Extreme Hyperacusis and Tinnitus Have Improved Over the Past 2.5 Years

[Hyperacusis1212]

Probably everyone with painful hyperacusis has hearing loss especially if it was caused by acoustic trauma

painful hyperacusis is literally caused by damage to the outer hair cells and a small subsection of nerves associated with them
as well as tinnitus being tied in with hearing loss as well.

I have hyperacusis with pain 24/7 from a few seconds of exposure to a very loud alarm going off. Per my audiogram, I don't have any hearing loss. I also don't have tinnitus. I've read a lot and I've concluded everyone's hyperacusis, tinnitus, etc.....is totally different. One thing I know for sure is not even the doctor's know for sure why it occurs.

Get this, my co-worker also experienced the same loud noise event as me at the exact same time and all that happened to them was ringing in their ears for the rest of the day. The next day no issues. Go figure.

 

[GBB]

@DeepUniverse -- I believe my hyperacusis had its genesis from a head injury/whiplash at age 15. I also believe the structural shifts it produced eventually led to my hyperacusis becoming more and more problematic as I went into my 30's. When I got tinnitus from a single dose of an ototoxic medication 2 years ago, it made my hyperacusis MUCH worse. In the past couple of years, it's been gradually coming back toward my baseline that I had before the medication incident.

I suspect you're correct about hyperacusis fading away for most people, I think especially for people who had it start with acoustic trauma. It may be true for most other causes of hyperacusis as well. In my case however, I think that early injury that created chronic structural issues is still the primary force behind my continuing hyperacusis, which unfortunately continues to be quite acute--though I feel I've learned to manage it at least fairly well. -- I'm currently looking into using prolotherapy to possibly correct my chronic cervical instability.

May I ask whether you had reactive tinnitus e.g. tinnitus which spikes easily from noise, and whether this reactivity e.g. the ease of spiking has faded in line with your hyperacusis?

 

[serendipity1996]

I have hyperacusis with pain 24/7 from a few seconds of exposure to a very loud alarm going off. Per my audiogram, I don't have any hearing loss. I also don't have tinnitus. I've read a lot and I've concluded everyone's hyperacusis, tinnitus, etc.....is totally different. One thing I know for sure is not even the doctor's know for sure why it occurs.

Get this, my co-worker also experienced the same loud noise event as me at the exact same time and all that happened to them was ringing in their ears for the rest of the day. The next day no issues. Go figure.

Did you get an extended audiogram to see if you have UHF loss?

I also have hyperacusis, along with tinnitus (albeit it's fairly mild). Standard audiogram came back 'normal' although I suspect I may have loss in the ultra-high frequencies and/or hidden hearing loss aka cochlear synaptopathy which also unfortunately isn't revealed by an audiogram.

 

[Lane]

May I ask whether you had reactive tinnitus e.g. tinnitus which spikes easily from noise, and whether this reactivity e.g. the ease of spiking has faded in line with your hyperacusis?

Hi @GBB -- I had serious hyperacusis for many years prior to Feb. 3, 2018, when I took a single dose of an ototoxic drug Promethazine. It was then that I got hit with a horrific case of tinnitus, along with my hyperacusis becoming MUCH worse. To answer your question, accompanying that onset of tinnitus was a horrible case of reactive tinnitus. It was so bad that I couldn't even pee in the toilet without my tinnitus taking off on me.

The good news is that the reactive tinnitus has reduced in intensity starting about a year after onset (which roughly coincided with my starting to do HBOT 3-4x daily), as has my hyperacusis and regular non-reactive tinnitus. Since that original onset of tinnitus and reactive tinnitus, I'd say things have improved on both counts by about 50%+. But that's in comparison to it being absolutely off the charts in the beginning.

If you have any interest in spiritual or energetic techniques, I described what has worked for me in a couple of different posts. [Post 1 Post 2] If you find those interesting, I could share a few more. I've also found that doing things like hot baths, some relaxing essential oils, reflexology, visualization techniques, etc., can be very helpful. There really are a lot of things to try. Effects from these kinds of things can at times be immediate, but I've observed they're generally cumulative as well.

