Tinnitus for 3 Months: Unsure of Cause, Struggling to Accept

Hi all! My tinnitus started in mid-October. I'm unsure of the cause, like many. No recent loud noise exposure (unless a literal second of too-loud car radio would have been enough?). Hearing test came back with slight higher range hearing loss but overall normal ranges for my age (37). My tinnitus is more so the hissing kind, I think? I'm bad at describing the sound - to me it sounds kinda like someone pouring sand or rice. Sometimes it is in one ear, sometimes in both - moreso on my right BUT sometimes it pops over to the left just to confuse me even more! It will sometimes change ears multiple times in the span of a single day. Maybe it is pulsatile tinnitus? My ENT has put near-zero effort into actually figuring out the cause, so I'm looking for a new one, lol.

At first it only lasted for about 5 days, then faded away for a day or two. I thought 'ok phew, that was weird' but then it came back. I was also having head pressure feeling so I thought it was a sinus infection; I saw my GP, did a 5-day course of antibiotics and Sudafed. When I finished the last pill, I did something probably not smart in retrospect - hopped on a 12-hour overseas flight. A vacation my spouse and I had already been planning for a year, bought and paid for and no refunds, lol, so I was going no matter what. The ringing sucked on the flight BUT miraculously cleared up a day into our trip. Doctors have been telling me 'oh it's because you were less stressed, you were distracted!' etc but I SWEAR it actually went away. Lying in the hotel room in the dead of night, intentionally 'searching' for the sound (you know what I mean) and it was truly gone...

Of course, we came back and it came back, and it's been a nightmare ever since. I saw an ENT who thought it might be a local allergy so we tried a steroid shot. It worked GREAT for a day, but then came back. I tried acupuncture which seemed to maybe help the day after each treatment but that also didn't last. Now my ENT thinks it's from COVID-19 vaccination, which I know is possible but like... I got my 4th or 5th booster this year, so why the reaction only now? (Tinnitus is a nightmare but I guess it's better than being on a ventilator...)

I started on Amitriptyline. It really helped me at first and was a godsend during the holidays. But my body seemed to rapidly adapt to the dosages (I have an autoimmune condition and often respond this way to medicine) and I found myself needing to increase the amount every week or two. Last week, it wasn't helping anymore and out of pure desperation, I went up in amount again and unfortunately wound up in the ER. Long story short, it lowered my blood pressure, but I already have pretty low blood pressure, so the doctor said I should stop taking it all together.

After that scary episode, I'm sad that I no longer have this coping mechanism but thankful that nothing worse happened. Begrudgingly coming to accept that a pill isn't going to entirely solve my problems. I've been lurking here for a bit and finally decided to join to reframe my mindset about tinnitus and try to be more positive in my outlook and approach to it. The last few days I've been trying a lot more supplements and exploring different treatment options - this is hard as hell to deal with but I hope that means that defeating it will feel that much more rewarding.

For me, I know that stress is probably a big factor but, but the tinnitus is basically my ONLY source of stress right now! It feels very 'which came first, the chicken or the egg?' and I personally get pi**ed when doctors say "oh just stress less" like?!

 

TMJ and neck issues can cause tinnitus. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause it as well. I wish you luck in finding the cause and hopefully getting rid of tinnitus.

If it persists, you can look into the upcoming Dr. Shore device. There's a thread on Tinnitus Talk for it.

 

Most common cause would be noise exposure or headphone use (you've already ruled this out).

Vitamin deficiencies? Any new medications? Antidepressants? Recent vaccinations (the flu vaccine spiked my tinnitus for several months)? Change in diet (the spice Turmeric sets my tinnitus off)? New medical conditions?

It might well resolve itself but it may take many months.

 

Vaccine reactions can be very delayed. Like by years. That's why it is very risky to get EUA vaccines that haven't been thoroughly and properly tested through the normal routes, which take decades.

That being said, it sounds like yours might be associated with inflammation. Try tinkering with a low inflammation diet.

It's not stress. And if you notice it went away and came back, it did go away and come back.

Doctors truly know nothing about tinnitus and majority care very little for its sufferers. There's no documented sellable treatment or cure.

 

Welcome to the forum. Tinnitus can be quite unpredictable when it is new, as the ears and the nerves are quite unsettled initially. Different symptoms can come and go. It is quite alarming but also quite normal. It may take months for the ears to settle. So be patient and positive that things will improve over time. Good life can come back.

When my ultra high pitched tinnitus first hit me, followed by severe hyperacusis, I thought my life is over. But today I live a normal and happy life, enjoying travels, fishing, gardening, eating out etc. Good life is still possible after much struggle.

