Tinnitus for 1.5 Months After Music Festival — The Most Horrible Ailment I've Ever Suffered

Hi all,

I've been lurking here for about a month and a half now.

For reference, I'm a 30-year-old woman, healthy weight with no health issues or daily medications. I live in the US. I do have myopia (-5s) but I do not suffer from visual snow, etc. My only other "chronic" issues were eczema and asthma - both seemed to resolve in my late 20s when I began growing and cooking my own food and doing a loose anti-inflammatory diet. I do not suffer from chronic eczema or asthma anymore. I rarely get sick. I have a deviated septum so my left nostril/ear generally feel a bit off but I'm mostly used to this and wouldn't consider it a problem.

I've been a live music enthusiast my entire life and have never heard of tinnitus or the dangers of loud sounds until now. I have probably gone to loud bars and local live shows at least once a week since I was 25, and have been to something like 10 festivals in the past 5 years.

Since there seems to be so little information on this ailment I wanted to share my story here.

I went to an EDM music festival August 19th, 2022. It was a three day festival. I did not wear hearing protection because I was unaware that was even a thing people do. The last night of the festival I was pulled down in front of the speakers by my friends (who had been there all night). It was too loud. After about 10-15 minutes there I left.

When I got home my hearing was muffled. When that subsided my ears were ringing. I had never experienced ringing ears before. The ringing lasted about a week and everyone assured me this was "normal". I didn't realize the implications of it.

On September 17th I went to a two day music festival. On the second day I saw two loud rock bands and one had fireworks in their show. I was about 200ft from the stage. I thought things were loud but not nearly as loud as the EDM festival. Again, I didn't have hearing protection on because I didn't realize this was a thing nor did I realize I was at risk for anything, etc.

When I came home my ears were ringing/muffled. Two weeks went by it was still there. During this time I also walked by some bands during a street festival. I'm sure this didn't help. I had also developed pain in both my ears (worst in the left) and a feeling of fullness.

I saw my first ENT 3 weeks after the incident. He put me on prednisone after giving me a hearing test that showed no hearing loss (but did not test over 8 kHz).

I'm going to put my Prednisone dosage here for others to reference.

40 mg x 2 days, 30 mg x 2 days, 20 mg x 2 days, 10 mg x 2 days.

The aural fullness and pain decreased but was still present. I wasn't a fan of this ENT's bedside manner so I saw a second ENT one day after that round of Prednisone had ended.

*Side note: I had no adverse effects from the Prednisone. My sleep has been bad (2 hour, 5 hour sessions) but that is from the ringing. I can't sleep on my side due to how loud it is unless there is a fan on and even then it is difficult.

The second ENT was more thorough. He advised I do another round of Prednisone if I felt comfortable with it, which I'm on now. My hearing test came back clean then too.

Dosages here:

One pill twice daily at 20 mg (so 40 mg a day for 5 days) and then one pill at 20 mg a day for 5 days.

I have another day or so left on the double 20mg doses right now before I taper off again.

I still have ringing. The pain and fullness seems to be fully gone. The volume/tone seems to be slightly variable but I am not positive. In both ears I have the classic "eeeeeee" and in the right ear I have mild broken Morse code - which I've actually always had but never loud enough to bother me and never constantly... I never knew it was anything to be concerned about.

I have to say this is the most horrible ailment I've ever suffered. I called my boyfriend in tears at odd hours of the night a few times from it. I genuinely felt suicidal the entire first month, did nothing but lay on my couch, cry, and have only somewhat stabilized mentally this week.

I am hoping it goes away.

Other things I am currently trying:

• Invested in earplugs, regular and musician style.
• Avoiding loud places (no bars, no movie theaters, no live music, etc). I had to turn down several Halloween parties/events.
• Keeping music at a low volumes overall (TV, radio, etc).
• Eating very clean, vegetables and protein, low carb and low inflammatory.
• Supplements: NAC 600 mg, Magnesium 400 mg, Vitamin D3 50 mcg, Vitamin E 180 mg, CoQ10 100 mg - I was taking Ginkgo Bilboa as well but I do not like how it makes me feel so I have taken a break from it for now.
• No OTC medicines that can harm ears (aka Advil, Advil PM). I used to take these often.
• Quit caffeine - I have not had coffee in almost two months.
• Quit alcohol - I have not had a drink in almost two months.
• Low to no sugar or processed foods.

I'm relatively sure there's not a single other thing I could do at the moment other than give it time and treat it like a sprain and stay positive.

