Post Fire Alarm Tinnitus Spike — Help Me

I was recently going through a spike which was causing me pain and really affecting my life, making me want to kill myself, which I was getting over.

Then two days ago the fire alarm went off at work. I work in a hotel so it had to be loud enough to wake people.

I'm also the only receptionist so I had to find the key to shut it off. It was so loud and it caused a massive spike. It feels twice the volume it was before.

Could this be permanent ear damage? Once again I'm back in the hole and this time I really really want to kill myself if this continues. This is some of the worst tinnitus I've ever experienced, so much worse than the spike before which left me suicidal.

I would leave this job if they cant turn down the volume of the alarm but then how am I gonna pay rent. I am getting woken up by my tinnitus in the daytime. I feel like whenever I manage to be somewhat happy someone comes along and stabs me in the neck. I want to fucking fight the dickhead who set off the alarm burning their toast. I want to die if this carries on, I wrote a suicide note during the last spike so I'm already ready.

Could this be ear damage?

 

Did you wear hearing protection? How long was the exposure?

 

High doses of chelated/glycinate magnesium. 2000-3000 mg of NAC for at least a week or two.

If unable to get those, consider prednisone.

 

I had my fingers over my ears while I looked for the key but I had to remove my fingers at intervals of a few seconds to take it out the cupboard etc. The alarm went off for a few minutes, I had my ears uncovered for around ten/20 seconds maximum in total.

Thanks, what exactly does this do?

 

Over your ears? Did you insert your fingers into your ears? Or just cover them?

 

Protect your ears from further damage over the next few months. Bring a set of earmuffs to work, and be ready to pop this on next time this occurs. Can also measure how loud this alarm was, and complain to your employer, and OSHA, or whatever is the equivalent in your country.

I find that daily omega 3 caps, about 500 mg helped a lot. I also do green tea, and aloe vera beverages that can reduce the inflammation.

Hang in there, and this acoustic trauma will get better in most cases, but will definitely test your patience over the next few months for sure.

 

I put my fingers over my tragus and use that to plug my ears to block out the sound. it was bearable with my ears plugged like this mostly.

I will definitely be bringing earmuffs from now on & I complained to my manager yesterday who is gonna see if the company that created the alarms knows the decibel setting and how to turn the volume down.

Thanks i already take omega so hopefully that will help too. I dont know of any aloe vera drinks that arent packed with sugar tho which I need to avoid because of ETD aggravation

I really do hope so, I'd felt "Recovered"-ish from a month long spike for like 2 days before this happened. I would be a complete emotional wreck already if I wasnt so good at dissociating from trauma and pretending all my life problems things dont exist, counting down the clock until that stops working & I have a full on breakdown

 

Consider going to the ER and getting Prednisone!

 

ok I've booked an appointment for 5 days from now which was the earliest I could get, do I need to get it faster to prevent damage? Idk how this works lol. I could go to a&e but the wait is average 6 hours where I live and with tinnitus & no phone to distract me... yeah pretty hellish but I'll do it if I have to.

 

Ideally one should take Prednisone within 48 hours of the acoustic trauma taking place (search this site). Some sources say that it might be effective even if one takes it later than that. One thing is clear - the sooner you take it, the better. If you go to the ER, there is a chance that the ER doctor will give you enough Prednisone to last until your appointment. Note that the standard dose is "your weight in kilograms, not to exceed 60" milligrams per day, for 10 or 14 (I forgot which one it is) days + tapering. The ER doctor might give you 10 mg per day prescription just to get you to go away. Or the ER doctor might flatly refuse (I believe UK doctors tend to refuse prescribing Prednisone).

Also keep in mind that very rarely Prednisone can have serious side effects, for instance:

 

How are you doing, did this spike ever subside? I’m 2 months on from a fire alarm and my tinnitus is worse than it was, but I’m doing much better than I was. Hope you’re well!.

 

Someone tested a smoke alarm for a few seconds. I don't know the duration exactly but it was 3 seconds maybe. Not a fire alarm but it was loud and I was in the same room.

I was going to leave the room so I am really mad today.

My left ear is in pain and I have a bad spike.

Can anyone reply? I guess it doesn't matter as no one can help me. I hate my life. The two idiots who did the test was right under it. I wish they got tinnitus.

