Controlling Tinnitus: What works for you?

HI, I'm curious which hearing aids you use to mask tinnitus ?
Thanks,
Stites

Cows in the USA and Canada are A1 and A1 cows have a mutation in one of the amino acids.Instead of that AA being proline, it's histidine which turns to histamine in your digestive tract. Many people have reactions to that and the responses are different with different people. My wife gets black eyes, some get indigestion, some get headaches, the list goes on. I don't know if it aggravates tinnitus, but if domestic cheese does I'd give it a try.

Europe, Australia, and Africa have predominantly A2 cows, which have the proline AA. Canada is slowly phasing out A1 cows.

I found this by accident. My wife has had a problem with dairy for decades. Black eyes - looking like I beat her (something I would never do, she's my best buddy). We took a 5 week vacation in Australia, and she said "Damn the torpedoes, I'm going to eat cheese and if I have black eyes, these people will never see me again." She ate cheese, put cream in her coffee, and never-ever had the slightest reaction.

I guessed it was the fact that Australia doesn't give artificial growth hormones to their cows (rBGH) so back in the USA I got some organic cheese. Black eyes. Bad guess.

So Google and I became best friends for a few days, and that's when I found out about A1 and A2 milk. Now she can eat cheese as long as it's from Ireland, UK, Europe or Australia and never have a reaction. I'd try African but there is non available.

*** on another subject ***

The best thing that diminished my tinnitus is the amino acid Taurine. I take 3 grams per day.

It happens gradually and I didn't think it was working until I quit.

I bought about 3 months supply on the Internet to avoid shipping fees. When I ran out I didn't get more and in two days I noticed a big increase in the noise. That's when I realized it was gradually diminishing.

I've been taking the Taurine for over a year now, and my tinnitus is about 99% gone. I have more quiet days than tinnitus days (something I never had before taurine) and my occasional noisy days aren't bad at all.

I'm no doctor and can't give medical advice so this is just my experience. Of course you should check with your medical pro before doing anything. I didn't, I read plenty of long term tests with 3g/day and no side effects were noted, so I self-experimented and I have no side effects except for greatly diminished tinnitus.

@bobbyboomer That is so interesting . I do have butter from Ireland I love and will look at the cheeses more closely I don't think we have any milk from Europe here if so it would be expensive so I have turned to Almond milk. Thanks about tinnitus someone else suggested this but haven't gotten it yet but now with 2 suggestions and knowing it works I will order some .

Does anyone know if tinnitus caused by medication will stop after the medication is stopped? Does this happen over time; it definitely doesn’t happen quickly...

Hi @stites, I'm so sorry that you had to retire at age 62 from a position that you loved - and sad about your loss of income. Have you talked with a doctoral level audiologist (Ph.D. or Aud)? Someone who really knows their stuff? Not a hearing aid dealer as they can provide hearing aids but do not have the academic training of an fully qualified and licensed audiologist. I noticed my tinnitus got worse about 8 years ago, about the time my hearing loss started getting worse. I also noticed that my tinnitus was worse during times of high stress like during contract negotiations in my employment. I'd lie in bed in listen to the constant humming and worry. Not a good combination. I "qualified" for hearing aids (according to my insurance carrier) this time last year and I talked with the audiologist about masking the tinnitus with my hearing aids. I am seeing the audiologist today and will ask him if indeed that is the case as I've noticed far less tinnitus since getting the hearing aids. But then, my circumstances have changed, too. I went part-time 3 years ago and am now retired. I'm in a far better place in my mental health. I wish you all the best and blessing as you look for ways to treat your tinnitus.

I have tinnitus all day but the pulsatile is horrible, I hear my heart beating in my ear 24/7 along with the other noises. Those I can cope with if I am busy but the pulsatile never stops and it is hard to sleep. I also have an acoustic neuroma on that side so maybe that is making it worse. They tell me there is nothing that can be done. Does anyone have this?