Some other things I am considering:

• Exercise - although I'm at a healthy weight for my age.
• Psilocybin - probably a last resort I would not play with unless this lasts over a year.

At this time I'm unsure if I'll ever attend a live show again. This is pure hell. Most likely not. I think I've been traumatised. Lol.

I also feel somewhat angry there are no warning signs at these music festivals or information booths making people aware of the damage to their ears the decibels can do. I'm a bit in shock there aren't booths selling earplugs and simulators with an "eeeee" noise set up so that people can be made aware how serious things are...

It's been very helpful reading everyone's stories and information here. I hope this information is useful to someone on the board although it is not a success story at this time - hopefully it becomes one. I know a lot of people say not to bother with the prednisone after two weeks but it has provided me some relief and I had two ENTs willing to prescribe it to me, not once but twice.

For my mental health: I've been re-decorating my apartment, cleaning, and getting into old hobbies like painting.

Fingers crossed this goes away. I will be updating.

 

I thought exactly this, I went to a festival around the same time you did and I'm still suffering! My hearing test wasn't clean though, so I'm in a worse place.

The craziest thing is that I did actually buy ear plugs at the festival but never even considered to use them until my ears started hurting. I thought they were for sleeping, the music went on until 4am

I wish you all the best, sounds like you've done everything right.

 

Hi. So sorry you are here. I'm sure you will improve over time. I quoted this part as it seems critical - that something about your ears were always vulnerable.

Try to keep busy and be out and about - it's loudest and most hopeless when you're shut away at home.

 

I disagree with the going out part. Public transport, crowds, roads etc can all be loud. In this acute phase better to take it easy. Of course silence is also bad and can cause hyperacusis.

 

True. I don't understand why they don't make children and young adults aware of tinnitus. They do test for hearing loss and vision but if I had been made aware I would have watched it differently...

I guess since there's no money to be made off preventing it... or in curing it? Lol.

Thank you... I hope it does. It's tough going out because in quieter settings I find it challenging to hear what people are saying over the ringing... it's crazy.

 

Lol that's how I've always used them too! Only for silence to sleep...

Thanks. You too.

 

Hello @Blackbird1016. Sorry to see you here but hope you can get some benefit from this board.

I am fairly certain the week of ringing you had after the EDM festival was a warning. I have said in other threads that when we are young - we get one big warning from our ears not to do this again. I got my warning after a nightclub visit at age 26. 1 night of constant ringing was enough to put me off nightclubs forever - and I never attended pop concerts or loud venues. I went to classical concerts where the levels are much lower - and I got permanent tinnitus at age 57 probably from COVID-19.

You had your warning - 1 week of ringing - but you ignored it.

I am not saying your ringing will not go away - it may well do as there are others who have had noise trauma at a young age with ringing which cleared up. I sincerely hope it fades and stops.

The longer it goes - the less chance there is that it will stop. I base this on reading dozens of stories similar to yours.

You cannot go back in time so you need to get prepared for this to be a long-term condition and start the process of dealing with it which it sounds to me like you have started already. The panic and depression or even suicidal thoughts will eventually stop - even if the tinnitus does not.

As for diet - experiment with sugar and caffeine - as it is bad enough having this ringing and stop eating foods which make us feel nice. I drink decaf coffee which I find quite acceptable - even though my experimentation resulted in no overall difference in my tinnitus. Sugar and salt also makes no difference for me. It's good you are keeping busy. Lying in bed all day suffering is not the way forward.

You have no hearing loss but as you say they only test to 8 kHz. You may have damaged some of the aural receptor hairs or maybe some nerve damage on the eardrum. I don't know - you may never know.

Yes, your concert going days are over for now. I agree about education - there should be more warnings about tinnitus risks starting at school.

Why not warn your friends if you have not done so already.

 

In Europe (where I'm from) at least they do.

I used to be a raver (had to quit of course due to my insane tinnitus) - picture you see hereunder is taken from my Facebook - it's a pic from 2014 from inside one of the most legendary clubs in the UK.

My favorite EDM DJs/producers Above & Beyond did a campaign a couple years ago warning for hearing damage.

I've also been to EDC in the US and a couple of big clubs in Las Vegas (XS, Surrender) and Los Angeles but indeed never saw any warning signs there. I guess a big part of that is because the EDM scene in the US is still relatively young.

That said: it's still early days for you - chances are you are still going to improve A LOT. Whenever that happens: don't assume you are cured. For the rest of your life, take good care of your ears. You had the best warning.

