Can Hyperacusis Make Tinnitus Worse?

Can hyperacusis make tinnitus worse?

Also, I have fullness in my right ear but not in my left, and my left ear twitches/makes faint popping noises at times. When I move my jaw in a certain way, it sounds like there's sand or something moving in my right ear and when I swallow, only my right ear 'pops'. Is this stuff 'normal' for those with hyperacusis?

Thanks, guys.

 

Afraid I can't answer your first question, not sure about making it worse!

Your symptoms are nigh on identical to mine, they're all symptoms of T and H in their own way. Therapies do exist to try and treat Hyperacusis, usually sound therapies or WNG (White Noise Generators) which are supposed to desensitize the ears to everyday sounds. If it's bothersome, I'd suggest looking into some of these options.

Hope you're coping okay!

 

There is no such thing as just hyperacusis, but rather several unclassified medical conditions all thrown into the same boat.

For example hyperacusis defined as noise induced pain, is not the same thing as hyperacusis making noises sound TOO LOUD!.

That ear fullness and middle ear muscle spasms could be caused by loud noise damage, and will be misdiagnosed as ETD or the Eustachian tube will be damaged by loud noise. However it could be unrelated allergies as well.

It's so bad how little audiologist know about noise injury, they'll laugh in your face if you tell them you were injured by loud noise, because the hearing damage doesn't show up on the test after a temporary hearing threshold shift recovers.

 

Hyperacusis defined as noise induced pain isn't something that can be desensitized. TRT gives minor temporary relief for the same reason massage therapy helps peripheral neuropathy but it's not a valid treatment.

 

I disagree entirely. Hyperacusis can be completely cured as in my case using white noise generators as part of TRT for 2 years. I have acute pain and my auditory system was hypersensitive. It has remained cured for 21 years. In most cases hyperacusis will improve using sound therapy or naturally.

Michael

 

Hyperacusis can make tinnitus to be more problematic and if it is not treated or improves naturally over time, a person will always have problem with sound sensitivity.
Please click on the link below and read my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

My tinnitus has become reactive in the past 4 weeks... it seems to react to plastic bags, crisp packets, paper rustling.

I know that there is debate as to whether or not reactive tinnitus is hyperacusis, but can we not get into that now.

What I'd like to know is how I get rid of it. I've been speaking with Dr. Bauman on the Centre for Hearing Loss website and downloaded his book about sound sensitivity. He states reactive tinnitus is NOT hyperacusis because true hyperacusis reacts to ALL sound. But he says it's treated like hyperacusis.

I admit, since my problems began in October last year, I started wearing ear defenders in the car; emptying the dishwasher; using the hoover; plugging my ears if walking under a bypass or a bus was coming, sometimes even wearing foam plugs in meetings. Now it seems this approach may have caught up with me and reactive tinnitus is the consequence.

Oddly what I find is if I plug my ears, make a mental note of my sound, unplug my ears then rustle a plastic bag... my tinnitus reacts... but as soon as I plug my ears again and monitor the noise, it's the same as it was beforehand.

Until I get back to my ENT in two weeks, how do I treat this. I am stopping using protection during these everyday events in the hope I desensitise myself, but if I'm right it took 6 months to get to this stage so am I looking at 6 months to get out of it.

This chap Beauman also says Venlafaxine is 3 times more likely to give you hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis than Fluoxetine, so I aim to taper off soon.

Any help sorely appreciated.

 

Do not listen to Dr. Bauman. He is a quack. Not a real doctor. He sells ototoxicity books with no science behind them.

Fuck that asshole scammer!

 

Ok... so... any tips @annV as to what I do?

 

@erik how long did You have H for ? Was it painful and did you do anything to help it go away ?

 

The peripheral nervous system can often heal itself from injuries
https://ravallirepublic.com/lifesty...cle_8a9072f2-967d-11e2-b91d-001a4bcf887a.html


If pain from hyperacusis is nerve damage, that could heal naturally. That's my view on things.

 

Some people in this forum are in awe of Drs and those with Phds and believe them to be tinnitus experts. My personal opinion on this is that nothing more could be further from the truth. It is true ENT doctors know about the anatomy of the ear and I have mentioned this many times. They can treat underlying medical problems associated with the ear that may cause the tinnitus. However, many of these doctors have never experienced tinnitus in their life and therefore, I don't believe they know anything about it and don't regard them as tinnitus experts.

