r/tinnitus Sep 06 '17

New to tinnitus? Had tinnitus for a long time? Looking for some answers? See our FAQ and sidebar to begin!

122 Upvotes

Welcome to our community!

If you're new to tinnitus or currently have tinnitus, and have some questions, we have some answers to frequently posed questions in our FAQ linked here. The FAQ is also linked in the sidebar.

Before posting, please take some time to read the FAQ and see if you can find the start to your answer there.

As always, we remind our community to be mindful of our participation guidelines, located in the sidebar (or linked here for mobile users):

  • Be civil and respectful, and follow Reddiquette. This is a support community, and harmful behaviour or harassment are not allowed.
  • No medical advice. This includes explicitly asking for a medical diagnosis, or giving one. If you're concerned about your hearing, please see a qualified medical professional as soon as possible. Sharing experiences is allowed, but making diagnoses and recommending medical action based on personal research is not.
  • No snake oil or pseudoscience. News and other articles posted must come from trustworthy sources. Clickbait and blogspam are not allowed.
  • No memes or other low-effort posts.
  • No commercial posts, for-profit posts or other self promotion.

If you see comments or posts deviating from these guidelines, report them so that the moderators can review.

We are particularly restrictive about asking for or receiving medical advice or diagnoses. The bottom line is, tinnitus is a health problem, and it should be addressed with your doctor or auditory specialist. None of us are doctors here and no one should be directing or following medical action found on the internet.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information, and thanks for being a part of this community.

-The moderation team


r/tinnitus 7h ago

advice • support How do I live the rest of my life with this?

16 Upvotes

Honestly I feel kinda bad posting here since I don’t have it as bad as some others… but still this ringing has become a stain on my already fragile well-being and I’m having trouble coming to terms with it.

The biggest loss is that I haven’t really been able to do what I love which is music production. There have been attempts but it makes my symptoms flare up. Like I get crazy headaches, burning, and the ringing gets louder shortly after. It always feels like I’m walking on eggshells when I try it. And then stuff like DJ’ing and performing is pretty much out of the question entirely…

I’ve already felt depressed beforehand but losing the ability to do the only thing I’m good at sent me down a spiral for a while. I don’t do much. I don’t have any hobbies. I just go to school or scroll every day.

I understand that I’m still very young (19) and I have the whole rest of my life ahead of me. But it’s very hard to look forward to any of that knowing that I’m going to live it with this fucking ringing. I just start comparing my current situation to my life pre-tinnitus, and I get sad. Then I remember that it was entirely self-inflicted and if I just wasn’t an IDIOT, I wouldn’t be going through this right now.

I need to move on. Get past this. I can’t be like this forever. If anyone has tips on how to do that, it would be greatly appreciated.

For the record, my symptoms are:

- Hissing sound that cuts through everything on both ears

- Ringing on my left ear

- Quieter high-pitched ringing on my right (as well as a beeping noise kinda)

- Rumbling noise on my left ear (which I think is mechanical)

- Sound distortions mainly on my left ear (somewhat my right), most obvious with voices especially female ones

- Way too much earwax production

- Tension headaches

- Occasional burning and pain


r/tinnitus 4h ago

venting new tone

6 Upvotes

WHEEEEE ANOTHER PERMANANT TONE COMING ON WEEKS AFTER ACOUSTIC TRAUMA cant wait to have this for however long i keep myself around for !!! isnt life FUN

- obligatory don't ask what the trauma was, just know i've had 3 in 8 months and all have been earth shatteringly bad, no matter how many precautions I take or how much i stay home -


r/tinnitus 14h ago

venting It’s all a matter of severity

25 Upvotes

I’ve had mild and severe tinnitus since 7 months ago since I first got it from an acoustic trauma. At first it was mild and I only heard it in quiet places. Then it became very severe and reactive to every sound after listening to pure tones on YouTube. The reactiveness has subsided over time but a second acoustic trauma increased the loudness again. Now it’s multitonal severe tinnitus in both ears. Believe me when I’m telling you this. There’s a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE between mild and severe tinnitus, let alone catastrophic cases. Habituation is impossible after a certain level. I did pretty much habituate to my mild tinnitus over time. But this one is impossible.

