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I’ve had T for 4 yrs and sympathize. Two things helped me to keep the faith for the long haul. 1) Talking to people that had habituated, and reading their stories. 2) Taking stock of all the loud, obnoxious, irritating noises that my brain was already habituated to such as road noise...

Hello Bazan, Sorry to see you have suffered for 9 months. I suffered greatly with anxiety for 2, and began Trt. My anxiety droppped significantly at that point in time. There is the anxiety of T, and the annoyance of T. The anxiety has to go first. Adding to what Glynis said, I was...

Treating your anxiety and depression, and being able to sleep well, will form the basis from which you will get back to enjoying the important things in life. It sounds like you are in good hands for now, good luck with your treatment and make sure to have follow up therapy upon your release...

Experiment, to see what works well for you. I use an iPhone app called Sleep Pillow that has lots of different sounds, and allows you to create mixes of up to three sounds. At night I like to listen to crickets as the high frequency chirps do a good job of distracting me from my major T tone...

Justin, I’m 3 years in and remember the early months well. It does get better, but it’s typically very slow, and bumpy. I’m really impressed with your desire to seek out CBT and counseling. These are part of your toolkit to help you along these rough months. Remember that progress towards...

My experience: TRT helped me tremendously I was 60 days into a SHIT situation, and it turned around dramatically after I started receiving counseling and using the in-ear noise devices. In one week, I went from using drugs like Xanax and Mirtazpine to sleep try to get through a fog horn...

I'm 2.5 yrs in. The first two months were truly the worst. I've had numerous "spikes" where I've had 3-4 weeks of mental discomfort. My beast rises up from time to time, but I've learned to accept him and fight him. He has gone from being my master to being my slave. He rises and he...

My T was constantly in my thoughts for the first two months. I began TRT therapy at that point and hat helped me to progressively stop thinking about it. Best wishes with you adaption to this difficult condition. - Trebor

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has experienced reduction of their Tinnitus (perceived volume or awareness) while taking Disulfiram (Antabuse). Anecdotally, it seems to reduce my perceived Tinnitus volume/awareness. Reduction of alcohol consumption could be the driver here as well, I'd like to...

It may be your tensor tympani. Does it feel almost like a butterfly in your ear? I'm not trying to make light of this, I have the same condition. Mine began with my T, subsided greatly, but I still get it from time to time. Mine seems to happen most frequently when I am lying on my back...

You said you've had T a long time, but have never sought out help for it. Please know that you can, and that there are people who can help. I was devestated in the first couple of months after the onset of my T and sought professional help from my Psychiatrist, a counseler who...

You are going to be fine. Ride it out. You didn't damage your ears in the restaurant. T sucks, the anxiety and perception are the dominant factors in most situations like this. I sympathize and know how you feel. It really feels different now and its outrageously hard to think something...

Walmart has excellent prices on many generics for 30 and 90 day supply. In many cases the price is less than an HMO copay. In other words, it's cheaper to buy it directly yourself than to buy it through your HMO and pay 20 or 25 bucks.

Obsessing over T can absolutely cause the perception of it to be louder. Conversely, ignoring it can cause the perception to be less, over time. Do your best to ignore it at all times; easier said than done, but the benefits accrue over time. Best wishes, Trebor

I recently had a very similar experience, and I would like to relate due to its similarity. I gained so much from your written experience above. Thank you. T was at a 1-2 out of 10 prior for say 1.5 years. I had had spikes in the past, also not lasting more than 7-14 days. My sense of...

First 60 days were hell. I did TRT counseling and wore noise generators for 3-4 months solid, then less. That took the anxiety away, helped me sleep, and turned things around. From there I would say I was habituated in 6 months. Lots of ups and downs, and still have ups and downs...

I take gabapentin also and find it's a good sleep aid. It also lowers anxiety for me upon waking.

It's hard to say. Be thankful in any case :). With habituation T does tend to sound softer and quieter "in general". I've encountered similar times where my T was unmaskable, but then upon habituation background noise was not needed. I don't think we have all the answers, and would be...

Anything for me was temporary.

