Circulatory Tinnitus Since 2019 with Ups and Downs — Considering Botox

I'm currently going through what's hopefully just a spike, so I thought I'd create an account and introduce myself.

I'm from Sweden and I've had a small amount of tinnitus since childhood, but in 2019 I was carrying two bags of groceries upstairs when 3-4 new frequencies began.

Ever since then I've had my ups and downs, and my spikes seem to be quite long, 4-5 weeks. Things like massages, posture work and supplements that improve blood flow and nerve function (Magnesium, Pycnogenol) have helped greatly.

Four days ago a super loud car passed me, the driver seemed to intentionally try to be as loud as possible. Since then I've had the worst spike of my life so far, and I'm worried this one isn't circulatory but noise damage. I always wear Loops earplugs but forgot this one darn time... But, I've also had a lot of Bruxism/TMD during the last 3-4 months, so I have small hopes that my spike is circulatory after all.

I've ordered more Pycnogenol and I'm looking into getting treatment for my Bruxism. I already have a mouthguard but it hasn't helped, and the waiting times for Bruxism treatment is about a year. I'm having small thoughts of trying Botox, but it seems scary to inject a toxin that close to the ears, and possibly cause more damage.

Thanks for this wonderful forum. If anyone has more tips on treatment for circulatory tinnitus other than massages and Pycnogenol, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

An update. I ended up trying masseter Botox, and it's been two weeks. It took about 5 days to kick in and it seems to have helped a lot.

I still clench at night but my TMJ is less sore.

My tinnitus used to be "unmaskable", I could hear it through everything, which is strange because it wasn't very loud. Now, normal ambience is enough to cover it completely. I can only really hear it at night when I've put my earplugs in. I used to hear 5-6 frequencies, now it's down to 3-4.

I am almost scared to call this a success, because I'm a little worried it will come back. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Botox wears off in 3-4 months.

 

I'm a modern dancer and have dealt with my own posture after a back injury. Great idea getting the posture work to make sure that the head is not out of alignment due to the shoulders being rounded. Glad to hear things are improving with the Botox. I also have Bruxism and have found that I clench even more strongly using the night guard than without.

 

Glad to hear that Botox has helped you. You can continue using Botox every 3-4 months. Where exactly did you put the Botox?

 

Only in the masseters. I thought my temporales or pterygoids were the main problems as they were the most sore, but they are also more relaxed now despite not being injected.

 

@toumeimori, any updates? Still going well?