tRNS, The Next Neuromodulation Method

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello Arnaud,

Thanks for your reply.

I'm going to start next week. I've decided to give it a try. If I no longer feel comfortable, I will stop participating.

Hello Mathilda,

Thank you for your feedback. Did you receive any additional information from the UZ team?

Also, if you don't mind, could you keep me/us updated on how things progress for you in the coming days and weeks?

Thank you very much!

 

[Mathilda]

Hello Mathilda,

Thank you for your feedback. Did you receive any additional information from the UZ team?

Also, if you don't mind, could you keep me/us updated on how things progress for you in the coming days and weeks?

Thank you very much!

Hello Arnaud,

I spoke with the professor, and she answered some of my questions. For others, she referred me to her assistant.

The treatment will start on Wednesday, and I made sure I can stop at any time if needed.

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello Arnaud,

I spoke with the professor, and she answered some of my questions. For others, she referred me to her assistant.

The treatment will start on Wednesday, and I made sure I can stop at any time if needed.

Hello @Mathilda,

I hope you are doing well!

May I ask you how it has been going so far with the treatment? Thanks!

 

[Mathilda]

Hello @Mathilda,

I hope you are doing well!

May I ask you how it has been going so far with the treatment? Thanks!

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

I'm currently in the middle of my first cycle—whether it's the placebo or the actual treatment, I'm not sure, though I have my suspicions.

I completely understand your curiosity to know more. However, I've decided not to share any updates until I've completed the study and can confirm when I received the treatment versus the placebo.

Assessing any changes in my tinnitus has proven challenging, especially as participating in the study naturally brings more focus to the noise. The only thing I can say with certainty (so far) is that I haven't experienced any worsening of my symptoms.

One positive note: the schedule for appointments is well-organized—this is Switzerland, after all! ;-)

I'm sorry that I can't share more at this time, but I wish you all the best in whatever you decide.

Best,
Mathilda

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

I'm currently in the middle of my first cycle—whether it's the placebo or the actual treatment, I'm not sure, though I have my suspicions.

I completely understand your curiosity to know more. However, I've decided not to share any updates until I've completed the study and can confirm when I received the treatment versus the placebo.

Assessing any changes in my tinnitus has proven challenging, especially as participating in the study naturally brings more focus to the noise. The only thing I can say with certainty (so far) is that I haven't experienced any worsening of my symptoms.

One positive note: the schedule for appointments is well-organized—this is Switzerland, after all! ;-)

I'm sorry that I can't share more at this time, but I wish you all the best in whatever you decide.

Best,
Mathilda

Thanks for answering me. I'm glad you haven't experienced any worsening! I wish you the best for the rest of the treatment.

Kindly,
Arnaud

 

[Mathilda]

You are correct; there is no systematic empirical evidence demonstrating the positive effect of CR neuromodulation on improving tinnitus. However, in my experience, listening to white noise and CR neuromodulation sounds simultaneously helps me forget about my tinnitus. I use a very low volume, keeping it below the sound level of the tinnitus itself.

I look forward to receiving an update from you.

Hello @HighFreq,

How have you been feeling lately? Has your tinnitus calmed down again?

Regarding the study, may I ask—did you notice any differences between the two cycles (placebo versus actual treatment)? Was there a difference in the noise presented, or did you feel the electric stimulation in one cycle but not the other?

Another question: did they inform you afterward which group you were in?

Thanks for answering me. I'm glad you haven't experienced any worsening! I wish you the best for the rest of the treatment.

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

I've changed my mind. I'll go ahead and provide an update next week after I've completed the first cycle. It will be highly subjective, but then again, tinnitus is all about subjectivity in the end, right? ;-)

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello @HighFreq,

How have you been feeling lately? Has your tinnitus calmed down again?

Regarding the study, may I ask—did you notice any differences between the two cycles (placebo versus actual treatment)? Was there a difference in the noise presented, or did you feel the electric stimulation in one cycle but not the other?

Another question: did they inform you afterward which group you were in?

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

I've changed my mind. I'll go ahead and provide an update next week after I've completed the first cycle. It will be highly subjective, but then again, tinnitus is all about subjectivity in the end, right? ;-)

Great! The sooner, the better, as far as I'm concerned.