GBB, I've observed a number of your posts over the past few weeks, and have noticed a real tenacity and even curiosity about various things that might work well for you. I really admire those traits, and so thought I'd go ahead and share some of my unorthodox approaches that you may find of interest. I hope you can find something--anything--that works really well for you. -- All the Best!

 

[Lane]

(which roughly coincided with my starting to do HBOT 3-4x daily)

Correction: -- I meant 3-4x weekly, not daily. HBOT can be overdone.

 

[GBB]

Hi @GBB -- I had serious hyperacusis for many years prior to Feb. 3, 2018, when I took a single dose of an ototoxic drug Promethazine. It was then that I got hit with a horrific case of tinnitus, along with my hyperacusis becoming MUCH worse. To answer your question, accompanying that onset of tinnitus was a horrible case of reactive tinnitus. It was so bad that I couldn't even pee in the toilet without my tinnitus taking off on me.

The good news is that the reactive tinnitus has reduced in intensity starting about a year after onset (which roughly coincided with my starting to do HBOT 3-4x daily), as has my hyperacusis and regular non-reactive tinnitus. Since that original onset of tinnitus and reactive tinnitus, I'd say things have improved on both counts by about 50%+. But that's in comparison to it being absolutely off the charts in the beginning.

If you have any interest in spiritual or energetic techniques, I described what has worked for me in a couple of different posts. [Post 1 Post 2] If you find those interesting, I could share a few more. I've also found that doing things like hot baths, some relaxing essential oils, reflexology, visualization techniques, etc., can be very helpful. There really are a lot of things to try. Effects from these kinds of things can at times be immediate, but I've observed they're generally cumulative as well.

GBB, I've observed a number of your posts over the past few weeks, and have noticed a real tenacity and even curiosity about various things that might work well for you. I really admire those traits, and so thought I'd go ahead and share some of my unorthodox approaches that you may find of interest. I hope you can find something--anything--that works really well for you. -- All the Best!

Thanks! I'm more desperate than anything to reclaim as much of my life as possible. I keep a spreadsheet of everything mentioned on this site and am working my way through one therapy/supplement/medication at a time.

I'll definitely add your techniques in. May I ask, do you have some sort of home HBOT unit?

 

[Lane]

May I ask, do you have some sort of home HBOT unit?

@GBB -- Yes, I did purchase one in September, 2018, about 7 months after my tinnitus onset. I can't say it made a difference in my tinnitus volume or intensity, but it did help me considerably in dealing with it, I think primarily because it improved the health and resiliency of my brain and nervous system. I've made numerous posts on the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy thread. I just did a quick search on those posts, and it turns out I made a total of 32 posts, which you may want to peruse.

Of note is that you can rent these things in some areas without having to purchase one outright. The rentals cost about $500-$600/month. In one of my posts, I described how I decided to do a balance transfer on my credit card and was able to use it to purchase my $7,000 unit at 4% for 18 months. They apparently hold their value well, so I thought I could just resell it at anytime if I wanted to. About three months ago, it got destroyed when fires swept through our residential complex in S. Oregon. I'm now in the position of deciding whether I want to repurchase one with our insurance proceeds, or perhaps try some other modality(s), such as PEMF.

 

[DeepUniverse]

@DeepUniverse -- I believe my hyperacusis had its genesis from a head injury/whiplash at age 15. I also believe the structural shifts it produced eventually led to my hyperacusis becoming more and more problematic as I went into my 30's. When I got tinnitus from a single dose of an ototoxic medication 2 years ago, it made my hyperacusis MUCH worse. In the past couple of years, it's been gradually coming back toward my baseline that I had before the medication incident.

I suspect you're correct about hyperacusis fading away for most people, I think especially for people who had it start with acoustic trauma. It may be true for most other causes of hyperacusis as well. In my case however, I think that early injury that created chronic structural issues is still the primary force behind my continuing hyperacusis, which unfortunately continues to be quite acute--though I feel I've learned to manage it at least fairly well. -- I'm currently looking into using prolotherapy to possibly correct my chronic cervical instability.

