Habituated to Tinnitus — Now Experiencing a Worsening from a Cold or Drinking Three Cans of Fanta?

[Ivanom]

First thing, I'm not a native English speaker so forgive my errors.

So I first develop tinnitus back in 2016, I was in total desperation but after 6-7 months I was fully habituated...

Until this Tuesday, where I got my first spike/worsening. The same day I became a total wreck.

I really don't know why it happened: maybe from a not-so-heavy cold, or maybe from drinking 3 cans of Fanta in the last week.

The next day I went to an ENT who prescribed me lots of drugs: Sulodexide, Cinnarizine, Lamotrigine, a food supplements that contains vitamin A, B1, B6, B12, C, L-Tryptophan, Hawthorn, Ginkgo biloba, Valerian and Hop and another food supplement with Melatonin.

Right now I'm unable to function properly, this tinnitus is maskable only when I take a shower, and I am unable to sleep.

What should I do?

Happy Christmas to all of you, I'm sending a big hug!

 

[Elinor]

I'm sorry that you are experiencing this.

While Fanta is a very unlikely reason for your spike, having colds on the other hand have brought people to this forum before. It's not uncommon for colds to cause blocked Eustachian tubes, this can either spike your tinnitus or muffle your hearing and make you perceive your tinnitus as louder. The good news is that this is in a lot of cases temporary. Eustachian tube blockage tends to take longer time to clear up than the cold itself, about a month or so. If this is the case there's not really much to do other than wait it out.

Sometimes warm showers/hot steam can clear things up a little. Some people use steroidal nasal sprays, but with caution. Though difficult right now, getting some rest is also important.

I hope this helps and that your spike goes down. Merry Christmas.

 

[billie48]

Right now I'm unable to function properly, this tinnitus is maskable only when I take a shower, and I am unable to sleep

Welcome to the forum. I have empathy for what you are going through. I agree Fanta may not cause your tinnitus, but a cold with sinus congestion has been known to trigger tinnitus. So perhaps get your ENT to check out the sinus and any sign of ETD.

As for sleep, you can try mask the ringing. Perhaps download some apps for tinnitus masking sounds and then use a Bluetooth speaker. For high-pitched tinnitus you can try the sounds of heavy rain, waves, wind, cicadas, even shower sounds. You may want to take melatonin to see if it helps.

Try to relax. Good luck. Take care. God bless you with speedy recovery.

 

[Ivanom]

I'm sorry that you are experiencing this.

While Fanta is a very unlikely reason for your spike, having colds on the other hand have brought people to this forum before. It's not uncommon for colds to cause blocked Eustachian tubes, this can either spike your tinnitus or muffle your hearing and make you perceive your tinnitus as louder. The good news is that this is in a lot of cases temporary. Eustachian tube blockage tends to take longer time to clear up than the cold itself, about a month or so. If this is the case there's not really much to do other than wait it out.

Sometimes warm showers/hot steam can clear things up a little. Some people use steroidal nasal sprays, but with caution. Though difficult right now, getting some rest is also important.

I hope this helps and that your spike goes down. Merry Christmas.

Ho @Elinor, thank you for your reply, you gave me hope

Yes, I forgot to say that the ENT gave me 3 nasal sprays, maybe it's just for that.

Welcome to the forum. I have empathy for what you are going through. I agree Fanta may not cause your tinnitus, but a cold with sinus congestion has been known to trigger tinnitus. So perhaps get your ENT to check out the sinus and any sign of ETD.

As for sleep, you can try mask the ringing. Perhaps download some apps for tinnitus masking sounds and then use a Bluetooth speaker. For high-pitched tinnitus you can try the sounds of heavy rain, waves, wind, cicadas, even shower sounds. You may want to take melatonin to see if it helps.

Try to relax. Good luck. Take care. God bless you with speedy recovery.

Hi @billie48, thank you for your reply.

As I said, I'm currently taking Melatonin and yes, I'm using a masking sound, but it's useless, I'm still unable to sleep.

 

[Ivanom]

Day 7 here. 1 week has gone by since the increase of my tinnitus.

I'd like to know if this could be a spike or a permanent worsening of this condition. Is there any way to figure this out?

I read from @Michael Leigh that using earphones even at a low volume level can make tinnitus worse. Unfortunately I have used them, always at a low volume level. Am I doomed and I have to get used to this increased tinnitus?

I will never use headphones again, or eat junk foods, like I used to!

I'm currently doing therapy, as I said above, but the more time passes, the more I start to fear that it's all useless.

I need some positivity

 

[Michael Leigh]

I read from @Michael Leigh that using earphones even at a low volume level can make tinnitus worse. Unfortunately I have used them, always at a low volume level. Am I doomed and I have to get used to this increased tinnitus?

