Tinnitus without Clear Cause — Related to Stress or Depression?

Hi everyone,

I'd like to introduce myself and thank everyone who contributes to this forum - I was a silent reader here and got a lot of input and partially, hope (e.g., by learning about Dr. Shore).

In December, I got acute loud high-pitched tinnitus in my left ear, after driving in a train in a somewhat twisted position (head on the table on the left side after a Christmas Party). I had taken 3 Aspirin for the "hangover", so the thought of having all of this induced myself is really painful. I have no hearing loss, it is not noise induced (as far as I am aware), no other infection/sickness - I was just calming down after stressful days at work and maybe a depressive winter (I am and was never treated for that, though).

I got Prednisolone (Cortisol) two weeks after. It made the tinnitus less noisier, I could even find my way back to sleep, but the effect vanished after I stopped taking it. It also made me jittery, so I could not really relax. I went to another ENT, where my right ear was somehow stimulated, which resulted in me blacking out. My tinnitus, which was - now looking back - somewhat okay in relation to now, went up through the roof and I got metallic pain in my head for three days. Now, my right ear rings in addition, in an even higher tone 1-2 times a minute. As I cannot modulate the tones anymore, I think it is somatic.

I had three weeks off, walked a lot and started my supplement regime consisting of CBD capsules, Omega 3, Vitamins, Zinc, B-complex, B12 and Magnesium. I also receive osteopathic treatment for the neck, just to make sure. Teeth and jaw are fine.

I think my tinnitus is about overstimulated nerves in the brain, that won't calm down anymore. There is simply no treatment for the nerves/limbic system/central nervous system, even though I highly think this might be the cause for a lot of our problems here.

I just found out that Magnesium helps me immensely in decreasing the loudness, which is a blessing as it reduces my panic a bit. I take two pills of 400 mg daily. I know it also calms the nerves (and blocks the calcium there), which supports my thesis of my overstimulated brain (also the worsening after blacking out - this was an alarm-signal to the brain and nerves and they reacted).

However, my overall situation worsens still - I am super afraid of the Magnesium to stop working. Moreover, I am annoyed by the constant "you have to relax and learn to leave stress behind/try muscle relaxation after Jacobsen/meditation/habituation". My problem IS still organic, isn't it, even if it is not in the ear itself? It kind of suggest that I am too dumb to better my condition, which stresses me out even more. Sleep deprivation is killing me. How could me or my brain relax in this condition and get rid of my panic? Noone wants to describe me something to help with it ("drink herbal tea"). I envy Americans that seem to get at least the meds they want and need (antidepressants, sleep meds, etc.).

I wonder, is there anyone else here who also had a lot of relief from Magnesium and could tell me if the effect wears off with time (like, the receptors get used to it or something)? Which meds/other supplement would react in a similar way? I read about GABA, which might work for me as well, but I do not understand that fully yet.

I try to tell myself that I am lucky to not suffer from hyperacusis additionally, like so many brave members here. Still, I have very dark thoughts that will not contribute to my condition. However, I am eager to know what you think of my case, as I know there are many knowledgeable people here with useful thoughts and input

 

It looks like you already know a lot of tinnitus and what factors might be relevant.

I have my own thread in this section where I described my journey to understanding somatic tinnitus. Potentially it might give you some ideas too. I now try GABA for 1 month and will report there. After that I will try Magnesium.

How fast have you noticed improvement from Magnesium (i.e. after 1 day, 1 week etc.)?

Possibly you could give some more information about whether or not the tinnitus is different throughout the day and/or after sports? And does a little bit of alcohol have influence on the tinnitus?

Mine does get better from alcohol and there is some research saying that people find relief from a few drinks. I'm not saying you must drink alcohol, I just try to offer a suggestion so you can understand your tinnitus and its cause possibly better. Possibly others might be able to help you further.

 

Hi Orba,

thank you for your reply, I will search for your thread and will closely follow your GABA journey. I really hope that things will be better for you.

I took the Magnesium among many other supplements in the mornings. First I did not make the connection of Magnesium being the cause for relief. It wasn't until my tinnitus started getting worse over the day and being worst in the evenings, when I decided to take another Magnesium in the evening (with the thought in mind, that it could help me sleep) and that's basically how I found out. I found relief directly, but I had taken Magnesium along with all the other stuff for about 3 weeks before.

Sports/jogging does not affect my tinnitus as far as I can assess it. I haven't had any alcohol since getting tinnitus, with the exception of 100 ml white wine (which did not affect me). Interesting that yours gets better from it, one usually reads the opposite - maybe I'll try just out of curiosity.

