Besides the Usual Suspects (Loud Noise, Ototoxic Medications), What Can Spike Tinnitus?

With my tinnitus, sometimes things are relatively good, and sometimes I'm on a spike.

When things are good, the tinnitus barely bothers me, and I can only hear it in quiet rooms. When I'm on a spike, I can hear the tinnitus in a car at highway speeds with the radio playing. On a spike, I can also hear the tinnitus when walking down a busy NYC street. These spikes will last anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I have no idea what causes my tinnitus to spike. All I can say that all obvious causes have been ruled out. For example, I avoid ototoxic medications. I am exposed to no loud sounds. I drink no alcohol. I do drink coffee regularly (when when I am on and off spike).

Aside from what I mentioned above, is there any understanding (either in the medical community or anecdotally by members here) of what causes spikes?

 

Anecdotically: anxiety, stress, lack of sleep, weather changes, diet choices, colds, allergies, etc.

 

It’s perplexing.

But at least just keep doing like you have been.
Doing the best you can to avoid the usual suspects and be on the look out for things you may have overlooked like.

Putting a loud phone to your ear.
Or the roar of the wind while driving with the window down on the highway.

I was in an MGH waiting room listening to a middle aged life long bicycle rider who had just recently realized he has tinnitus -
while he was checking in and talking to a nurse.

The guy was in amazing shape for around 50 and he looked like he worked his ass off his whole adult life to stay healthy -
but know his ears are ringing and it won’t go away.
Awesome.

I instantly recognized that he was experiencing the same fear that I had felt a couple years previous.

And ya know I had absolutely no clue what to say to him that could help him in any way.

The first thing that came to mind was:

“Well Bud, you can waive goodbye to life as you knew it”

So I decided to just kept my mouth shut.

Take care.