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!

128 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

community topics Do Apple AirPod Pro 3's really protect hearing?

14 Upvotes

Apple claims with the active Hearing Protection feature, you can use your AirPods to help protect your hearing in loud environments.

Does anyone own Air Pod Pro 3's and can comment on this? This would be a really handy feature to have, in loud city environments where you don't need so much sound protection as standard foam ear plugs would provide. Also a lot less socially strange than having earplugs in and less hassle than fitting them into your ear every time.

I've also read that the ANC feature can aggravate tinnitus - anyone experienced this?


r/tinnitus • • 1h ago

advice • support lost my battle to tinnitus and hearing loss, giving up

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• Upvotes

now i feel not to live anymore, i am at a point where it's been 17 days and still no recovery, i feel like to kms fr, i am really broke mentally and my hearing issue + Tinnitus is so irritating to manage, i am just 22 year old right now i have a whole life ahead infront of me, what I'll do further, i feel low energy 24/7, getting hard for me to understand verbal communications among crowded places, the ringing is so annoying that I can't sleep

i just had a breakup two months ago and rn i am so metally broken

thank you guys for being with me all this time, but i just can't push myself ahead

Edit :- people said "it give some time you won't care" idw this I'll care I'll still care i just want to cure it or else I'll loose myself and kms


r/tinnitus • • 19h ago

venting It’s actually funny

11 Upvotes

For the longest time I’ve had mild tinnitus due to my TMJ disorder. I could live with it, the jaw pain and headaches were more annoying than the ringing itself.

Guess what, just one week ago, I developed something called sudden sensorineural hearing loss in my left ear (the ear where my TMJ is worst).

Now I have two different sources of tinnitus combined together for a double fucking whammy.

My audiogram showed large loss in high frequency hearing.

Don’t worry, I knew right away this was a medical emergency, saw an ENT and was put on treatment. Nobody is more of a hypochondriac than myself (not by choice).

Good news is my follow-up audiogram one week in showed some recovery from day 1. Hoping I can continue the trajectory into a full recovery.

I just had to laugh at how I managed to get another extremely rare condition that also causes T. Either God is playing a joke on me or I’m the unluckiest motherfuker on the planet.

For context, SSNHL only affects 5-27 cases per 100,000 people per year.

Whoopdie fucking do


r/tinnitus • • 18h ago

advice • support Does anyone use one of these or something similar at night to help them sleep? Tried my normal fan and it masks the noise but it rattles which is a bit too annoying for me!

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6 Upvotes

r/tinnitus • • 14h ago

poll Are you neurodivergent?

3 Upvotes

I'm not drawing any conclusions here but for some reason, it seems that I've been seeing a greater amount of people who are neurodivergent having T but I might be wrong even if in a way it would make sense because our nervous system is probably more vulnerable to a lot of things. I've seen many dealing with other things like MCAS, POTS and ME/CFS or CRPS. Or chronic pain/pelvic pain. Some have multiple of these on top of T. It looks like there's a correlation.

53 votes, 6d left
Yes
Unsure/undiagnosed
No

r/tinnitus • • 22h ago

poll Anyone else’s t get worse as day goes on?

11 Upvotes

I don’t think it’s a matter of staying busy, I get multiple quiet breaks throughout the day but as the day goes on my t seems to go from mildly annoying/almost unnoticeable with background noise to blaring/unbearable by the time dinner time and later rolls around.

Idk why, my guesses would be built up muscle tension from the day, or maybe being in a fasted/lower blood sugar state to not (I tend to not eat til lunch time, have a small lunch and then a larger dinner), or maybe daily hormone cycles? Or maybe jaw rest overnight vs not (I have tmj).


r/tinnitus • • 14h ago

poll How does your tinnitus behave if its somatic?