 

I'm so glad they do this in Europe! There's nothing here... I think I am going to try and do something about that.

People have all the right to take the risk... I just don't think it's fair they aren't being made aware there is a risk.

And yes - I think my club days and concert days are pretty much over.

 

TLDR, but it seems like every time there is a "festival" post here, it's almost always EDM. We've got a real crisis going on with electronic music.

 

I haven't been here long enough to note the trend but yes, I would think the EDM festivals are far more damaging.

I don't really listen to that kind of music, I've gone three times to an EDM festival with friends over the last five years.

Most of my festivals/concerts/live music was actually rock, jazz, jam, etc.

But the one that set off my initial ringing was Zeds Dead at Elements Festival in PA.

Went away.

And then Sea Hear Now in NJ a month later set this off... I saw Stevie Nicks one night and Cage the Elephant/Greenday the next. I wasn't by the stage at all for Cage the Elephant.

I think the Greenday show is what really did me in. I wasn't by the speakers (200 ft from the stage) but they had fireworks several times throughout the show.

 

They're all aware. I don't think any of them will be making any lifestyle changes due to it though. They blast loud Electronica in their cars and stuff... etc.

I know, I did a home test for the higher frequencies. I can hear up to 17 kHz. As of right now, I don't think I have any hearing loss, high or low.

I already wanted off caffeine so it doesn't bother me to not have it.

I have had some sweets here and there depending but overall I think sugar is bad for the body anyway so I don't eat much of it to start (I feel it promotes cancer and other disease).

I didn't realize it was a warning unfortunately... if I had done the research then I would not have attended the second festival. No one informed me it was out of the norm or indicative of anything (when I mentioned the ringing to people I know friends, etc. I did not see a doctor the first time). Praying it goes away.

Both the ENTs I've seen seem to think it should resolve but it could take time.

I've never listened to music through headphones or really blasted music at home so... fingers crossed. It does seem to be fainter today but obviously it is still ringing.

 

It is not true that there are warning signs about loud noise all over the Europe. In my country no one really hears about tinnitus and risk of loud noise exposure. My friends who know what happened to me do not really take care about their ears at concerts or other loud venues. So I guess it needs to happen to you before you start caring.

 

I wanted to give a small update. I am still tapering off the Prednisone but have seemed to have a slight reduction in volume. I'm able to sleep with just the window open (rather than needing fan + window) and can fall asleep on my side (before I had to stay on my back) although my sleep is still broken in clips of a few hours.

I also watched this video and thought it might be of interest to people here.

Tinnitus: Ringing in the Brain | Josef...

 

Happy Halloween folks. I wanted to give another small update.

I believe I am experiencing some very minor improvements. The right ear seems to have almost completely settled down and I am barely hearing the broken Morse code noise from it anymore. I believe the majority of the ringing is now coming from the left ear. Fingers crossed this keeps improving.

I finished the Prednisone on Saturday. I am taking a small break from the supplements for a few days and then intend to start them up again. I am still avoiding loud places, music. Etc.

I did watch two episodes of HOTD on low volume but for the most part I'm avoiding media. I needed to see the season finale though!

I also did drink some alcohol for the first time since this has happened - I do not think it affected my tinnitus. I had two strong spiced rum ciders.

I was able to sleep in two 7 hour blocks last night (I slept in really late... I needed it) which is a pretty good improvement. Hopefully nowhere to go but up...

 

It's unfortunate. There should be signs at concerts warning about loudness and damage, and there should be a warning to recommend hearing protection when tickets are purchased. I hope I see a change with this in my lifetime.

I agree - some people just think super loud music is the epitome of living. My old friend group was like that. Also heavy into drugs. I let them go once this happened. You can't save everyone.

 

Guess I'll just update again in case there's some other noise-induced lurkers here.

I'm officially at 2 months today since onset.

My ears are still ringing.

It's especially bad in my bathroom with the door shut (quietest part of the house).

I still need to sleep with the window open (if I'm lucky), or the fan on. It's very hard to sleep with either ear on the pillow.

If I'm having a conversation with someone in a quiet place, their voice has to compete with the ringing still.

I think it's improved marginally. I stress marginally.

But it's still here. Hoping it goes away soon...

 

Glad to hear there is progress, even if it's minor. Keep up the good fight!

Have you tried CBT at all? Oto app is an affordable alternative.

