Actual Long-Term Remission from Tinnitus Achieved

This will be long... sorry.

I don't do well with forums. I'm anti-social by nature, hate following rules, and hate closed minds. There are a fair number of closed minds here, so I was never going to post.

Trigger warning: if you don't agree with some of my beliefs, cool... I respect it, but I'm not here to argue it, and will not respond.

I don't believe that habituation works for all, but I do believe it works for some to some extent. I certainly believe tinnitus can be attenuated both positively and negatively by psychological state and attention gating, and I believe causative factors may be countless. I even subscribe to the theory that many cases are perfect storms of many causative factors. I also believe it can be caused by any single factor if the threshold is high enough.

I have no real experience with hyperacusis, and cannot speak on it from personal experience. I do not believe my method would be successful for hyperacusis.

I have no experience with pulsatile tinnitus, and cannot speak on it from personal experience. I do not believe my method would be successful for pulsatile tinnitus.

I believe in basic naturopathy, in the sense that (all) drugs, even synthetic, are derived or synthesized from natural ingredients, and it would be profoundly obtuse to believe that certain natural compounds in certain combinations at certain concentrations couldn't benefit medical conditions.

That being said, it's my personal belief that (for most), once persistent tinnitus sets in, a few supplements aren't going to "do the trick".

I believe CBT, TRT, counseling, yoga, mindfulness, masking... all have their place, and I myself used some or all of these early in my journey. I do not believe that these are curative, or significant inducers of remission. I believe they are supportive measures.

A quick re-visit to habituation: I think it is achievable for some in some cases. I think for changing tone/frequency type tinnitus, and for multiple sounds with frequent new or different tones or pitches or for somatic types, that this is less likely, as attention-gating modification fails in most cases where the perceived sound is not consistent in nature.

I am going to be very selective in who I respond to. I have no interest in "proving" anything to anyone. I just don't care enough. If you intend to comment just to tell me I'm stupid, cool... no answer. Would you like to comment that it's the first time you've heard from me, and with no "before" story, or chronicles of my journey, you are doubtful? Awesome... I support and defend your right to do so. Still... no answer.

Let me briefly explain. I (may) have read absolutely every post on Tinnitus Talk, certainly 95% plus. This done on sleepless nights while my life fell apart around me. It has left me with a profound love, compassion, and empathy, and indebtedness for (and to) those here, and this indebtedness is the SINGULAR driver of my post.

I can't explain enough how little I care to argue or defend myself.

I am an intelligent man, not prone to fits of fancy, no tendency for the dramatic, and understand the process to reasonably eliminate variables, and arrive at probable causal relationships.

I'm not claiming to be a scientist. I am not claiming to have run multiple center double-blinded studies with huge bases... lol.

The claim is that I found a route to remission (currently at just over 1 year) for MYSELF.

This does not mean it will work for you, although I believe it would have the highest odds of working for people whose circumstances are similar to mine... for obvious reasons.

As (likely) with any tinnitus treatment, probably the earlier the better, as I believe it's an attention-gating issue once it begins.

Me:

• 46 years old

Tinnitus:

• Bilateral/pure tone/high-frequency/fairly steady Hz/persistent/LOUD (severe to catastrophic)/a somatic component in that certain muscular movements or pressures could slightly alter pitch/volume.

Duration of tinnitus before this treatment:

• 1 year

Pre-existing conditions:

• Moderately overweight
• Undiagnosed but likely high blood pressure
• Undiagnosed but likely high cholesterol
• Probably ADD
• No depression
• No anxiety (prior to or after tinnitus)

Treatments tried:

• All forms of cognitive therapy (minimal results - didn't last)
• Meditation (no results)
• Yoga (no results)
• Exercise (usually worsened)
• Masking (minimal results - didn't last)
• Habituation (did not work for me - although I may not be the best candidate because it was SO loud that I could hear it over ANY distraction)

I was having suicidal ideation, no planning or anything, I wasn't THERE, but I remember thinking this is how it happens, that if I couldn't get to a better place, I could SEE it.

Life literally fell apart. I was useless to myself, spouse, kids, job...

Anyway... I eventually made plan. A trusting doctor was a big help. If you can't find one, I recommend those telehealth apps which you can usually bullshit your way through because they just want the $100 they get for writing and sending the script.

I definitely asked for some things that, while not on the controlled substances schedule, COULD be dangerous, and that I could NOT technically demonstrate a need for.

My doctor was a "right-to-try" supporter... so I had an easy go.