If it's habituation, you can still hear it when you *try* to listen for it. If it's healing, and I struggle with using that word because it implies a lot of different things to a lot of people. then I would say you cannot hear it when trying to listen for it. It's gone.

When I was new to my T, I requested hand cleanings. I've since been doing ultrasonic, but I do wear plugs during the cleaning. I don't suspect I am suffering hearing loss during my cleanings. When my condition was new, it was easy to react to things like this, and it really sucked. So...

Mine was from self inflicted acoustic trauma. I had to learn to forgive myself. It's very depressing at first to know you were part of the cause of something that has affected you so profoundly, but ultimately it is possible to forgive yourself and move on. I kicked myself in the ass for...

In my first 60 days with this condition, I had a lot of sleep difficulty. I used Xanax and Mirtazapine to help sleep. Xanax will get you to sleep, but it has a short half life, and won't keep you Asleep all night. Mirt works well, but it can make you into a zombie the next day, but you do...

Protect your ears, but don't beat Yourself up over sirens. When I walk in he city, I always plug my ears with my fingers if an ambulance goes by. It's really doubtful that you sustained any significant hearing loss from a siren going by. I suffer like you, this condition plays with your...

In my experience it certainly won't make it worse in any permanent sense. It's possible you might get a little more anxious or aware of it though. If you are well adapted, no problem. If you are not well adapted to your T, I would avoid it for now.

Very well written.

I'm so sorry to hear that your T is such a burden. Please try to seek help with the worst that this condition puts upon us; the anxiety and sleep loss. One these horrible effects can be mitigated, the rest can sometimes be managed, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I wish you...

Later reply sorry. When doing Trt You wear them as much as possible To aid habituation. They are like hearing aids in form, but generate white noise to decrease your reaction to your T over time. I wear them infrequently now, they helped me to habituated.

"The sound of my ringing going from universe filling to half of a whisper ..." Beautifully said. Sufferers please take heart. Once the initial terrible anxiety of this condition is abated or treated, this is a possible outcome. Thank you for a well written personal experience. - Trebor

Hi, my response is to the original post. I perceive some of my T to be fluctuating, and think it's helpful to look at all of the constantly fluctuating sounds in your environment that you are already habituated to .... road noise while driving, traffic noise in an urban environment, busy...

Thank you for your description of your recent experience, its very helpful. I am 20 months into this condition, and considered myself very habituated. I would hear my T in several places (car, home, etc), but could ignore it completely, and had no trouble falling asleep to it. I had a...

Glynis, you are an inspiration to all of us. I have read your posts for the past two years, and you have always been full of optimism and good faith. My best wishes for your recovery and good health. You have helped many with your steadfast advice, and you are in my prayers.

Hi nice thread. Answering the original question, I feel I'm pretty well habituated and can hear my T whenever I try to find it unless I'm in a loud environment. It's still there but it doesn't bother me anymore and I go for long periods of time without it popping into my conscious awareness...

Hang in there bud! I have had to talk myself down more than a few times. Usually it's along the lines of 'ok I heard some loud noise, but what's the chance it would permanently make the exact same frequencies of my pre existing T louder?' Then I consider how anxiety does exactly just that.

After wearing WNGs during the night, I found this went away completely. I'm not offering an explanation why, just my own personal experience. Before using WNGs I often woke up with the T blaring and had difficulty getting back to sleep. After I started using them this problem went away...

I had lots of issues with sleeping, and needed meds for the first two months. Masking was moderately effective, sometimes I got little sleep during the night. I started using white noise generators at 60 days as part of TRT and slept well from there on. I wore them during the night and...

Hope things are improving for you. I doubt you did any physical damage to your ears, but understand how you have been affected. I'm currently dealing with a short term (over a week now) increase in my T perception and it's not fun. I'm taking care to sleep, relax, eat well, and try not to...

Yeah i think you are right on. I had very partial awareness of my T over several years before it became a problem for me. I vaguely remember hearing a low level tone here and there, shutting the Tv off, still hearing it, thinking nothing of it, and turning the Tv right back on. It was only...

Took Xanax and mirtazapine for the first 60 days with my new friend T. Weened off of those but continue to take low dosage of Citalopram for treatment of low level depression and anxiety. I also drink more than I should. Xanax and Mirt helped me tremendously in those first 60 days to ease...

