My Tinnitus Has Just Amplified Very Loud and It's Messing with My Head

I have had tinnitus for decades but it's always been in the background.

Now it's ringing so loud I'm having trouble conversing with people and sleeping. I think it's starting to drive me a little nuts.

Is there anything that can be done about this or do I just have to live with it?

 

Sorry to hear your tinnitus got louder. I get spikes, louder tinnitus. It drives me crazy but from my experience I ride it out. It usually takes 12-18 months to go in the 'background' again.

I'm in a spike now. It is bad. I'm taking Prozac, Xanax, and Ambien for sleep.

Hang in there. I hope it calms down soon.

Ken

 

@Ken219, how often do you have these spikes? How loud is your tinnitus during a spike?

 

The spikes are random. Average every 5 years. It is loud, I'd say 9-10/10. Having had tinnitus for 30 years and me being 72 years old, I kind of know the drill. I cool my anxiety and depression and let the tinnitus run the course.

At this point I am very sad and realize I'm close to end of life. Sad to say treatments today are what they were 30 years ago. I still pray for better treatments or a cure. G-d bless.

Ken

 

Wow! 9-10/10?! That means you can't mask the tinnitus and you hear it day & night! How can you cope with something like that?

Can you please tell me what kind of sounds do you hear? Are they always the same, or each spike brings something new?

How do you feel in between the spikes?

You shouldn't be sad. You don't know how close you really are to the end of your life. I think that you have enough time for at least 4 spikes

 

4 more spikes? Please have better treatments or cure in the future, like today!

In the beginning I was institutionalized several times for safety. I read a lot about tinnitus so I knew there was/is no cure, just coping. I was lucky to have a psychiatrist who listened to me and did his own research. Very kind and understanding. We tried several medications. At the time Prozac had a bad reputation so I said no to Prozac. After little progress we agreed on Xanax, Prozac (started on low dose), and Ambien for sleep. After my second stay at the 'home' I felt I would not harm myself so I was released. I took CBT courses.

After 12-18 months the tinnitus became part of me. Meaning it is a noise but I could live with it. Because the spikes are bad, it is as if I am back to square one. Loud and intrusive. It is a cycle of spike, habituate. I believe we all go through the ups and downs. I managed to work 50 years in Computer software technology.

I wish I could tell you there is an on/off button. It has been a long hard road and somehow I'm still here and so can everyone. Hang in there and G-d bless.

 

Wow.

It's been quite a journey for you...

You truly are a survivor.

I know this is what's life all about, dealing with ups&downs, but when you have tinnitus, it seems that it's only bad or worse.

Are there moments in your life when you really forget about the tinnitus, though it never really goes away?

9/10 sounds terrific to me. What sound could you compare your tinnitus with (regarding the intensity)?

 

I keep reminding myself this is a spike and I will habituate. I have to keep busy or I'll just cycle the noise. I will habituate!

FYI, I'm three-four months into my current spike.

 

I've had 4 spikes in the past 6 months. I'm getting really worried about my future. I'm past the point of wanting some sort of cure, I'd just like to be able to habituate and it stop getting worse.

 

I hope you stopped turning everything up. Stop going to loud events. Do not rely on earplugs; most people do not insert them properly and I doubt you'll get the rated reduction (NRR). Maybe earplugs combined with muffs?

Are you saying your tinnitus goes up and down? In six months you should be seeing some improvement. Hang in there!

 

It hasn't gone down. It has gotten louder and new tones on each spike. I haven't gone to any loud events, stopped using headphones, wear earplugs any time I leave the house. I use foam earplugs in the kitchen, while vacuuming and anytime I do anything that has a possibly of creating a loud sound. I insert them fully until I can barely grasp them. I use custom-molded Westone earplugs for anything else.

1st spike I suspect is from headphones on top of a lifetime of being a musician. Led me to give up headphones.

2nd spike I got from a hearing exam at the audiologist - new loud tone in my left ear. I started wearing earplugs often after this.

3rd spike was after moving apartments - hissing sound grew louder.

4th spike just recently after medications and possibly COVID-19 vaccine - hissing louder and a really high pitched squealing

 

What about moving apartments affected you?

 

My tinnitus is also 10/10. I've been going up for the past 3 months. Louder than last month, last week and yesterday. It keeps going up without a sign of settling down. I hope and pray for better days.

 

I can relate to this. I moved across town a month ago and the hiss immediately increased. Who knows, maybe it's the altitude - this apartment is 13 floors higher than the other. In my experience, anything can set it off.

My spikes are permanent, too. I'm careful, but there've been four in the last seven months. I'm at 10/10.

 

Place has no carpet. Everything echoes and all sounds are much harsher. I also have a roommate now, so I have not been able to control the sounds around me.

 

Hi Ken, have you managed to rehabituate?

 

Thanks for asking. I'm still struggling. It has been about 16 months. I still expect to habituate.

 

I believe you will. You've done it before.

 

So sorry to read this, as I am currently going through a really bad spike, caused by a 2-hour trip by car (I suspect an altitude change acted as a trigger). In the past 14 months alone, I've gotten about 6-7 spikes and they last long, very long - the first lasted about 4 months, the rest followed one after the other (with a few weeks in between), so I doubt that things will go better any time soon. For me, the level is about 9 or 9.5/10 with hearing protection on, and about 9/10 when going to bed (no hearing protection). I need to wear earplugs all the time when being out, because otherwise I get additional spikes that last a week or so each.