My "cocktail" was some specific supplements (almost all you have seen before on here) combined with a powerful vasodilator, an anti-clot medication, an antihistamine which is also used off-label for anxiety, all in a short course together.

I followed this with a hypertension medication, and Varenicline. Both low-dose and long-term.

No more tinnitus. No bullshit.

I didn't name some of the specific drugs/supplements, as they may be different for everyone depending on what other drugs or supplements you are on, and I didn't want to be the reason for anyone hurting themselves.

 

Thanks for taking the time to report your success story; it gives me a glimmer of hope that I might still go back to my old baseline after it got significantly worse this past November.

So, ultimately, this cocktail completely and permanently eliminated your tinnitus? How did you go about putting together this cocktail? Did you specifically pinpoint certain supplements and substances, or was it more of a shotgun approach?

Some other members have mentioned that Dr. De Ridder, for example, also employs a similar approach: experimental medicine cocktails that might help. I've been wondering whether I should try said approach.

 

No hearing loss?

 

Hey, thanks for replying.

It did completely eliminate my tinnitus. I can't say "cured" because only time would answer that... or would it ever really?

I can't say "permanently", for the same reason.

Also, I hope I didn't lead you to believe it was "treat once and done", as I still take maintenance dosages of both the anti-hypertensive, and the Varenicline.

Important note: to my knowledge, Varenicline has only been studied for safety out to one year, with a "good" safety profile. I plan on continuing longer than that, lol.

Kind of "shotgun" I guess.

My suspicion(s) were circulation/micro-clots/cholesterol blockage.

I was targeting the tiny inner ear vessels.

Supplements were basically the spectrum for treating inflammation, circulation.

Vasodilator for relaxing smooth muscle allowing potential microclots/cholesterol particles to pass, or allow circulation around.

Anit-clot medication to possibly break up any microclots.

Anti-hypertensive to reduce blood pressure in case pressure was causative.

Varenicline (actually a smoking cessation med) because it has significant and generally unreported attention-gating activity, meaning it can help the brain not keep the sound in memory.

I had (super-short and super-transient) sudden moments of partial to almost complete hearing loss actually.

Thank you for reminding me, I should have included that information, but forgot some things.

They lasted less than 1 minute each, and went away with the treatment as well.

The tinnitus was steady, loud, and persistent though.

I hope this helps.

 

Thanks for your answer! I'm happy for your success.

I had never heard about Varenicline before, but it's interesting that you mention (unreported) attention-gating activity. I think I'll read up a little more on that.

I'm unsure about the underlying cause of my tinnitus, as I don't have any measurable hearing damage, but perhaps I'll start experimenting myself at some point.

I'm rooting for your continued success.

 

Thanks, I appreciate it.

I actually credit Varenicline for the maintenance mostly. It's CHANTIX for quitting smoking.

I actually think there is some active research now.

Desensitizing nicotinic agents normalize tinnitus-related inhibitory dysfunction in the auditory cortex and ameliorate behavioral evidence of tinnitus

Wasn't there when I started... awesome to see!

Regards.

 

Thanks for reporting. More info is needed. One important element was left out - cause. Your profile states unknown. So the tinnitus just appeared out of nowhere for you? Severe/catastrophic on day 1? Or has it progressed to that level? If so, over what period of time?

 

Have you ever had an audiogram taken? If yes, how bad or good was it?

 

Much respect to you, sir. I have read most of your activity and I like you.

I didn't leave it out as much as I didn't want to speculate.

No ear infections, no ear, vestibular, or chronic health issues, no physical accident/incident/physical damage, in any recent or seemingly temporally related sense, anyway.

When I was very young (12?), I had a period of almost complete deafness in one ear lasting a few days from an explosion. My doctor explained it was the tympanic membrane tightening to protect. I do remember having tinnitus for a couple of days (maybe two) as the hearing came back. That was 35 years ago. I suffered no hearing loss or lasting tinnitus (at the time). Did I habituate 35 years ago in 2 days? Maybe... I was a kid, I honestly don't remember the tinnitus or even the deafness bothering me. Could it be related to the recent tinnitus? I guess, but seems far-reaching for me to think it's causative. However, I am not well educated on how long tinnitus takes to manifest after an injury. Weird though, that I only had the problem in one ear, and my recent tinnitus was bilateral/central?

I was not particularly stressed at the onset. Just watching TV and thought it was the TV, only to notice that it was me. I did have a strong limbic system reaction. I definitely had the fight-or-flight freakout. I couldn't sleep, eat, interact, etc. I thought it meant something was horribly wrong.