 

Hi @Blackbird1016, I'm glad to hear you are having a bit of improvement. I have just passed my 2nd month mark since the onset as well and it has not been easy.

I have not seen, or more to the point heard, much progress in the past weeks but I try to stay positive. I was considering trying CBD oil as I read that it has helped some people and it is meant to reduce anxiety which would be quite handy too in this situation lol.

I'm still not sure though as I also read some negative experiences of tinnitus worsening after it.

Anyway, I hope you feel better soon, we are in this together and will find a way to get rid of it or at least deal with it in a good way eventually

Keep us updated!

I 100 percent agree there should be warning about ear damage and I think there should also be a regulation that the venue should be required to provide earplugs free of charge.

It is bizarre that people who work in clubs/festivals etc are made to wear ear protection while visitors who are paying for the show are not even notified about the risk.

I'm quite angry about this as I had never heard about tinnitus before I got it and I would not have taken the risk if I knew. I was even considering legal proceedings against the place where I got tinnitus but it would most likely be pointless because as far as I know there is no regulation regarding this sadly.

 

I have this too. I believe it’s fairly common among tinnitus sufferers actually. The quietness enhances/intensifies the perception of tinnitus, making it seem way more louder than it actually is. It’s no cause for concern if you’re worried that tinnitus has worsened.

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

I personally am hunting for ways to actually heal it, not cope with it. If it doesn't go away I'll be forced to cope with it one way or another and figure it out. I was horribly suicidal for the first month and a half but I am not suicidal from it anymore.

I thought you'd written CBD at first lol.

I'm considering playing with substances that might increase neuroplasticity down the line if it doesn't resolve... but keeping my fingers crossed.

Is yours noise induced as well?

 

Yes, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

I actually got tinnitus a month before you, but the origin is unknown (stress? substances?)

I think my tinnitus may actually be caused by the psychedelics I tried in the summer (which is known to affect neuroplasticity). I'm a very infrequent user, but the opportunity came up when travelling. I'd say proceed with A LOT of caution if you take that route. You don't want to add HPPD to your ailments.

As for CBD, I definitely tried that and CBN for sleep

Just remember, the brain does have an amazing ability to heal. I've come to realize now that habituation is the first step to healing. If your brain gets so used to it that it tunes it out, isn't that a win?

For me, I've stopped fighting it and accepted it. Doing CBT, I've hit a point where my tinnitus is barely perceptible in the morning. I've also been able to slowly get back to my normal routines including working, exercise, etc. |

P.S. You should get an audiologist to also run a high-frequency test on you to rule out High Frequency Hearing Loss.

 

Are you in the US? I tried to get a high-frequency audiogram with two different audiologists here and they said no. I did a home test one and I don't seem to have any issues based off that, not that I have great audio equipment.

...I get that but I want it gone. Haha. Not taking no for an answer just yet. Also looking at messing with my GABA and Glutamate levels...

True. I've done my fair share of psychedelics. No HPPD. Even had a trip where I suddenly was quite frightened I would develop it for no reason and didn't. I don't think a low dose of mushrooms would cause HPPD in my case.

Why do you think the psychedelics caused it? Was it a research chemical like 2CB or one of the classics?

I honestly think it's unlikely with what I know about them unless something traumatic happened while on them. Or you had tinnitus prior that was extremely mild and then hyper focused on it making it louder, etc. I've heard a few stories where that happened to people.

...if I try to use it medicinally, I'm planning to microdose with gaps and meditating, etc. Not do a full on trip.

 

UPDATE:

Giving another update at 2 months and 4 days. My tinnitus seems noticeably lower this morning, even in my bathroom with the door shut. I slept with just the window open last night although it was challenging. I am not sure if I agree with using sound therapy all night in my specific case of tinnitus (noise induced) - although I have found two sound clips that lower my tinnitus after listening. I do not think this is residual habituation. More on that later.

I did some more digging into the topic, specifically for noise induced tinnitus, in the absence of hearing loss, and here is what I think is likely (especially if you already had a history of depression/insomnia):

Low GABA and high Glutamate levels likely play a role.

Elevated TNF-A likely plays a role.

High cortisol probably plays a role.

There is a lot of crossover with the tinnitus sufferers and HPPD sufferers, and HPPD sufferers do seem to recover. It takes from 8 months to years for them. Some of them also have tinnitus allegedly from psychedelic use, although they may have been listening to loud music during their trip which potentially triggered the tinnitus. I don't really see how psychedelic use alone could initially trigger tinnitus. I do see how it could potentially make it worse or improve it.

