Desperate for Help: My Son’s Severe Tinnitus Flare After Concert Exposure

[LindaKetchie]

I am posting on behalf of my son, Kevin. He developed tinnitus ten years ago after firing a gun without ear protection. He eventually habituated.

In September, he attended an outdoor concert with what he believed was sufficient ear protection. However, the exposure caused a tinnitus flare, and it has continued to worsen. He now wears noise-cancelling headphones almost constantly and spends most of the day in his room.

Here are some of the descriptions he gives for the noise he is hearing:

Look up a rabbit predator hunting call. That is what one of my sounds resembles in my right ear, but it is more prolonged, distorted, and violent.

Sometimes it sounds like men yelling in the back of my head. Screaming.

Sometimes it sounds like the loudest drill tearing through pavement.

There is a constant cacophony of extremely loud, distorted, mechanical interference noises, like alarms going off.

Imagine the sound of dial-up internet, but far more sinister, louder, shrieking, and unbearable.

Sometimes my left ear sounds like a fire truck blaring its horn as it speeds through traffic.

This is not simple ringing. These are unimaginable sounds being blasted through my ears and head all the time.

It also sounds like amp and microphone feedback blaring inside my head.

We have seen ENTs, but all they offered were hearing aids. At this point, he can no longer tolerate maskers. He feels hopeless and completely defeated.

Is there any help available for him?

 

[delta784]

I'm so sorry to hear that. My mom is also sad about me, even though mine was medication-induced. I hope he gets better.

 

[Jammer]

His description sounds like my tinnitus. I recommend that he stop using noise-cancelling headphones for a while. They made my tinnitus worse.

 

[Scruffiey]

I'm so sorry to hear about your son, Linda. This is a truly cruel condition that takes so much.

Is he currently taking any medication to cope with it? Some medications are known to make it worse, which can be a difficult balance to manage given how distressing tinnitus can be. There are a couple he could try for temporary relief or to help with sleep, but they are not without risks.

He may also be experiencing hyperacusis, which is an increased sensitivity to sound that can sometimes be painful. This might explain the constant need for noise-cancelling headphones. If he feels he can tolerate it, and it is completely okay if he cannot since this varies from person to person, I found that using a small amount of cotton wool for light protection while keeping some ambient sounds in the background helped me begin to desensitize my ears and slightly reduce the perception of tinnitus.

Unfortunately, while I am still fairly new to all of this myself, I think most people here would agree that the only real treatment is time and quiet. It often takes much longer to adjust than anyone would hope, sometimes even years.

I truly wish I had better news.

 

[trevl]

Your son should protect his ears.

If the sounds of his tinnitus are preventing him from sleeping, this is considered a comorbidity. He may need to consider sleeping pills, but it is important to proceed with caution. These medications tend to lose their effectiveness quickly due to the way the body metabolizes them. Increasing the dosage to maintain sleep can lead to dependence, so it is essential to be careful.

Tinnitus is often, and likely in your son's case as well, the brain's response to a loss of input from damaged hearing cells. The brain may increase its sensitivity to compensate for the missing information, which results in the perception of tinnitus.

When your son fired a gun, he likely sustained damage to his hearing cells. A standard 6 or 8 point hearing test does not provide enough detail to detect all forms of hearing loss. There are many reports on this and other forums of people who show no measurable deficiency on audiograms yet clearly have hearing damage and are suffering. Once hearing cells are damaged, they do not regenerate. The tinnitus he experienced back then was likely caused by severe damage at certain frequencies. Gunfire contains a broad spectrum of very loud frequencies, and the cells most sensitive to those frequencies were likely harmed. Even if he later habituated to the tinnitus, this would not reverse the underlying damage to his hearing cells.

If his tinnitus decreased over time, I believe that some nearby hearing cells, still within the frequency range of the damaged ones, may have been recruited to help compensate for the loss. This could reduce or even eliminate the tinnitus, as the brain would again receive enough auditory input to avoid increasing its internal gain.