 

Hi @Orba -- I don't know if you're aware, but there's a connection between supplementing GABA (a calming brain neurotransmitter) and alcohol. Alcohol consumption increases GABA levels, which leads to slower reaction times, and a host of other brain and neurological functions. So if alcohol calms the brain, it would make sense why it could "theoretically" help tinnitus.

But if GABA levels are increased by alcohol, my understanding is GABA levels can actually end up in a depleted state once alcohol is out of the system. Which can lead to exacerbated tinnitus (and/or disrupted sleep). It appears to be the same with benzodiazepines, which increase GABA levels, leading to an easing of tinnitus for some. But when people try to stop benzos, they can easily end up with worsened tinnitus.

So I'm cautious about trying to affect GABA levels, even if only supplementing with it. If supplementation temporarily calms tinnitus, could it get worse if the supplementation is stopped? I really don't know. It could be an individual thing, where it works great for one person, but not for another. That said, I highly doubt that short term (or occasional) supplementation would greatly affect a person longer-term (unlike what benzodiazepine drugs can do).

Just a cautionary note... -- Take care!

 

Thank you very much and especially the aspect of the long-term is very interesting and something I didn't take into account yet.

The relationship between alcohol and GABA, and GABA and tinnitus is very interesting and due to your reaction I have read more about it. Thank you once again.

In case people consider taking supplements, I think they should first try to improve in a natural way, throughout i.e. adjustments to diet. GABA can improve by i.e. doing exercise/yoga, eating specific foods and fruits etc.

 

@duesseldorf, I hope you find some relief very soon. It is indeed discouraging for us to be told again and again that tinnitus is made worse by negative thinking or stress. Not because it isn't true, but because there is a somatic component that is beyond our conscious control, and no amount of attitude adjustment can resolve that fully.

Another way to enhance the body's production of GABA and improve sleep is through acupuncture. It is very safe and there are no side effects or risks of chemical dependency.

Point #34 on the gall bladder channel is particularly helpful for increasing GABA. Acupuncturists use this point, called GB-34, to help treat neurological conditions such as stroke or Alzheimer's disease, and because tinnitus is at least partly neurological, I think it may be appropriate for that too.

This is a study that they did specifically on GB-34:

Waggle needling wields preferable neuroprotective and anti-s... : NeuroReport (lww.com)

I've had acupuncture for my ear problems since they started in September, and it has helped a lot with noxacusis pain reduction and, to some extent, the tinnitus volume as well. Yesterday's session was so good that I slept for a solid 9 hours. When I woke up, the noise in my head was noticeably quieter than it was yesterday.

The effects of the acupuncture typically last only a few days, but that is to be expected. The idea is to get treatments repeatedly so that your body eventually learns to be less reactive to stressful thoughts and events. Once your body is less reactive, you can go longer between appointments.

 

Thank you for your reply.

I must admit I was very hesitant about Alternative Treatments, but I am actually sure I had sincere relief by my chiropractor appointment on Saturday. My volume suddenly got lower, less screechy - so I will give acupuncture a shot as well!

 

I'm very sorry to hear about your tinnitus flare ups. Mine, for no reason I can ever understand, will go up, down, almost disappear, become so loud that it is almost unbearable, switch ears, go to both ears, etc. It can drive anyone over the edge trying to figure out causation of its many swings. The extreme difficulty in discovering causation after the fact is one of its hallmarks. One thing I have noticed is that when I first wake up, often I don't hear it. It becomes noticeable quite quickly though. Unless it magically goes away during sleep, it seems that it's simply that my awareness goes up upon awakening, and then I notice it.

My guess is that in a lot of people the inner ear gets damaged and starts sending the wrong signals to our brain, which presents as tinnitus. Everything that goes on w/ us is routed to and from our brain. But the brain is just an organ, and subject to basic physic parameters like pressure and thermodynamics.

It's our mind that is the issue, and its our mind that "hears" the tinnitus. Possibly, maybe, something has gone astray in the brain synapses, which affects our mind. Which may explain why getting a handle on this is so difficult, as there are more possible synaptic connections in one human brain than there are atoms in the known universe! I would recommend doing what scientists have done from the the beginning of recorded history. Keep a daily journal. Maybe more than once a day if necessary. That may give us some clues to our own personal tinnitus.

Mayo Clinic - Tinnitus

 

I am now almost two months in. The constant changes are devastating. There is nothing to adjust or habituate to. After one month, I tried to remain positive in that change might hopefully be a move in the right direction, even if it is slowly.

Today, my „good“ ear added a loudish humming/buzzing sound - I currently feel it in my whole head and I am awake for hours in the middle of the night, crying. At this point, I only feel fear and desperation.

 

I have been told by an audiologist that if the tinnitus is noise induced, there's a high probability that it'll eventually go away within 6-12 months. If yours is noise induced, it should get better over time.