I think there are three options for what is going on with people who have noise induced tinnitus without hearing loss:

1. The noise trauma or over stimulating event of a concert or loud noise (similar to the over stimulating event of a trip that can cause HPPD) causes the nerves in the brain to become reorganized in a way that creates additional sound feedback (same way they become reorganized during a trip to create enhanced visual feedback that endures after the trip for HPPD sufferers).

I am not sure what would help in this scenario other than time and maybe some supplements that assist with neuroplasticity, and avoiding whatever stimulus reorganized the structure in the first place.

2. The noise trauma or over stimulating event of a concert or loud noise actually causes brain inflammation and that inflammation is pressing on delicate nerves and creating this feedback noise - and can persist for a long time.

I'm looking into things that specifically help with lowering brain inflammation... naturally. I'm not big into being on pills or prescribed medications.

3. The noise trauma or concert has put the neurons in an overexcited state (again similar to HPPD) and they need to be calmed down and brought back to baseline. I'm looking into supplements, etc regarding that.

And of course option 4, you've got some combination of the above.

Regarding scenario 1, I found three interesting anecdotes. Unfortunately, not literal studies. One was a very old write up, maybe a few 100 years old or more, regarding tinnitus treatment. The doctor in the write up explained he used faradism to treat his patients, small electric shocks, while having them listen to pure tones for an hour or so at a time. He said he had treated over 20 patients this way and all had recovered.

It sort of makes sense, as the electricity might help your brain rewire along with the tones.

Additionally, he did not think the tones help lower some people's tinnitus for a time due to residual habituation. He seemed to believe the tones that caused the lowered tinnitus were "massaging" some part of the inner ear or nerves and some how lowering inflammation.

It could all be malarkey but presently I think everything is worth considering.

Interestingly enough, I found two articles, one from 2018 and one from 2020, that declared promising results using the same method, light electric shocks (in one case through the tongue) and meditating on tones with success to treat noise induced tinnitus.

I'm not about to stick my finger in a socket and listen to some scales but I did find it interesting.

There is a lot of crossover between the chemical imbalances or states that cause depression and insomnia and what is thought to be associated with HPPD/tinnitus. So treating those two things - not using something like antidepressants - but actually treating the root cause is likely to help.

I think. Again, I'm not a neurologist. Just wanted to share some thoughts on what I've found.

 

Figured I would update again. It's been three months. It's still here. I think it continues to marginally improve though. I have been avoiding loud places and when I have gone anywhere loud (twice) I've worn earplugs with no spike luckily (restaurant and jazz show).

The only thing that makes me think it's improved is that I can now here the ticking of my old school alarm clock in my bedroom (another quiet part of my apartment) - something that used to irritate me that I hadn't heard in months over the tinnitus that I suddenly started hearing again a week or so ago.

This being said, my sleep schedule has been a disaster since this started and is still really hard to improve.

I hate sleeping with the white noise or fan, so I try to sleep without it, but ultimately rarely can. I find this to be the worst part. I hate needing something external to sleep. It really freaks me out.

 

Ditch the masking then. I would recommend taking a deliberate approach in listening to your tinnitus while sleeping. You’ll speed up the habituation process fairly quickly. As a very severe case, seeking out the noise while sleeping did wonders for me eventually. The more you listen and get acclimated to it, the less one starts to fear it which makes sleeping a bit more easier. It also helps that you are slowly improving as well. I see you in a better place one year from now.

Well played. And be nice to ears from now on.

 

Great to read that you’re improving.

Can I ask, what do you do for work and how does or did the tinnitus affect that?

 

Compliance. Quiet office job. I don't believe it has an impact at all. I solely think the two music festivals caused it.

 

Frankly guys, this is making me suicidal. I'm getting no sleep. I wish it would stop.

 

I'm so sorry to hear you're suicidal again. I can relate because I got sick in early September and I am only marginally better after three months, same as you.

Have you looked into trying NAC (to help replenish glutathione) and curcumin (to bring down inflammation)? When I consider my arsenal of vitamins and supplements, I think these two are the ones that have helped me the most, even though I haven't even been taking them daily. I think that if I were to commit to a daily regimen of these two things, I might improve some more. (The reason why I haven't taken them every day is because I'm also taking about six other vitamins and supplements and I had some trepidation about being on too many different things at once.)

What you shared about the similarities between HPPD and tinnitus was fascinating, by the way. I can totally see how the two conditions have a shared root cause.