Anyone with MES (Musical Ear Syndrome) / Musical Tinnitus?

[Sweet Caroline]

Hello,

I have had tinnitus for about twelve years. It progressed from distant ringing on a rainy day to the 'horror' that it is now. I'm glad to have found a place to vent. The Doctors say there is nothing they can do. I've tried all the masking and it seems to be louder than any of them.

I have musical tinnitus now.

I was never exposed to loud music, but, am a musician. I played the organ in church and I think it is tied in with that somehow. I hear up and down up and down the scales with a drumbeat that sounds like a washing machine keeping time. A slapping noise. I think it could drive a person over the edge without the help of God.

Thank you all for being here.

 

[undecided]

Well, musical tinnitus is treatable with Seroquel.
There is a study out there on the internets involving two individuals with the same problem - they had an excellent outcome with that drug. I'll be damned if I can find it though, seems to have disappeared

Edit: having musical tinnitus sounds like a lot better than the usual hissing, ringing etc. I think I'd definitely prefer it. Maybe a loop of "Hysteria" by Def Leppard and "I Surrender" by Rainbow would be much better than my current condition... Just saying...

 

[Sweet Caroline]

Thank you. I will look up Seroquel. I appreciate your note.

 

[Telis]

I've had this a couple of times. Withdrawal benzos plus hearing damage - listening to music head phones, take them off the guitar still playing, same couple of cords over and over for a entire night. I actually lost my mind that night, I thought I was going insane. Exact same volume as the headphones.

Second time - MRI noise too loud, lost hearing. Standing in shower shortly after, can hear opera singer reaching top of vocal range and sticking there for hours on end.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

I get the tune that played by a 'Jack in the Box' for children.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4468361/

 

[ItsNate101]

I really need some help trying to understand this. It's been over 3 months and the music in my ears will NOT stop. It dies down sometimes and flares up sometimes, just like my tinnitus. Having both these at the same time is driving me insane. The music is worse then the regular tinnitus by far.

I have seen countless doctors over the past few months and still not one person has been able to help me.

I'm currently taking a low dose of anti-psychotics and benzos as I can not get through the day without the aid. The music is usually a girl singing but sometimes it will change to something I previously heard during the day.

I had someone tell me they had opera playing in their ears for 6 months one time. That gives me hope that it may go away over time.

If anyone has any positive insight I'm listening!

 

[GregCA]

The music is usually a girl singing but sometimes it will change to something I previously heard during the day.

Is that girl singing something you were familiar with before it "stuck" to you?

 

[ItsNate101]

As far as I know I never heard it before. Maybe when I was a kid or baby who knows. but it's not like a full song, just about a 2 second loop. It has changed to a techno beat before but now back to the girl singing.

 

[Emperor-Drax]

Is this the same as getting a catchy tune stuck in your head or is it something else? I really don't know.

 

[ItsNate101]

Is this the same as getting a catchy tune stuck in your head or is it something else? I really don't know.

No. It's coming from my ears. Trust me I wish it was just something stuck in my head. From what I understand it's musical hallucinations just like tinnitus. Apparently it's rare but some people with tinnitus/hearing damage experience this. I just really hope it's not permanent. It's extremely hard to deal with this. Not going to compare with other people but from reading most peoples experience with tinnitus, mine is much much worse. I just can't do this, 10 years living with regular tinnitus I got music to deal with now? Life and I are clearly not getting along anymore.

 

[GregCA]

Sorry - as far as I know, it's quite rare. I'm not surprised you don't get a lot of people chiming in. Have you searched the forum? I'm pretty sure I've seen this talked about before.

 

[Lane]

If anyone has any positive insight I'm listening!

Hi @ItsNate101 -- I'm not sure if what I experience is similar to what your situation, but I'll briefly describe it. I have a Lyme diagnosis, and some associated neurological and brain dysfunction. This includes something I refer to as "feedback loops" that are hard for me to get out of.

For instance, if I smell something during the day, I may end up waking up in the night, and smelling sort of a "phantom" smell of the same things. What's even worse is when some kind of song or "jingle" gets in my head, and won't leave; which sometimes can go on for 2-3 days.