Hello Lane,

I completely understand your situation. You may be right about your primary reason behind your hyperacusis. However, even in this case, it is only a matter of probability that this is the main cause. Sometimes some things are happening at the same time, but they may not be related. I wonder what is your loudness discomfort level? I estimate that in my case the dynamic range of ears improves by about 5% on average each year (in the last three and a half years). The main and the largest improvement of my hyperacusis was after about one year after the onset of the hyperacusic. Of course, there were many ups and downs in between.

Best

 

[GoatSheep]

The initial cause of my tinnitus was a loud sound that was preceded by a period of a high stress. At the beginning of my tinnitus, I didn't sleep more than one month (just about 1-3 hours a night or even less). I was totally exhausted back then. At this point I thought my life is over. Gradually, over the next 3-10 weeks I developed also extreme hyperacusis with LDL level as low as 30 db. This extreme low LDL lasted more than six months. Almost all sounds were too loud for me, including turning the sheets of paper, typing on the keyboard, and even my own voice was unbearable loud. Ear plugs were my best friends during these horrible months.

After 2.5 years after initial onset, the LDL level improve and is now about 75-90 db (depends on the frequency of the sound). I still have very loud tinnitus lasting 24/7 and I hear my tinnitus almost over all daily sounds including city traffic, TV, and shower. I have still ear plugs in case of heavy street traffic and I am still unable to go to loud restaurants without ear protection. However, now I am in much better space than before 2.5 years. In addition, my tinnitus is somehow softer than it was in the beginning.

For a good night sleep I must take 7.5 mg of mirtazapine along with a small dose of benzos (0.75 mg to 1.5 mg of bromazepam) and about 2.5 mg to 4 mg of Zolpidem. Especially mirtazapine and zolpidem were (and still are) my lifesavers. Now, I take 2-3 times lower doses of tablets than in the beginning.

There is a hope and you will be better over time no matter how difficult the initial situation was and no matter what was the initial cause of your tinnitus.

Congratulations on your improvements of your hyperacusis and ability to deal with your tinnitus. Did/do you have pain from noise, or do you only have loudness hyperacusis?

 

[DeepUniverse]

Congratulations on your improvements of your hyperacusis and ability to deal with your tinnitus. Did/do you have pain from noise, or do you only have loudness hyperacusis?

Thank you very much! At first (i.e., before 6 years), I had extremely severe hyperacusis, but no ear pain (if no sound was present). However, if the sound level exceeded the critical value, I felt pain and the perceived sound was distorted. Initially, this threshold was very low, in my case just about 40 db.

Best regards!

 

[Bodycount2022]

I am at an extreme point now with no hunger, can't sleep and the hyperacusis seems to be the worst ever including outside ear pain.

Is there really a chance of cure without benzos and strong pills?

And I read you should avoid earplugs or it can get worse.

 

[DeepUniverse]

I am at an extreme point now with no hunger, can't sleep and the hyperacusis seems to be the worst ever including outside ear pain.

Is there really a chance of cure without benzos and strong pills?

And I read you should avoid earplugs or it can get worse.

Hello,

Earplugs cannot worsen your tinnitus and hyperacusis, especially not because your primary cause of tinnitus was loud sound. On the contrary, the earplugs can contribute to the gradual improvement of the condition. Please use earplugs wherever you do not feel comfortable due to loud sound (city traffic, shops, while driving a car, etc.). Your doctor should prescribe a medication to help you fall asleep. Exhaustion and fatigue due to several months of insomnia are much worse than a small dose of sleeping aids, especially because the aids can be also on natural basis.

Please do not despair and be persistent. I was in the hell of tinnitus and hyperacusis six years ago, but I'm still here. My condition has improved significantly. Hyperacusis improves by about 5-10% each year. I still have tinnitus, but it is much more bearable and softer than in the beginning.

I am sure that your current worsening of tinnitus is transient and that you will recover soon.

Best regards.

 

[Juan]

And I read you should avoid earplugs or it can get worse.

If you have severe hyperacusis, you need to wear earplugs outside home. Otherwise, loud noise will make hyperacusis get into a never ending cycle of pain, muffled hearing, pressure, less pressure and hearing never gets stable.