@HighFreq hasn't been online since 24.09. It's a pity we can't hear from him.

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello @HighFreq,

How have you been feeling lately? Has your tinnitus calmed down again?

Regarding the study, may I ask—did you notice any differences between the two cycles (placebo versus actual treatment)? Was there a difference in the noise presented, or did you feel the electric stimulation in one cycle but not the other?

Another question: did they inform you afterward which group you were in?

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

I've changed my mind. I'll go ahead and provide an update next week after I've completed the first cycle. It will be highly subjective, but then again, tinnitus is all about subjectivity in the end, right? ;-)

Hello! I hope you are well? Are you done with your first cycle? How did it go?

 

[Mathilda]

Hello! I hope you are well? Are you done with your first cycle? How did it go?

Hello there,

I'll try to summarize my experience as a participant in the study after finishing the first cycle last week.

First of all, for you to know: I have had severe multitonal tinnitus for seven months.

When I started participating in the study, I discussed with the assistant which tone of my tinnitus was the most bothersome to target during treatment.

I suspect I was in the group that received the actual treatment because I experienced changes in my tinnitus after the very first session. The most bothersome tone was sometimes nearly quiet when I was in a very silent room, which had never happened before in the seven months since the onset. It is difficult to say for sure, but my impression was that the tone would get louder again about 24 hours after the sessions. At first, I thought the loudness had returned to baseline, but now, six days after the last session, I feel like it is still somewhat less intrusive.

I still have the most bothersome tone, and it is still bothersome, but in certain situations, it does not seem as bad as before. Especially in a completely quiet room, I no longer feel like I am going to freak out immediately (the tinnitus is still strong, but I no longer feel the tone as a vibration in my head). I would estimate that this tone has improved by about 20%, which definitely takes the edge off and makes it more manageable.

One of the other tones I have became louder more frequently during the study. Usually, this tone is super loud (and not maskable) only once or twice a week, but during treatment, it was that loud every second day. However, this has seemed to fade again over the last couple of days.

Please keep in mind that this is my very subjective experience. I might be wrong about receiving the actual treatment, and the changes I noticed could be due to the placebo effect or simply the passage of time. Since I have only had tinnitus for a few months, I don't have years of stable experience with it to compare to. I had also experienced some improvement in the weeks leading up to the study (I think the tinnitus stayed the same, but I worked hard on my mental strength and started feeling better).

That's all for now. I'm really curious about your experience. Will you report on that?

Good luck with your participation!

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello there,

I'll try to summarize my experience as a participant in the study after finishing the first cycle last week.

First of all, for you to know: I have had severe multitonal tinnitus for seven months.

When I started participating in the study, I discussed with the assistant which tone of my tinnitus was the most bothersome to target during treatment.

I suspect I was in the group that received the actual treatment because I experienced changes in my tinnitus after the very first session. The most bothersome tone was sometimes nearly quiet when I was in a very silent room, which had never happened before in the seven months since the onset. It is difficult to say for sure, but my impression was that the tone would get louder again about 24 hours after the sessions. At first, I thought the loudness had returned to baseline, but now, six days after the last session, I feel like it is still somewhat less intrusive.

I still have the most bothersome tone, and it is still bothersome, but in certain situations, it does not seem as bad as before. Especially in a completely quiet room, I no longer feel like I am going to freak out immediately (the tinnitus is still strong, but I no longer feel the tone as a vibration in my head). I would estimate that this tone has improved by about 20%, which definitely takes the edge off and makes it more manageable.

One of the other tones I have became louder more frequently during the study. Usually, this tone is super loud (and not maskable) only once or twice a week, but during treatment, it was that loud every second day. However, this has seemed to fade again over the last couple of days.

Please keep in mind that this is my very subjective experience. I might be wrong about receiving the actual treatment, and the changes I noticed could be due to the placebo effect or simply the passage of time. Since I have only had tinnitus for a few months, I don't have years of stable experience with it to compare to. I had also experienced some improvement in the weeks leading up to the study (I think the tinnitus stayed the same, but I worked hard on my mental strength and started feeling better).

That's all for now. I'm really curious about your experience. Will you report on that?

Good luck with your participation!