However, when he went to a concert, he likely caused further damage. The cells that were already affected may have been harmed again, and the overall range of damage may have expanded. The hearing cells that had previously compensated for lost frequencies may have been damaged to the point that they can no longer respond to their natural frequencies or assist with nearby ones.

One important thing to understand is that even if a hearing test shows a threshold at –60 dB or –80 dB, those cells may still provide enough input to prevent tinnitus. But further damage, taking them to –120 dB or beyond, can push them past the point of usefulness. That is why protecting hearing becomes even more critical. Hearing damage is not a simple, clearly defined line between functional and non-functional. Just as concerts vary in volume, and songs change in tone and instrumentation, the ear is exposed to a wide variety of frequencies. It sounds like your son has extensive damage across a broad range of frequencies, which is likely why he experiences multiple tinnitus sounds.

He should take extra care to protect his ears from now on.

 

[Nick47]

This is a difficult situation, but here is some basic advice.

First, stop wearing maskers, headphones, or putting anything in your ears. Stop completely.

There are some combinations of supplements and medications that are being used, but they are still considered experimental. Both Dirk De Ridder and Hamid Djalilian have various combinations they use. Search through this website and you will find information on them.

Do not try single supplements or medications, as there is no individual one that reliably provides relief.

NeuroMed is Dr. Djalilian's program, and there is a thread about it on this site.

 

[Louise 17]

Your son should protect his ears.

If the sounds of his tinnitus are preventing him from sleeping, this is considered a comorbidity. He may need to consider sleeping pills, but it is important to proceed with caution. These medications tend to lose their effectiveness quickly due to the way the body metabolizes them. Increasing the dosage to maintain sleep can lead to dependence, so it is essential to be careful.

Tinnitus is often, and likely in your son's case as well, the brain's response to a loss of input from damaged hearing cells. The brain may increase its sensitivity to compensate for the missing information, which results in the perception of tinnitus.

When your son fired a gun, he likely sustained damage to his hearing cells. A standard 6 or 8 point hearing test does not provide enough detail to detect all forms of hearing loss. There are many reports on this and other forums of people who show no measurable deficiency on audiograms yet clearly have hearing damage and are suffering. Once hearing cells are damaged, they do not regenerate. The tinnitus he experienced back then was likely caused by severe damage at certain frequencies. Gunfire contains a broad spectrum of very loud frequencies, and the cells most sensitive to those frequencies were likely harmed. Even if he later habituated to the tinnitus, this would not reverse the underlying damage to his hearing cells.

If his tinnitus decreased over time, I believe that some nearby hearing cells, still within the frequency range of the damaged ones, may have been recruited to help compensate for the loss. This could reduce or even eliminate the tinnitus, as the brain would again receive enough auditory input to avoid increasing its internal gain.

However, when he went to a concert, he likely caused further damage. The cells that were already affected may have been harmed again, and the overall range of damage may have expanded. The hearing cells that had previously compensated for lost frequencies may have been damaged to the point that they can no longer respond to their natural frequencies or assist with nearby ones.

One important thing to understand is that even if a hearing test shows a threshold at –60 dB or –80 dB, those cells may still provide enough input to prevent tinnitus. But further damage, taking them to –120 dB or beyond, can push them past the point of usefulness. That is why protecting hearing becomes even more critical. Hearing damage is not a simple, clearly defined line between functional and non-functional. Just as concerts vary in volume, and songs change in tone and instrumentation, the ear is exposed to a wide variety of frequencies. It sounds like your son has extensive damage across a broad range of frequencies, which is likely why he experiences multiple tinnitus sounds.

He should take extra care to protect his ears from now on.

Thanks for the great explanation! I was wondering why, despite my hearing tests showing no damage, the tinnitus continues. It seems the tests are not conclusive at all levels.

Also, it makes sense that tinnitus might improve if other cochlear hair cells start helping out.

 

[LindaKetchie]

I do not know what to do. I do not know how to help him. He is afraid of medications because he has read horror stories. I am desperate to find help for him.