2 Upvotes
23 votes, 6d left
Increase in volume but goes back to baseline after movement or pressure
Increase in volume but tinnitus goes silent after movement or pressure
My tinnitus is not somatic
Other (Leave a comment)

r/tinnitus • • 15h ago

advice • support 30 years with Tinnitus. Experiencing First Spike and Freaking me Out. Any Advice Appreciated

2 Upvotes

Hello all. Ive posted a couple different posts here. But Ive had Tinnitus or T for 30 years. I learned to live with it and didnt bother me at all. Honestly I dont remember how I coped with it 30 years ago when i first got it. Anyway. Apparently im having a "spike". I have never had one in 30 years so its scaring me. It started 10 days ago. Its a constant high level loud pitch. Its louder than any sirrounding sounds. I dont have any idea why this happened. I had a hearing test yesterday and I have moderate high frequency hearing loss especially at very high frequencies. They said this is why my T is high pitched. I didnt have any loud noise exposure. Only thing I can think is I was on my phone looking down for 6 straight hours off and on. I believe I have had tmj for 20 or 30 years as well however Ive noticed more jaw cracking on occasion, somerimes loud. Im scared this is a tumor or something. I do have severe health anxiety which I know doesnt help but this is really freaking me out. Anybody experience anything like this? Any and all help appreciated. Wishing everyone well.


r/tinnitus • • 11h ago

advice • support Unusual spike: no known noise trauma

1 Upvotes

The past week I have noticed that my tinnitus has sounded far louder than usual. I haven’t changed anything in my routine or any new noise trauma to suggest that there may be a reason for the increase other than my menstrual cycle starting. Is it possible that the increase could just be from my cycle starting and that it may go back down after it’s over? It not too bad for now but I would really love it my tinnitus could go back to its baseline. Does anyone know if menstruation can cause temporary spikes/changes in tinnitus?


r/tinnitus • • 17h ago

advice • support Massive tinnitus spike from copper?

2 Upvotes

I’ve been supplementing high doses of zinc daily since a few weeks ago and I just came across a video stating that chronic zinc supplementation leads to copper deficiency. So I decided to add 1mg of copper (glycinate) to my supplements. It caused a massive spike in my tinnitus for a few days and the spike went away shortly after I stopped taking it. Anyone else experienced something similar?


r/tinnitus • • 17h ago

advice • support Question about ear infections

1 Upvotes

Hi,
I have suspected fluid in my ears since around late august. Went to the doctor and she saw nothing. I felt crackling and fullness. I can control my tensor tympani on command and am able to make my ears crackle this way which kinda helps the fullness and makes it drain. I've made a habit of doing it (hopefully this isn't causing any damage...)

Last week I noticed a bad tasting drainage in my throat and it was making my throat burn. The pain isn't awful but it's there. I suspected allergies or that my TMJ was causing the mild pain as in the past (before I got my noise induced T in late 2024), ear infections hurt so bad that I knew for sure they were there.

Well, recently my T spiked so bad it woke me up. It is not a normal level at all and is not maskable. I thought something is up and went to get checked again.
Last night I went to an urgent clinic and he said there is fluid pressing on my ear drum and gave me some antibiotics.

I can feel them working and my ears are a lot less full feeling but the tinnitus is so bad. So loud I hear it over everything and laying down just makes it unbearable (my T was always louder laying down but nowhere near this level). I cannot mask it. My ears are sensitive to noise but I assume this is because of the draining fluid. I've noticed I have developed a lot of new tones too.

I suspect what happened is my jaw is causing my eustachian tubes to not drain properly. I'm waiting on an ENT appointment to get my ears looked at for possible ETD before my TMJ specialist appointment but figured maybe someone here had some experience with something like this.

Does the tinnitus spike from infection subside even if your ears were already damaged from noise before? Is there a good timeline I should look at before I worry? Anything anyone recommends I ask the doctor?

Thank you all :)


r/tinnitus • • 18h ago

advice • support Supplements? NSFW

1 Upvotes

Has anyone had any luck with the over the counter supplements for tinnitus?


r/tinnitus • • 22h ago

advice • support Experiencing a spike after a recent music recording session. Should I be avoiding loud environments until it resolves?

2 Upvotes

Hi, I'm currently about 7 days into a fairly sharp unilateral tinnitus spike after a recording session where the headphones I was using weren't sufficient cover for the live drums last weekend. I normally only play with 20db+ moulded hearing protection after a bad 2 months of tinnitus 3 years ago, but made a mistake in thinking the headphones would do it this time. This week has been pretty agonizing as a result.

Now I have a show coming up tomorrow, and the sound has neither gone away I'm wondering if I can play this show safely (with hearing protection) or if my ears are in a heightened state of sensitivity where it could make it worse or prolong the spike.

I'm struggling to find clear info on this. Any tips greatly appreciated!


