Bemusement About Tinnitus Variation...

Day in day out, mostly loud or annoying tinnitus, interrupted by distracted focus and ambient noise that obscures the dreaded hiss. Then...for no reason, no change in stress, diet, exercise or sleep, my tinnitus reduces to what can be described as a more livable level. Never lasts long. Then...it goes back to a more annoying level which seems like most of the time. And some times it rages, like its screaming at the world...or at me. I am more or less 'acclimated'. Sometimes so much so, that I am surprised I am ignoring it with a backdrop of pretty serious volume. What's that called? Habituated? Or is the word relegated?...lol.

Other times I listen and marvel, because this incessant noise which is low right now came to me late in life really after a long life of perfect hearing. It still mystifies me. I recently asked my brother who is three years older than me, does he have tinnitus? He said yes. I asked is it loud or obtrusive? (like mine) He said no, he can generally 'tune it out' Doesn't bother him much...moreso at night before bed. I told him I thought my tinnitus was at times unacceptably loud. I went on to say there are people that are tortured about their level of tinnitus resulting in a subset otherwise well intentioned people doing the unthinkable. He said, he believes if he got to that point, he would take LSD for a bit of self imposed neuron reorganization. I am certain it has been tried although there isn't a lot published on it I have come across.

My question is simply....if my tinnitus can be so variable, why in the world isn't there a pharma solution to suppress the hyper excitement of neurons that run amuck to create the same unexcited state aka low volume and more tolerable tinnitus I have only once in a while? Its proven. My tinnitus can soften. Why can't this neural chemistry be replicated with medication?

Tinnitus...its genesis after a life long of good hearing is perplexing. This is the last thing I ever considered would change me to a degree. Its mystery is only rivaled by there isn't a chemical that can damp the neuron track that went off the rails in my brain or another viable intervention with all the talented people that have studied this issue.

 

Hearin' ya. (or trying to over the racket)

 

So true!!! You hear all of these statistics about how many people have tinnitus and how most people just live with it or ignore it, but I don't think they take into account people with very loud, severe tinnitus that fluctuates. Maybe this form of tinnitus is not as common? I don't know, but I feel like there will eventually be a pharmaceutical fix for it.