Hello, Everyone

I've had drug induced tinnitus since October 1987 and not a day has gone by where my ears don't ring/hiss to some degree. I remember it vividly when it came on and it never left.

At first it worried me and I thought it was a sign I was losing my mind, but I made a conscious decision early on I wasn't going to let it bother me and have gone on with my life.

It seems like it's louder when I'm tired and the more tired I become the louder it gets. It's gotten to the point it was so loud and bothersome I went to bed just to get some relief. There have been times when it seemed to keep me from going to sleep but that hasn't happened very often.

Some days it's barely noticeable, and there are times I don't notice it at all till I become aware of it not being so loud. Strange I know, but it's just become a part of my life, not something I'm afflicted with. Others when it seems as loud as anything else in my hearing range. But it is always there. Loud as it seems at times it doesn't effect my hearing, and if I can see you I can probably hear you.

I live in an apartment building so I listen to all my music through headphones. A lot. If I listen to music for extended periods it does seem to make it worse temporarily, but it's one of the true pleasures I get in life so I don't limit myself.

I've seen ads on TV about medications that supposedly help but have never tired any of them or done anything in an attempt to alleviate it. I mentioned it to a doctor years ago but he didn't have any answers for me. I figure after 30 years what's the point in paying a monthly fee to try and ease something I learned to live with years ago

I lurked for a bit before joining and read through some of the disheartening posts from people who are severely effected, some that didn't think they could go on burdened with tinnitus. Don't give up or give in. It's not going to kill you, though right now you may feel as if you want to die. I'm not special in anyway and I've survive it half my life, so can you.

I guess that's the real reason I joined, to tell my story in hopes someone else will find solace in it and the strength they need to go on. I'm not looking for answers or think anything I do is ever going to make it go away, but I'm OK with that.

 

@canuhearmenow

Can you elaborate on what drug caused it and how much was used ?

 

I could, but it's not really relevant at this point.

 

An interesting post and hopefully will be an inspiration to anyone having a difficult time dealing with tinnitus. Although your tinnitus was drug induced and you use headphones. They are not something that I advise anyone to use whose tinnitus was caused by "loud noise" or using headphones. If you intend on visiting this forum regularly, you will soon notice, exposure to loud noise and using headphones at loud volume levels are typical causes of tinnitus onset.
Some people with noise induced tinnitus use headphones at low volume and have no adverse effects but it's something I do not advise, as there's a risk of making the tinnitus worse as many people have reported in this forum.

All the best
Michael

 

Ofc it's relevant! It might be important to know what drugs will give us tinnitus! Maybe one that isn't known by the medics!

 

I don't want to have to spell it out and am not going to, OK? This site is no doubt indexed by google and I'm not going to incriminate myself further.

Like the song says "If you have to ask you'll never know".

I agree and am aware that loud noise including use of headphones and close proximity to concert speakers, not to mention gunfire can cause tinnitus. I'm only relating my personal experience and not advocating the use of headphones. I also mentioned after several hours of use it aggravates my own tinnitus temporarily, but it usually goes back to what I've come to consider a "normal" level the next day or so. Not everyone might be so lucky.

I used to try to minimize the time I spent listening to headphones and do try not to turn them up too high. Mine have an inline volume control so I can adjust it if a song comes on that is louder then the pervious one.

But at this point in my life it's not that important to me anymore. My time is limited and listening to music is something I enjoy so I'm going to make the most of it. My music collection consists of close to 4000 songs I keep in digital format ion my laptops and it's very handy to listen to music through headphones while using them.

I've got a vintage stereo with a Pioneer tube amp I've love to crank up and run my music through but with a large number of apartments in my building that would last about 10 minutes and my tenancy not much longer. So while I do have a nice set of Altec Lancing external computer speakers it's either them or headphones and 'phones don't disturb anyone at 3am.

After living with it 30 years tinnitus doesn't concern me in the least or scare me to think it might get worse. I have more serious issues to deal with than losing my hearing.

 

I realised that you know what you're doing regarding headphones. For this reason I didn't try to dissuade you from using them, I just wanted to advise readers of this thread to be careful.
Regarding your Tube amp. I didn't realise Pioneer ever made them and nice to know. I'm an Audiophile and use a 300B- parallel Single -Ended tube amp driving ProAc speakers.

All the best
Michael

 

Yes, mine is a Pioneer SA-520 tube amp rated at 65 watts per channel I bought new somewhere around 1980, run through an Optimus 10 band Graphic Equalizer I bought in '96 and a pair of Jensen Model 4 speakers I purchased in 1973 when Jensen first started making speakers. 65 watts might not sound like much but those tube amps will rock the house and rattle the windows.

I was using it to run my TV through but haven't been lately. I read where you need to have those tubes powered up for as much as 24 hours before they really warm up.

 

You got quite a setup there @canuhearmenow I wouldn't want to be living next to you when that tube amp and speakers start to blast..lol. My tube amp is 20watts per channel and drives my ProAcs adequately. 300b amps are the creme de la creme that some Audiophiles love. I listen to mainly opera, classical and Jazz so there's no need for high power and I wouldn't want it anyway because of my tinnitus. I usually warm up the Amp for 1hr before sitting down for serious listening. Tube Amps need to warm up properly for them to SING. I wouldn't go back to solid state amplification for all the tea in china...

All the best
Michael