One Week of Tinnitus: My Next Steps? What Can Be Done? → Questions for the Veterans

Hello everyone. I've completed 1 week of hell, aka tinnitus. It started after an ultrasonic dental cleaning procedure, where I momentarily hurt my jaw, which may or may not be related. I do not have TMJ. I had COVID-19 4 months ago. My tinnitus is a high-pitched (14800 Hz) tone that is up 24/7. Sometimes it changes to a slightly lower pitch, and sometimes it isn't continuous, as if it came from a damaged wire or old radio. It isn't located on any ear, but the head. Its volume seems to vary, and it is much louder at night. Over the last 7 days, I didn't manage to get a single 2+ hours of continuous sleep. I've been managing to sleep somewhat, though, in pieces. I have some questions for the veterans here:

1. Since it is still relatively early, is there anything I could or should do at this point, before it is too late, that has an established chance of solving the issue? I've heard HBOT works in early stages, but it seems to be all anecdotes; are there any papers or studies?

2. Regarding habituation; I'm actually in peace with the ringing during the day, it is specifically the lack of sleep that is destroying my life. Today I could barely sleep 3 hours due to constantly waking up to the sound. My question is: when people talk about habituation, do they mean my body will eventually learn "not to wake up to the ringing", and I'll eventually manage to get 8+ hours of sleep again, or that I'll get used to the obviously poor sleep I'm getting? Is there any evidence of that?

3. Regarding TRT, it seems like it is the established treatment. I've had an appointment with the most popular tinnitus specialist where I'm located (Brazil), and he is a big enthusiast of that treatment. To me, it looks like placebo. Is there any solid evidence it does anything to actually address the biological problem, or is it just psychological therapy?

4. Regarding stem cell therapy, is there any study or, at the very least, summary of the results had so far? I've read more than once around this forum that "3-4" people got their tinnitus cured on StemCells21, but I couldn't find these people, nor any data about the extent of the improvement. I'm aware only of @attheedgeofscience, but I'm not sure I'd trust that report, since he seems to promote the pseudoscience "bioscan"; he could possibly be associated with them.

5. Regarding FX-322, it seems like, so far, it is the most promising solution to the issue. It seems like there isn't any piece of data regarding its efficacy for tinnitus specifically, though. Is that the case? If so, when will that data be available?

6. Still regarding FX-322, it seems like it isn't available to the general public, and won't be for at least half a decade, if ever. Is there anything I can do to have access to it today? Could I hire a trustworthy lab to legally produce the medicine to me? If not, why? If yes, how?

7. Other than the options I highlighted above, is there anything with potential for a cure? It could be a crazy idea that wasn't properly explored, yet makes sense. Things like cutting specific parts of the auditory nerve, cochlear implants, operating/modifying the cochlea; why hasn't any of that been attempted?

 

Tinnitus can occur for no reason VTae, but one of the most common causes is exposure to loud noise. Typically it is caused by listening to audio at too loud a volume through headphones. This includes earbuds, AirPods, headsets, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones.

The dental procedure you had could have caused it or was the catalyst that irritated the tinnitus which was already there but operating at a very low level, so your brain was unaware it was there, which is quite possible. I tend to think this is the case especially if you used any type of headphones regularly or exposed to other sources of loud sounds on a regularly basis.

Whatever has caused your tinnitus, it is important not to do anything rash regarding treatment. In the early stages of tinnitus, it's best to leave the ears alone and don't try any treatment. Unless you are experiencing deafness, dizziness, problems with balance or acute pain in your ears then leave your ears alone because the tinnitus can easily be made worse!

Please click on the links below and read my posts that I think you will find helpful. Go to my started threads and read: The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Hyperacusis, As I See It, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, What Is TRT and When Should It Be Started?

Cutting the auditory nerve will not stop the tinnitus because the noise is coming from the brain, so you will still hear it.

Try to avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night by using low level sound enrichment. More about this is explained in my posts.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Thanks for the extensive post. I just want to make sure I don't lose an opportunity window for some treatments, but I do feel like the best action would be to just wait and adapt.

 

What about Prednisone?

You're still within the window.

 

I understand in this early stage of tinnitus onset that you want to try a treatment, but I assure you it's not the right thing to do, unless you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned in my previous post.

Prednisone is a steroid and has helped some people in the early stages of noise induced tinnitus and for others it has done nothing or made their tinnitus worse. My advice remains the same, leave your ears alone and follow the suggestions in my articles.

I wish you well,
Michael

 

First of all, I'm sorry that you're going through this, but we all here can understand you very well. You're still very early with this condition, so you have most chances of it going away or getting better to the point you're mostly back to normal.