It was loud at the start. LOUD. But I wouldn't say severe/catastrophic. I would say ALMOST severe... not catastrophic. But it QUICKLY became exactly that. By the second night, if I did sleep for a few minutes, the sound would actually wake me back up. I heard it over EVERYTHING.

I hope this helps, and thanks for the question.

Hi, and thanks for responding!

I have worked in loud environments without hearing protection.

I have no (noticeable) hearing loss.

Amateur methods used to test for hearing loss indicate my hearing is relatively normal across all ranges for my age. In fact, I frequently have the best hearing in my (8-person) household, as I'll often be the only person to hear someone knock, or a tree fall outside, car in the driveway, etc.) I have NOT had an audiogram or been professionally evaluated.

I hope this helps.

P.S.

My personal opinion, and obviously this does not apply to all people and all causes, but if you have idiopathic tinnitus, and any risk factors for cardio, address the cardio, and move directly to attention-gating.

Also, if anyone has trouble sleeping for a few nights during the acute beginning phases, I literally had success with Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and its stronger cousin Hydroxyzine (another antihistamine, but used off-label for anxiety). It didn't take my mind off it, but combined with brutally high levels of masking, it let me zone out and get (a little) sleep. Neither is addictive nor habit-forming, and neither have any significant safety issues.

 

I still have problems getting enough sleep 2+ years since my worsening of tinnitus, although my average is probably about 5 hours of broken sleep, which is an improvement from the early months.

I tried a lot of the sleep hygiene tips out there. I've tried some different meds with antihistamine properties, including Diphenhydramine (25 & 50 mg), Doxylamine (25 mg), Hydroxyzine (25 mg), Trazodone (25 & 50 mg), and Nortriptyline (50 mg). None seemed to help much if any, even when ceasing taking any of them for weeks to ensure no tolerance.

Also, I've had no luck with probably a dozen different supplements, CBD, CBD+CBN, THC, or Delta 8. Masking to both sides, music, or silence doesn't seem to matter much.

Zolpidem (Ambien, a Z-drug) 10 mg, a partial tablet, seems to be the only thing to get me back to sleep very effectively. Lorazepam (Ativan, a benzo) 0.5 mg might be helping a little when used sparingly, but it is probably at least partially, along with other benzos, cross tolerant with Zolpidem, due to the similar function on brain receptors. They can build tolerance and dependency quickly.

I have not tried Mirtazapine, which helps a lot of people sleep, but it has some common and less common side effects that turn me off, plus it can be very difficult to wean off of.

By the way, Hydroxyzine is actually on-label FDA approved for anxiety, but it's off-label for insomnia. There are two types - mine is Hydroxyzine HCL, but there is also Hydroxyzine Pamoate (Vistaril).

 

Thanks for the correction. I was told just antihistamine. Maybe she was going off old information. At any rate, I should probably have checked the veracity prior to posting. Sorry, and thanks again for setting it straight.

My intent (and BELIEVE ME, I know it wouldn't help most seasoned sufferers) was just to offer a couple of things to early sufferers as less habit-forming or less side effect prone alternatives.

One thing I did notice on here early in my journey was a proliferation of heavier meds. They make perfect sense for those who've tried other things, and I would never disparage anyone's personal journey, but some of those meds can make things worse, not just with actual tinnitus side effects, but with how habit forming they are too, which not EVERYONE may need to get into, that's all.

Also, I would have a beer or two as well. I didn't want to mix with anything more potent.

It mostly worked.

 

I love this thread. Thank you so much for posting. I too had catastrophic tinnitus + hyperacusis + pain and fullness brought on from about an hour of riding lawnmower with bad muffler.

It went from a 10 to <1 in about 18 months, however, I used no medication or supplements; it was just time.

I'm super happy for you. It should give others hope that acute tinnitus is not always permanent.

 

That's awesome.

I'm glad yours went away on its own. That's the best way!

Not sure the way I did it would work for hyperacusis or noise-induced tinnitus anyway.

I suspect micro-clots or blockage for me.

Tinnitus is just so multi-factoral, multi-causal.

It's like a fever in a way. We know what the symptoms are, but the cause could be anything from a sunburn to HIV, and a different treatment (or lack thereof) for each! Maddening!

It was courageous for you not to act. Not meant sarcastically, as reading stories (especially relevant to hyperacusis and noise-induced tinnitus), I often have a gut feeling that some should do just that... nothing. I never said anything, because who am I, but I see so many immediately engage in EVERYTHING, and here I am thinking this MUST play havoc with the mind and body... maybe leading to extra (avoidable) anxiety.