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support HELP ME WITH MY CURRENT SITUATION

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2 Upvotes

Oct 1st Went to college's fresher party with loud DJ over there, caused me ringing and low hearing and difficulties in understanding speech, on 5th oct i went to ENT doctor and he gave me meds and also did a audiometry test which are in normal hearing range, i took 8 days of meds finally, today I went for followup checkup, doctor told me that i need to take trympanic injection 5 doses right in my ear drums, as currently the Ringing is in right ear mostly and low hearing in both ears

i went to another ENT doctor which told me that he's against injections in ear as it may cause some other eardrum issues and told me that i got nerve damage in ear as my hearing potential is low for now

gave me meds for 10 days such as

  1. Zevert MD 24

Generic name: Betahistine Hydrochloride 24 mg

Uses:

Helps manage vertigo (a spinning sensation).

May reduce dizziness associated with certain inner-ear conditions.

May help with balance symptoms.

  1. 2. Allercet DC

Ingredients: Ebastine + Phenylephrine Hydrochloride

Uses:

Relieves allergy symptoms.

Helps reduce nasal congestion.

May help with a blocked nose associated with your cold or allergies.

  1. Xoxe CV 250

Ingredients as you reported them: Cefuroxime Axetil + Potassium Clavulanate

Uses:

An antibiotic combination intended to treat susceptible bacterial infections.

Your doctor may have prescribed it if they suspect a bacterial ear, sinus or respiratory infection.

  1. Vitamin injections

Ingredients: Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Methylcobalamin (vitamin B12) and Nicotinamide (vitamin B3).

Uses:

Support normal nerve function.

Treat or prevent certain vitamin deficiencies.

Provide nutritional support when clinically indicated.

is this a proper treatment for hearing loss ? pls help me


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

venting What countries are you from?

9 Upvotes

Literally the caption.


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support video games with tinnitus tips

2 Upvotes

i recently got tinnitus due to a concert and ear infection combo nearly 3 weeks ago, so i’m still hoping it goes away (it’s gotten a bit better since finishing antibiotics), however i like to play video games. how do you guys go about playing them still without it making your tinnitus worse ?

so far ive made a few changes. my volume used to sit at 50%, but it now sits between 20-30%. i also take off my headphone on that side between game rounds or if im not playing games. sometimes i’ll wear a loop earplug in the ear and have my headset on top. i’m also not playing for anywhere near as long either.

i play games that rely on sounds and voice chat communication (fortnite, overwatch, outlast trials, phasmo, dbd, etc)

i cant use speakers as i dont have a seperate mic for game chat/calls, and i also live with others so speakers aren’t really possible to use, especially at night.

i’m a little bit anxious and paranoid that im going to make it worse, but i also dont want to give up things i enjoy in my free time


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support Timnitus After Ear Infection

3 Upvotes

Hi all, I am 27. I had an ear infection for the first time in my adult life. It created tinnitus, and when it first started it was quite bad. Its been about a week since I have been off the antibiotics and has gotten better. But I still have a slight ringing that wont go away. I mostly hear it at night and when it is completely quite. The worst part is I got hit with another cold after my ear infection so I am dealing with congestion again. I was wondering if anyone experienced the same issue and has gotten better, or any recommendations on remedies to make it better or go away. Im worried it may be permanent but I trying to be very optimistic. I take flonase once a day to help with my congestion but I definitely want to find ways to drain my Eustachian Tubes. Idk, any advice or positive feedback will help! I have terrible health anxiety so this has been freaking me out.


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support New tone in my right ear

4 Upvotes

It's been around a month a two weeks since my acoustic trauma and a few days ago I started noticing a very faint ringing on my right ear aside from the one I have on the left. At first it thought it was the fridge or something, but when I press my ear directly into a pillow, I can clearly hear it.

Now it seems like I have two tone on both ears. For now it seems very faint, but even then i can periceive it as im writing this in a farily quiet room. I wasnt even exposed to anything particularly loud, it was so sudden :(

I dont know ​what to do. I'm getting slightly anxious again. Never thought i would get another tone specially without any external trigger. Advice? 😢


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support Sudden ringing for 12+ hours in my right ear please help

2 Upvotes

I don't think I have tinnitus, or atleast the long form kind, I dont attend concerts or listen to loud music with headphones, my ears are healthy other than the fact I build up lots of earwax that clogs my hearing (might be a potential cause of this?) about 14 hours ago my right ear out of nowhere started ringing, it hasn't gotten any worse but it was easier to tone out during the day and now that it's night I can handle it, Im not sure if I can even sleep, any help or advice?