I think you are still within the window of trying Prednisone or any other steroid drug to reduce the damage from inflammation caused by that ear injury. Some people think though the window is like 48-72 hours from the injury, so maybe it's not worth it. It's a serious drug with many side effects and taken specifically if there's loss of hearing with the tinnitus. I don't know if you mentioned loss of hearing, but keep in mind that Prednisone still isn't certain that it'll help.

People around here try acupuncture, HBOT, vitamins (B complex, C, A and E), Ginkgo Biloba, Magnesium, NAC, antioxidant foods, salt/alcohol/coffee reduction and others. But all are useless in 99% of cases. I personally also tried many of those and made zero difference.

There are also way more serious drugs like Benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antihistamines etc for better sleep and feeling better, but they may worsen your condition radically, so get advise from a medical professional on those.

Please though, DON'T get fooled by the TRT FRAUD. It's only pep talk and sound therapy to kind of mask your tinnitus and distract your attention from it. It doesn't address the actual malfunction of your auditory system, it only helps habituation. BUT habituation comes at some point on its own. TRT lasts 1-2 years, so by that time, you would have habituated on your own, given your tinnitus doesn't change or worsens...

So yeah, I suggest you use masking (completely cover up the tinnitus sound) or sound enrichment (have background noise but not cover up tinnitus) during the day and during the night to sleep well. I have personally used nature sounds like rain, river etc, to mask my tinnitus especially at night and has worked well for sleep. However, people have different types of tinnitus, so you need to find sounds that work for you.

Even if you mask it all the time, there will be times that you will be left with hearing your tinnitus, so habituation will occur at some point, don't worry about that.

And for your last question, there will be at least one treatment in the next 5-10 years, possibly sooner (see the Dr. Susan Shore's device) as many companies show interest in fixing ear problems. Also, sorry to say, but FX-322 probably won't fix much regarding tinnitus in my opinion, because you see people with perfect hearing and still have tinnitus (like me). But any advancement in hair cell regeneration is huge news anyway, and there will be other solutions.

Hope I helped a bit!

 

Studying White Noise | Focus on Homework, Test...

Try the YouTube link pasted above. It’s a 10 hour sound - kind of like being on an airplane. I found it very helpful to play it on my iPhone and put my phone under my pillow at night. Adjust the volume to get comfortable. It really helped me sleep during my first several weeks of tinnitus.

Here’s a bit of an analogy - if you have ever experienced the death of a loved one - the pain and the agony is searing at first. The suffering is unbearable. But, with time the pain and suffering lessen. It never fully leaves you, but it fades - slowly and gradually. This has been my experience with tinnitus. I believe this is habituation. I have lived with tinnitus for 16 months now. The first week was maddening. The next was slightly less. It ebbs and flows over time. I have periods that are harder/annoying (spikes?) followed by periods that are easier. It felt like the end of the world for me at the beginning and honestly a few times since then but today - 16 months later-it just doesn’t bother me nearly as much or as frequently.

I found it helpful to see a therapist several times. Just talking it through - and out loud was helpful.

The single most important thing I can do to stay in the best mindset and for overall health is to get good sleep. Find out what helps you get good sleep and be rested.

Give it time, get good sleep, do your best to continue with life - 1 day at a time. Continue to do things that you like and make you happy.

I hope this is helpful and encouraging. It will get better.

Blessings,
John

 

How long did the ultrasonic dental cleaning procedure take? This could be the culprit, even if it was like 5 minutes.

I understand your situation very well. After Omicron infection, my tinnitus spiked, a few days after testing positive. I also was thinking about Prednisone, but it's a gamble, eventually I didn't end up taking it. I'm still dealing with the spike.

Probably my fear, anxiety, time researching things, time spent on Tinnitus talk did no good.

It's important to stay calm, live your life as before, except for going to loud places like bars, concerts and the dentist. Give your ears some rest.

And see an ENT. If you really have a strong fixation on Prednisone or HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy), then make a decision within a few days --- or just let it go.

 

TRT is a scam and an embarrassment to whoever peddles it. The fact that this specialist is enthusiastic about it makes me doubt his "specialty".

I disagree. I do not think fixing hearing will fix most types of tinnitus, as tinnitus originates in the DCN for noise-induced tinnitus as per Dr. Susan Shore's/Prof. Thanos Tzounopoulos' research. I think the best bet we have so far is XEN1101. Read Thanos Tzounopoulus' research on potassium channels and check out the Retigabine thread.

Not really. It's very expensive and I wouldn't put your bets on very few anecdotal accounts.

