Reactive Tinnitus and Sound Distortions: How to Move Forward?

Hello everyone,

My Health Journey:

I have been living with tinnitus and hyperacusis for 12 years, but I’ve managed to overcome them, particularly hyperacusis, where everyday noises no longer bother me (except for washing dishes and vacuuming). I was so proud of myself for being able to live happily!

For almost a year, I also dealt with ear spasms (myoclonus) triggered by burping, yawning, or stretching. Magnesium bisglycinate helped me significantly, and now I experience very few spasms. Additionally, I had a "reflex" in my ears when I spoke or when something fell. I thought this was due to my hyperacusis, which has also since improved (possibly TTTS?).

In late June 2024, I decided to do some health tests for my 30th birthday, including a urine test, as I wanted to get an overall picture of my health. Unfortunately, I tested positive for an STI, which explained the urinary pain I had been experiencing. My doctor prescribed a 14-day course of Doxycycline (200 mg per day). During these 14 days, I experienced occasional spikes in my tinnitus.

Sadly, at the end of the treatment, my pain persisted. I returned to my doctor, who then prescribed 28 more days of Doxycycline. During this second course, my symptoms initially disappeared. However, on the 25th day, the pain returned, and I was devastated. I experienced severe stress, anxiety attacks, and overwhelming fear that I might have to live with this forever. I spent sleepless nights reading through forums and dark stories online.

Now, three weeks after completing the second treatment, I’ve started experiencing sound distortions. This has caused me immense worry, as I fear this may be permanent. Usually, background noise masks my tinnitus, but now it feels like the opposite.

At home, I can’t do anything without my tinnitus reacting to real-time noises, only stopping when the sound source is turned off. Everyday sounds like water, wind, rain, my breathing, movements, air conditioning, fans, cars, and the TV all seem to aggravate my tinnitus, and it’s exhausting.

I can’t seem to stop fixating on these phenomena. I try going outside to get some fresh air and stay active, but as soon as I return home, my morale plummets. I’ve been living in silence, but I’m unsure if that’s the right approach.

My family doesn’t understand what I’m going through, and they continue making noise in the house. With each sound, my tinnitus spikes (for example, the TV in the living room is 50 meters away from my bedroom, and even with the door closed, the TV’s frequencies seem to pass through. I feel like I have superhuman hearing, like Superman with superpowers).

I desperately need advice on how to stop fixating on all the noise in my life.

• Is this condition curable?
• Should I try to live normally?
• Should I protect myself from noise all the time?
• Should I live in silence?
• Did my treatment damage my ears? Or is it due to stress or anxiety?
• Should I take any medication? I’m already taking Magnesium bisglycinate (800 mg) and probiotics. I tried NAC (600 mg), but my tinnitus increased the day after my first dose, so I stopped. I also drink Chamomile herbal tea to help me sleep.

Here is a video that explains what I hear (please be mindful of the volume):



I’m feeling completely lost and anxious about going through all of this. I need help so much. Thank you, everyone.

 

Yesterday, while I was walking in the park, I noticed some people behind me. When I turned around, I suddenly heard a beeping sound in my right ear.

Just now, as I was watching a video on Twitch, I heard beeping sounds again.

I don't know if this is normal, but I'm so frustrated. I'm done :'(

 

I've experienced the exact same sound distortions shown in that video. They can be both frightening and alarming. Some practitioners believe it's related to hyperacusis, but no one really knows for sure. The good news is that these distortions tend to improve over time. Mine have gotten better, but it took about a year, and some days, they still persist.

 

Yes, this is similar to my situation. It's been three and a half years, and it has only gotten worse. Nothing has helped, and I can barely function.

 

Thank you for your responses, everyone. How do I get this to regenerate? @Cmspgran's condition has improved, but @Pinhead's has not.

Is there an explanation for this? How can I be sure I'm on the right path to recovery? Do you have any advice for me, or is it just a game of Russian roulette?

Today, I spent two hours at the park. The beeps I heard yesterday came from a few cars passing by on the street. There was also a man cutting wood, about 800 meters away, and I could still hear the frequency of the chainsaw.

On the one hand, it depresses me a bit, but on the other hand, I'm beginning to understand my problem.

Thank you again for your help. This is all new to me, and I am in a great deal of distress.

 

How do you get it to regenerate? You could consider taking a course of very high-dose steroids. I took 250 mg of Prednisolone per day for 3 days to get rid of the "noise" in my left ear, and it seems to have worked for the most part. You could also consider taking Pentoxifylline 400 mg three times a day for 3 days while you're on the steroids.

Mine was much worse in my right ear, but I had it for over a year in my left ear. It would make a "tinga-ling" noise when any high-pitched sound stopped, and sometimes it would go "tinga-ling-a-ling" constantly while high-pitched noises were present, such as a fan or motor running. It was bizarre.

 

Hey @Kraazy,

I'm so sorry to hear you're dealing with this. I, too, experienced distortions that were at their worst from May 2023 to November 2023. However, they did improve to the point where I honestly forgot about them because they became so mild. I even remember saying to myself in the shower, "Wow, the distortion from the water running is barely noticeable anymore." It seemed like the more improvement I saw, the better I felt, and the less I cared or monitored them closely. This improvement lasted from December 2023 through July 2024. Unfortunately, after some noisy events and intense stress and emotional challenges in July and August, the distortions returned and have become bothersome again.