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support Please explain guys what to do

2 Upvotes

Previous Post :- https://www.reddit.com/r/tinnitus/s/pEq4GxiHac

So in my previous post I've also asked about the hearing loss and should i take the trympanic injection or not, pls suggest me what should i do

the doctor said i need 5 doses of trympanic injection in span of 15 days as the tinnitus is in my right ear, and i am also suffering from hearing loss like it's getting hard for me to understand speech properly

22M here


r/tinnitus • • 2d ago

advice • support There is nothing worse in this life than tinnitus that doesn't kill you but makes you feel dead.

58 Upvotes

Long story short. My tinnitus became higher pitched 13 years ago.

8 years ago I developed my first new sound during an extremely stressful period of my life.

4 years ago I developed a second sound that goes like “wee woo wee woo.”

2 years ago this sound became reactive. I could hear it outside and any kind of white or grey noise would make it louder.

1 year ago my first sound became louder.

All of these sounds were in my right ear. Sometimes I thought that at least I was lucky to have my left ear completely silent. I couldn't even enjoy that thought for long.

Two days ago I developed a third sound in my left ear. It is another “wee woo wee woo” sound.

All these years I have visited ENT consultant and doctors multiple times. I have even tried chiropractic in case my neck was contributing to the tinnitus. Despite all of this I am constantly losing ground and that there is always something new every year waiting to make my life even more miserable.

I feel like life is pushing me toward something really bad. Things are getting progressively worse and I don't know what to expect next. I can't understand why this keeps happening to me or why there always seems to be something new. I honestly feel like life is trying to break me and I don't know how much more I can take.


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support Guys it's over i guess, idk what to do, pls help me

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8 Upvotes

Event :- 1st Oct i went to my college's freshers party and there was DJ and loud songs, i was near the DJ system and got ringing and muffled hearing like kind of hearing loss in both my ears, after 2 days of this the tinnitus went away but i still had the hearing issues, after few days the tinnitus came back again but in right ear only, i went to the ENT and did audiometry test, it was under normal hearing ranges, he gave me meds for 8 days and ask me to come back after it

Note :- i had cold, cough, sore throat, and clogged ears during the upper period...

Today :- i went for the follow up checked i still have hearing issues, 8 days are done and now the doctor is talking about to give me steroid injections in my ears, suspecting a hearing loss, the injection name is Dexamethasone... i have to take 5 injections in earIT'S BEEN 15 DAYS FROM THE EVENT i still have cold, headache and stuff tho but i am concerned should i take the injection or not

Doctor gave me three days of time to think and decide what i want to do, pls suggest me what should i do or will this injection will make my condition worse

I AM JUST 22 YEAR OLD MALE IDW GO DEAF AT THIS AGE PLS HELP ME, I AM SO ANXIOUS WHAT TO DO


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

advice • support Why do my ears feel so covered?

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I’ve had “mild” tinnitus for almost 3 months, and yesterday I had a scare that has left me worried.
I was walking slowly past my bunk bed because I had left my iPhone 11 there. My head and right ear touched my phone, which suddenly started playing. It was on vibration mode, but the vibration was quite strong and the phone vibrated against the wooden bed. This lasted for about 2 seconds.
I don’t know how loud the vibration actually was, but it scared me because of my tinnitus.
Went to bed, slept and everything seemed normal, though my right ear felt a bit covered.
During most of the day I thought about this. Now, almost 24 hours later, my ears feel more blocked or covered. I can still hear relatively normal, but on my right ear everything feels somewhat a bit reduced.
There are a few other things I’ve noticed:
Some sounds seem painful or uncomfortable to hear, although this has already been happening for a while.
My ears keep popping, but this has also been happening for over a month.
Even when I speak at a normal volume, my ears, Specially the left, pop and feel more blocked.
The ringing now seems louder.
I’m really confused about what is happening. Could the vibration from the phone have caused some damage, or could this be related to ear pressure, Eustachian tube dysfunction, TTTS, stress, or something else?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice. I’m quite anxious about this and worried that I might have made my tinnitus worse.
Thank you.


r/tinnitus • • 1d ago

venting How do you guys cope with severe reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis ?

6 Upvotes

Is there a life possible with this screaming in my head ? Do you guys work ? sleep ? go for daily activities ?