Desperate to Reduce the Ringing?

Hi,

So my tinnitus from acoustic trauma 14 months ago is getting worse.

ALL I hear now is the high pitched ringing and it's making me ill. I'm taking loads of supplements including NAC, and only have betahistine (8mg twice daily) and gabapentin (300 mg before bed) on prescription.

Is there ANYTHING that can help to reduce the ringing. I have a knot in my stomach and feel sick, the anxiety is not helping. Trying to forget about the tinnitus is not an option, I have EXTREMELY LOUD tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Thanks for your input.

 

You could possibly go see an audiologist and see what they say. When i first got tinnitus I had bad Hypcusis as well and it was painful. I went through some kind of therapy/training (it was over 20 years ago) and it could be helpful. Possibly seeing an audiologist might help you out...

 

Having a healthy/balanced diet and routine has been helpful to me as well....Less stress is key for me , in my effort to tame this garbage...

 

Very sorry to hear that the tinnitus is getting worse for you Blue. When the condition is severe as you say, I think you need the help of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist who's trained in tinnitus counselling and the management of it. As you know there are various treatments which I've mentioned to you before. In addition to this, I feel clonazepam might be of some help. It does help some people with severe tinnitus and helps me. I take it occasionally. I think you really need the help of professionals.
Hope things improve for you.

All the best
Michael

 

Hi Blue,
Betahistine has room for improvement 16mg 3 times a day.
Or Look in to Cinnarazine 15mg it's for Menieres and reducing tinnitus and is a strong antihistamine.
Love glynis

 

Benzos do help some people. Talk to your doc about it.

 

Hi, thanks for replying. I saw an audiologist last year and had WNGs for a few months, but they didn't help and actually made the H worse. I feel any remotely loud noise is making both my T and HL worse, including a recent audiogram with acoustic reflex test I did. I'm afraid now how far this can go. I eat a healthy, balanced diet, restrict salt, caffeine, sugar and drink lots of water but still things get worse. I'm not sure what more I can do.

@Michael Leigh, thanks for your reply. I think that I may ask my GP about clonazepam. Is it not ototoxic?

@glynis I have tried betahistine on a higher dose but didn't see much difference. This drug increases blood flow to the inner ear, right?

 

@Blue28
Clonazepam isn't ototoxic for me and helped me a lot when I was in dire straits. If taken regularly can cause dependancy. For this reason my ENT doctor and GP advised me to only take it when my tinnitus is severe. I was prescribed it in 2010 and haven't had any problems. It has helped me when nothing else would. When my tinnitus reaches very severe levels, I've taken 2x 0.5 tablets for no more than two days. For me, it reduced the tinnitus to complete silence but I'm sure it will affect each person differently. My tinnitus naturally ranges from: silent, mild, moderate and severe. Your tinnitus is severe and if clonazepam works for you, will give you a break, giving you some time to regroup.

Regarding the white noise generators. I know that you've had problems with them but I advise you not to give up hope. Introduce them to your auditory system "slowly". This means wearing them for just 1hr or 2hr, then take them off for the same amount of time. "slowly" build up the wearing time over a few weeks and months if necessary. I counselled someone that had difficulty similar to you with white noise generators and advised her to use this menthod and it worked. When a person is wearing white noise generators, it is importantant to have "tinnitus counselling" with a trained Hearing therapist or Audiologist. Unless you have counselling the white noise generators will not work.

Proper tinnitus counselling (talk therapy) will, over time reduce the negative thinking that you have about your tinnitus and hyperacusis. This is not your fault as the condtions that you are experiencing make it very difficult to think otherwise. A Hearing Therapist or Audiologist, trained in tinnitus counselling, will over time takeaway this negative thinking and help to make you look at life more positively. More is covered in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. I suggest that you read it again particularly, the section on TRT.

I strongly advise you to seek help with the health professionals that I've mentioned and to enquire about clonazepam.
All the best
Michael

 

Thank you @Michael Leigh I will look into things. WNG here are very expensive, and I didn't have any talk therapy before (there is non one that I know of even remotely near me that does this). I think it may be an idea to try the WNG again as you said gradually but I don't know if this will be possible. I'll look into it. I know in the UK there is more help available for this kind of therapy, even if you have to wait for an NHS appointment.

 

TRT is an expensive treatment Blue there is no doubting that. It is only available in some NHS hospitals, those wanting it will have to go private but usually some sort of help at an Audilogy clinic is available at all hospitals. White noise generators are expensive although free on the NHS where available they can be bought privately. Two should be worn and the volume kept below the level of the tinnitus. Prices here in the UK:http://www.puretoneretail.net/tinnitus.html

I hope that you are able to get some professional help.
All the best
Michael

 

Just be careful not to build too much (or any) tolerance. Best to take them only occasionally. The withdrawal symptoms are not fun.

 

Totally agree. I was advised by my ENT Dr not to take my clonazepam too often as the body quickly habituates to it and it will lose it's effect and more of the drug will need to be taken to get the same relief, and that's when dependency can set in. Thankfully, I just take it occasionally and haven't had any problems in 2010.