Others in this forum have also experienced distortions and have noted that they tend to flare up during periods of high stress. In my own case, I saw significant improvement starting in December 2023 after I worked hard to calm my nervous system through therapy and dealt with some very stressful life circumstances, all while being mindful of my sound exposure.

I mention this because you shared that you experienced severe stress, anxiety attacks, etc., following your use of Doxycycline, which caused spikes. It sounds like a "perfect storm" where both factors—stress and the medication—played off each other.

So, what am I doing as I battle this for the second time?

• Staying home when I can, in a low-noise environment.
  
  
• Trying to break the impulsive cycle my brain falls into by fixating, monitoring, and judging the distortions. When I let my brain fixate, I’m reinforcing the idea that these sounds are not only important but dangerous, which causes a huge emotional response.
  
  
• Reminding myself that this *can* get better. My body and nervous system have been through a lot in a short time, so everything is heightened. I focus on resting when I can, distracting myself in healthy ways, and remembering that things improved before.
  
  
• Seeing a massage/bodywork therapist who specializes in the face, neck, and head areas (especially TMJ areas). Others with hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus have recently tried this and found some relief. I had a great therapist who really helped calm my system and had a positive effect on my spike, but she moved to another state. I’m seeing a new one soon.

I completely understand your panic and fear. I'm feeling it again myself, and I just returned to full-time work! But I know from my experience, and from the wise advice of others like @MindOverMatter, that stress, worry, and fear only fuel my tinnitus, reactivity, and distortions. I’m not saying these things caused my condition—I don’t believe that—but they certainly exacerbate it. This is just my personal experience, and I respect that others may feel differently about their own situations.

Stay strong.

 

I have a loud, nonstop ringing in both ears, but last November, I also started hearing a beeping sound in my right ear. It comes and goes, starting randomly without warning, and I never know when it will appear or disappear. At first, I thought it was triggered by my smoke alarm's low battery when the alarm began chirping. My conclusion was that my brain heard the sound and tried to mimic it.

It's scary! I feel your pain!

 

I experienced sound distortions in one ear for several months following a somewhat loud accident. As I mentioned, it took several months for it to resolve. My advice is to make sure you avoid any exposure to loud noises during this time—wear earplugs if you're in a situation where an ambulance or other loud sounds might occur.

I was going to say to try to remember that it will probably go away soon, but I know that's easier said than done. I remember being in a dark place myself, just like you are now, freaking out. But if I were a betting man, I’d wager it will go away on its own. Honestly, I'd put money on it.

 

It's always interesting to see how what works for some can have the opposite effect on others. After my first two visits to a massage therapist, I nearly ended up institutionalized. It got so much worse that I couldn't bear it.

 

Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, I've taken so many pills that my intestines are damaged. I really don't want to take any more medication.

It might seem like I'm avoiding treatment, especially with drugs like steroids, but I don’t want to make my condition worse—it's already challenging enough. I also read that prednisolone can increase tinnitus, so I'd rather not risk trying it.

I replayed the situation, and the beep I heard was actually from a truck in the distance backing up. It was loud, and I think I picked up that frequency when I turned my head to look at the people behind me.

However, I now have a new tinnitus sound, like a field of crickets, with a beep at the end. It doesn’t bother me during the day, only in very quiet places, especially at night.

I hope it goes away.

Thank you for your response; it reassures me. I understand now that my symptoms may be due to stress, and I need to try to focus less on them. Today, I went out, and I was worried that the noise from the cars might worsen my sound distortions. I managed not to focus on them, but when I entered a pharmacy, it was very noisy, so I wore my -25 dB ear protection. I have different levels of protection (-16 dB and -25 dB), and I’m unsure which ones to use. I also have noise-canceling headphones, which I often use because they’re quicker to put on when something loud, like a motorcycle, happens unexpectedly.

The problem is, I don’t want to develop sonophobia. I used to live so well before, and I only protected my ears in very noisy places. Should I continue this way?

Thank you for your advice. I'm also unsure what to think about massages. A week after my treatment, my osteopath tried to massage the area around my head, but it didn’t improve my distortions.

I’m still taking probiotics, Magnesium, and Nettle infusions, but nothing seems to work. I’m worried that I may have experienced noise trauma during my treatment. I remember attending a party where dogs barked for a long time, and I didn’t have any protection at the time.

I also recall, during my treatment, hearing my mother’s voice strangely in my right ear, almost like there was a frequency I could no longer pick up. I didn’t worry at the time and just continued with my life.

I plan to continue living as before, perhaps with a little more protection, but I don’t want to relive those years of hyperacusis when I was afraid of every noise.

Thank you for your kind words; they truly give me hope and a desire to keep going. I know I will overcome these distortions. I think it’s still early for me to fully grasp the situation, but from everything I've read on forums, it seems that most of the time, you just have to be patient, and things return to normal.

I will take care to protect myself, but I’m also worried about overprotecting and potentially triggering my hyperacusis again.