How Do Your Treat Sound Reactive Tinnitus?

My profile describes my story with T & H if you are interested.

I have sound reactive tinnitus in my right ear. My T is quietest first thing in the morning when I wake up after the long silence of sleeping. However, once I get up and start doing things it tends to wind up. It doesn't get horrendously bad, however if I start listening to music, watching a movie or television or go for a walk it gets higher. I am finding that I need to be in silence for the hour or two before sleep to get it down to a sleep-able level. Up until now I have used white noise as a sleep aid, however I have discontinued because it seems to aggravate my ear, even when on quiet.

I believe I still have H, since a relapse early October. Whilst I still experience sensations of pain they are no where near as volatile as before, provided I stay out of loud noisy places.

Can anyone give me some advice on successfully treating sound reactive tinnitus?

 

This is a great question and something that I've dealt with for a long time, although my T is horrible in the mornings, gradually gets better as I wake up, and then gets worse with noise exposure throughout the day. Have you tried taking NAC and selenium? I find it to be useful. Also, I use Etymotic research noise isolating earbuds with white noise playing very softly if I know I'm going to be in a noisy environment like a city or something.

 

Well, I actually understood that it was possible for reactivity to settle provided treatment was given. I believe Dr Nagler suggested it in one of his posts about a patient he was treating who's tinnitus reacted severely to sound. He suggested that he would be able to help him. But I can't find anywhere in my search, either on these boards or elsewhere what the treatment Dr Nagler was talking about. Where I live there is a distinct lack of professionals in this particular area and so I don't really know what to do about it. Obviously flying to the States for treatment is not an affordable option.

I haven't tried the drugs mentioned, thank you for the suggestion, but I would prefer not to take medication unless it is absolutely necessary. I don't want to risk making it worse than it already it.

 

Im not sure if have the same or its just my H messing with me. my ear has been acting from a spike 2 months ago..and i feel the same.. but it has been spiking pretty bad the course of two months probably a spike every other day with T not going down either.

 

When I'm going to be in a loud situation I stick cotton in. I've learned that although it comes and goes, mine picks up where it left off.

 

It was a gentleman from another state with an 18-month history of intrusive tinnitus that reacts immediately and profoundly to noise exposure. Things had gotten so bad for him that he had to quit his job. I saw him for the first time in my clinic ten days ago. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "I have tinnitus, but it doesn't bother me much at all" and 10 is "I have tinnitus, and it has totally and irrevocably destroyed my life," he rated himself a 9. You could not find the treatment protocol, Mark, because I did not state it in the post. But since you wondered, he is undergoing TRT using a Category 1 protocol modified to take into account the fact that his tinnitus is so markedly exacerbated by noise. It is obviously too early to tell, but I spoke with him a few days ago, and he seems quite pleased with his progress to date.

It is so incredibly frustrating for me to read posts from folks who have "reactive tinnitus" and who suffer month after month, year after year, harboring the totally false impression that there is no effective treatment for them because their tinnitus is so loud, so pitchy, so reactive, so whatever.

stephen nagler

 

Thank you.

You recently suggest I went and saw a good doctor in Auckland to get treatment. Unfortunately I can't afford the trip right now.

Is there anything I can do myself to treat this, maybe poor mans TRT?

At the moment I am forcing myself outside for an hour a night to go walking along the riverbank. I'm also listening to white noise style waves crashing along a beach on a low volume setting, enough that it doesn't mask the T yet provides something else to listen too. Aside from the White noise, a computer running, an AC unit running, that's the sum total of my sound exposure during the day. Although I did watch Top Gear tonight on rather quiet. The reactions today haven't been so bad.....although half an hour at a quiet cafe was enough to ruin my afternoon yesterday and scared me enough that I stayed indoors today and had to force myself out the door for a walk. I'm just frightened my T will get worse permanently. I have not been wearing hearing protection as I was advised against this unless hearing protection would be normally required, but I don't go visiting shopping malls or loud places anyway...

 

Dr. Grant Searchfield is one of the world's leading authorities on tinnitus. I suggested that you see him for a proper evaluation and for treatment recommendations based upon that evaluation. As best I recall, he does not offer TRT - but I would not let that stop me in the least.

What I am about to say, I say with respect and compassion. I hope you will take it that way. When people say that they "cannot afford" to go and complete a proper evaluation for severe intrusive tinnitus, then I begin to wonder just how severe and intrusive it is. Often it's more a matter of prioritizing finances and less a matter of not having the funds at all. And if your tinnitus is not one of your top priorities, then I don't think you should necessarily be thinking in terms of TRT. Why? Because in the final analysis, the goal of TRT is to move tinnitus from being high on your priority list to being low on your priority list. And if it's not high on your priority list to start, why bother? Just something to think about.

For severe sound sensitive tinnitus? No, not really. In TRT the TRT counseling is at least half of the battle - and I do not know how to accomplish it without a proper evaluation (to put the patient into the correct TRT category) and a series of one-to-one sessions, the first of which should be face-to-face.

Perhaps you should be looking at something other than TRT, but in my opinion that still does not get around the need for a proper evaluation. Maybe you should seriously reconsider that trip to Auckland?

Hope this helps more than frustrates.

stephen nagler

 

OK Doc, my tinnitus is intrusive to the point where the sound reactivity keeps me from wanting to go out and enjoy life for fear of making it worse. Having gotten over the anxiety part and avoided ottotoxic medication I am sleeping well enough although waking throughout the night (not necessarily to tinnitus). However I want my life back and I am sick of feeling scared and alone.

I suppose in truth I am more scared of the trip. It's a 2hr flight return, 20 hour drive/train ride return. The former will be over sooner so that would be my preference. I could wear 3M lawnmowing ear muffs. I think they are 23db - 30db reduction. Is that enough?

I guess my rear concern is to do with the change in air pressure and/or altitude. I don't currently have any balance issues. The only time I ever feel dizzy is when I get up too quickly and that's rare. Could air pressure of the cabin and the changes in altitude cause my ear further problems? I drive to work over a hill that is 1560 feet above sea level 5 days a week without problems currently. I guess I am trying to way up the train versus flight experience.

 

Like everything in life, it's all a trade-off. Hard to predict, regardless.

I'm glad to hear that you will be seeing Dr. Searchfield. Perhaps contact him ahead of time so that you will know what to expect and can get the most out of your appointment.

Below is a photo of Grant, his wife Leslie, and me in an Auckland pub back in 2002!

stephen nagler

 

Thank you. I've emailed the clinic in Auckland. I have asked if a Skype meeting would be possible. Fingers crossed!

 

@Mark Beehre Do you go to a job during the day? How do your ears do with that? How long have your ears been this sensitive? Hasn't it gotten better over time? Are you sure your tinnitus won't return to baseline after being out and about?

As far as planes, find LadyDi's posts...she tells exactly how to deal with flights. Earplanes for ascent and descent, and sound blocking headsets or earplugs when cruising. She also has other deatils and tips. The majority here seem to have success with that... Hopefully that is true. Trains and driving are less trouble, but earplugs could help.