Can Tinnitus Volume Be Reduced? Sudden Onset Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL)

Hello,

I’m new to this sad journey of tinnitus. Only have had it a few weeks.

My first week the volume seemed manageable and I think I was in denial.

Since then and now the volume has increased ten fold. This constant high pitch ringing in my ear.

I have had tests to show sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss by a moderate amount. The steroids haven’t worked.

Deep down I know it’s permanent.

I just want to ask if there’s any way of reducing the tinnitus volume? I managed better in the first week than now. Is this as a result of my brain panicking? Or is this my actual volume.

This is completely debilitating and soul destroying. I don’t know what to do.

I know many are suffering.

 

Get Intratympanic Dexamethasone!

 

You may get relief from hearing aids.

 

Tinnitus can reduce in volume or even disappear.

I had different types of tinnitus - pulsatile and tonal. They disappeared over a period of two and a half years. At most there was a tiny residual bit that I could only hear in v quiet places.

Unfortunately the Pfizer vaccine ruined that for me.

But the fact remains I had 3 years of normality and peace. The body is an amazing mechanism.

 

The onset of sensorineural hearing loss with tinnitus can be caused by many things.

After the tests you had what did your doctors say was the cause of the hearing loss?

Some tinnitus treatments can help to reduce it. It all depends what has caused the tinnitus?

 

The doctors didn’t say the cause apart from that it’s unusual to happen like this. No known cause, not noise induced, no earwax (I had both ears cleaned). It just started when I was trying to sleep. Randomly one night.

What are these treatments please?

I’m so desperate.

Thank you for replying. I hope you guys are well.

 

Hi @Beg321.

Your hearing loss with tinnitus and the reasons for it, need to be assessed by an ENT doctor or Audiovestibular physician, that is more knowledgeable about the ear and auditory system than the doctors you have already seen. The ear is a delicate and complex organ. You need to seek the advice from the professionals I have mentioned, that way they will be able to suggest possible treatments as I don't think you have been given that yet.

Hope you get some help soon.

Take care,
Michael

 

My onset was exactly the same.

Just out of the blue. Maybe it was due to a viral infection I’d had some months before who knows?

I’ve read through countless stories about tinnitus and despite the huge amounts of money spent on tests doctors very rarely find anything that they can fix.

My own feeling after many years of thought is that tinnitus may have its basis in inflammation. There is an imbalance in the system. Adding drugs to your system may make the problem worse even if it allays symptoms for a while.

Sleep is fundamental to recovery although it is the hardest thing to deal with at the start. I found that even if I could not sleep, just lying in bed was good.

Also remember love. Bring to mind the people who love you and whom you love. Concentrate and meditate on that.

I was free of all but residual tinnitus within 3 years.

I now have another tinnitus battle to face after COVID-19 vaccination.

Good luck.

 

Thank you Micheal.

I went to an ENT specialist. He said that it’s sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss at the high frequency level. It appears to be from my cochlea. I’ve had an MRI done. They have given me Prednisone, 30 mg for 7 days.

I had a hearing test. Right ear fine.

This was my left ear (see picture).



Please let me know if there is anything else I should be doing.

 

Hi @Beg321.

Thank you for providing a copy of your hearing test. Unfortunately I am not qualified to assess anything from it. My advice is the same as I mentioned in my previous post. Since your ENT specialist said the hearing loss is coming from the cochlea, this person is the one to advise you on any possible treatment that can restore your hearing to optimum, such as the fitting of a hearing aid(s).

If all your ENT doctor can give you is a course of Prednisone for 7 days, without giving you more information to treat the hearing loss and tinnitus, then I think you need to see a doctor that is more skilled in ENT for a second opinion. This is the reason I suggested you see an audiovestibular physician. Such a person will investigate and diagnose problems within your ear and auditory system: hearing loss, tinnitus, balance problems, vertigo etc. Hopefully then you will be given a diagnosis and advised if treatment is possible.

You really need to see a doctor that specialises in the ear and auditory system. Please try and to this as soon as possible.

Take care,
Michael

 

I whish I had that audiogram. That's basically nothing.

Also I'm wondering why a lot of people are getting such low doses of Prednisone?

Several studies, at least the German ones I was reading, and how it's done here, it's usually 250 mg for 3 days and done, no need to taper off. Everything under 250 mg seems pretty useless, everything over doesn't produce better results. Some ENTs here are doing 21 days treatment, but also starting with 250 mg for 3 days, then 200 mg for 3 days and so on. Doesn't produce better results though.

Anyway, Prednisone doesn't do anything in a lot of cases. Blood thinning was once the way to go, after they found out it doesn't help at all

Only slightly better data for Prednisone for sudden hearing loss and acute tinnitus. But yeah, we all take it so we don't have to ask ourselves later: what if I had taken it ‍♂️

The thing is: SSNHL and/or acute tinnitus often heal out by itself. So it's not that easy to prove, yay, Prednisone/blood thinners whatever did actually do something.

 

Thank you for getting back to me.

I do feel the doctors don’t know much.

I hope miracles for everyone.

 

Does anyone know from experience if the volume of the tinnitus can ever go down, if that makes sense?

My first week it seemed lower, but now it’s full on. It’s so debilitating.

I hope we can all recover from this. I genuinely really do.

 

Dexamethasone injections. HBOT.
Antivirals. Higher doses of Prednisone.

Stop fucking around. Demand it if it's only been a week or two.

 

Thank you.

 

Yes it can go down, but prepare for the worst case mentally.

 

I’m reading more about my condition and I found that hearing loss at the high frequency is usually irreversible. I have high frequency sensorineural hearing loss.

Been Googling about HBOT. Don’t know if I should try it?

 

Mine has been barely audible for the past 2 days. Right now, I know it's there but if I focus my mind on something else, it's like it is not there. I've been taking allergy/sinus congestion OTC pills the past 2 or 3 nights. I'm looking into the two active ingredients which I can buy separately.

Can tinnitus be random? Comes & goes? Sometimes you hear it & sometimes you want to jump off a cliff?

 

Are the fluctuations atypical for you?

If so, I would dive down the histamine route.

For other reasons, I looked at histamine testing, which is notoriously inaccurate.

Perhaps try a low histamine diet and consider supplements to lower your histamine load.

I stopped Quercetin because of a link posted here suggesting it may be ototoxic in zebrafish. Not sure how this translates to humans, but I was concerned enough to discontinue it unfortunately. I have also read an article suggesting Quercetin is capable of opening potassium channels??

You can take enzymes such as DAO to help metabolise excess histamine.