 

[vilebubbles]

I do not know what to do. I do not know how to help him. He is afraid of medications because he has read horror stories. I am desperate to find help for him.

He does not have regular tinnitus. He has something similar to what I have, and it is brutal. He is going to need a lot of support, especially from others who are severely affected.

His description sounds like my tinnitus. I recommend that he stop using noise-cancelling headphones for a while. They made my tinnitus worse.

Do you have weird tones like this too? I am going absolutely insane. I wear earplugs all the time and I am homebound, yet I keep getting more and more strange tones.

 

[Pinhead]

At this point, it may be time to consider that this is a permanent disability. He attended the concert in September, and it is now March. This may simply be his new normal.

Honestly, after four years of living through this catastrophic hell, I can tell you that unless it is caused by a tumor or directly linked to hearing loss, not much can be done. Many drugs that alter brain chemistry, such as antidepressants including SSRIs, can worsen or exacerbate this condition. I would err on the side of caution.

 

[AverageJoe12]

I do not know what to do. I do not know how to help him. He is afraid of medications because he has read horror stories. I am desperate to find help for him.

Fear of medication is understandable but overblown. He is suffering and medication can play a role in alleviating some of that suffering. His sleep quality can't be good and he's likely not exercising if he's staying in a room. Medication can improve sleep quality and energy/mood. I encourage him to seek the help of a psychiatrist on his journey.

 

[Jammer]

Do you have weird tones like this too? I am going absolutely insane. I wear earplugs all the time and I am homebound, yet I keep getting more and more strange tones.

Yes. I have a discordant cacophony of high-frequency static, crickets, shrieks, and pure tones that constantly change in pitch by the millisecond, all at around 85 dB. The frustrating part is that my hearing loss starts at 6 kHz, so there is no ability to mask the sound. It really sucks, and speaking with others is almost impossible because of my hearing loss and the difficulty I have with crosstalk.

Nothing can be done. Acceptance is the only way to cope. Twenty-two years and counting.

 

[pants]

I'm almost a year into my tinnitus experience and still have not habituated. I continue to struggle with sleep, which remains the most difficult symptom I deal with. Getting good sleep is at the top of my list of needs.

I do take medication to help with that. Most nights, I take 1 mg of Melatonin, and twice a week I add half a Zopiclone tablet on top of that. On the nights I take Zopiclone, I get the best sleep, which helps me stay functional. I would take it every night if I could, but I do not want to develop tolerance or reduce its effectiveness.

I have read mixed reports about noise-cancelling headphones. Since they send an inverse sound wave into the ear canal, they might not actually be beneficial for tinnitus.

 

[LindaKetchie]

My son tried NeuroMed for about six weeks. He quickly lost trust when they referred him to YouTube videos for cognitive behavioral therapy. He did not feel that they understood his reactive tinnitus. He did change his diet and started taking the recommended supplements. However, he does not want to take the medications they recommended. So far, he has had no relief.

 

[delta784]

My son tried NeuroMed for about six weeks. He quickly lost trust when they referred him to YouTube videos for cognitive behavioral therapy. He did not feel that they understood his reactive tinnitus. He did change his diet and started taking the recommended supplements. However, he does not want to take the medications they recommended. So far, he has had no relief.

Tell him to try Clonazepam.

 

[AnonymousRoach]

I have nowhere near this level of extreme tinnitus. It sounds like very bad hyperacusis. Completely shutting off sound is not helpful, as it will likely make things worse.

ENTs have never helped me with tinnitus. In fact, I would say there is no point in seeing them unless you are dealing with Eustachian Tube Dysfunction.

I believe a very good audiologist who specializes in hyperacusis is essential. If your son does not want to take medication, I think therapy—such as CBT or counseling for the anxiety the tinnitus is likely causing—could help. Sound therapy with an audiologist may also be beneficial. Not just masking, but gradually getting used to sounds again, step by step, with someone experienced in treating severe hyperacusis.

Take care.