Tinnitus Gotten Worse — Masking Sounds Only Raise Tinnitus Loudness

[eiyaya]

I would like to seek some newer advice from everyone.

My tinnitus normally is very low frequency. I suspect it began with my visual snow since childhood.

However, I feel it has become louder after I took Invokana (canagliflozin), a diabetes drug.

So like everyone I search for ways to reduce the ringing. But the ringing is so loud that the tinnitus increase/match with any masking noise. I can actually hear 50% of the tinnitus with white noise/brown pink or even pink noise and the pitch becomes higher when music / sound are in place.

I am very afraid at this moment that this is for me... I will live with a louder version of tinnitus for the rest of my life. I am already very depressed lately by many factors in life.

I lost my job, can't keep any jobs more then a week. Can't land any job because of several health issue. I am not qualified for disability because I am not physically disabled and I was declined already.

On top of tinnitus, which normally is at a bearable level, I have visual snow that makes reading difficult and seeing things hard. I also have lack of sleep from sleep apnea, coughing blood every morning and a chronic back pain. With tinnitus getting stronger, I feel my life is in hell now.

I have no one to turn to anymore. Doctor only labels me as psychological disorder person. I am seeking anything that can reduce the tinnitus and give me some relief if possible. White noise doesn't work anymore. What else can work? I really consider a bullet would help.

 

[Dr. Ancill]

White noise (and similar sounds) will be treated by the brain the same way it deals with tinnitus - these are disorganized sounds that repeatedly alert the brain and it cannot habituate. Masking is also not very effective, as you have found out. What I would suggest is that you try some of the Iphone or Android Apps that generate various nature sounds. Find one that assists your brain in habituating to that sound (rushing water, crickets, etc) and it will take the tinnitus with it. The volume of the sound you use should be just below the tinnitus so you can still just hear the tinnitus.

Visual snow is more tricky - it is thought that as you become sensitized to tinnitus, the otherwise normal visual stuff you have previously ignored, is now perceived. Once perceived, it is hard to ignore - maybe a visual version of tinnitus. Some of the newer antiseizure medications (lamitrigine, topiramate and pregabelin) may be helpful.

Of course, you need to discuss this with you doctor.

 

[Autumnly]

On top of tinnitus, which normally is at a bearable level, I have visual snow that makes reading difficult and seeing things hard.

The Visual Snow Initiative said they're expecting to launch a device to treat visual snow this summer. I'm sure they'll post more information about this treatment as soon as they can. I'm putting their update under a spoiler:

Spoiler

However, I feel it has become louder after I took Invokana (canagliflozin), a diabetes drug.

It's probably a question of causation or correlation. Did the drug itself make your tinnitus worse or was it something else?

Some of the newer antiseizure medications (lamitrigine, topiramate and pregabelin) may be helpful.

Are their studies that show they can be useful for visual snow? I think I remember you saying you wouldn't recommend antiseizure drugs for tinnitus. (Obviously, tinnitus and visual snow are not the same condition, so I can see how antiseizure drugs could help one condition but not the other, just genuinely curious since I've developed mild visual snow recently).