For me, I had a firm belief and decided to act. Could it have been a placebo effect? Maybe, certainly can't prove it's not.

What it is not, though, is habituation... as I can remember the sound, but cannot hear it now even if i try in a quiet dead still setting. It's gone.

Congrats on your healing, and thanks for reaching out.

 

There should be 'jealously' rating. I certainly would have pressed it for this posting.

 

...awesome.

 

Any hyperacusis for you? I'm wondering if hyperacusis for me is just an anxiety disorder that is untreated in combination with tinnitus. This person said they had no mental health concerns prior to tinnitus. I can't say the same for myself.

 

Yes, I had hyperacusis for about 3 years. It was pretty bad for 2 years. Then it slowly started getting better until it mostly faded away. I'd say it's gotten about 90% better or so.

Fortunately, it hasn't gotten worse again when my tinnitus worsened.

 

I am so happy for you that the hyperacusis lightened up. For me, it's just this beast that is unimaginably difficult to live with and has brought me to my knees. I go to work, I come home, that's about it. I'm only 1 year in though, so I'll continue to be patient.

Are you avoiding loud environments that you previously would've frequented? I'm just beginning to think about how I'll re-organize my life and find new hobbies.

 

Yeah, I avoided them for 3.5 years. After that, I slowly started frequenting certain places again: restaurants, bars, movie theaters. I was always mindful of the volume, though, and I would always carry my molded earplugs.

Concerning the movie theaters: I would only visit smaller places where the volume is WAY less loud. It's insane how loud the volume can be in large movie theaters.

Despite my tinnitus getting much, much worse, I feel I could probably visit certain places again. My tinnitus got worse due to a freak incident, but it's still only in my right ear – and the hyperacusis didn't really come back. Hopefully I'll be able to habituate again at some point...

 

Fantastic, absolutely love to hear a success story.

Would be good to know what you took/dosage so we may have the opportunity to see other success stories come from your victory.

 

Hi, thanks for sharing your story!

I was just wondering: did your tinnitus vanish suddenly, or did it fade away over a longer period of time?

And how long did you have it in total?

 

I think Varenicline may be useful to chronic sufferers. Hmmm, what an interesting new option to try.

The vasodilator would probably help in the very early acute stage, to aid in healing.

How long were you on this stack before you began to see results?

Anyway, thanks for posting your findings/experience.

 

Sorry man, I did not mean to make anyone feel bad!

I just wanted to let new members know that there is still hope for noise-induced tinnitus to fade.

 

I had it for a year, it has been gone for about that now.

Not "suddenly"... but literally within days of treatment. In the area of 20% per day over five days to resolution, after maybe a day or two of no change.

Obviously I can't prove it's related in any other way than temporally, but it was severe-steady-stable until that.

I hope this helps.

Hi @kingsfan! I'm a fan.

I disagree... I think it would, of course, help in the early phase, but I think combined with Warfarin or similar, it may allow micro-clots to pass as well. Who knows... maybe small, partial blockages, the dilation of which can allow more blood flow?

I saw results almost immediately, literally over days, so it's unimaginable that it wasn't causal.

But I maintain the Angiotensin II and the Varenicline.

I don't really want to share publicly.

 

I realized I did not come back here to thank you for your response - thank you. Thank you for your kind words. This is quite an amazing story - and compelling story. I have some additional questions...

So, what exactly did you take over these five days that led to resolution? Did you take ALL:

(1) vasodilator,
(2) anti-clot medication,
(3) antihistamine,

AND

(4) hypertension medication,
(5) varenicline?

Or did you start (4)-(5) after these five days?

Also, can you please specify the exact drugs for (1)-(4) you took? This is important as all drugs have subtle side effects. It is understandable that what worked for you may not work for someone else.

Please do. Ultimately, this is the responsibility of any of us and our doctors - these are prescription drugs, after all.

Thank you so much.

 

Hi. I'm new to the forums, but I wanted to thank you for trying to help those who suffer from tinnitus.

 

Good argument:

I took 1-3, then 4 and 5 later (and still).

1) Hydralazine 50 mg
2) Warfarin 5 mg
3) Hydroxyzine HCL 50 mg
4) Valsartan 160 mg
5) Chantix

I hope this helps someone.

 

Thank you!

 

Hydroxyzine was studied and, I think, had a positive effect with Sulpiride. Chantix has been mentioned in some studies.

 

Has anyone tried this mixture?