What Is TRT and When Should It Be Started?

[Michael Leigh]

Do you recommend in-ear maskers for sound therapy or potentially hearing aids that come with sounds that you can play?

Hi ThorOdinson.

Thank you for the additional information. I haven't had Labyrinthitis but have corresponded with people that have experienced it. My understanding is that there are different types and the treatment can vary. Some or all of the symptoms can completely go away with or without treatment which is an indication of its complexity.

It is important to know what is the underlying cause of your tinnitus, because I now suspect that it may not be Labyrinthitis but instead be noise induced. You have mentioned using earbuds and headphones. These devices are common causes of tinnitus, brought on by listening to audio at too loud a volume without realizing it.

If you have been a regular user of headphones and earbuds, then it's quite possible the underlying cause of your tinnitus is noise induced, even though Labyrinthitis was present. Most of your symptoms have reduced or completely gone away which can happen with this condition. If the original cause of your tinnitus is noise induced, then treating it and eventually habituating takes time as it was not caused by an underlying medical problem within your auditory system.

In-ear maskers are now called white noise generators. These are specialist devices that require the tinnitus patient to be under the care of an audiologist/hearing therapist for best results as counselling is usually required. Please read my introductory post to this thread. Whilst it's possible to wear white noise generators without being under the care of a tinnitus therapist, it's not something I recommend. They should be introduced slowly otherwise there's a risk of making the tinnitus worse, as well as hyperacusis if present.

You have said that your hearing loss is only slight and therefore you may not need hearing aids. Your audiologist is the best person to advise you on whether you require hearing aid(s). You are still in the very early stages of tinnitus and need to take things slowly. Please go to my started threads and read the following posts: Tinnitus, A Personal View, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, The Habituation Process. Sound Machines and Tinnitus.

If you have a printer, then I advise that you print the posts. Take your time to read them without skimming, this way you will absorb and retain the information better. It is important in the early stages of tinnitus, to have a good understanding of the condition and the way it can affect a person's mental and emotional well-being.

I understand that you don't want to listen to your tinnitus all day long. However, trying to mask tinnitus completely so it can't be heard can be difficult and often make things worse. Setting sound enrichment slightly below the tinnitus, helps to make habituation easier because the brain cannot habituate to tinnitus unless it can hear it. More about this is explained in my threads so please take your time and read them.

If you are feeling stressed, talk to your family doctor.

Take care,
Michael

 

[ThorOdinson]

Hi ThorOdinson.

Thank you for the additional information. I haven't had Labyrinthitis but have corresponded with people that have experienced it. My understanding is that there are different types and the treatment can vary. Some or all of the symptoms can completely go away with or without treatment which is an indication of its complexity.

It is important to know what is the underlying cause of your tinnitus, because I now suspect that it may not be Labyrinthitis but instead be noise induced. You have mentioned using earbuds and headphones. These devices are common causes of tinnitus, brought on by listening to audio at too loud a volume without realizing it.

If you have been a regular user of headphones and earbuds, then it's quite possible the underlying cause of your tinnitus is noise induced, even though Labyrinthitis was present. Most of your symptoms have reduced or completely gone away which can happen with this condition. If the original cause of your tinnitus is noise induced, then treating it and eventually habituating takes time as it was not caused by an underlying medical problem within your auditory system.

In-ear maskers are now called white noise generators. These are specialist devices that require the tinnitus patient to be under the care of an audiologist/hearing therapist for best results as counselling is usually required. Please read my introductory post to this thread. Whilst it's possible to wear white noise generators without being under the care of a tinnitus therapist, it's not something I recommend. They should be introduced slowly otherwise there's a risk of making the tinnitus worse, as well as hyperacusis if present.

You have said that your hearing loss is only slight and therefore you may not need hearing aids. Your audiologist is the best person to advise you on whether you require hearing aid(s). You are still in the very early stages of tinnitus and need to take things slowly. Please go to my started threads and read the following posts: Tinnitus, A Personal View, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, The Habituation Process. Sound Machines and Tinnitus.