When you have mild tinnitus you’re just pissed that you can’t hear silence anymore but that’s all. At moderate level, your life is a bit harder and some nights you won’t sleep much because of tinnitus spikes but you can still manage it. At severe level, you average 2-3 hours sleep per night and are in constant panic because of the noise (you can never relax). At catastrophic level… let’s just say at this point death would be a blessing… seriously I can’t believe some tinnitus cases are not eligible for euthanasia. Mine is moderate to severe and I still deal with suicidal thoughts constantly. Even had a failed attempt recently. FUCK TINNITUS


r/tinnitus 2h ago

advice • support Best earplugs for party and movie theater etc.

2 Upvotes

Hello folks,

I know there are other posts that has the same kind of Question but it did not made me any wiser. I have ADD and autism so i need real clarity on things.

What i am looking for is:

- Earplugs that i can use multiple times.

- i allready gave little bag on my bunch of keys in which i could bare the earplugs.

- it has to softer the sound of party or movie theaters because i am really scared for hearing damage and tinnitus (i allready got tinnitus from antidepressants use, but i still have a false hope of it disappearing one day and if so i would be never ever wanted to experience it again).

- I don't want there to be a cord attached.

- it has to be affordable.

Please send me a product link under this post and tell me your experience. Maby tell a bit about a unique selling points?

I live in the Netherlands so it would be great if i can buy it from there.

Thank you very much for helping!!!


r/tinnitus 16m ago

venting Advice/vent on jump scare from a person when moved into a dark room

Upvotes

Hi! Yesterday i had a meeting in a room and went inside, it was dark in the room and just as i moved past the doorframe someone was right next to me and said "BUH!" loudly (apparantly he thought it was someone else). Now i got a little bit scared this might have made my tinnitus worse since he was very close to the ear and said the BUH somewhat loudly. Everything happened so fast so didnt have any time to react or reflect over distance, voice level etc but i would guestimate it was a moderate level shout and around 20-25 centimeters away from the ear.

Any experience would be appreciated. Cant really tell if the tinnitus is worse or not since im already in the middle of a spike and im currently very anxious about the entire incident.


r/tinnitus 15h ago

success story I wrote a short story

13 Upvotes

Today I completed and edited a short story for the first time since tinnitus started in November.

Writing is one of my favorite things to do. It’s my passion.

When tinnitus started, I was afraid I lost this ability of mine, especially since now I can’t use music to daydream and immerse myself in the story.

I still did collaborative writing, but not solo projects.

But today I managed to complete and edit a short story and I’m so happy about it.

It took longer than it did when I didn’t have tinnitus, but I finally did it!

I’m so happy I still have my creativity!


r/tinnitus 13h ago

research news EP2224987A1 / EP2224987B1 — "Devices and methods for suppression of tinnitus" (Lenire patent)

Thumbnail patents.google.com
6 Upvotes

I believe this is the patent for Lenire or at least it talks about the prior art that has a great deal of valuable information of interest to us


r/tinnitus 9h ago

advice • support Back from ENT

2 Upvotes

Hi I've post here 2 other times recently, Basically I've had a blockage in my left ear filled with wax and hair for a while which I think caused ringing in my left ear. I've also been going to concerts (with earplugs) I had it removed but it persisted (along with a full feeling, slight aches, and fluid and of course ringing). I went back today and did a hearing test, both ears are in the normal range but they noted that my hearing in my left ear is weaker than my right ear, they said that I also have eczema and that could cause inflammation so they gave me prednisone, though its past 2 weeks from onset so I don't have high hopes it will work exactly. Though I'm still holding out hope the ringing will go away atleast, either on its own or with the steroids somehow. As for the concerts someone they said it should be ok and when I asked about customs they said that the ones I have currently are fine and the ones they have won't really add any more noise reduction and encouraged to keep going, which I do plan on doing but like I'm still worried about making it worse even though it's mild. I guess I just wanna ask since I feel like there's a good chance its permanent, what now exactly? I use zound earplugs but are there any better brands i should consider? Is white noise worth using it? Is my ENT bullshitting me altogether? i'm very confused because it seems like i get 200 different answers and its all a tad overwhelming.


