Sudden Onset Tinnitus — No Hearing Loss: From Ibuprofen/Stress/Ear Wax?

Hey all,

My name is Shelby, I'm 27. I experienced a sudden onset of tinnitus about a month ago. I was stoned and watching a movie on low volume when it felt like someone cranked up microphone feedback really loudly. I texted my friend freaking out about it and she said that happened sometimes when you're high and it'll go away.

And the next day everything was fine. But I became so hypervigilant about it that I started listening for it and realized I had a low hiss in both ears. I freaked out (BAD idea). And it ended up ramping up so loudly I couldn't even mask it. It lasted like that for 5 days, I couldn't eat, sleep, or function. I couldn't work.

I calmed down and it's come back down to a 1-2. I even had a few days last week where I didn't even think about it and felt really hopeful and energetic. I had a spike last night with a tone shift that freaked me out again. I'm exhausted and feeling hopeless again.

I got both my ears cleaned at the ENT (super impacted ear wax) and got a hearing test and they said my hearing was great. They said more than likely the tinnitus from a month and a half using just a single dose of Motrin (Ibuprofen) daily to help with my runner's knee and shin splints. They said more than likely this will go away on it's on now that I've stopped the medication.

Please, I just want my life back... Is there hope?

Thanks,

Shelby

 

The hearing test is kinda useless imo because it only shows up to 8 kHz and doesn't actually show the real state of your ears (nothing can yet).

 

Hey all,

Has anyone gotten tinnitus from Ibuprofen use and if so, did it ever go away or get better?

Mine has definitely gotten so much better since I stopped using it.

I've only had tinnitus for a month...

 

There are some threads on the subject, just put "Ibuprofen" in the search bar.

For how long did you use Ibuprofen?
A single dose means 400mg daily right?

 

Hi K.A. I used it on and off (so not even that consistently) for maybe about 6 weeks? I sometimes took it only every other day when I would go for a run or once a week or sometimes every day during that stretch and yeah it was usually only about 400 mg.

 

It's been one month since I have had sudden onset tinnitus. Completely normal audiogram.

It's gotten SO much better in this last month and it's even gone away in my left ear completely. My right ear still rings tho like a fucking wine glass being played but it's generally very quiet.

Are these good signs? Please... I'm in such a bad place right now.

 

Why are you in a bad place when:

You should be grateful for your positive progress.

Many of us are on the brink of committing suicide. Yours has gone away in the left ear, and your right ear has improved.

You shouldn't be in a bad place.

 

I know people have it so much worse on here. I'm in such a bad place because I'm still not sleeping, still not functioning. Maybe it's less to do with tinnitus and more I'm struggling with anxiety and depression. The first 2 weeks I had this I was suicidal. It was loud and intrusive. Almost went to the ER.

Please don't minimize what I've gone through.

 

Those sound like very good signs that things are improving! Focus on the positive. Any silence at all is an excellent sign.

twa

 

Thank you so much twa, I appreciate the encouragement. I went and got a 6 day course of Prednisone and have consistently noticed improvements so I'm trying to be patient and cautiously optimistic. I even managed to do some yoga today. It comes and goes in my left ear (pretty much silent more often than not) and now my right ear went from multiple tones to just high pitched hissing.

Is this a good sign?

 

From what I hear, it is a good sign!

 

I've recently acquired tinnitus...just over a month now and I feel so alone and isolated. I'm not coping with this and I feel like my life is over. I've been suicidal on and off since this happened. I don't know how I can live a normal life like this.

I'm looking to see if there is anyone in Michigan who would be willing to talk?

I think it would help to talk to someone who gets it...

 

Protect your ears. Unless you have hearing loss of more than 5 dB, try to manage with it and let it fade.

 

Hi Shelby, How are you doing now? please let me know Perhaps I can share my experience in an effort to help you.

 

@Barney Kovacs thank you so much for your response. I'm still struggling day to day. I'm struggling to focus on work and get my job done. I'm an educator and public speaker and the ringing and ear fullness is all I can focus on. It's hard to do public speaking with your ears feeling plugged and your voice sounding distorted.

I tried to do some of my yoga again and broke down sobbing. How can I focus on my breath when all I hear is this fucking tinnitus?

I've been on Prednisone for a few days now and it's helped a little. Will I ever get my life back? I'm so thankful for your outreach and your support.

 

I have only had tinnitus for about a month and it's changed a lot in that time. My issue is the ear fullness in my left ear. Like it's plugged or like I'm underwater. But the ringing is worse in my right ear. Does the ear fullness ever get better?

 

Mine comes and goes. I’d say about 70% of the time I have fullness :/ It’s super annoying but I haven’t found much that helps.

 

That really sucks. I'm so sorry you're dealing with that too. That makes me scared that the ear fullness doesn't get better.

 

I didn’t mean to make you scared. If I’m honest. When I first got tinnitus I had fullness a year later in the spring, that went away for a few years. But it started up again in 2019.

So there is hope it goes away.
I use antihistamine and saline spray when I have the feeling.

I'm also going to get my ears manually cleaned on the 22nd of January.

 

I hope it goes away. I'm a teacher and public speaker and it makes talking really painful. I had my ears cleaned manually when this all first started happening and had two really nasty and large plugs of impacted earwax.

I hope when you get your ears cleaned that you find some relief <3 thank you for responding to my posts. I'm new here and new to tinnitus and it's a really lonely and scary experience.

 

It is hard. But gets a bit easier.
Maybe you are due for another deplugging haha.

 

I got sudden onset tinnitus around Thanksgiving this year. Just chilling in my bed high and watching Netflix.

My tinnitus recently has changed a lot. It goes from hissing to a wine glass being played tone back to hissing back to the clear tone. It's gotten MUCH quieter these last 2 weeks and now is completely gone in my left ear.

My right ear is still fluctuating though. Are these good signs?

 

@Shelbylynn Any improvement is a good sign. The fact that you let your feelings known is a good sign. 30 years of tinnitus and many spikes where I wish to die but it always, with time, goes into the background of my head and I am able to live a productive life. Hang in there and know you are not alone. Day by day. G-d bless and pray for better treatments or cure.

Love to all my tinnitus friends for their support.

Ken

 

That's good news!

 

Thank you twa. I've seen you around on the forum and you're always so sweet, positive, and encouraging. I really hope you're doing well. I know this is so tough. I'm here if you need to talk. I don't know much about tinnitus but I'm always a good listener.

 

Thank you! I'm trying to do the best I can at recovering. I think I remember you are also an educator too. I'm available to talk, if you need too. It sounds like you are doing very well!

 

I'm not doing well at all. I thought I was recovering and things were getting better but today a new sound just came out of nowhere. It's almost like one sound got exchanged for another one and moved to a different ear. I can't habituate to this.

Are setbacks a part of the recovery process? Or does this mean I'm just getting worse?

 

It’s an up and down ride.

I have some very difficult weeks followed by much better ones.

I find staying away from even moderate noisy environments seems to really help.

Protect your ears and hold on.
Help is coming.

 

You’ll likely find that this sound goes away in the short term. Hang in there and protect your ears.