If you have a printer, then I advise that you print the posts. Take your time to read them without skimming, this way you will absorb and retain the information better. It is important in the early stages of tinnitus, to have a good understanding of the condition and the way it can affect a person's mental and emotional well-being.

I understand that you don't want to listen to your tinnitus all day long. However, trying to mask tinnitus completely so it can't be heard can be difficult and often make things worse. Setting sound enrichment slightly below the tinnitus, helps to make habituation easier because the brain cannot habituate to tinnitus unless it can hear it. More about this is explained in my threads so please take your time and read them.

If you are feeling stressed, talk to your family doctor.

Take care,
Michael

I used headphones and earbuds in December, yes. But I wasn't listening to music, just podcast on YouTube right before bed. My iPhone recorded the dB's and they didn't seem to be loud, mostly just in the normal range 60-80 dB for an hour and a half for a couple nights (I still have all the audio data recorded on my iPhone).

I guess it is possible noise made it worse, but my tinnitus came in late December when I was having symptoms like head pressure, ear pressure, pressure behind my nose and eyes, and ear pain. The vertigo came first, but went away. But I was left with a feeling of being off balance a bit, and when I would look up and look down, left or right, I would get strange feelings. It felt like an ear infection at one point, but when they looked in my ear they didn't see anything in the middle ear. I assume that is because I had a virus in the inner ear, which they cannot see.

 

[Michael Leigh]

The vertigo came first, but went away. But I was left with a feeling of being off balance a bit, and when I would look up and look down, left or right, I would get strange feelings. It felt like an ear infection at one point, but when they looked in my ear they didn't see anything in the middle ear. I assume that is because I had a virus in the inner ear, which they cannot see.

Since you aren't a regular user of headphones and earbuds, it's unlikely your tinnitus is noise induced, as your symptoms indicate the tinnitus is caused by Labyrinthitis.

Hopefully with time and treatment from ENT, the tinnitus will improve. It's probably a good idea not to listen to any type of audio through headphones or earbuds for a while.

Best of luck,
Michael

 

[ThorOdinson]

Since you aren't a regular user of headphones and earbuds, it's unlikely your tinnitus is noise induced, as your symptoms indicate the tinnitus is caused by Labyrinthitis.

Hopefully with time and treatment from ENT, the tinnitus will improve. It's probably a good idea not to listen to any type of audio through headphones or earbuds for a while.

Best of luck,
Michael

Yeah, it's really frustrating that nothing can be done and there is no confirmation. I sometimes wonder if wearing earbuds during the days after my vertigo could have caused things to be worse. I still have off and on ear fullness, almost like the feeling that I have to pop my ears. It has almost been about a month and a half since the tinnitus started. Some days I feel like it is mild, and then other days it is loud. Not sure what to make of it.

 

[Forever hopeful]

It should never be started.

Have you done it? Are you speaking from experience?

 

[Jupiterman]

Have you done it? Are you speaking from experience?

The conclusion of the linked 2019 study in this thread states:

We found few differences among SoC (Standard Of Care [placebo]), TRT, or partial TRT in the treatment of tinnitus. Each of these treatments for debilitating tinnitus resulted in clinically significant improvement in most treated individuals.

Not the easiest conclusion to interpret, but in reading between the lines I think they are saying that there is nothing much to gain by doing TRT?

Remember, @AnthonyMcDonald was a pretty severe sufferer and managed to improve.

 

[Forever hopeful]

Remember, @AnthonyMcDonald was a pretty severe sufferer and managed to improve.

Yes. I do recall that. And am so happy for him.

Mine just escalated and I don't really know why. I never thought anything could be this high frequency. Not sure how I can live like this.

 

[Robster]

Have you done it? Are you speaking from experience?

TRT has made some poor souls worse. I personally think it's a very outdated 'treatment' and I use that word lightly with little to no scientific foundation.

I haven't personally used it and, as the other poster said, it's not something I would even consider based on risk/reward scenarios.