Tinnitus Spike from Stress/Anxiety/Allergic Reaction/Noise Exposure: Could Prednisone Help?

[dd314]

I have had tinnitus for 7 years with spikes in 2017 and 2018 but it's been very tolerable the past 2 years.

I'm having a bad spike for the last week from extreme stress and anxiety, or possible allergic reaction (woke up with a swollen lip 2 days before), or mild brief noise exposure, though it occurred well over 24 hours before the spike onset.

I was getting fullness and pressure feeling in my ears which has mostly gone away but I still sometimes get a little bit of it. Almost immediately before the onset my ears went full airplane mode for about 2 seconds, then went away. This also happened the week before but with no tinnitus change. I also have a bit of "rice crispy" ear almost the whole time.

Should I risk taking Prednisone? I've been taking Magnesium, NAC, and Curcumin though not consistently. I'm really anxious and depressed right now and wondering what I could try.

Is it worth getting a microsuction and tympanometry? I know those can also spike tinnitus.

 

[dd314]

Has anyone had audiograms between spikes?

Sometimes it seems like any deafness is just because perception of a certain frequency is already "taken up" by tinnitus. Like "I would normally be able to hear that tone but my tinnitus has been acting up therefor perception of that frequency is already taken up"

 

[billie48]

Prednisone is usually given soon after suffering acoustic trauma. If the spike isn't from acoustic trauma, Prednisone may do nothing but you risk side effects. If you think your anxiety is more likely culprit then try to relax and stay positive that things may improve. You can try natural supplements like lemon balm, chamomile tea etc to calm the nerves. Take care. God bless.

 

[dd314]

I have had tinnitus for 7 years with spikes in 2017 and 2018 but it's been very tolerable the past 2 years.

I'm having a bad spike for the last week from extreme stress and anxiety, or possible allergic reaction (woke up with a swollen lip 2 days before), or mild brief noise exposure, though it occurred well over 24 hours before the spike onset.

I was getting fullness and pressure feeling in my ears which has mostly gone away but I still sometimes get a little bit of it. Almost immediately before the onset my ears went full airplane mode for about 2 seconds, then went away. This also happened the week before but with no tinnitus change. I also have a bit of "rice crispy" ear almost the whole time.

Should I risk taking Prednisone? I've been taking Magnesium, NAC, and Curcumin though not consistently. I'm really anxious and depressed right now and wondering what I could try.

Is it worth getting a microsuction and tympanometry? I know those can also spike tinnitus.

Does anyone know if tinnitus that is perceived in the head as opposed to the ears can still be of otological origin? Mine is mostly in the head.

 

[Drachen]

Does anyone know if tinnitus that is perceived in the head as opposed to the ears can still be of otological origin? Mine is mostly in the head.

I am not entirely sure, but I think that is still the case. I seem to remember reading somewhere about noise being perceived in the head as a dual channel effect being generated from both of your ears.

 

[dd314]

I am not entirely sure, but I think that is still the case. I seem to remember reading somewhere about noise being perceived in the head as a dual channel effect being generated from both of your ears.

Thanks, hopefully that's the case.

 

[dd314]

Does anyone know if it's possible to have tinnitus without hearing loss? If someone played the exact tone of your tinnitus, at the exact volume, how would you know it was there? Isn't perception of that frequency already "taken up"--in the same way that you can't have 2 thoughts concurrently?

 

[dd314]

I've been dealing with a very difficult tinnitus spike for the last few weeks and I'm trying to figure our what exactly caused it. I've had tinnitus for almost 8 years, which seemed to get worse in 2017 and 2018, but then seemed to get better in 2019 and 2020, when I had a genuinely quieter baseline.

It's probably important to note that the last 2 months I've been having more anxiety and stress than I've ever had before in my life.

A week before onset I had a very frightening sensation in which it felt like I was underwater, and it came on randomly, though possibly as a stress trigger. My hyperacusis went through the roof, to the point that the faucet running was literally painful. I also had sever autophony where my own voice would echo and other peoples' voices hurt to listen to. I had that for 45 minutes, and it went away completely as soon as I lied down in bed, and I didn't think about it again for a week. That seems to align with every symptom of Patulous Eustachian Tube, all the way down to laying down having alleviated it. I'm also a very skinny guy which also increases that susceptibility to PET. But most importantly, it didn't make my tinnitus any worse.