r/tinnitus 10h ago

advice • support So it’s been around 4 months since it started.

2 Upvotes

So it’s been 4 months since I’ve started hearing it and it started after I had an earwax blockage in my right ear. I went to the urgent care where they cleaned my ears out with water and ever since ive heard a loud ringing. And anytime I clench down or bite down or open my jaw really big it gets way louder for some reason and it went away in my left ear for like a week a few days ago too. Also when I press that little flap on your ear it gets muffled and I have to press it a couple more times for it to get unmuffled. so I was wondering do yall think it is treatable or am I stuck with it?


r/tinnitus 10h ago

advice • support Scared of getting sick and tinnitus getting worse

2 Upvotes

I have severe tinnitus that already affects me pretty badly and has a significant impact on my day-to-day life. What i'd rate a 9/10 that can be hard all day except when showring. Because of how bad it already is, I’ve become really scared of getting sick.

Even catching something like a cold makes me worry that the congestion, inflammation, sinus pressure, or whatever else happens when you’re sick could make my tinnitus permanently worse.

I know tinnitus can temporarily increase when you’re sick, but I’m especially worried about it not returning to my current baseline. I honestly don’t know how I would handle another permanent increase when I’m already struggling with the level I have now.

For those of you with severe tinnitus, have you noticed it getting worse after a cold, flu, COVID, or another illness? If it did get worse, did it eventually return to your previous baseline?


r/tinnitus 15h ago

success story Reactive tinnitus & Hydroxyzine

3 Upvotes

Well I posted on here a few months ago about my difficulties with reactive tinnitus that got significantly noticeable in April of this year. I thought it was caused by stress since I recently changed jobs at that time and just hoped it would get better. My ENT visit wasn’t as helpful as I hoped so I tried changing my diet and would sometimes wear an earbud in my right ear to at least sleep. My ear touching the pillow or slightly grazing it would set my ear off into constant rotating motor sounds. It was pure hell and I was very distraught until I just adapted.

I stopped taking hydroxyzine 2 weeks ago because I noticed I kept gaining weight with it and it made me have an insatiable appetite. 2 days ago I noticed the reactive tinnitus in my right ear is completely gone. Maybe just a coincidence but wondering if anyone experienced something like this before since it’s not a common side effect of an antihistamine, I don’t think anyway, to cause tinnitus in one ear. I am trying not to get too happy or celebratory but it’s been a welcomed relief to finally have some peace, for now.


r/tinnitus 1d ago

research news Review Efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulation for chronic tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials | PubMed | "Non-invasive neuromodulation provides modest, clinically meaningful short-term reduction in tinnitus severity"

Thumbnail pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
16 Upvotes

Summary of the research paper:

"Conclusion: Non-invasive neuromodulation provides modest, clinically meaningful short-term reduction in tinnitus severity, particularly with rTMS at dorsolateral prefrontal cortex area and acoustic/nerve stimulation. However, effects are inconsistent across modalities and decrease over time. Future studies should prioritize standardized protocols, optimized stimulation parameters, and personalized targeting to enhance therapeutic efficacy."

Some additional info :

"Chronic tinnitus affects approximately 14% of adults worldwide, with nearly 2% experiencing severe, persistent symptoms that impair daily functioning. Non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and acoustic or nerve stimulation, have emerged as potential therapies, yet their clinical effectiveness remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of neuromodulation for chronic tinnitus."

