A-10's, which are a little less noisy, but I think the damage was done long before that. I haven't tried yet applying for any VA disability based on my active duty time...but I have the paperwork. I'd rather have my hearing, actually. All the rest of the years after active duty, I was working as a civilian employee of the Air Force, and as a reservist, but none of that time counts towards anything VA related. Only the active duty time. Man Oh man...if I knew then what I know now....

 

[Zero]

..... Man Oh man...if I knew then what I know now....

Amen to that thought.

Gosh, there seems to be a lot of research so got my fingers crossed.

Meantime I may require medication to sleep.

 

[Donzo]

I have been trying lipoflavinoids with zinc and ginko with limited success. I have been taking these 3 for around 7 months now and the high pitched buzz seems to be less now. From what I have read increasing circulation to the inner ear can help to lessen symtoms and of course you need to protect your ears from any more damage.
For me, concerts, loud motorcycles and guns as a young man got me tinnitus.

 

[EveryLady]

Zero,

Odd to see your post. Just signed on for a brief distraction needed because the tinnitus was starting to get to me.

First developed it in one ear about 14 years ago following an inner-ear infection. Read a bit on the web, started using sound for masking and after a few months it disappeared entirely for about 10 years. Early in 2009, started to get minor flares every once in a while that I've pretty much been able to ignore to the point of not hearing anything unless I really tried to.

This flare is by the far the worst and has gone on for about a month but differs in that it's accompanied by a sensation of fullness and occasional ear pain. A visit to the ENT shows that hearing is still normal with no ear infection, although she did note some TMJ. No advice given other than to experiment with dropping caffeine.

A guess for me may be that what would otherwise be minor TMJ is impacting the damaged ear. Needing to sleep better, I just returned from a visit to my regular doctor. She wants to try xanax saying that research shows it has a better impact on tinnitus-connected nerve function than valium, the traditional remedy and what I was given for a short period 14 years ago. (The valium used then for about 10 days was essential for sleep and to allow me to move on to masking and into remission.)

Seeing your post, I just did a little research on xanax and tinnitus and came up with these sites. I've only had time to skim them but was interested to see that there is a therapeutic dose for xanax that exceeds what has been recommended for me. My doctor had prescribed 0.5 xanax and 10 mg flexeril before bed to 1) relax muscles (tmj), 2) ameliorate nerve activity (tinnitus), and 3) help sleep

http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/drhagr/research/bppv and anxity/xanax for tinnitus.pdf

Tinnitus, Tinnitus Treatment and Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy and Relief. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Per these sites these 2 sites, I'm tempted to move on to the full xanax protocol.

Last night I tried out some new pillow speakers connected to a kindle fire needed since the tinnitus is bad enough this time around that some nights a sound machine or fan doesn't mask it. I don't want to spend too much time on the web yet (knowing that *not* thinking about it too much is therapeutic) but think the theory is that keeping sound in the ear even when sleeping can help the brain redirect.

The kindle fire has an app that isn't dependent on wifi where you can mix two sounds. I chose pink noise and early morning birds. Good stuff.

 

[Bluemoon]

I have it had for year, never played a guitar, it just came from out of nowhere. If you know what the sizzling sound of a radiator is that is what I hear. I am usually not aware of it unless I am in a silent room or I read an article like this.

 

[TromboneAl]

I think I have had some even as a kid, I always thought it the was the gears in my head, and later the blood pulsing through my brain.

I have a distinct memory of noticing it in a quiet room when very young, and concluding that the universe has a background ringing. So maybe it wasn't the rock and roll.

 

[Zero]

Everylady, after reading the internet most of the day, I was glad to see you mention Xanax because that popped up a few times and I could not find a consensus as to it's effectiveness.

I was just out walking next to a really busy street and I could hear the tinnitus loud and clear.

Bluemoon, apologies for bringing it up, I know that feeling, like "Oh no, somebody mentioned it."

 

[flyfishnevada]

Loud stereo in my mini-truck. I've got it in both ears and it gets worse at certain times or places, especially when I'm tired and/or having sinus pressure. It's worse at the moment because the particular anti-inflammatory I'm taking hoping my back heals itself makes it worse. Better than the muscle spasms the other one caused.

I can block it out 90% of the time and sometimes it actually seems to be gone. Half the battle, in my case anyway, is not thinking about it. For now I'll deal with it, but I think I have a chronic sinus infection and I can feel pressure in my ears too sometimes. Allergist is on my list of doctors to see after I take care of the damaged disk in my back.

Isn't getting old grand?

 

[Zero]

Loud stereo in my mini-truck. I've got it in both ears and it gets worse at certain times or places, especially when I'm tired and/or having sinus pressure. It's worse at the moment because the particular anti-inflammatory I'm taking hoping my back heals itself makes it worse. Better than the muscle spasms the other one caused.

I can block it out 90% of the time and sometimes it actually seems to be gone. Half the battle, in my case anyway, is not thinking about it. For now I'll deal with it, but I think I have a chronic sinus infection and I can feel pressure in my ears too sometimes. Allergist is on my list of doctors to see after I take care of the damaged disk in my back.

Isn't getting old grand?

Oh yeah, living to a ripe (stinky cheese) old age is the bees knees.
With this tinnitus I can't half hear them kids on my lawn.

 

[marko]

I have the 'cicadas' all of the time and when I get a severe attack I cannot hear at all from one ear...sometimes for months. Had this for several years.

Tried 7-8 ear specialists, MRI, visits to Mass Eye and Ear (one of the world's best). Docs said "well, it's just part of ageing'.