 

It is so nice of you to offer some optimism, but I could not attribute a noise to my condition at all.

 

I never knew so many things affect the inner ear. Ototoxic drugs, viruses, SSHL, ... It is scary. Pray for better treatments or a cure.

 

Sorry I misread, initially I thought I read it was noise induced. Mine was not noise induced either and I have tried many things from celery juice, herbal, ginseng, magnesium, mushrooms, drinking tea from turtle shells, everything lol. Nothing seems to work. I had even thought about seeing a shaman...

I think optimism is really the only thing we can somehow try to hold on to.

 

In the meantime you need to stay away from loud noises and carry earmuffs and earplugs to be safe.

 

Hey @duesseldorf. I am sure you will be fine. It is important to pay attention to what happened when the tinnitus appeared in your case. You are talking about your neck and Aspirin. Aspirin can be ototoxic and cause tinnitus, but in most cases it is reversible.

So based on these two events, I would strongly suggest that you visit an Otologist, have a high-frequency audiogram and speech-in-noise test. Also check with your doctor for any nerve-neck and TMJ issues.

Let us know and all the best!

 

Dear all,

I wanted to give an update. I, as many others here, became a bit superstitious in reporting good news (as if the progress was to worsen by that). If so, this will work as a reminder that there have been better times for me. Mind you, I never had hyperacusis or hearing loss.

My tinnitus is now in both ears, which was really upsetting to me. Over the course of 3-4 months, both ears developed continuous tinnitus. The left ear that it all started in progressively became quieter, while the right ear became louder with additional sounds. I had a beeping in my left ear, and hurtful electrical sounds, a deep "airplane sound" with loudish crickets in the right ear/head.

What do I want to share?

When I was looking for information in pure agony, I would have loved a description of how it should feel when tinnitus gets better or when one recovers from it.

I am in fact not recovered, but I now have the most quiet hiss/mini-beeps/crickets until the afternoon and only loudish sounds for 2-3 hours in the evening (and I might still be healing?). This took 3 months! As I know how intrusive tinnitus can be, this is almost like being recovered. I am so grateful for that. As of now, it really feels like the sounds, especially the beeping, is super slowly fading out, and are more hissing than beeping. The other ear is just super quiet and not as intrusive as it was. I have a rhythm of it being quieter in the mornings, a spike at noon, quickly becoming quieter and then being louder in the evenings. Funnily and spookily, I now can modulate my left ear's tinnitus again!

What learnings can I share?

My biggest problems were sleep and panicking, when things got worse - the feeling of having literally no control over anything made me depressive.

• I got "Hoggar Night", an antihistamine, for helping with sleep. It is non-addictive and it worked well. I also tried getting baths, having a routine etc., but to be honest, only the meds help me with sleep. If you have problems with sleep: being "only" at rest relaxes your body, too. It does not always have to be deep sleep. This sentence relaxed me a bit and helped me to accept the situation (no, acceptance is not recovery, but this is about surviving the nights). I stopped consuming caffeine.
• I tried to say to myself that change is good. Therefore, hearing/feeling what I feel this week, might already be something else next week at this time - so just make it one more day/week.
• I walked more, in order for my body to be relieved of some stress. I sat next to a loud heater at work, and next to a loud fridge at home (I am not a music person). I might try doing more sports and yoga outside when it gets warmer.
• I did more events with friends and talked to them about my situation. If you have a family, talk with them, too.
• I ate healthy fats (salmon, meat, linseed oil, nuts, avocado), vitamin C (lemons), more fruits and veggies in general. I also ate whatever I liked, e.g., dark chocolate. I lost my appetite for quite some time, when I was really depressed, so when I couldn't eat, I at least had some ginger tea or something.
• Magnesium bisglycinate is the only supplement that works for me. I take 500 mg in the evening for normal nerve function and sleep.
• Chiropractic did not work for me after 6 meetings, so I stopped. I did not do meditation or muscle relaxation with Jacobson - I am just not the type for it and to be honest, it feels like torture trying to relax with the loud sounds in your head. It might work for many, as it is something most tinnitus clinics offer, but I just don't like it.

So, overall, these are no news. I hope the state of my tinnitus will stabilize to this level or get even better. Still, I am able to live well with things being as they are right now. This is a privilege, as I now know.

For new tinnitus sufferers: time will be your friend, it plays a role in getting a bit better naturally, and for new treatments coming available. I will follow the news from Dr. Shore. I'm still wondering if I might be a candidate for it. In my case, it sure is a nice feeling of not having to spend the year it takes for the device to become available in pure desperation.

Btw, I did an MRI yesterday, just to have everything checked out. It was loud and intrusive, but did not worsen my tinnitus - I had silicone earplugs with me.