5 Months with Unilateral High-Pitched Tinnitus — Related to Ear Wax or COVID-19 Infection?

[Stuart-T]

I bought a B complex vitamin pill x 90 for hardly anything. 1 a day. I have been taking them for 3 days now and feel that my tinnitus is down about 30% - it is certainly less piercing.

Well I probably should not have come on saying B complex vitamin pills are getting my tinnitus down. I had 2 good days and I have followed that with 2 normal days. So I lost my gains. I even had to use my favourite high pitched neuromodulation sounds video on YouTube which is my go to remedy to take the edge of my screeching tone and it is not too often I have to do that so today has not been that good.

I will keep going with the pills and see how it goes.

On the upside I am taking my bike onto a ferry off the mainland (Scotland) onto an island tomorrow so looking forward to that.

 

[Stuart-T]

I posted on another thread about what may be the cause of my tinnitus. Maybe not ear wax or COVID-19. I lived in a flat for a year with a smoke alarm that made the most high pitched painful sound of any alarm I ever heard. Every now and then when cooking it could go off and take 2-3 minutes to stop. My tinnitus did not start directly after one of these events but I do wonder if that exposure could have caused it. I have now moved.

 

[Stuart-T]

I am trying my first go at intermittent fasting. From 3 pm I will fast until 9 am tomorrow. I will do this for 3 days and note the effect.

 

[Stuart-T]

I am on my third day of intermittent fasting. Tinnitus seems to be quieter than usual though frankly unless it clears I would not conclude anything. I am going to keep going with it. Oddly I don't feel hungry between 3 pm when I eat my last meal and the following day.

 

[annalena]

Thank you for keeping us updated!

 

[kingsfan]

I have no doubt all of the things you have done have temporarily improved your tinnitus. I think that the brain wants to make tinnitus sounds, and it eventually adapts to any intervention you provide.

I was finding that taking one 100 mg tablet of Gabapentin every other day was eliminating my more recent high-pitched tones. That only lasted a couple of weeks and it's all slowly creeping back in, so I'll have to either keep trying to readjust things or give up and try and just habituate.

 

[Stuart-T]

I think that the brain wants to make tinnitus sounds, and it eventually adapts to any intervention you provide.

Seems like a virus then which adapts to the latest vaccine? Not nice.

I'm habituated more or less but habituated sufferers can become unhabituated - because of a catastrophic increase for example. So I am building my medicine case for that day. The fasting is a pain to do but I will go on with it for a few more days. I also have this awful problem that when I wake in the morning it takes me ages to wake up - heavy feeling behind the eyes that makes my lids feel like they are made of lead. It is usually around 10 am after a walk and breakfast that I start feeling fully awake. I am hoping the fasting might help.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Stuart-T]

So 3 days in, 18 hours a day of no food. Last night I woke at 4 am with a new sound. More like the sound of sitting in Kenya and listening to the grasses in the early evening. Like fine sandpaper going up and down on wood. It was quite resonant and I prefer my usual hiss with a slight whine as it is consistent. OK, I woke and my tinnitus usual sound is back.

Not sure what to do now - whether persevere for a bit longer or give it up.

 

[Stuart-T]

An update on my intermittent fasting experiment. Frankly it has had no impact on my tinnitus but I have made some progress with some other issues I have connected to inflammation. I have some swollen lymph nodes in my neck which have reduced in size by 50% - I also have another issue which I don't want to specify here - but this is related to a possible infection and that has improved too. I am moving on from doing 18 hours a day fasting and going for a 26 hour fast 2 days per week.

Will keep this thread updated with results. I am beginning to think there is something in fasting.