The vast majority of people who I've seen try HBOT have either gotten worse for some reason or had no change at all. I don't understand why this is such a popular option as I haven't even seen any anecdotal stories of people improving.

The only thing you really can do at the moment is give yourself time and protect your ears. As your tinnitus is new you have a very high chance of remission after a few months.

About sleep - if I can sleep 8+ hours with ~20 tone 60+ dB tinnitus you can sleep with yours, especially since you can make it through the day just fine. Like others have pointed out you can use some masking for it if you find the right masking sounds, but don't overdo it. If you're going to sleep with masking sounds have it set to turn off after some time. You don't want to be blasting your already sensitive ears with noise all the time. Trust me, you'll be fine. Give yourself time.

 

Hello.

Do you have hearing loss? If yes, steroids are the first line of defense. The intratympanic injections are much more likely to give long term help by restoring hearing and stopping the tinnitus. Oral Prednisone can be hard on you and it often only gives temporary results. The window for treatment is the sooner, the better! However, under 90 days is still acute phase and can get results. I'd call your local ENTs and tell them you are in a crisis and need to be seen for steroids ASAP!

Take:

1) Magnesium L-Threonate. I read a few papers that show if you have proper or higher doses of Magnesium in your system, tinnitus won't develop. If you already have it, take the Magnesium and it will keep from further damage as you try to heal now. It's cheap and won't hurt you. Only the L-Threonate form (there are 6? forms) crosses the blood brain barrier. Note - if you want to sleep, take this Magnesium (200 mg) with Melatonin (3 to 6 mg) 30 minutes before you want to sleep. It will knock you out.

2) NAC. A lot of people on here have taken NAC. Some say it cured them, others it did nothing. Another pill to take that won't hurt you. It's an antihistamine but it can also trigger a histamine attack and allergic reaction if you are histamine sensitive. Look up NAC and side effects to make sure they don't interact with anything in your system.

That's all i can say beyond protect your hearing as you just had the injury and need to not take further damage! Try to destress as much as you can with slow, deep breathing and distractions that are calming to you. Don't use headphones right now, in case that wasn't obvious.

I think you'll heal up pretty quick as it was a single incident. Keep it that way!

 

Thanks everyone for the information. Seems like just accepting my current state and adapting to it is the best I can do. Although I'm really interested in at least trying stem cell therapy, as it does look like something that has very high odds of improving my tinnitus, if not other aspects of my overall health. Seems like the only real cons is "it is new and unknown". I do wish we had at least a few clinical trials. Is there anything ongoing, at least?

Anyway, for me, white noise hasn't been very good overall. Yes, it does mask my tinnitus, but I think it stresses me more than tinnitus itself. I've had better outcomes with playing some podcast, series, or some long video where people are speaking something for a long time. It helps me sleep more than white noise sounds. Sadly, it doesn't help me stay asleep, which is the main issue right now. I miss having a full night of sleep so much

 

I'd say do whatever works for you. I get irritated with white noise myself. Brown noise sounds better to me. Violet even better. But I like nature sounds the most.

Do you take any sleep aids to help you sleep?

 

You are a week in and already researching FX-322, TRT etc. Stop doing that.

People have been dealing with tinnitus since mankind started. Besides steroids and perhaps NAC, there is nothing you can do in the early days. Stop looking for a cure at this stage.

Your best bet is an audiogram. Do not exacerbate your condition - avoid loud sounds the coming weeks. Take this seriously. Your peak can still be climbing. The onset of acoustic trauma related tinnitus is likely high pitched and will get softer as time progresses.

What you need to do is not to focus on it. I'd say mask, put background sounds and make sure your brain does not 'lock' on to it. If you don't like white noise use water/river/cricket sounds. Make sure it is as unimportant as possible. This is very very important. Tough challenge I know but it is your best chance. We don't know why temporary tinnitus turns chronic for some. It could have something to do with excessive focussing on the sound (adding importance to it for your brain). If it is not gone after a week, it will take some months. For me it was fading until a second acoustic trauma happened (dentist 5 months later).

The first 2 months are the hardest. But at some point you will find stabilization in the sounds, fluctuations etc and patterns will come predictable and the tinnitus stabilizes.

Take care and good luck.

 

It has been 2 weeks, and I don't have any acoustic trauma though. I just went to a clinic and had an ultrasound dental cleaning procedure. So, is the ultrasound capable of harming my hair cells? Because most doctors said that it is just not possible. So far, my tinnitus has no logical explanation. This is one of the most frustrating aspects of it. I'm on the shadow, I have no idea what is going on.

 

It's possible to cause damage if there were medications involved before you had the ultrasonic cleaning, like Ibuprofen or something.