I will never use headphones again, or eat junk foods, like I used to!

You have had tinnitus for quite a while @Ivanom. Exposure to loud noise is one of the most common causes of tinnitus, and typically, listening to audio through headphones, earbuds, headsets, noise-cancelling and bone conduction headphones are responsible for it. Exposure to other types of loud noise can cause tinnitus too.

I suspect the original cause of your tinnitus in 2016 was caused by exposure to loud noise or listening to audio through some type of headphones as mentioned above, at too high a volume and for long durations without giving the ears sufficient rest. My reasons for saying this is because you are experiencing a spike. Spikes are usually (but not always) associated with noise-induced tinnitus. I also suspect this isn't the first time you have experienced a spike since 2016. If they have been a regular occurrence, there are usually two reasons for this. Either your auditory system has remnants of hyperacusis that hasn't completely healed, which results in your ears being oversensitive to sound, or you have been using headphones on a regular basis.

Listening to audio through any type of headphones, even at a low volume, can make tinnitus worse for some people. I hasten to add, it is mostly people that have noise-induced tinnitus. However, this doesn't mean everyone that has noise-induced tinnitus and uses headphones will make their tinnitus worse, but the risk is there. Please click on the links below and read my posts: Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus?

Michael

Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

[Ivanom]

I also suspect this isn't the first time you have experienced a spike since 2016. If they have been a regular occurrence, there are usually two reasons for this. Either your auditory system has remnants of hyperacusis that hasn't completely healed, which results in your ears being oversensitive to sound, or you have been using headphones on a regular basis.

No, I never had any spike since the first onset, this is the first spike I'm currently having, unfortunately. Since I'm too "aware" of my tinnitus, as soon as I discover some change, I immediately realize it... and this is the first time that it is happening in 6 years.

By the way, is it normal for me to experience a change in tinnitus loudness without hyperacusis, as far as you know? And do you know if my spike is temporary or not?

 

[Michael Leigh]

No, I never had any spike since the first onset, this is the first spike I'm currently having, unfortunately. Since I'm too "aware" of my tinnitus, as soon as I discover some change, I immediately realize it... and this is the first time that it is happening in 6 years.

By the way, is it normal for me to experience a change in tinnitus loudness without hyperacusis, as far as you know? And do you know if my spike is temporary or not?

Since this is the first time your tinnitus has spiked in 6 years, I believe this is good news and your current spike will hopefully reduce to your baseline level with time. For this to happen there are a few things that I advise you to do. You have said that you are acutely aware of any change in your tinnitus. Unfortunately this can sometimes work against a person and cause stress which can make tinnitus worse.

My advice is to start using low-level sound enrichment during the day and especially at night, by placing a sound machine by your bedside. Please click on the link below and read my post: New to Tinnitus, What to Do?

No two people will experience tinnitus the same. It is not unusual for people to experience changes in tinnitus loudness, whether it is noise induced or caused by an underlying medical condition within the auditory system. Many things can cause this and typically stress is a contributing factor. One mustn't rule out medication. Some can be ototoxic and increase tinnitus as I have recently found out. One statin medication to reduce my cholesterol, increased my tinnitus to the point I had to stop taking it. I have tried two others and, whilst they didn't affect my tinnitus, they caused other complications.

I believe it is possible for you to experience the change in tinnitus loudness without hyperacusis. If you have recently started a new medicine, this might be related to the increase in your tinnitus. However, since you regularly use headphones, albeit at a low volume, I suspect your tinnitus was noise induced. I think headphones has caused the spike in your tinnitus. Since this is the first spike in 6 years, it's quite possible for the tinnitus to calm down in time.

You need to return to basics. Go to my started threads and read the posts listed below. Print these and the other posts I have mentioned and refer to them often to help reinforce positive thinking. In addition to this, work towards starting a new hobby or interest as this will help take your attention away from the tinnitus. Coupled with sound enrichment, I think with time you will notice improvement.

• Tinnitus, a Personal View
• Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset
• Acquiring a Positive Mindset
• The Habituation Process
• How to Habituate to Tinnitus
• Sound Machines and Tinnitus

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

[Ivanom]

Luckily the spike subsided to its baseline... I don't know if it's because of the meds I'm on or because it's "normal" but it's gone down; it was terribly scary, but now with a change of diet and movement I will be even better (and once again, no more headphones).

Thank you all for your support.

 

[Ivanom]

I declared victory too soon: yesterday it came back to me! At this point I think it's not a problem with headphones and/or noise, but rather with the fact that I ate at a Chinese restaurant and discovered that they used MSG. I hope this spike is also temporary.