Tinnitus for 2 Months — What Are the 0ptions?

Hello everyone!

I'm 21 y.o. from Europe. My tinnitus started rather weird. I was at pretty loud club on Friday but ringing started on Sunday evening right after listening to music on headphones, normal loudness (I guess around 65-70 db).

I waited for a month, but nothing changed, then I went to my personal doctor who told me not to worry that it will probably go away. But I couldn't relax and went to specialist who told me I have tinnitus and prescribed Betaserc also said I have 50% to completely recover. I am taking Betaserc for up to a month now but no improvements what so ever.

I want to try something else while its stil fresh. What are my best options right now? (Money is not a problem) Thanks for any advice

 

HBOT treatment comes to mind. For more information, search this forum.

 

Thank you, I was already looking into that. Do you know how many sessions are advised maybe?

 

You are in the early stages of tinnitus and it can change a lot and might even go away in time. My advice is not to try any treatments for now because the ear is a very delicate organ. Click on the links below and read my articles that you might find helpful. Try to read them in full and not skim through them. I advise you not to listen to music through headphones even at low volume and keep away from venues where loud music is played.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

Do you know why the Betaserc is prescribed for tinnitus?

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I understood my doctor it encourages bloodstream through the inner ear. Does not seem to be effective for me though.

 

I think @Michael Leigh gave you the best advice. Don't "do" anything. Your ears are delicate and sometimes you do more harm than good. Stop with the earbuds and avoid loud noise for at least 6 months. Give your ears time to sort themselves out. Sometimes acoustic trauma takes 12-24 months to fully resolve itself.
I'm 13 months after my concert and my T has faded 80%+ Give it time (and lots of it.)

 

I don't think HBOT can hurt.

It can get loud inside of the chamber. Ask the operator to use the lowest "air flow". Also insist on being allowed to bring ear plugs into the chamber and using them when the chamber gets pressurized.

10-14-21: different sources give different values. If you feel better after 10 sessions, you might go for 21 sessions.

 

The best treatment for tinnitus in the early stages is to do "nothing". This is the reason many ENT Drs prefer to see a tinnitus patient up to 6 months after onset. Providing there is no additional symptoms such as: Hearing loss, dizziness, deafness or balance problems. This is documented in many tinnitus books. The ear is a very delicate organ and often rights itself without treatment. In the case of tinnitus. It can go away within the first 6 months and many people naturally habituate to it within this time. After 6 months ENT doctors will usually make further investigations which will include referring a patient to see a Hearing Therapist for treatment and management of the tinnitus, if a person is having difficulty coping with it.

The most doctors are prepared to do within the first 6 months is prescribe anti-depressant medication or offer counselling and this is the right decision.

Michael

 

Fact: HBOT was shown to help some people with tinnitus.
Fact: HBOT is most effective when given soon after tinnitus onset.

 

In this case I follow the advice of the health professionals and advise no treatment for straight forward tinnitus within the first 6 months, other than anti-depressants or counselling.

Michael

 

Thank you both for your opinions. Today I talked with my doctor and she told me that it is probably too late because it is most effective for as long as 2 weeks in tinnitus, but I think that I'll try it anyway since my specialist said that it does not have any side effects and I have nothing but money and time to lose.

 

Different sources provide different figures...

 

@Bill Bauer @Michael Leigh Hi - I am two months in with mild reactive T. I understand it's best to leave alone, but what about listening to pink noise / ambient sounds? Is there any risk there?

 

Try to set the volume to the lowest level that still works to distract you from the sound of your tinnitus. The idea is not to mask the sound of your tinnitus, but to give you something else to listen to. I found that my tinnitus is quieter on the days following the nights when I had been listening to the sound of crickets, compared to the days following the nights when I haven't been listening to anything.

 

Thanks. I figured it would be ok since pink noise / ambient sound is prescribed for infants. I've listened to about 4 cumulative hours in the last two days and I feel great after each session.

 

You are new to tinnitus so I advise you to read my post https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

Then read my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View, in the link below. You can use pink or white noise as long as you don't listen to it through headphones. I advise you not to use headphones even at low volume. Always keep the pink/white noise below your tinnitus.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

I haven't seen much convincing data on the efficacy of HBOT for tinnitus. It's hard to run a double blind study with HBOT.

 

@Michael Leigh Thanks - just read through. Question: is there no kind of headphone that would be safe? For example, Senheisser makes these open headphones that I happen to have as my backups.

 

If your tinnitus was caused by loud noise, then I don't advise that you use any type of headphones. If you are sure that your tinnitus wasn't caused by loud noise, then it might be okay but I still advise you to be careful.
Hope this helps
Michael

 

@Michael Leigh Hard to know. I think mine is a combination of self-syringing followed by a loud headphone use at the gym. So, likely acoustic shock of some kind. However, my hearing is perfect. Not sure what that says about my situation.

 

I put money on it that your Tinnitus was caused by loud headphone use at the gym I advise not to use headphones even at low volume. You are new to tinnitus so give yourself the best chance possible and follow my advice and the advice from other members in this forum who's tinnitus was caused by loud noise. It is true some people with noise induced tinnitus use headphones without any problems. However, it is a risk and a big one. The reason is this: If you use headphones even at low volume and your tinnitus increases it is unlikely to return to it's previous level. It could get a lot worse, so bad you wouldn't believe. When tinnitus becomes severe it is ruthless and has no mercy for the person affected. Why anyone would want to risk their health in this way is beyond me.

Take care
Michael

 

DO NOT USE HEADPHONES EVER AGAIN! I got T from using apple headphones and listening to music on my ipod, but also from siting next to a speaker at a festival. I deeply regret it and now I am paying a hefty price for all that. WHY headphones are not banned is something that I cant understand yet.

 

Well I guess thats not possible since I am in music industry :/ Should I quit my passion? Any suggestions?

 

I don't advocate ditching headphones, but I will strongly recommend you to take it easy on the volume. Headphones with good insulation (or noise cancelling tech) will let you listen at lower volume, so that's one thing to keep in mind when picking headphone tech.

Since you just got T, I would give your ears a lot of "sound rest", and avoid even moderate sound for a while.

 

Headphones even at lower volumes is not safe, i got my tinnitus from lower volume usage of headphones for longer hours.