Adjusting to Hearing Aids After Long-Term Tinnitus: Strange New Symptoms and Questions

[Nesty]

Hi All,

I've had tinnitus for about 30 years now. Generally, I wouldn't call myself a sufferer, because most of the time it hasn't bothered me, although I've had stretches of months when I've noticed it more, perhaps spikes.

I'm going through a rather strange situation with my tinnitus at the moment.

In 2022, I was prescribed Ciprofloxacin for a medical condition. It turned out I didn't need it, but I had a severe reaction to it. One of the symptoms was an additional layer of tinnitus. I eventually habituated to it, but recently, after returning from a holiday at the end of September, my attention was drawn back to the noise, and it's been very loud.

Last year, I was given digital hearing aids because I have high-frequency hearing loss. Mine was diagnosed years ago as a consequence of having measles as a child. I tried the hearing aids at the time, but I found all sound far too overwhelming and gave up too quickly.

Now I've decided to give them a proper try. I'm in my fourth week, and some strange things are happening. My hope is that if I give my brain access to more frequencies, maybe it'll stop creating as much tinnitus noise or at least reduce it.

The good thing is that my overall noise level has decreased somewhat. However, I now have a different pitch at a lower volume. It's easier to mask, but when I wake up in the morning, the sound is absolutely unbearable, unlike anything I've had before. It settles after about twenty minutes, although I'm not sure why.

I'm starting to wonder if I have some form of hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus, because my tinnitus seems to compete with external sounds. I also have to take the hearing aids out in the evening, because it feels like my ears have had enough.

It's as if my brain is trying to fight back by creating different noises, because I'm noticing slightly different ones at various times.

I'm wondering whether the hearing aids are helping in some ways but aggravating things in others.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Is this common with hearing aids?

 

[GregCA]

Hi All,

I've had tinnitus for about 30 years now. Generally, I wouldn't call myself a sufferer, because most of the time it hasn't bothered me, although I've had stretches of months when I've noticed it more, perhaps spikes.

I'm going through a rather strange situation with my tinnitus at the moment.

In 2022, I was prescribed Ciprofloxacin for a medical condition. It turned out I didn't need it, but I had a severe reaction to it. One of the symptoms was an additional layer of tinnitus. I eventually habituated to it, but recently, after returning from a holiday at the end of September, my attention was drawn back to the noise, and it's been very loud.

Last year, I was given digital hearing aids because I have high-frequency hearing loss. Mine was diagnosed years ago as a consequence of having measles as a child. I tried the hearing aids at the time, but I found all sound far too overwhelming and gave up too quickly.

Now I've decided to give them a proper try. I'm in my fourth week, and some strange things are happening. My hope is that if I give my brain access to more frequencies, maybe it'll stop creating as much tinnitus noise or at least reduce it.

The good thing is that my overall noise level has decreased somewhat. However, I now have a different pitch at a lower volume. It's easier to mask, but when I wake up in the morning, the sound is absolutely unbearable, unlike anything I've had before. It settles after about twenty minutes, although I'm not sure why.

I'm starting to wonder if I have some form of hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus, because my tinnitus seems to compete with external sounds. I also have to take the hearing aids out in the evening, because it feels like my ears have had enough.

It's as if my brain is trying to fight back by creating different noises, because I'm noticing slightly different ones at various times.

I'm wondering whether the hearing aids are helping in some ways but aggravating things in others.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Is this common with hearing aids?

I have never experienced this with any of the three hearing aid brands I have used over the years.

 

[AfroSnowman]

I have used hearing aids primarily as an attempt to treat my tinnitus on and off for the last several years. I have mild high-frequency to mild-moderate hearing loss at 8 kHz, so they do not make a noticeable difference in understanding speech, although I can hear more birds chirping.

In my experience, they did not help my tinnitus at all. In fact, they probably made it more active, especially early on. I think that if hearing aids are going to help with tinnitus, you usually notice it fairly quickly. It is similar to when people turn on a fan for mild tinnitus and it fades because the brain receives additional input.

You should take the advice of a professional rather than that of a stranger on a forum, but based on my experience, hearing aids can increase tinnitus. If they were going to help, I think you would notice almost immediately, certainly within a month of use.

 

[Jupiterman]

You should take the advice of a professional rather than that of a stranger on a forum.

There are no strangers on this forum. We are all bonded by the same pain we all share.

No professional can truly understand all that we learn here from each other.

 

[Ken219]

@Nesty, Ciprofloxacin? That caused your hearing loss? I had a spinal fusion from L3 to S1 and they gave me Vancomycin powder, even though they knew I already had tinnitus. They did not seem to care. I now have hearing loss and I am adjusting to hearing aids and a new level of tinnitus.

 

[RingDingDong]

All the hearing aids I have tried had built-in tinnitus relief through their Bluetooth app. The aids I have worn had masking features that were subtle and were able to cover the tinnitus sound for the most part.

Although these are prescription aids that cost about $6500, I was lucky because I had UnitedHealthcare insurance that covered 90 percent of the cost. I have also had tinnitus for over 10 years, and I would be lying if I said I have not thought about it every day since it started. Even with the hearing aids, it was not enough to solve the problem, but I do not believe my tinnitus got worse with them.

We are all different, since some people find great relief with hearing aids and, for others, they apparently make things worse. I wish you the best and hope you find the peace and quiet in your life that you, and all of us, deserve.