Tinnitus from Going to a Music Festival without Hearing Protection

Hi everyone,

I'm Patrik. I have had tinnitus for one month now due to failing to use ear protection at a music festival.

I'm trying to cope with it the best I can.

What I would really appreciate is if someone has any tips for what I can do to minimize the risk of developing permanent tinnitus, or how could I decrease the tinnitus loudness.

I've tried to search on Google and I read through the forums and I know that there maybe is nothing that could improve the tinnitus, but does anybody have any experience or knowledge of some dietary supplement or treatment (laser?) or anything I could/should take or do at this stage?

Best,
Patrik

 

Hi @Patrik888.

A lot of people want to treat their tinnitus in the early stages but it is a mistake to try and do so, especially when it is noise induced. Unless you are experiencing any of the following: pain in the ears, balance problems, dizziness or deafness, then leave your ears alone and don't try any invasive treatment, other than medication from your family doctor and, if needed, counselling.

Noise-induced tinnitus usually improves with time and there's a good chance that it could go away, providing you don't do anything to make the condition worse. This means not to listen to any type of audio through headphones even at low volume. This includes earbuds, headsets, AirPods, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones.

I advise you to keep away from loud noise too. This doesn't mean to start wearing earplugs everywhere that you go, as you could make your ears more sensitive to sound. If you are experiencing oversensitivity to sound or certain sounds, then you might have hyperacusis. I explain more about this in my posts below. Please go to my started threads and read the following:

• New to Tinnitus, What to Do
• Tinnitus, a Personal View
• Hyperacusis, as I See It
• Will My Tinnitus Get Worse?
• The Habituation Process
• How to Habituate to Tinnitus
• Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset
• Acquiring a Positive Mindset

It's probably a good idea to start taking Magnesium citrate, as this can help to heal the nerves in the auditory pathway. Also, try taking Ginkgo Biloba. Both are available at good health food shops. Follow the instructions on the bottle. They were recommended to me by an ENT doctor and herbalist.

All the best,
Michael

 

Thank you Michael!

 

I've been suffering the same way for almost a year now from the same cause. You can check my posts out for some things I've tried/looked into.

 

It's a long shot, but you could try taking a combination of Vitamins A, C, & E along with Magnesium and NAC. There are some studies that show these help clean up free radicals after cochlear damage.

The type of Magnesium you take matters. I'd start with Magnesium L-Threonate, as it appears to cross the blood-brain barrier. I'm not too versed in other types, though I know that you should avoid Magnesium Oxide as it has a very low bioavailability.

 

Thank you @Blackbird1016!

 

It will take time. Ears take forever to heal. Don't be surprised if it takes months before you start to notice the tinnitus starting to fade. It might take 12-24 months for your tinnitus to fade. Will it fade to zero? Maybe. Mine did but it took about 18 months. You must always protect your ears from loud environments from now on.

 

Yours really faded...? It'll be a year for me in September. I had kind of given up hope.

 

Is this property of potentially healing the nerves specific for Magnesium citrate or is it for Magnesium in general?

 

It's all Magnesium, but it just comes bound to different molecules, affecting its bioavailability.

 

I was told Magnesium citrate is more easily absorbed into the digestive system. Whether it is better than other forms of Magnesium for healing the nerves I don't know.

 

Except that I think Magnesium L-Threonate is the only form of supplemental Magnesium that can cross the blood brain barrier. Unless I'm mistaken...

And apparently the form may matter otherwise too:

 

There is no harm in taking two versions.

I took citrate in morning and glycinate in the evening for a while. Now I just take the glycinate.

 

Yes. I've had at least 2 major acoustic traumas over the last 18-20 years. The first one from 45 minutes of exposure to a riding lawnmower with a bad muffler. My tinnitu was screaming loud but slowly faded to ZERO in about 2 years. My second was from an outdoor music concert, It faded about 90+% in about 3 years.

I always carry earplugs now.

 

What do you consider loud environments? Obvious ones that will damage the ears like concerts or noisy hand tools, or should one consider also for example a busy street in town, restaurants, hair dresser, shopping center, and so on?

 

Everyone who has/had tinnitus will have to decide what level of noise they are comfortable with. Personally, my tinnitus has faded over 90% and I never want to go through those 2 years of hell again. I quit going to concerts, movies and sporting events. I wear earplugs in large social gatherings, casinos, boating, etc... and always have them on me if a busy restaurant gets too loud.

It seems that noise levels that don't bother most people is just too loud for someone who has had tinnitus, like our audio system has been weakened?

 

I'd recommend considering everything. One of my worst worsening was from clippers during a haircut.

 

Did you ever struggle with reactivity or any sensitivity to sound? My reactive/sound sensitive tinnitus has not improved at all and it’s coming up on a year. If the reactivity improved/went away, I could function normally with just annoying low level multi-tone tinnitus.