THEN....!!

I went to an accupuncturist. Within 36 hours it went away and regular visits keep it away. I'd highly recommend it if nothing else helps.

Still have the 'cicadas' but the severe deafness is gone (unless I don't visit the accupuncturist for a few months)

 

[packrat44]

I have it pretty bad from working on, under, in and around running jet engines daily for almost 20 years, and then occasionally for the next 11 years. For the first 10-12 years, it was thought that either ear plugs or muffs was sufficient, but then one day it was determined that both types of hearing protectors must be worn at the same time..... The first 4 1/2 yrs was while I was on active duty in the Air Force. The rest of the time, I was doing the same type job, EXACTLY the same...even the same aircraft for the first 9-10 yrs. Later, F-16's were even worse than the Phantoms. Later it was A-10's, which are a little less noisy, but I think the damage was done long before that. I haven't tried yet applying for any VA disability based on my active duty time...but I have the paperwork. I'd rather have my hearing, actually. All the rest of the years after active duty, I was working as a civilian employee of the Air Force, and as a reservist, but none of that time counts towards anything VA related. Only the active duty time. Man Oh man...if I knew then what I know now....

When I got off my 2nd tour of active duty in 1974 the outprocessing physcial documented a dramatic loss of hearing due to working in engine rooms on ships. Our idea of hearing protection back then was to stuff the filters from cigarettes in your ears (if you smoked). I didn't. At the time, I never said anything about the ringing in my ears. I thought that was part of the hearing problem. Therefore, tinnitus was never documented.

 

[Zero]

I noticed something this morning while eating breakfast that may help me sort this tinnitus out.

While chewing my food I could hear the frequency of the tinnitus change. And oddly, it was only changing when I chewed a specific way, not constantly.

Somehow the muscle or bone position seemed to influence the sound.

 

[Rambler]

I've had it for 5 years now. For me, it is exacerbated by heavy stress, mental or physical, the sounds from riding in airliners for 12 hours at a time (to get to Europe from Japan), and sometimes from any loud sound. I also notice it after a long or a hard run or bike ride. Doc gave me corticosteriods for a couple weeks, along with vitamin b12. There is an OTC supplement called "Ringstop" However it didn't do much. I've found the best relief from going to bed a little early and getting a little extra sleep...and I really need the extra when the ringing is bad. It can get to the point that I have to really concentrate to understand and this can really go to the point of exhaustion . Good luck!

R

 

[veremchuka]

I was curious so I started to read this thread. Talk about psychosomatic, my ears were not ringing when I started but I swear half way through reading this it started! It comes and goes but is not bad, I just ignore it. Most of the time it's not there, at least for now.

 

[Zero]

I was curious so I started to read this thread. Talk about psychosomatic, my ears were not ringing when I started but I swear half way through reading this it started! It comes and goes but is not bad, I just ignore it. Most of the time it's not there, at least for now.

WOW, that is interesting, I just sat down, logged on, had a JD and Coke drink, and looked to see what was on my baskeball forum, my investment forum and then this forum, suddenly I noticed my tinnitus.

Hmmm, you may be on to something!

 

[tightasadrum]

After reading this thread I'm acutely aware of the ringing in my ears.:face palm:
That says something about how our brains work I guess, it tries to filter the ringing out for us. Mine was from shotguns growing up and 5"-38's and 5"-54's in the navy as director officer. No one ever mentioned that perhaps we should protect the ears. But if this is the worse thing I have to contend with, I'll be as happy as a clam. Sadly, that's not the case.

 

[EveryLady]

Typed out a post earlier today saying that the xanax protocol seemed to be working. After days, it just stopped cold. And not because of the tranquilizing impact (had some valium in the house, which doesn't do a thing except lower the pitch and make me a tad less stressed about the noise). Of course, there's always the old placebo effect, but hey ...

The minute I started to type the tinnitus returned. Deleted the post.

It went away again, had a parental discussion [-]fight[/-] with my teen (still no tinnitus), just signed on - and the minute I got to this thread ... you guessed it. Back, although it's now time for the next xanax dose.

The time I got rid of it for ten years by pretty much training my brain to not hear it took months. Didn't get too worried by the flare-ups that started happening a few years back. And it always went away again ...

What's different about this time is that it's a little more intense and accompanied by other symptoms (ear pain, pressure). Plus, the distraction of being at work really helped that first time around. So I'm fussing more. Plus we're leaving for Europe in a few weeks.

Even though I don't have tinnitus in my right ear, at night I can force (not sure this is smart) the sound to be recreated in that ear. That shuts down the damaged ear just like turning down a volume control. It just fades to nothing. And, of course, the exact same sound in my undamaged right ear doesn't bother me at all since I know I can control it. Weird ...

 

[obgyn65]

No, sorry.

just wondering if anybody has seen any promising news.


Anyone? Any hope?

 

[figner]

In case you haven't seen this article about a new tinnitus treatment yet:

New effective treatment for tinnitus?

Good luck with your search for treatment. I have mild ringing in both ears that I can mostly ignore, until reminders like this thread get me to focus on it!

 

[donheff]

In case you haven't seen this article about a new tinnitus treatment yet:

New effective treatment for tinnitus?

Good luck with your search for treatment. I have mild ringing in both ears that I can mostly ignore, until reminders like this thread get me to focus on it!

Sounds like a "get used to it" therapy. But the article says the results are good. I guess the behavioral therapy helps people who are bothered by it to become more like those of us who don't notice it most of the time (until we see this thread at which point it takes over our awareness).