 

[Athens]

@DeepUniverse, when you had a significant problem with hyperacusis, did you notice it getting worse at times before it improved?

It is my understanding that improvement does not follow a linear fashion. It reminds me of the stock market. It might be down for weeks or months, but at the end of the year, it might still show a nice gain. I am going through a tough period right now, but I do have some better days with my mood. I am also very slowly decreasing my Clonazepam intake. Each time that I make a reduction in this medication, it might result in the tinnitus and hyperacusis being more severe due to the fact that this medicine causes a decrease in the electrical activity in the brain.

 

[Athens]

If you have severe hyperacusis, you need to wear earplugs outside home. Otherwise, loud noise will make hyperacusis get into a never ending cycle of pain, muffled hearing, pressure, less pressure and hearing never gets stable.

I have to ask: isn't the inside of the home also worthy of a more careful approach (running water, dropping a fork into the sink, dishes being stacked, etc.) or are you specifically referencing very loud noises that might actually cause damage to the auditory system? I struggle with the fact that normal, everyday sounds seem to have had the cumulative impact of worsening my hyperacusis and tinnitus. It is hard to tell whether this is the cause or stress, anxiety, sleep issues.

 

[Bodycount2022]

Hello,

Earplugs cannot worsen your tinnitus and hyperacusis, especially not because your primary cause of tinnitus was loud sound. On the contrary, the earplugs can contribute to the gradual improvement of the condition. Please use earplugs wherever you do not feel comfortable due to loud sound (city traffic, shops, while driving a car, etc.). Your doctor should prescribe a medication to help you fall asleep. Exhaustion and fatigue due to several months of insomnia are much worse than a small dose of sleeping aids, especially because the aids can be also on natural basis.

Please do not despair and be persistent. I was in the hell of tinnitus and hyperacusis six years ago, but I'm still here. My condition has improved significantly. Hyperacusis improves by about 5-10% each year. I still have tinnitus, but it is much more bearable and softer than in the beginning.

I am sure that your current worsening of tinnitus is transient and that you will recover soon.

Best regards.

Thanks for your positive words. Sadly I took Zopiclone to sleep once and it seems to have ruined my hearing experience completely so the tinnitus and hyperacusis are now in ears AND the head. It was just half a pill of Zopiclone. Did it mess up my brain now completely?

 

[Juan]

I have to ask: isn't the inside of the home also worthy of a more careful approach (running water, dropping a fork into the sink, dishes being stacked, etc.) or are you specifically referencing very loud noises that might actually cause damage to the auditory system? I struggle with the fact that normal, everyday sounds seem to have had the cumulative impact of worsening my hyperacusis and tinnitus. It is hard to tell whether this is the cause or stress, anxiety, sleep issues.

Noises inside the house may feel annoying or trigger symptoms only if you have severe hyperacusis, but these noises should not cause lasting damage.

If you feel very uncomfortable at home due to those noises, use earmuffs... quick to put on and take off.

 

[Athens]

Hello,

Earplugs cannot worsen your tinnitus and hyperacusis, especially not because your primary cause of tinnitus was loud sound. On the contrary, the earplugs can contribute to the gradual improvement of the condition. Please use earplugs wherever you do not feel comfortable due to loud sound (city traffic, shops, while driving a car, etc.). Your doctor should prescribe a medication to help you fall asleep. Exhaustion and fatigue due to several months of insomnia are much worse than a small dose of sleeping aids, especially because the aids can be also on natural basis.

Please do not despair and be persistent. I was in the hell of tinnitus and hyperacusis six years ago, but I'm still here. My condition has improved significantly. Hyperacusis improves by about 5-10% each year. I still have tinnitus, but it is much more bearable and softer than in the beginning.

I am sure that your current worsening of tinnitus is transient and that you will recover soon.

Best regards.

I like your reference to the five (5) to ten (10) percent improvement each year. What is your basis for this statement?

 

[Mister Muso]

I like your reference to the five (5) to ten (10) percent improvement each year. What is your basis for this statement?