I just want the ear pain to go away and the tinnitus to go to usual whatever that is. There was a delay before the spike although my tinnitus usually gets extra bad at night.

I hope it's okay to post in this thread.

 

Only recourse is to take NAC, but not sure if that would help either.

2 days ago I went out on my porch for a second and got hit with a car honk, 2 days later the ear closest to it is now in pain and tinnitus whine in that ear is loud most likely permanent increase!

Yes there is a delay a lot of times 2 days... as I just experienced.

 

Hey man, this might be unorthodox but when my hyperacusis is bad, I find that hard liquor often helps it. I’ve found that a few shots of vodka really reduces it. I hope this helps.

 

I ran out of NAC. I don't know if it ever helped. How soon after a spike do you need to take it? I didn't repurchase it because I don't know if it's safe to take it regularly. I get a lot of spikes and they happen way too often. Sometimes after a trauma but sometimes for no reason - like at night.

A horn bothered you? That would absolutely suck if permanent from that!

Horns bother me but I don't recall a spike from it. Brake screeching or popping sound, on the other hand, yes.

I hate trying to sleep when it's this bad.

What happened is that my tinnitus never settles down anymore at night. I remember it sometimes did during the first two months after onset. Now, it's so horribly loud.

I feel like crying but tears just aren't coming. I think that means I just want to die.

 

I have Whiskey. It's so strong though. I am used to beer and even wine.

As bad as my ear pain is, I just wish the tinnitus tones were quieter. I am sure I sound like a broken record but I just don't understand how mine can be so loud while others have mild or moderate tinnitus.

I don't want to go off topic but I don't see how researchers will ever treat this to provide an improvement or quieter tinnitus. :-(

Thanks for the replies, you two.

 

3 minute house alarm was the start of my hyperacusis over one year ago. I have not really recovered. Alarms and gunshots are probably the worst type of sound for your ears.

 

Don’t lose hope, there’s a lot of exciting news going on in research right now.

Between FX-322, OTO-413, the Hough Ear Institute pill and new Retigabine (RL-81) are all coming as fast they can.

Carl LeBel from Frequency Therapeutics told Tinnitus Talk Podcast that he had been told by ENTs who had treated trial participants of FX-322 that it lowered their tinnitus. We’re going to be saved Pete. We just have to hold on.

 

My ears have totally collapsed, everything bothers me now over 80 dB or something.

Mine's same or worse, but this type of tinnitus is extremely rare...

Supposedly immediately or before the trauma happens, but I don't think it does anything anyways.

 

I hope so. But, for the drugs or pills, I believe there is an ongoing problem with delivery or getting the drug to the required site or location so it can "do its stuff?" I.e. so it can activate? For full efficacy etc.???

 

In my POS building, they do smoke alarm AND fire alarm tests.

Usually, there is a warning or posted notice and then I leave before it happens so I am not there. In the last year, I accidentally triggered my smoke alarm when I was cooking. So, this is probably the 2nd time I have been in my place when it went off. So, I don't think a previous spike stayed permanent. Yet, I can't say for sure because my tinnitus is so bad now. It's practically always loud now with only occasional fluctuations (if you could call it that) when it seems slightly different but is still very loud. It's rare and not very long but soon is "back" to the 10/10 loud/severe tinnitus (I don't know how else to describe it). It doesn't even matter how I describe it anyway, right?

Fire alarms can go off randomly here, too. They can be planned tests but unstable people have been known to pull it too. I try to have my muffs nearby but there's a few seconds my ears/hearing is exposed. That's minimum and I can't do anything about that save moving out. But, I currently don't have that option.

I am just hoping the short exposure is just creating temporary ear pain and spike. I was hoping others that have been exposed to a smoke alarm would provide their/your experience. Chances are 80+% who are okay/not okay would mean I could expect the same outcome.

I was just wondering what you guys went through.

Where's Bill? He reads a lot of that?

I hope it's only temporary. I am really discouraged and haven't seriously looked at suicide for a while until now. I am so tired of this. I have no optimism regarding that research and future treatments.

 

Well since Carl LeBel has said that ENTs went out of his way to tell him that, I can only assume that FX-322 will be the panacea for many.