Think I'm Having a Tinnitus "Spike" After Drinking Too Much and Going to Very Loud Bars

So after about a year of very low volume tinnitus where I struggled to hear it unless plugging my ears, I stupidly had too much to drink last night and went to a couple of very loud bars.

When I got back I had pretty loud cricket style tinnitus, and this afternoon the crickets have gone, and it's a high pitched sound in the right ear, still not that obvious but of course this is my first "spike" and naturally I've gone full fight or flight mode thinking I'm going back to the days of horror before it got better the last time.

So yeah... I shan't be going near bars anytime soon (ever) again. How long will this roughly take to get back to baseline do you think?

 

No more bars, no more loud sounds, and this could take months, like 6 to 24 to subside.

 

So sorry.

Did you wear ear plugs?

I always carry them around with me, along with Nicotinamide Riboside in case of an unanticipated noise exposure.

I think your tinnitus will settle.

The anxiety will probably feed into your spike, so do as I have done myself; calm down your CNS. For me, it has meant lots of sleep, meditation, hypnosis, and massages.

I was reading about TNF-a's role in neuro inflammation in auditory damage recently. A few on here report Curcumin being helpful in the inhibition of TNF-a.

Personally, I'd throw Curcumin, Magnesium, and Nicotinamide Riboside at it.

If you're really concerned, you could approach your doctor for a trial of Prednisolone.

Just be prepared next time. You're going to be OK.

 

Be aware of things that might lead you to expose yourself unwillingly to loud noise because they make you forget risks:
- alcohol
- too much fun (this both gave me my initial T and my first spike).

 

Well it's got better now a bit - slightly above baseline... hopefully fully back soon. But yeah... lesson learned.

 

Glad to hear you're feeling better...

 

Just a reminder of how our lives have changed.

 

HI @Jamesd

Although it reads on your Avatar cause of tinnitus unknown, something usually causes it. The most common cause is exposure to loud noise. If you were a regular user of headphones prior to the onset of your tinnitus or frequently went to clubs, bars, concerts where loud music is played, either of these things would have caused the tinnitus. From your description I suspect your tinnitus is noise induced.

If you listen to music through headphones my advice is to stop and don't even use them at low volume, but the choice is yours. Please click on the links below and read my articles on tinnitus that you might find helpful.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

I haven't stopped going out in the 10 years since I first got Tinnitus.

Mine always returns to baseline even after particularly loud nights. I can always tell when ive gone too far because my ear ends up feeling full for a few days with increase in tinnitus, always seems to go back down within a week or so.

 

Hey all,

Can confirm the spike has now completely settled and tinnitus resolved .. took 4-5 days

Feel like ive dodged a bullet. I still have some 0.5/10 head noise i always had but dont think that even qualifies as t

 

These temporary spikes can happen if you drink a bit too much.. with or without loud music.
But just in case, take earplugs next time you go to a bar.

 

So I had a spike in March after my tinnitus faded to practically 0 from April 2018. The cause of my spike was obvious then. I had been to a nightclub, so my own daft fault.

A couple of days ago I started to experience mild tinnitus to the left side of my head. It isn't constant - it comes and goes; I haven't done anything out of the ordinary except I've been pretty stressed at work. Didn't get a wink of sleep last night because of anxiety that I would be reliving my 2018 horror days all over again and I'm loaded with adrenaline right now.

I have only had 2 real "spikes" since onset, in March and now - how regularly do you guys have spikes, and how long do they typically last. Feel like I'm in the twilight zone again...

 

I'm a believer that stress can act as a primary cause for tinnitus to either develop and or spike. The fact that you've been under a lot of stress at work, now compounded by you stressing over the noise and losing sleep, could very well be what is making your tinnitus worse. I don't seem to gets spikes, just good days and bad days at the total random will of my tinnitus - but most people would argue that spikes usually last a few days to a week, and generally no longer than three months (worst case) as long as you don't have another loud noise exposure.

When you first got your tinnitus in April 2018, how loud was it (out of 1-10) and was it a tone, hiss, buzz, etc. and how long did it take for it to fade to practically 0?

Since it's already faded for you in the past, and since it doesn't look like you've had another loud noise exposure, hopefully it will fade for you again.

 

Hi tbuzz,

It was a tone that was about 4 level which reduced slowly to the level it is now. If i plug my ears i can still hear it but it's so quiet otherwise that i can't unless in a very very quiet room, and then its even difficilt to differentiate between usual head noise, blood flow for eg.

It took about 6 months to reduce to this level and the only setbacks i have had are the 2 spikes which resolved after a few days each time.

I am lucky i think not to have something more constant at baseline level so im very careful with noises and tend to avoid places that are too loud - which sucks really because im a white collar worker with many younger ladies who enjoy bars as my clients!!

During my initial recovery i took 1 tebonin per day, and i have been doing the same each spike. Worked so far (i think?) Although i cant be sure its just time and my brain rewiring itself. Tebonin might not have anything to do with it !