 

I am REALLY struggling after almost 16 months of constant bilateral tinnitus, hyperacusis and high frequency hearing loss that was caused by a noisy microsuction procedure to remove wax. My main tinnitus sound is around 12500hz, and was measured a few months back at 65db. I also have a low hum, mainly in my left ear, which is slightly quieter. My ears feel full all the time and it's as if my brain just can't accept the hearing loss (me too). Life is very difficult, I kept thinking things would get better, but they haven't. I am very in tune with my hearing (I didn'y know this before but do now) in that there's LOADS of quiet sounds I used to hear with ease that I no longer hear at all. This stresses me...and all I hear is the ringing/hissing all day long. I have tried WNG, take vitamins including B12, NAC, magnesium and Ginkgo Biloba. I also take gabapentin at night. Nothing seems to help. If you have any words of encouragement I'm eager to read them. Thank you.

 

Does it ever get any better? I'm losing hope...

 

Hey, I feel your pain. My T too worsened too after Microsuction and it beats me up every day. I was very hesitant about it but my Audiologist assured me it was perfectly safe! I've since been advised by @Michael Leigh that they should've softened the wax beforehand but didn't. He was too keen to throw WNGs in my ears thereafter and tell me it'd cost around £3K!! I get so angry as I was able to mask my t prior to this.

I understand how you feel. I'm have wngs (from another Audiologist) not too sure yet Igbo they've helped? I find Epsom salts really calm my ears down when I put them in a bath in the evening. Walking in nature and just trying to keep as busy as possible. Hard I understand, especially on the tough days.

I hope you find some relief soon. Hold on there xx

 

@Vicki14 thank you so much for your kind words of support. My T was actually caused by microsuction, despite using ear drops for 10 days prior to the procedure. It is definitely not a safe way of removing wax. If I could turn back the clock I would never have gone to see that ENT and allowed him to use microsuction. I have a noticeable hearing loss now because of it. I wish you well.

 

@Vicki14
Every medical procedure carries risk and it's very unfortunate that @Blue28 had a bad experience with microsuction. One simply cannot go around with ears blocked up of wax as it can cause a lot of problems: earache, difficulty hearing, itchiness, tinnitus, ear infection. There are only three methods of removal. Ear irrigation, microscution and manual removal. All carry risks.

I have had ear irrigation three times and microsuction three times without any problems. Please use olive oil eardrops 3x a day for 10days before irrigation or microsuction.
Michael

 

@Michael Leigh Very true, I agree. I just wish I'd read more prior to getting it done. It's just the self regret and anger I have for the Audiologist which is difficult to overcome.

@Blue28 You too, hope things improve somehow for you. We have to try somehow and stay strong xx ⭐️

 

I understand how you feel @Vicki14 Hopefully in time your ears will recover as they are quite resilient.
Michael

 

@Michael Leigh Thank you and I hope you're right!! X

 

Give it time I believe you'll recover and I'll be looking for my consultation cheque in the post when you do....

 

@Michael Leigh Happy to pay for your services!!!

 

Just thought I'd bring a little humour into this sad saga @Vicki14 If one isn't careful tinnitus can make us feel quite down and I don' want that to happen.

 

@Michael Leigh seriously... you should though! I'm sure those of us would be happy to!!!

 

Not at all @Vicki14 I do what I do to give something back for I was helped many years ago in a forum just like this by many people. They helped get me through some difficult times.....
Michael

 

Very noble and kind of you!!! @Michael Leigh

 

Thank you @Vicki14, I hope you see some improvement soon. Like you, I wish I'd looked into things more before going ahead with the microsuction, I wasn't aware of the risks (hearing loss, tinnitus etc) of the procedure, they weren't explained and I didn't sign any kind of consent form...the ENT just went ahead and did it. He didn't give me options either. I also have a lot of anger towards the doctor that performed the procedure. I wish you well and hope you will see some improvements soon.

 

I was not informed of the possible risks of microsuction (hearing loss, tinnitus etc), like many people I didn't research the subject before seeing a doctor to remove wax. I wasn't having open heart surgery, I just having wax removed from my ears.

The more I read on TT etc, the more I encounter people who have either had tinnitus made worse, or tinnitus was caused by wax removal procedures, microsuction included. Unfortunately, I am not the only person affected by this.

 

@Blue28
21 years ago when I first got tinnitus I had my ears syringed using the old fashsioned method. This is using a metal canister filled with warm water and is squirted into the ears under presssure. Not done today because of the potential risks involved:tinnitus and ear damage. Fortunately, my GP at the time wouldn't allow the practice nurse to do the procedure because of my severe tinnitus and hyperacusis. She chose to do it herself and was very through, telling me to use olive oil eardrops 3 times a day for 7 days. I will never forget how scared I was going into the treatment room. When she finished the GP told me to stand up slowly as I might feel a little dizzy.

When I stood up I felt drunk and collapsed into arms. Now I know how people with menier's feel when they talk about the room spining and they feel drunk. After a few minutes I felt better and went home. I was relieved that my tinnitus didn't worsen, infact it reduced in severity for a few hours then returned.
I understand how you feel blue. Some people have contacted me who have gone to a private clinic, and had microsuction and not being told to use eardrops for 10days prior to having the procedure and ended up with tinnitus- infact they were told using eardrops is unnecessary, which is totally the wrong thing to say.

I agree syrining is not open heart surgery but not using eardrops in the manner I've discribed and having ear irrigation or microsuction, carries the risk of developing tinnitus and having months if not years of misery, unfortnately not everyone knows this.

Michael

 

I just get more and more depressed and upset trying to understand how to deal with T, H & HL. I've never been so down in my life before. Struggling to even get outside as I am that frightened of making things worse. It's making me worried. Very worried