Sometimes the tinnitus will stop if you take only a short course of some of the medication, however, most medication on the market today when taken on a regular basis will cause long-term tinnitus. Drug categories such as antibiotics, cancer meds and diuretics or water pills are all known to cause tinnitus. Even taking them for only a few days may give you lasting effects of ringing in the ears. That is why it is paramount to speaking with your health care providers about taking any type of medicine and what type of side effects, particularly ringing in the ears is possible, since most physicians don't even think about that. Pharmacist are your go-to professional regarding this as well since they know more about this than your doctors.
I have had tinnitus since my encounter with C.diff when I was treated with 4 different antibiotics to save me. The tinnitus came on with a vengeance and never left. I will have it until I die. It is a fact of life. I live with it and don't really think about it. It is two tones. A squeal in both ears - I use my hearing aids to muffle the sounds - a special program that I love to use 10-12 hrs a day.
I use to hate the noise since I can hear it day and night but it reminds me that I am alive rather than dead....it's a reminder for me.
Also, there is so much research going on right now about tinnitus and where it is in the brain and what it truly is... This is worth your while to track your story and stay on top of it. Mine is influenced by emotions, sleep, salt, sugar, migraines, exposure to sun, and if my neck is out of wack. I avoid antibiotics, never take water pills, and limit/avoid any meds that contribute to my vertigo that I have daily. My physicians already know and track all of my medicines since I am a high risk for falling with the hearing loss, hyperacusis, and osteoporosis. What is your story? It all has some relationship....with each other. Eloise

Hi naturegirl, Thanks for the reply. I have had 3 hearing test but have not consulted for a hearing aid with the audiologists yet. I purchased a hearing aid for my right ear off amazon and it indeed does help my hearing loss but not the tinnitus. I was wondering what brand hear aid offers masking? My insurance does not cover hearing aids sadly. My ENT said it was fine to purchase the one I bought as a starting place because its only been 6 months since I lost hearing. He was still hopeful my hearing would be restored. I go back and see him again next month. Congrats on retirement ! Although I wasn't ready when forced to retire there are many many blessings that come along with retirement. Staying busy is key for retirement and tinnitus.
Best,
Stites

Yes, I did not focus on the medications in my reply but that is very true. Antibiotics were not the culprit for me. Tinnitus is also genetic and my father had tinnitus and the same pattern of hearing loss that I have. And then there is the noise factor because we live in a noisy world. Oy - don't get me started on noise (I'm the baby boomer generation and how many rock concerts did I go to and stand right in front of the speakers?). Many antibiotics, in particular, affect the cells in the inner ear (cochlea for hearing and semicircular canals for vestibular process). There are known side effects which are usually indicated in packaging information, and with some of these medications the tinnitus is permanent. (Full disclosure here: I trained as a speech-language pathologist and hearing is part of our training). But other medications besides antibiotics can cause tinnitus that is reversible when you stop the medication. It just depends on what a person is taking. Like you, nurseheadakes, a pharmacist is a good resource for this information if your physician doesn't have the answers you want.

Hi Stites. I wish you all the best in treating your hearing loss and tinnitus. There is no quick solution to any of this.

I consider hearing aids like glasses. Now that I'm retired, my insurance (Medicare and supplemental I chose) will not cover hearing or vision so I will be paying out of pocket. I'm planning ahead and setting aside money for these. I need more than readers for vision so I see an optometrist for periodic checks and changes in my prescription for lenses. While Amazon or Costco might be an inexpensive way to try out a hearing aid, it's not the best option. Sorry if I'm preaching here, but I do feel strongly that our vision and hearing are so important for our quality of life. Did you know that there is evidence published in peer-reviewed journals that hearing loss over time affects our working memory (short term memory)? Makes sense. If we can't hear very well, we miss information and cannot store the information in our minds and brains. If you can afford to see an audiologist, at least for a consult, I'd highly recommend that. My binaural hearing aids are made by Oticon and cost $3000. That's not as expensive as I thought they would be for good digital hearing aids. My audiologist includes 6 month checks at no additional charge, and gave me a year's supply of batteries. Like an optometrist, only an audiologist is trained to test and prescribe.