One week later I was next to my deaf cat who is very loud and he screeched because he saw a cat outside that he doesn't seem to like. He was about 7-feet away from me when he screamed and the screech was only for a second, but it seemed to be sufficient to cause an acoustic shock. It hit my hyperacusis, which at that time was not that easily triggered except by silverware and cellophane bags.

The next day I still didn't have any tinnitus worsening, but I was very anxious for some reason. Very briefly--this time only for second, had that same underwater sensation. It went away in one second. Later that night, 30 hours after the cat screeched, I noticed that the tinnitus had basically tripled in volume. The next few days I had the worst tinnitus I've ever had, complete with two new sounds--a low-pitched hum, and an almost musical beeping. My two "regular" sounds, which were static and ringing were louder too.

That was 4 weeks ago, I'm afraid I may have missed the Prednisone window, but I had loaded up on Curcumin, NAC, and Magnesium, if that's worth anything. I have actually seen accounts from people that have had success with Prednisone months after onset, but I know those are not common.

Since then I've had a few better days though. The humming went away for a while and then came back again, and 2 days ago the tinnitus was relatively quiet, but then came back again after a few too many sleepless nights. I still feel aural fullness and there is clearly some sort of inflammation in my ears that I can sort of vaguely detect. I just had an audiogram and they said I have perfect hearing. Though, I still don't quite get how someone can have perfect hearing whilst also having tinnitus. How can a person hear what is already being heard? How can you detect the external sound of your tinnitus if perception of that frequency is already being "taken up"? Anyway, I'm hoping that it goes down soon and also hoping for good treatments in the future.

 

[Mercury]

I've been dealing with a very difficult tinnitus spike for the last few weeks and I'm trying to figure our what exactly caused it. I've had tinnitus for almost 8 years, which seemed to get worse in 2017 and 2018, but then seemed to get better in 2019 and 2020, when I had a genuinely quieter baseline.

It's probably important to note that the last 2 months I've been having more anxiety and stress than I've ever had before in my life.

A week before onset I had a very frightening sensation in which it felt like I was underwater, and it came on randomly, though possibly as a stress trigger. My hyperacusis went through the roof, to the point that the faucet running was literally painful. I also had sever autophony where my own voice would echo and other peoples' voices hurt to listen to. I had that for 45 minutes, and it went away completely as soon as I lied down in bed, and I didn't think about it again for a week. That seems to align with every symptom of Patulous Eustachian Tube, all the way down to laying down having alleviated it. I'm also a very skinny guy which also increases that susceptibility to PET. But most importantly, it didn't make my tinnitus any worse.

One week later I was next to my deaf cat who is very loud and he screeched because he saw a cat outside that he doesn't seem to like. He was about 7-feet away from me when he screamed and the screech was only for a second, but it seemed to be sufficient to cause an acoustic shock. It hit my hyperacusis, which at that time was not that easily triggered except by silverware and cellophane bags.

The next day I still didn't have any tinnitus worsening, but I was very anxious for some reason. Very briefly--this time only for second, had that same underwater sensation. It went away in one second. Later that night, 30 hours after the cat screeched, I noticed that the tinnitus had basically tripled in volume. The next few days I had the worst tinnitus I've ever had, complete with two new sounds--a low-pitched hum, and an almost musical beeping. My two "regular" sounds, which were static and ringing were louder too.

That was 4 weeks ago, I'm afraid I may have missed the Prednisone window, but I had loaded up on Curcumin, NAC, and Magnesium, if that's worth anything. I have actually seen accounts from people that have had success with Prednisone months after onset, but I know those are not common.

Since then I've had a few better days though. The humming went away for a while and then came back again, and 2 days ago the tinnitus was relatively quiet, but then came back again after a few too many sleepless nights. I still feel aural fullness and there is clearly some sort of inflammation in my ears that I can sort of vaguely detect. I just had an audiogram and they said I have perfect hearing. Though, I still don't quite get how someone can have perfect hearing whilst also having tinnitus. How can a person hear what is already being heard? How can you detect the external sound of your tinnitus if perception of that frequency is already being "taken up"? Anyway, I'm hoping that it goes down soon and also hoping for good treatments in the future.

From my understanding, 'perfect' hearing from a clinical standpoint is different from actual perfect hearing. Most hearing tests do not test the so-called "useless" frequencies, and it's within those frequencies that an individual might have significant hearing loss. This can create the illusion that one has perfect hearing while also suffering from severe tinnitus.