Head Tinnitus Is Back: Success Stories Wanted!

I've had tinnitus since 2012, and it started as a head tinnitus which I found hard to deal with.

It slowly got better (or worse, depending on how you look at it) and the head T calmed down to a low white noise type sound but with the introduction of chiming and ringing.

I've learnt to live with all of this over the years and have even managed to do the things I want to do (clubbing, parties etc.) with the protection of earplugs. This lifestyle has never caused me problems before until last week when I attended an outdoor concert (which I have done before without consequence, and of course I was wearing earplugs designed for musicians) and now the head T is back and I don't know how to handle it!

I know it's only been a week and advice would be to just give it time and it'll go down but I'm hoping that someone can give me some tips on how to make it go down quicker?

I will note that I have had an extremely stressful few weeks recently which, along with the concert, could be a factor of the increased buzz, but, as I've said, I've not had to deal with head tinnitus for such a long time, and I'm finding it more distressing than the ringing and chiming in all honesty!

HELP!

 

@Em1ly There is a forum group here dedicated to success stories: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/forums/success-stories.47/

I've only had T for about 13 days so I don't have much advise to give. I feel like drinking diminishes the brain's ability to do whatever it needs to do. But interestingly, while drinking, it feels much better. So maybe it's more of a confidence thing, like the brain needs to be confident in that the real sounds are all that matter and the broken frequency can just be ignore... I'm no expert though.

 

Prolonged severe stress could definitely be a contributing factor. It was three simultaneous prolonged very stressful situations that caused the longest and most severe T spike that I have ever experienced in more than 30 years of living with this affliction.

 

@Dave555 I'll check out the thread! I'm trying to avoid stimulants at the moment as I feel that alcohol will just make it worse, but thank you!

@jimH I'm just so annoyed with myself as I thought going to this concert with proper earplugs in would not cause any issues but it seems to have triggered a response in my ears. I am hoping it's the stress that's made it bad and that I haven't permanently damaged my hearing making this a permanent thing I'll have to get used to

 

@Em1ly
What does head tinnitus sound like?

 

@Chris M It feels like my whole head is buzzing and my ears feel kinda blocked. It's just like an all around buzz and it's hard to mask. I think some of it is down to (hopefully) temporary H

 

Give it 3-4 months to settle down

 

HI @Em1ly

A mistake that a lot of people make with "noise induced" tinnitus after the tinnitus has settled down and eventually learn to live with it: Habituate. Over time they forget and slip back into the old lifestyle. This is clubbing, going to concerts and using headphones. Headphones use for anyone that has "noise induced" tinnitus, I advise never to use even at low volume.

It is okay to go out and have a good time at clubs and other places of entertainment where music is played. However, please do not think wearing earplugs (even the best) will protect your ears and auditory system from being irritated and spike your tinnitus. If external sound is loud enough, it will pass through your head and be transferred to your inner ear by bone conduction. One has to be careful when going to places where loud music is played and I advise not to go to them too often. Give it time and hopefully the tinnitus will calm down. Please read the post below and click on the links for more information that you might find helpful.

Hope you start to feel better soon.
Michael


Tinnitus, earplugs and nightclubs.

Someone that has tinnitus I believe they should try and live a normal life as they possibly can. This includes going out to clubs, concerts and other venues of entertainment where music is played if they wish to. For some, tinnitus can be difficult to live with without putting further restrictions on their life. However, I also believe taking the necessary precautions is absolutely vital, in preventing noise trauma to the inner ear, which could make the tinnitus louder and more intrusive.

Unfortunately, in some instances a person can be left in a hit or a miss situation, as there is no way of knowing if they have put themselves in harms way until after enjoying a night out, find their tinnitus has become louder and more intrusive over the coming days. One hopes this will be a temporary spike but there is no guarantee this new level of intensity won’t become permanent and could require a visit to ENT. Sorry to sound so sobering but these are the facts as I see it.