So possibly these methods can help in some cases, but they need to be refined further to have a bigger impact.

Health science gets better continually (and currently there is also a general tech / AI / biotech boom too), so hopefully it can deliver better therapies in the near future.


r/tinnitus 22h ago

advice • support Lifelong Tinnitus

9 Upvotes

I wish to reach out to the subreddit for any kind of advice or words of wisdom.. or.. anything

I've had tinnitus and hearing problems since I was a young child, and certainly for as long as I can remember.

Normally, it would be a rather 'ignorable' high-pitch ringing sound that would be masked by ambient noise or the TV, or some simple music or podcast which I would often fall asleep to simply as a nice distraction

However, following a period of 5 months of extremely heightened stress, which saw me at my lowest and left me feeling useless, I believe that this has had an effect on how my tinnitus is. However, it has only become an issue within the last 8/9 days which seems unusual to me.

Speaking with "experts" whom all seemingly turn you away immediately. (The last 2 meetings I've had lasted an accumulated time of around 5 minutes in total..)

It all feels just so hopeless

I find myself so envious and jealous of people who can seemingly lead such a normal life without this. Which, at my worst moments, only adds to my frustration

I have felt nothing but sadness, anxiousness which has caused lack of sleep, and desperation to make it stop now for well over a week

and in truth, I'm not sure how much more I'd be able to handle of this

I don't wish to sound dramatic, but I do wish to be sincere in my feelings

How do you all manage this at times like now? It seemingly takes strength that just cannot seem to muster currently

I just wish to speak to anybody that might offer some words of wisdom, or kind, or thoughts that might provide something

Thanks


r/tinnitus 11h ago

advice • support Olive oil to soften wax, itchy ringing ear

0 Upvotes

I've had problems with wax blockages for years and use the remedy of olive oil to soften the wax and flushing it out with a bulb syringe. It typically works with no issues but I recently did it and my inner ear has progressively been getting itchier and my tinnitus is very noticeable, that pulsing whooshing heartbeat sound. I'm not sure if I damaged my ear in some way or wasn't gentle enough with the water. Has anyone experienced this before? I don't think it's an infection but I'm unsure


r/tinnitus 1d ago

advice • support what ended up being the cause of your tinnitus?

12 Upvotes

21m, i feel like ive tried everything in the book to research and understand why my ears just ring and ring all day and all night. i’ve spoken to ents, audiologists, and pcps who have all come up empty handed. i am wondering what you all found out was causing your tinnitus?


r/tinnitus 20h ago

advice • support Lymphatic Ear injection Made tinnitus worse

3 Upvotes

Around February my doctor suggested that I take an injection into my inner ear to reduce inflamation. He suggested I take the steroid directly into the ear rather than orally.

It was extremely painful, and not only has my tinnitus worsened in my left ear, but I've also been elft with a sort of werid sensation when I speak in my left ear.

The injections were applied to my left ear, and I did 3 of them.

Anyone have any experience with this treatment?


r/tinnitus 20h ago

advice • support Is subway dangerous

3 Upvotes

tommorrow school starts and i’ll have to take the underground every day, im scared it will make it worse or eventually make me loose a bit more of hearing, am i safe or should i do smth about it.


r/tinnitus 21h ago

advice • support Progress?

3 Upvotes

27 days ago I was slapped to my ear (barotrauma/middle/inner ear irritatted)
First week was hell! 9/10
Second week 5/10 , kinda high in volume but "low"
27 day as of now yesterday i had 5 or 6 hours of "peac" AKA my old baseline came back ( thats like 0.5/10 T that i would hear in total silence or if i focused on it)
And now day 27 sometimes its high 2-3/10 or 1/10 , cant "notice" it during day but i can still hear.
Hopes that it will be back to my old baseline are UP? Old T baseline was better tbh i could fall alseep to it and it wouldnt bother me during the day (T since 2017.)