I agree, they suck. I suffered mildy from H, and hated those f*ckers with a passion when I first came down with this condition. I would be in a stall or at a urinal 10 feet away covering my ears. I can tolerate them from a distance now but still hate them. I still wipe my hands on my...

I've drank plenty with T, and in my case it helps put it in the background while imbibing, but in the morning the anxiety and perception can increase temporarily. I've observed no long term effects. Perhaps a greater danger is that your threshold for loud noise shifts when intoxicated, and...

I've had his happen to me 3 or 4 times. Excellent habituation, then 'discovering' it again. What I mean by discovering is a return of the anxiety and perception. Thankfully, In my case these occurrences have diminished, and hopefully I'm in a stretch of long term habituation. It's a...

Just wanted to clarify my response above. I said 'no way it affected you' which was not well worded. I should have said 'no way it caused any damage'. The event clearly affected you or you would not have posted. Hope things are feeling better for you. I've had noise events make my T...

No way that affected you whatsoever. Dismiss it completely from your mind. Nada.

If smoking increases your T please consider reduction or cessation. Smoking does not affect my T. Caffeine does, and I moderate my intake based on how it affects my T. Best wishes with your condition, Trebor

The book is good. Its important to 'have the faith' when you are doing TRT. The book helps as it lays out a rational hypothesis to explain why the two components of TRT might work. (counseling + WNG usage) Here's some good WNG's. I own some over the ear pure tone devices. They are...

Good work Natalie. I've had similar ups and downs on my journey towards habituation. Each time I thought my T had gotten worse, and eventually realized it had not. The peaks and valleys are fewer now. Keep your faith that it's not worse, any uptick is a blip that you will manage your...

Have you read the Jastreboff-Hazel book (you mentioned you were going to review the TRT manual), or...

It's very common for people with T to be able to hear or change their T noises by flexing their jaw or neck muscles. Dr. Levine, formerly at Mass Eye and Ear noted this when surveying many patients. No specific cause for alarm due to this in particular, it's common.

And old saying 'Do the best you can, and then forget it'. Do the best you can to protect your ears, and then try not to worry. My T is noise induced, and I've worked hard to get out of the habit of checking it or thinking about it. I try to be vigilant about keeping the volume as low as...

I vaguely recall turning the TV set off a few times and still being able to hear a tone. I believe this was a precursor to my more invasive T. I wish I was more aware of this potential warning sign.

I hope this is positive. I laughed a little bit. I was going to the beach with my daughters yesterday and my oldest kept asking me if I could hear that low jingling noise. I could only hear my T when I tried to hear what she was describing. Come to find out, it was really a noise having...

What's worked for me, in no particular order: Avoid caffeine Avoid hangovers Lol Manage depression with meds and counseling Talk to real people who've had T for a long time and habituated, in person TRT helped my habituation. The WNGs and counseling helped me overcome anxiety and begin...

Zero chance that you did any hearing damage or had any affect on your T. Relax, breathe, relax again. You are fine and it sounds like you are doing a fantastic job of living with your T and habituating with it.

Hi, In answer to the original question, I believe that broad band noise that does not distinctively mask ones T is still helpful towards habituation. When I started wearing WNGs I was truly disconcerted at the fact that at most settings I could almost always hear my T whistling around in...

No question, the WNGs are expensive, but they are easier to sleep with and easier to wear during the day. I don't disagree that the same acoustics can be played into your ear with an MP3 and earbuds. Agreed, the WNGs don't block the whole ear canal and let more ambient noise in. pros and...

Love the sense of humor Vincent! I definitely cracked a smile at your singing pillow comment ;)

Have you tried wearing a noise device? The sound from these wearable devices is good at distracting one from T and helping with habituation. They helped me get off sleep meds and begin habituation.

No way that hurt you, dismiss it from your mind completely.

Sure it's made me stronger in the sense of someone who has suffered tragedy and then overcome. It's not a strength I sought. I would compare it to the relative strength of recovery someone feels after the death of a loved one. I lost my father 10 yrs ago and yes the human condition...