One thing that helps me is to expose myself to some kind of "new cycle", such as a new song, or a variety of songs. Often my brain will latch onto one of these songs, and stay in that cycle for a while. But at least it's a new cycle! And I can often not only tolerate it much better, but can get myself to singing along with it as I do things.

As I said, I'm not sure if this is what you're dealing with. But if you have any questions about my situation, I'd be happy to try to give you some more insights. -- Good luck finding some good solutions for your conundrum!

 

[Staceyyy]

I had a patient a few months ago who stated she's been hearing Christmas music in her ear ever since a car accident. I think she said it had been going on for a few years, but she didn't seem to mind it. It was incrediably bizarre. I can't decide if I'd prefer Christimas music or never ending low frequency tinnitus.

 

[Lane]

It was incrediably bizarre. I can't decide if I'd prefer Christimas music or never ending low frequency tinnitus.

I read a story recently about a man who woke up from a coma after many years, and related how he was aware of his surroundings the whole time. While in a nursing facility, his attendants would just turn on the TV in the morning and leave it on for some reason. There was a particular children's show that would come on, and he was able to (forced to) listen to it literally every day. And it drove him about crazy. -- My little story on the "bizarre" side today...

 

[BobDigi]

One of my customers has told me she has this. She said it's like a brass band!!!!! Very strange. I'm afraid I can't help. But I can ask her more about it if you like?

 

[Contrast]

Based on what I am hearing Musical Ear Syndrome cannot be actual tinnitus, I have no idea what it is but I'm certain this condition is not related to ours at all.

 

[racerfish]

Have you tried looking at academic research articles on the subject using Google scholar or your local library? Those articles will be writtten by doctors in the field who you could reach out to. It will also give you a good sense of where the latest research is in terms of cures and such.

 

[Arseny]

When I had HBOT the doctor asked me after a few sessions if I had any voices or screams, sounds that feel like ending of words in my head.
She said she had some patients with this and they got worse. So I guess it must be pretty common.

I'm seeing a psychiatrist and she wants me to take pills just in case... Although I'm pretty sure my left ear is so loud, because of SSNHL and acoustic trauma.

I also get a song stuck in my head, sometimes for weeks, sometimes only a part of the song. Sometimes I get a certain sound replayed in my head. I had these symptoms for a long time and they got worse after something really stressful happened to me. I think it's from OCD.

 

[Arseny]

@ItsNate101

Last night while I was in my bed I heard something very similar to a distant female choir in my head.
One of the interesting things is that during that sound electrical hiss tinnitus (in the head) stopped.

I didn't even notice that until sound of choir stopped.
I thought I was asleep, but I was definitely awake.

Looking back I think I have experienced this 3-4 times before.

Tinnitus appeared when I suddenly lost some hearing in the left ear and then had an acoustic trauma.

I'm wondering whether I should take amitriptyline that I have a prescription for.
Psychiatrist said that it can reduce or remove tinnitus in the head.

 

[ItsNate101]

Just an update. Still got the screaming multitonal tinnitus. No positive changes at all. The music in my ears fluctuates, however I still always hear it. Audiologist I had couldn't help me so I was referred to a ENT... for the third time and still have not even received as much as a phone call. Currently taking Olanzapine 5mg, Clonazepam .5-1mg a day and 7.5 Zopiclone for sleep. None of it helps the tinnitus or music. Just numbs me enough to get through the day without wanting to die.

 

[Kratos]

MES is one of the nastiest neuroplastic fails I have ever learn about. It always reminds me to the musician Robert Schumann (one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era), who heard entire symphonies in his head.

I wish you good luck with it Nate, I hope you can habituate to it or it goes away (in the case of Robert Schumann it went away after years, the music transformed itself in a single note).

 

[Tammy Sauve]

Hello, I have that musical ear syndrome (without hearing loss). It goes on all day long and gets worse when I am near or run electrical appliances. I've had it now since 2015.