I even wrote 2 success stories and shared some helpful strategies. For brevity I list the link below. I hope they are helpful for you to cope with tinnitus. Best wishes for your recovery. God bless.

From Darkness to Light, How I Recovered from Tinnitus & Hyperacusis

How to Habituate to SSHL and New Loud Tinnitus

 

Would you know what are some good supplements for inflammation? To be hones,t I already have a pretty good diet in this regard, and small changes in it probably wouldn't make a huge difference at this point. (I have Hashimoto's so inflammation is a given unfortunately.)

Right now I'm trying a random assortment of the various supplements I've seen recommended for tinnitus on here/elsewhere. Potassium, Magnesium, NAC, Bromelain, Quercetin, Lipoflavonoid, and a traditional kampo medicine that might be beneficial. I was seeing really good benefits on these for three days or so, huge decrease in volume...! But then it kind of slid back yesterday (first day back at work after the holiday weekend) :/ unsure as to why.

 

I'm sorry to hear that. You're already using all the supplements I would suggest.

I've quit alcohol too just to see if it does anything (high inflammatory and neurotoxin) but it's too soon to know if it'll do anything.

 

Jaw stuff is likely for me. I wear a mouthguard after damaging teeth from grinding in my sleep years ago. I want to try Botox in my masseter. Just trying to suffer through a few weeks to be able to afford it... haha.

 

I'm sorry you're going through this.

My tinnitus also started in October, a few days after my (5th) COVID-19 shot, so I'm right there with you. My hearing is also in the normal range, but my left ear is about 10 decibels below my right at high frequencies, so I might have some high-frequency hearing loss. And like you, mine is a hiss, mostly from my left ear, but sometimes my right side joins in, too.

I've been trying every kind of supplement -- none seem to help with the tinnitus, though Melatonin is certainly helpful for sleep.

My tinnitus is quite cyclical: two quiet days, followed by a very loud day. The loudness resets during sleep. On loud days, it's not too bad in the morning, but ramps up to a scream by late afternoon/early evening.

I'm trying TRT to habituate, but I'm not sure it'll work with tinnitus that varies so much in volume. Like you, hoping for some improvement. Hang in there.

 

Are we tinnitus twins lmao? Pretty much described my situation to a T (ba dum-tss!)

The supplements I'm taking (I listed in a reply above) have seemed to possibly have some good effects but I want to wait longer before I say for sure if they're helping. I also kind of have those cyclical cycles and the ramp up throughout the day. When it started it was usually both ears, but in the last month or so it's usually only one ear at a time so maybe that's some progress?

I agree that is really hard to habituate when it changes tones, volumes, sides of your head, and nothing is consistent. I usually have the hiss but sometimes get more of a high-pitched ring which bothers me so, SO much more that it actually makes me long for the hiss again.

How exactly does TRT work? I've seen videos on it but I don't quite actually get it. Honestly, I'm trying to give up the masking/white noise/etc videos and I feel like I've seen a reduction in volume in using them less. At least in my own anecdotal situation, I feel like masking provides temporary relief but makes the volume of my tinnitus louder after I turn it off.

Good luck to you. I hope for both of us that vaccine-induced tinnitus will eventually wear off.

 

Good warning here.

If your tinnitus is variable, it may have a bit of reactivity as well.

Masking does not work for reactivity, that's been said by many on Tinnitus Talk. As you say, if anything, you worsen it.

Masking is an easy 'narcotic' for those with stable tinnitus.

 

You mentioned Hashimoto's. I read somewhere that hypothyroidism can cause tinnitus. Maybe you could look into it.

 

I've read that as well, but it's been like pulling teeth to try and get an endocrinologist to agree that there's a possible connection lol. I went to get my blood levels checked last Friday so we'll see what happens with that, no immediate results yet.

Hashimoto's disease is really weird and hard to diagnose and monitor, to be fair - my hypothyroidism symptoms are often more similar to other people's hyperthyroidism symptoms.

The last few days, my volume has been noticeably lower... I don't want to jinx it but I do feel like I might be getting some results from the supplements I'm taking right now, and avoiding headphones as much as I possibly can. When I have to listen to something at work just to focus, it's like soft jazzy lofi at 9% volume.

 

I understand. Best of luck to you.

 

Just wanted to mention, since you asked about anti-inflammatory supplements, that if your tinnitus is due to the COVID-19 booster you might want to try Curcumin (inhibits TNF-alpha); it was suggested to me by an ENT who specializes in tinnitus. I'm trying it -- I'll keep you posted if I notice a difference after a couple months.

 

Hey thanks so much for this - just ordered some. I already drink Turmeric tea from time to time but I don't love the taste haha, so this seems easier.