NAC may have helped my hearing loss, but it definitely gave me HF Tinnitus

[TemporaryTHope]

I was dumb enough to watch Mad Max 4k Blu-Ray within my enclosed home theater using my Nakamichi Dragon with 4 12" Subs at 50% volumen.

The result was that by the end of this 117dba Peak Generating Movie (132 DbC) my hearing was muffled on my left ear and I could hear a faint ringing.

2 days went by didn't pay too much attention as I've always been a bass head that loved loud music, thought it'd go away eventually, but after 3 says the ringing went higher.

Naturally, I went to ENTs, Audiologist, and Nose/Throat/Ear Docs, none of them had anything for me aside from Prednisone, steroid nasal spray and the clear statement that this ringing was here to stay... Forever.

I researched like crazy and stumbled upon TinnitusTalk, I read countless threads and one thing seemed to be prevalently mentioned, NAC (N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine)

At this point I had been taking Prednisone for 2 days, which was changed to Dexamethasone IM because I had told my Doc that I read Dexamethasone and insisted it was superior for NIHL with less side effects to the ears like Hydrops ETC, doc agreed, and I swapped to 10mg Dexamethasone IM for the remainder of the 7 day course.

I could swear the Prednisone had worsen my Tinnitus, but at the same time I did notice improved hearing on my muffled ear, and even my good ear, same for dexamethasone but without the Tinnitus increase.

SideNote: (I've never had Tinnitus in my life before this initial event)

Move forward to 15 days after this terrible event that hurt my ears, I developed Hyperacusis, any noise that before was pleasant and comfortable (80dba and even 90dba) was now triggering the worst T imaginable the same night, and it made my ears feel muffled.

Desperate I started taking Jarrow's NAC Extended Release, at first I felt some relief with my hearing, and by day 5 of taking NAC (Day 20 since the event) I could swear my hearing was the best it's been since the initial event.

Sadly, that didn't last long, as just 3 days later experienced this improved hearing, the worst T ever imaginable came to me, rushing in like a tow truck trying to repo a Truck at the grocery store, fast and hard, funny enough this seemed to coincide from the time I swapped from Jarrow's ER formula to Thorne's IR 500mg capsules.

This is when I realized that, I was getting worse, and I believe NAC had everything to do with it.

How could something that was making me feel better for 5 days suddenly harm my Tinnitus like that?

The main problem was that I had habituated somewhat to my 20 day old 1500Hz Tinnitus, but after taking NAC a completely new, even more intruding high frequency tone showed up, and it was hell.

I even low-key started to miss my previous 1500Hz frequency Tinnitus, which was drawned under the new 7500Hz tone.

For the first time ever, I needed masking sounds like Violet noise, which sadly, when waking up the next morning, those same masking violet sounds giving me relief at night, would make my ear feel muffled when waking up in the morning, and this only happened to the ear facing the violet sound at maybe 5-10% the volume of my phone which sat on the nightstand next to me, so I stopped masking sounds too.

It's been 2 weeks since I stopped taking NAC, and it's been around 5 weeks since the initial and regretful Mad Max event, now I started taking NR, Resveratrol, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, ALCAR & NMN, but I can definitely say that the HF T that NAC apparently caused me, that hasn't gone away as I hoped it would, I'm afraid it'll become chronic, which would really frigging suck.

I'm posting this as a counter warning to those taking NAC due to so many success stories, and maybe the dosage and time length I took it had anything to do (Like I said, first 5 days seemed great) or it could even just be the swap between Jarrows to Thorne.

Just be careful, there's much we don't know yet about these supplements, tinnitus and hearing loss. Why did NAC caused me to develop a high frequency T? I don't know, what I do know is that I'm done with NAC.

TLDR: NAC gave me new High Frequency T Tones, my T bothersome scale went from 4 to 8, and it hasn't improved after 2 weeks of stopping NAC.

 

[Sonia554]

Honestly, it should be considered malpractice for doctors to tell someone with new-onset tinnitus that it is permanent. In the vast majority of cases, that is not true. I do not know why this continues to be the standard line. The truth is that tinnitus caused by a one-time acoustic event has a very good chance of resolving completely, as long as you avoid further injury.

I would, however, stay away from supplements. There is no evidence that any of them are effective. They are just a waste of money. The best thing you can do is give it time and protect your ears. It is normal for tinnitus to keep changing during the initial weeks, and when you are trying different things, you may mistakenly attribute any worsening to one of them. I would not go on a "solution hunt." If anything truly worked, we would all know about it. Time, unfortunately, is the best medicine for this.

Mine took a couple of months to reach its full pitch before it started declining again. The first doctor I saw gave me a single dose of Dexamethasone. The second prescribed six doses of Prednisone, but I was too afraid to take it. I have been taking Magnesium and Ibuprofen for the swelling, but that is all.

The first six months are going to be tough. There is no way around that. They will be very, very hard. Rest, eat well, try to sleep, and keep your volumes low. What you are experiencing is typical of acoustic trauma and does not indicate permanence.

You are still very early in. I did not start seeing improvements until around the middle of Month 6. Now I am beginning Month 9, and it often blends into background sounds. I am hopeful that by the end of this month, it will be even better. Many recovery stories unfold over six months, one year, two years, or even three. The next few months will be unlike anything you have experienced before. They will be some of the hardest months of your life, but you will get through them.

You might be one of the lucky ones who recover quickly, or it might take a while, but most people see major improvements or full recovery within the first year. Stay here, keep talking, and let us know how you are doing. There is a whole community of people ready to offer support and guidance.