Anyone else here have Tinnitus... looking for suggestions.

b_girl

I've been experiencing a ringing in my ears for > 4 years now. Last year I finally went to the doctor and had them look at it. They diagnosed me with Tinnitus and essentially said that I have to live with it as there's no cure or anything.

They did make sure that there weren't any other health conditions that could be causing it to happen (apparently sometimes it's a result of other more serious problems)

Someone over the weekend told me that there was a pill out there now that can stop the ringing from occurring and suggested I take it, but they didn't know what it was called. Does anyone know? Has anyone tried it?

I would love, more than anything, to get rid of this ringing. I do manage by drowning it out with music and other white-noise, but since moving to the suburbs a few months ago, I find there's not much noise at night to drown out the ringing (we previously backed on to a major highway in the city which was a constant source of white noise).

Any suggestions are welcome!

eeven73 · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 10:06 am Post subject:

This has to be a set-up. How can a Canadian keep coming on to a forum asking for medical advice?

b_girl · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 10:24 am Post subject:

HAHA. I did talk to my doctor about it though, as well as the ear-doctor... and both said I just have to live with it. Apparently these pills are new, but it sounds too good to be true.

So, was just wanting advice from other people on how they manage with it (if any other people on here actually have it)... and whether anyone has tried out these pills.

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Do you know what caused your tinnitus?

I've had ringing in my ears for nearly 8 years now, since a reaction to the medication Advair.

I have no idea what to do about it. I live with it, but it gets pretty bad when it is quite, as you were saying.

I have been told I have to live with it too.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

My Dad has it and it's gotten worse as he's gotten older. No pill I'm aware of or that he has ever mentioned. Would an oscillating fan or box fan be enough white noise to help you sleep? We run ours year round...wife likes the noise and sleeps better.

Swass · Soul Rider Joined: 27 Oct 2011 Posts: 427

I do. I have roughly 20% of my hearing remaining in my left ear, and the frequencies that I can still hear are not in the average human voice range, so I'm effectively deaf in that ear. It has gotten worse over the years. My doctor's advice was to "make peace with it."

I do recall seeing/hearing a commercial for a pill that is supposed to help, but I don't know anything about it.

Swass · Soul Rider Joined: 27 Oct 2011 Posts: 427

I think this is the product that I'm referring to:

http://www.quietrelief.com/

If you try it, please let us know if it works or not.

b_girl · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 11:38 am Post subject:

cameraboy, they don't know what caused mine. I've had it so long that I really can't remember ever not having it. I know I said > 4 years, but that's just 4 years since I actually came to the realization that it was happening and not going away - don't actually know how long it had been going on before then.

Okie Boarder, a box fan might actually do the trick. I had also been thinking I might look into whether it's possible to just get something to sit beside my bed that will create white noise (TV static is my favourite), except something like that might actually keep my husband awake.

Swass, that's so unfortunate! I had been told that my actual hearing loss is minimal (so far at least)... I have the problem in both my ears.

I wonder if I should just go to the pharmacy and ask about that pill. I would imagine that the pharmacist would know about it if it existed, and would also be able to tell me if it's even worth it/if it works...

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

There are a bunch of white noise iphone apps...

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

So you're saying the ringing isn't normal? Huh, never really thought about it much.

Next thing I'm going to learn is these voices aren't normal either...

b_girl · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 12:27 pm Post subject:

Don't have an iphone... but will check out android apps and maybe they'll have one! Didn't even think of that so thanks for the suggestion Smile

Nor*Cal, the voices are TOTALLY normal.

Jensen · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 12:39 pm Post subject:

I sometimes get synchronous tinnitus, I get intracranial hypertension and when my intracranial pressure goes up above a threshold my vessels gorge with blood and I can hear my heartbeat through the pulsing of the vessels close to my inner ear. When I'm trying to sleep at night this drives me crazy. In this case their is a pill called diamox, also used for some glaucoma patients to lower the pressure in their eye. the same drug also lowers intracranial pressure. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds promising.

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Jensen, when I was a child I had bad ear infections, and I used to get that when I was sick. I know exactly what your talking about...

BrentC5Z · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 1:53 pm Post subject:

Was diagnosed back in '02. Went through all the specialists testing & even had a CAT scan. Ended up being tinnitus. The specialist did suggest a natural herb type stuff that could be found in certain pharmacies for that kind of thing, sounded too voodoo for me though. Apparently, it relieves pressure in the ear and reduces the ringing. He also said there was a chance it would go away just like it started.

Can't remember the name of it, but google is your friend.

pet575 · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 1:56 pm Post subject:

WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

BrentC5Z, did your ruptured ear drum relieve the issue at all, make it worse, or was it the same?

nmballa · Posted: Jan 31, 2012 7:31 pm Post subject:

I get it randomly. Nothing really triggers it and sometimes it will last for days, sometime for minutes. Has become less frequent with age.

I also have some damage to my left ear drum. Guessing it was from when I burst it wake-boarding about 10 years back. Have a new doctor that examined me the a while back and she was surprised I could hear from it. She told me it was open, whatever that means and that I had to be extremely careful with it as it would be very susceptible to infection.

b_girl · Posted: Feb 01, 2012 6:24 am Post subject:

I wish mine would go away even for a few days... it's been a long time since I've actually "heard" silence!

I talked to a pharmacist last night and she'd never heard of any sort of pills to cure it/relieve symptoms, she said the same as my doctor, that you just have to live with tinnitus. She said there was something else out there for some form of ringing in the ear (associated to something else), but it wouldn't work for Tinnitus so to not even bother trying. I will talk to one more pharmacist at my usual pharmacy as well, just to see if they say anything different.

Will keep you all posted!

BrentC5Z · Posted: Feb 01, 2012 6:24 am Post subject:

Okie Boarder, Didn't really change it. Kinda sucks to have 20% permanent hearing loss and still have to put up with 100% of the ringing. After a year or so you get used to it to an extent.

pet575 · Posted: Feb 01, 2012 7:16 am Post subject:

b_girl, I'm sure your doctor told you this long ago but there is a suspected link between excessive sodium in one's diet and tinnitus.

b_girl · Posted: Feb 01, 2012 9:35 am Post subject:

pet575, yes I did know that, thanks... I'm already quite conscious of my sodium intake - and my diet in general... try to eat healthy! Always go for the low-sodium and high fibre options Smile

eeven73 · Posted: Feb 01, 2012 10:38 am Post subject:

What the Fcuk is FIBRE?

b_girl · Posted: Feb 01, 2012 12:39 pm Post subject:

lets just add that to the long list of words that canadians and americans spell differently Razz