One way of protecting yourself from inner ear damage is to wear noise-reducing earplugs when going to nightclubs or concerts. They will reduce external sounds, in this case music and fortunately won’t impair sound quality, which is so important to most people attending these venues. The earplugs are available in various degrees of attenuation from as little as 9 decibels right up to 25 and even higher. If money is no object, one can buy custom moulded earplugs with the full knowledge they are getting the best ear protection that they can afford.

A word of caution to anyone that might not be in the know. I believe no level of ear protection is one hundred percent safe; so one still needs to be careful when attending nightclubs and concerts and not get carried away in thinking, wearing earplugs is completely safe so anything goes and you can stand next to the speakers all night or right up near to the stage where the music is booming out. Some people might not be aware, if music is loud enough it can still be transferred to the inner ear and reach the cochlear and cause damage via the Mastoid bone. This is a hard piece of bone behind each ear. It is honeycombed and has air pockets within it. Please don’t think that it’s only midrange and high frequencies that can cause harm. Low bass frequencies, which cause vibrations, will do the same.

Go out and enjoy yourself and have fun but at the same time be prudent and respect your hearing.
Michael

PS: further reading is available at:
https://www.britannica.com/science/ear/Transmission-of-sound-by-bone-conduction

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/why-has-my-tinnitus-spiked-why-has-tinnitus-hyperacusis-
increased.19091/

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

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/are-spikes-from-loud-noise-permanent.18156/

 

I had head tinnitus really bad and could not walk unaided and admitted to hospital for a week and tests,scans,lumbar puncture and angiogram.
I was put on Nortriptyline and it went away.
love glynis

 

Hello @glynis I recently became a member of this community. Do you take 50 mg Nortriptyline before bed time, or take 25 mg twice daily?

 

Now only 25mg at night.

 

Dear @glynis, Thank you for your reply. Excuse me for my poor English. I'm taking 25 mg every night, but I want to raise it, because 25 mg does not really effect. I want to take 50 mg before bedtime. Have you had an experience with 50 mg in one dose?

 

Yes I was on 50mg and slept ok,I reduced it to see if could sleep on a lower dose .
love glynis

 

I’m interested in this, I’m trying to figure out what causes head tinnitus, and who experiences it. I feel that maybe it could be the tinnitus pitch, lower pitched sounds seem to show up in the ear, and the ultra high seem to run all over the brain.

I had really bad head tinnitus for years until it kind of faded out, now it’s back after recent noise trauma. It’s not a buzz, it’s screaming tinnitus that fills my entire head, and creates severe headaches. It’s almost as if my head is under pressure as well. Or sometimes feels like the tinnitus is coming from the head and running to the ears.

I’m hoping this is something that can calm down, as this feels almost like an additional issue to the normal ear tinnitus. It creates a lot of extra stress as I don’t know where the sounds are, they kind of feel like they are moving around at times, certain pitches feel as though they bounce around my head and in and out of my ears, it’s always very high pitch, almost as if I’m gettjng a electric shock as it moves around.

The first time the head tinnitus calmed for me, I almost thought I must have been perceiving it differently, that maybe it was something in my imagination. It’s weird after things go, you almost feel as if they were never there in the first place.

Now that it’s back, well, my memory is refreshed, I remember it all too well. It’s extremely difficult to deal with, at times, very seldom though, I can mask my ear tinnitus, but I can still actually hear and feel the head tinnitus.

Also, I’ve had some serious head injuries playing sports in the past. I had a brain scan done about 3 years ago, was told I have moderate traumatic brain injury, and post concussion syndrome. I wonder if this has something to do with it.

Anyone else have experience with this tinnitus all over their head? It even feels like it’s In my face as I type this, it’s very strange.

 

Hi Glynis,

How long did it take to go away after nortriptyline ?

 

@Telis,
Started getting better over a week or two and still gone now.
love glynis