To be a tinnitus expert I believe one has to have the condition and at least have some experience of it being quite severe, in order to understand and appreciate what another person is going through that lives with severe tinnitus even if it's not always at a heightened state.

I do not know of Dr Bauman but @annV comments did make me chuckle quite a bit.

I have previously advised you against the overuse of wearing hearing protection and this is most likely the cause of your oversensitivity to sound. If you are not careful this could increase. Carry on using sound enrichment whenever possible and leave the earplugs alone and only use them when necessary. Stress and some anxiety may also play a part in making you focus more on your hearing. Hopefully this will pass and you'll begin making improvement.

All the best
Michael

 

I had hyperacusis at around the time I first got tinnitus but though the tinnitus stayed with me I was able to lose the hyperacusis after a few months. I think very careful noise management was key to this - trying to avoid loud noise exposure as much as possible. As others have said it's not a good idea to wear hearing protection all the time as it can lead to ears being more sensitive, so having a period of avoiding noisy environments and gradually allowing your ears to become used to everyday sounds is probably best.

 

I'm doing that Michael... (not overprotecting)... I just wonder what my prognosis is and how long I should give it?

My tinnitus just gets louder the more I'm exposed to certain sounds, it seems.

 

It is not easy to say how long you should give it @Allan1967 Tinnitus can be very complex as a lot of factors are involved. Stress and anxiety are key triggers in making tinnitus behave in all sorts of ways. Try to focus on other things and not pay too much attention to your ears. You could experiment using "noise reducing" earplugs "not foam" and see how you get on. Try not to use them too often.

As I say tinnitus is complex and therefore, discuss what's happening with your Hearing Therapist at ENT if things don't improve.

All the best
Michael

 

I don't think hyperacusis makes tinnitus worse by itself. However if a person is overly sensitive to sound and is exposed to sounds which they are sensitive, then these sounds can make their tinnitus spike. That's my experience at least.

 

From my decades of experience with tinnitus, hyperacusis can possibly make the ears super sensitive. Even normal noises that someone with tinnitus might be able to handle, could be hard for someone with hyperacusis. The bad part about hyperacusis it can make our minds/reactions become too reactive to noise. That reaction can possibly ramp up the stress levels and tinnitus feeds of stress and can be more annoying.

So indirectly it can possibly affect us......

 

Well at the minute Michael I'm going with not protecting my ears to everyday sounds and I'm using overnight sound enrichment (pink noise through an Alexa) but I will wear protection in those areas/events anyone is supposed to. I don't want to develop an unreasonable fear of sound.

Weird thing is sometimes sounds others make (like clinking a metal spoon against a ceramic cup) make me jump, but when I'm in control of making the sound, it doesn't bother me.

 

What do you class as loud noise exposure though? Concerts? Bars? Construction sites? Or hoovering your living room?

 

All of the above, though hoovering you should be fine wearing earplugs. The rest I'd avoid (certainly rock/pop concerts) classical should be fine with earplugs.

 

I've seen a number of your posts and how you recovered from severe hyperacusis years ago, do you know what exactly caused your hyperacusis to begin with?

 

Headphones.
My hyperacusis was very severe and it has been completely cured using white noise generators as part of TRT, that was 23 years ago.

Michael

 

Do you believe the TRT led to you actually being cured, or that you would have perhaps recovered without the treatment? And thanks for the info.

 

I have had TRT twice in the 23 years that I have had tinnitus.

The first time I had TRT was late in 1996. I was given 2 white noise generators to wear and also had counselling. In two years the hyperacusis has completely disappeared and the tinnitus reduced to a very low level. I believe TRT helped to do this.

In 2008 suffered a 2nd noise trauma which I have described in the post: My experience with tinnitus. I will paste a like below to the post so you can read it if you wish. I began TRT for the 2nd time which lasted 2 years. It helped but not as much as the first time. It took me 4 years to habituate.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/my-experience-with-tinnitus.12076/

 

Yes, hyperacusis can make tinnitus seem louder. It has happened to me several times - I have flare ups of T which occur concurrently with increased hyperacusis. Hyperacusis is elevated sound sensitivity and thus you become more sensitive to the tinnitus. It does exist. It is a true condition and yes, it gets better with time. With respect to myself, once my hyperacusis calms down, my tinnitus also calms down.