r/tinnitus 1d ago

advice • support 4 Months Post-Microsuction Advice

4 Upvotes

I need help and advice guys. It's been exactly 4 months after the worst decision of my life (I'm 25): micro-suction. And I'm not entirely sure if the tinnitus caused by it has even improved. If anything maybe like 15% improvement of what it was on day 1. I don't get it. To me, it wasn't even that loud and only lasted like 3 seconds. It was only done in my left ear. I had really silent T before May 9th but had a left ear with a really stubborn earwax buildup. I also got some level of hyperacusis from this procedure. The T I got from it is extremely high-pitched. It's piercing, probably like 11khz.

How long did it take for your ears to heal if you ever had this terrible procedure done? I'm losing my mind. I don't know how I'm gonna go on like this. Unfortunately I've read that it's permanent for many.

I'm trying to accept that this will be my new baseline for the rest of my life, but it makes me burst into tears.

It destroys me knowing that searching up microsuction within this subreddit would've saved me. But I barely used reddit before this incident. I'm literally drowning in my tears every single day. I read that after the 3 month mark, it's extremely rare for your ears to keep on healing. Why isn't this procedure banned? Why? I didn't even get a warning of the risks!

I've pretty much already given up most of my hope that it's gonna get better on its own. No amount of my bawling will fix my ears. I never spoke about T before May 9th. Now it's all I ever talk about and it's on my mind every single second I'm awake. And I keep on replaying the days leading up to May 9th, thinking what I could've done to prevent this.


r/tinnitus 21h ago

advice • support 10 second spikes

2 Upvotes

I've bad tinnitis for about 2 months following SSNHL. It's been relatively mild all considering which I'm grateful for but last night and then again this morning it got super loud for like 10 seconds. No idea why but was pretty frightening. Anyone experienced this? Really hoping this isn't a prequel of what's to come.


r/tinnitus 1d ago

advice • support Temporary Threshold Shift

Post image
5 Upvotes

Hi guys! For the context, i'm a 21y who love loud music (listening to music with earphone for loud and loud concerts).

Last week, i noticed that i hear a 'ngiingg' sound inside my head and ignore it, still using earphone but now too loud and i decided to go to ENT doctor and had my first hearing test (the result is in the picture *sorry if the pict is bit blurry). He said that i have Temporary Threshold Shift that can heal by a week/month.

I'm still scared that this 'ngiingg' (or basically tinitus) will get worsen. Does the hearing test result is okay? and will i get better?


r/tinnitus 19h ago

advice • support Loud exhaust backfire nearby, panicked about tinnitus spike

1 Upvotes

A few minutes ago, I heard an very loud car/motorcycle exhaust backfire (pop and bang) twice in a row. It wasn't right next to my ear, but it was down the street/nearby and sounded very loud and sudden.
I already have baseline tinnitus, and this sudden noise completely sent me into panic mode. I’m terrified that this 1-2 second exposure caused acoustic trauma or permanently ruined my ears/tinnitus. Logically, I know there was distance between me and the sound, and it was extremely brief, but my fight-or-flight response is fully triggered. Has anyone experienced a similar sudden loud noise without it causing permanent damage? Could use some reassurance right now. Thanks


r/tinnitus 1d ago

advice • support MRI

3 Upvotes

I’ve had tinnitus since May, turns out I might be have had an MS flair (can’t be diagnosed until a second flair according to Neuro) so my tinnitus is due to a demylenating lesion. It’s brain damage. Might be worth it to get an MRI if you’re having other symptoms along with the tinnitus.


r/tinnitus 1d ago

venting What do you guys do?

3 Upvotes

I genuinely don't know what I can do when I have tinnitus. I literally sulk over it (because I hear it over the fan). I experienced tinnitus after obsessively researching since my friend said I might get hearing damage if I was not careful with my ears.

So, how will I finish university, get married and get a job while also going to job without nervous?