Comments on Profile Post by Barry098

My tinnitus is extremely reactive, so it behaves much better in ear plugs.

Yep. The regular use of custom earplugs with acoustic filters definitely expedited my habituation.

Wow…that’s interesting. I didn’t expect those answers. @Damocles what company did you go with for the plugs? @Stacken77 are you concerned about developing severe H?

@Barry098 I'd consider my H to be really really bad, almost severe. Most likely due to me wearing hearing protection literally 24/7 for 10 months, because of instant spiking(reactivity) to low level sound. It's a Catch 22 that I've been trying to break out of for quite some time. I'd not recommend anyone to use protection like I've done, it was insanity. But the T is in fact more tolerable when I use protection.

Earplugs make mine completely unbearable. I can only use them in loud environments.

This is the brand and model I've always used @Barry098:

https://acscustom.com/uk/products/hearing-protection/pro-series

@Damocles thanks for the link. Those look awesome. I will look into picking some up for noisy situations. @Stacken77 I did the same thing the first time I had T in 2017 and within a few weeks the H started to creep in…this time around I have been very careful not to overprotect but the trade off is constant anxiety about sudden loud sounds.

@Barry098 Approximately, for how long did you suffer with bad hyperacusis in 2017? Several months?

@Stacken77 yeah, I would say that the H kicked in about 1-2 months after my injury. Then it was hell on earth for about 4 months. The sound of my own voice was painful to hear. But, by the 6 month mark I was about 80% cured of the H and my T had stabilized.

I’m 6 months in again and although the H is really mild, the T has not stabilized. That is disconcerting, because it’s hard to get used to something that is constantly changing on you.

Sorry, @Barry098, am I correct in thinking you (like me) are in the UK?

@Damocles I'm in the states

Ah, my bad @Barry098.

Was going to run you through the process, and where to get the moulds etc. (if you had been in the UK).

Sure there are some people (on the forum) in the states that can tell you where the best place is to get them made.

I think @kingsfan might be a good guy to talk to on the subject:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/mild-tinnitus-got-much-worse-developed-moderate-to-severe-hyperacusis-distortions.46491/page-2#post-624246

ACS custom is called 1of1 custom in the states.

They offer free molds in a few cities: https://1of1custom.com/pages/book-an-appointment

Or else just pay an audiologist. Most seem to just do molds for Westone, so bring them the following guidelines: https://1of1custom.com/pages/impression-guidelines

@Damocles thanks so much for all of the help…very kind of you

@kingsfan thanks for the info…much appreciated! BTW, on a slightly different note, I seem to remember reading one of your postings mentioning Nortriptyline. Has that drug changed your T in anyway for the better?