I'd say I have been a bit more fortunate and seen approximately a 20% improvement in my hyperacusis over each of the three years I've had it.

My tinnitus on the other hand is all over the place but I've got better at managing it.

 

[Athens]

I'd say I have been a bit more fortunate and seen approximately a 20% improvement in my hyperacusis over each of the three years I've had it.

My tinnitus on the other hand is all over the place but I've got better at managing it.

I have had hyperacusis for eighteen (18) months, and it does not seem to be improving despite sound therapy and other approaches. The tinnitus started approximately sixteen months ago and seems to be getting more pronounced. I have read many postings from people who have seen significant improvement between two and four years after onset so I am still hopeful. One person with a very bad case of pain hyperacusis indicates that he is aware of only a few people who have not improved and are unable to tolerate any sound.

 

[Mister Muso]

@Athens, I hope things improve for you soon. My hyperacusis was so bad in the first 9 months I couldn't tolerate the sound of my own voice without earplugs half way in. I avoid loud environments but I'm becoming less reliant on earplugs. I still hold out hope that I may be able to return to making live music which I loved to do before this all started, even at a reduced level. I've played for a couple of small events lately which did spike my tinnitus a little, so we'll have to see.

 

[Athens]

@Athens, I hope things improve for you soon. My hyperacusis was so bad in the first 9 months I couldn't tolerate the sound of my own voice without earplugs half way in. I avoid loud environments but I'm becoming less reliant on earplugs. I still hold out hope that I may be able to return to making live music which I loved to do before this all started, even at a reduced level. I've played for a couple of small events lately which did spike my tinnitus a little, so we'll have to see.

I played a lot of live music for decades which may have caused all of this due to lack of protection. Some people who have played far more shows than me and are much older have experienced no issues at all. I accidentally set the burglar alarm off a few nights ago. It was very loud but hopefully it did not cause a setback or any damage.

 

[Aaron91]

I have had hyperacusis for eighteen (18) months, and it does not seem to be improving despite sound therapy and other approaches. The tinnitus started approximately sixteen months ago and seems to be getting more pronounced. I have read many postings from people who have seen significant improvement between two and four years after onset so I am still hopeful. One person with a very bad case of pain hyperacusis indicates that he is aware of only a few people who have not improved and are unable to tolerate any sound.

I recall you posting before that you would be trying a low histamine diet. Did you go through with it? How did it go for you?

 

[Athens]

I recall you posting before that you would be trying a low histamine diet. Did you go through with it? How did it go for you?

I tried it. I found it very difficult, but I did not notice any improvement. I think that some folks believe that it is more helpful for pain hyperacusis/noxacusis.

 

[Mister Muso]

I accidentally set the burglar alarm off a few nights ago. It was very loud but hopefully it did not cause a setback or any damage.

Our smoke detector is constantly going off whilst cooking. I always keep ear plugs and muffs handy when I know this is a possibility. I've twice recently had to press the reset switch and my ears seemed fine with double protection. I'm not sure if I could have managed it this time last year though when my hyperacusis was worse.

 

[Aaron91]

I tried it. I found it very difficult, but I did not notice any improvement. I think that some folks believe that it is more helpful for pain hyperacusis/noxacusis.

For how long did you do it? And what were you eating exactly?

 

[Athens]

For how long did you do it? And what were you eating exactly?

I was eating just plan steak or chicken with rice and steel cut oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. I probably did this diet for three weeks. I think that it is not recommended for more than four weeks.

 

[Aaron91]

I was eating just plan steak or chicken with rice and steel cut oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. I probably did this diet for three weeks. I think that it is not recommended for more than four weeks.

Thank for the reply. Were you getting the meat frozen, or from a fridge/butcher?

 

[Athens]

Thank for the reply. Were you getting the meat frozen, or from a fridge/butcher?

The meat was packaged by a butcher at a grocery store. I would freeze it after the package was opened and there was some meat still left in the package.

 

[Sam Marksmen]

What sound level do you consider too much and need earplugs? I live 200 feet from a road with lots of trees in between.

Outside the sound is like 40-50 dB max. It doesn't hurt my ears but should I use hearing protection? I have hyperacusis also.