I am in great need of talking with others who have this same condition. The musical sounds which sound like an orchestra with no lyrics makes me physically sick sometimes because the constant same musical sounds is tiresome... it's hard to concentrate on things in life not to mention it's plain out scary to me, very scary. If anyone is a Christian as I am I could not help but wonder if it was demonic in origin. Anyone else wondered this too?

 

[Pink Noise]

Hi,

Anyone here with musical tinnitus?

Mine has morphed from a hazy tone into a couple of oscillating tones. It's so annoying.

It's happened over a week and half ago. No noise trauma - it just appeared when I woke up. I thought someone was playing music outside but soon realised that it's another twist to this maddening condition.

I think I may have H too as running the tap or shower, using dishwasher sounds like a chord. I can hear music in pink noise.

 

[Music Band]

I'm new to this forum. I also got musical ear syndrome recently. It started with normal static and pure tone tinnitus and then it morphed to the MES. The volume varies a lot based on how quiet it is. The tune in a small clip that repeats back and forth. It sometimes switches to a different tune. I can kind of influence these parameters with varying degrees of success. The only thing that I can do is drown it out with music. This is much hard to do at nights which it needs to be quiet to sleep.

I'm speculating that problem might be due to loss of audio input due to gradual hearing loss with age plus some damage due to a bout of gerd I had that clogged up my sinuses. Also I'm taking a bunch of common medicines for other health issues and I fell one of those might be aggravating my problems.

 

[JayZee]

I'm another new member to the forum who has MES (along with pulsatile tinnitus). I believe my MES was caused by Nortriptyline.

I actually managed to be free of it for a few days but then it came back with a vengeance when I had to listen to a loud fan for a period of time.

Now I can't get rid of it again.

Actually I think it goes away as long as I'm listening to music or watching TV, but as soon as it is silent again, like when I want to go to sleep, it awakens with a vengeance.

Has anyone made any progress with some sort of treatment?

 

[Nick M]

My wife has constant repeating notes in one ear and a typical ringing in the other. She hums the notes to me sometimes when we're both lying down. The term "musical" is not a good description for this condition. It's not music in the typical sense like a full band but rather distinct notes that go up and down in octave in a repeating pattern.

Very strange and also rare.

 

[wwtsai]

I'm not sure if I have MES, but one of my tones changed pitch to match the final note of a song in a video game I was playing. If I'm not having a bad tinnitus day, I don't hear it unless I play the stupid song in my head which somehow triggers it. If I'm having a bad tinnitus day, it'll get in my face whether I think about it or not.

 

[csaaphill]

Hello, I have that musical ear syndrome (without hearing loss). It goes on all day long and gets worse when I am near or run electrical appliances. I've had it now since 2015.

I am in great need of talking with others who have this same condition. The musical sounds which sound like an orchestra with no lyrics makes me physically sick sometimes because the constant same musical sounds is tiresome... it's hard to concentrate on things in life not to mention it's plain out scary to me, very scary. If anyone is a Christian as I am I could not help but wonder if it was demonic in origin. Anyone else wondered this too?

Mine also gets bad watching baseball. It sucks.

 

[csaaphill]

Is it typical to hear drums and have them vibrate the heck out of you?

Not sure it's drums but that is the best explanation as to what I hear. I've read about the brain sending zaps but no this isn't it. Like I said when I go to sleep if I do that is when I get up to go to the bathroom I can hear this engine that is like the drums.

Once I'm awake long enough the music and voices go full bore...

I have also read about EMF radiation, meaning WiFi and other technologies at use in the home, they all emit a signal and radiation, and EMF radiation to some like me can cause tinnitus and ringing in the ears, so...

 

[csaaphill]

Right now I hear a loud pitch, like an alarm or something, mixed with drums. I've read about trying to hypnotize yourself but mine seems to punish me or get worse.

I've tried to pinpoint the drums but can't. I do this with my mind trying to pinpoint where they are originating and then try to shut it off with my mind. It just gets worse. Yes, makes me sick as well.

I don't do antidepressants because that's what I think caused this mess, and if I could sue the doctor who gave me antidepressants, I would.

Seriously listening to a demon-sounding and vibrating thing while trying to sleep is murder.

Mine is better than when it started though but still very bad!