I awoke with tinnitus (in my right ear) the morning of July 20th, 2014. I was being treated for a tooth infection during the week prior and could feel pain and pressure building up along my jaw toward my right ear. The doctors believe that nerve inflammation from the infection compressed on my auditory nerve and caused the tinnitus. Over the first couple of weeks the tinnitus became very high pitched, loud and reactive (it sounded like feedback from a microphone). It was also complicated by severe hyperacusis. Then, over the following two weeks both started to settle down and the tinnitus became a quiet, high pitched "tinkling sound". At that point I started taking taurine and NAC (both at the same time). Shortly after I started taking these, I began having daily episodes of fleeting tinnitus as well as a loud hissing in my right ear (and at times I would wake up in the middle of the night with the sensation of an "electrical firestorm" in my head). I'm thinking that these were side effects from the taurine (as when I discontinued the taurine both the fleeting tinnitus and "firestorm" sensations stopped). However, the loud hissing remains.
Additionally, a few weeks ago I started perceiving an additional low tone (around 300 hz) that fills my entire head (it definitely isn't coming from my ears). Initially, I could only hear the tone in an extremely quiet room. Now, I hear this low tone throughout the day whenever I move from a room with sound to no sound (and it becomes very loud during the night). It seems to fade away when I'm in the kitchen and the refrigerator is on, or if I'm driving in the car, etc. However, I don't think these sounds are just "masking" the tone, as it really seems to briefly fade away, but, as soon as the outside noise stops comes flooding back. It's almost as if my ears have lost the ability to pressurize and adjust from noise to quiet. Has anyone experienced this? Did it stay or eventually go away? The high pitched hiss is very difficult to cope with and now I'm distraught over this new low tone. I'm upset with myself for taking the taurine. I think it messed up something with the GABA in my brain. I stopped taking the taurine for two weeks but am not seeing any changes other than a discontinuation of the "firestorm" and fleeting tinnitus. I would greatly appreciate everyone's thoughts and suggestions. Thank you--
Additionally, a few weeks ago I started perceiving an additional low tone (around 300 hz) that fills my entire head (it definitely isn't coming from my ears). Initially, I could only hear the tone in an extremely quiet room. Now, I hear this low tone throughout the day whenever I move from a room with sound to no sound (and it becomes very loud during the night). It seems to fade away when I'm in the kitchen and the refrigerator is on, or if I'm driving in the car, etc. However, I don't think these sounds are just "masking" the tone, as it really seems to briefly fade away, but, as soon as the outside noise stops comes flooding back. It's almost as if my ears have lost the ability to pressurize and adjust from noise to quiet. Has anyone experienced this? Did it stay or eventually go away? The high pitched hiss is very difficult to cope with and now I'm distraught over this new low tone. I'm upset with myself for taking the taurine. I think it messed up something with the GABA in my brain. I stopped taking the taurine for two weeks but am not seeing any changes other than a discontinuation of the "firestorm" and fleeting tinnitus. I would greatly appreciate everyone's thoughts and suggestions. Thank you--