Hello Mathilda,

Thank you for your thorough feedback!

I'm starting today, and I will report back here at the end of the first cycle.

Have you noticed any other side effects not related to tinnitus?

Thanks!

 

[Mathilda]

Hello Mathilda,

Thank you for your thorough feedback!

I'm starting today, and I will report back here at the end of the first cycle.

Have you noticed any other side effects not related to tinnitus?

Thanks!

Hello @Arnaudswiss, good luck with your participation! I am really looking forward to your report.

There were no side effects at all, except for the change in the tinnitus.

 

[Mathilda]

Hello Mathilda,

Thank you for your thorough feedback!

I'm starting today, and I will report back here at the end of the first cycle.

Have you noticed any other side effects not related to tinnitus?

Thanks!

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

How are you? How was the first cycle?

I can't wait to hear about your experience!

My second cycle starts next week already.

Cheers,
Mathilda

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

How are you? How was the first cycle?

I can't wait to hear about your experience!

My second cycle starts next week already.

Cheers,
Mathilda

Hello, @Mathilda!

I'm doing okay overall, thank you! I hope you're well too.

It's a bit difficult to put the situation into words. In short, my tinnitus tones are still there and still bothersome, but maybe about 10% softer. The sound itself has changed slightly in character, but it's definitely not a game-changer, unfortunately.

I don't think it was just the placebo effect; almost every time, I could feel some tingling, heat, or even a slight burning sensation during the sessions. Right after each session, my tinnitus would be about 50% quieter, though only for a few minutes.

Toward the end of my sessions, I felt like the tinnitus was starting to soften a bit more, so I think the treatment was just beginning to work when we stopped.

How about you? Have you noticed any changes since you finished the sessions?

Wishing you all the best.

 

[Mathilda]

Hello, @Mathilda!

I'm doing okay overall, thank you! I hope you're well too.

It's a bit difficult to put the situation into words. In short, my tinnitus tones are still there and still bothersome, but maybe about 10% softer. The sound itself has changed slightly in character, but it's definitely not a game-changer, unfortunately.

I don't think it was just the placebo effect; almost every time, I could feel some tingling, heat, or even a slight burning sensation during the sessions. Right after each session, my tinnitus would be about 50% quieter, though only for a few minutes.

Toward the end of my sessions, I felt like the tinnitus was starting to soften a bit more, so I think the treatment was just beginning to work when we stopped.

How about you? Have you noticed any changes since you finished the sessions?

Wishing you all the best.

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

Thank you for sharing your experience!

I wish you had seen more improvement and am sorry to hear that the tinnitus still bothers you. It's such a strange condition!

It would be interesting to see what would happen if you had more sessions—whether your tinnitus would fade a little more or even significantly.

May I ask what kind of sound was used in your sessions? I also experienced a slight tingling during mine and wondered if they added a bit of extra sensation just to simulate the actual treatment. So, I'm very curious to see what I will feel (and hear!) in my upcoming second cycle.

Since stopping the treatment, I haven't noticed any additional changes. Most days, though, I have the impression that the most bothersome tone is a bit quieter (around 20%) compared to before I started the study. It's not a game changer, but on the other hand, I am coping better than before. Maybe it's just due to habituation, who knows?

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hello @Arnaudswiss,

Thank you for sharing your experience!

I wish you had seen more improvement and am sorry to hear that the tinnitus still bothers you. It's such a strange condition!

It would be interesting to see what would happen if you had more sessions—whether your tinnitus would fade a little more or even significantly.

May I ask what kind of sound was used in your sessions? I also experienced a slight tingling during mine and wondered if they added a bit of extra sensation just to simulate the actual treatment. So, I'm very curious to see what I will feel (and hear!) in my upcoming second cycle.

Since stopping the treatment, I haven't noticed any additional changes. Most days, though, I have the impression that the most bothersome tone is a bit quieter (around 20%) compared to before I started the study. It's not a game changer, but on the other hand, I am coping better than before. Maybe it's just due to habituation, who knows?

Hello @Mathilda,

No sounds were used, or at least none that I could consciously perceive (this is what they told me when I asked about it). What kind of sounds did you experience?

Could I ask you to share your experience with the second phase to see if there have been any changes?

Thanks!