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Controlling Tinnitus: What works for you?

Posted by scottk @scottk, Jul 1, 2019

Hello: Has anyone on this site had any luck with controlling tinnitus? I see certain things advertised but always sceptical. Any thoughts/ideas?

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bobbyboomer | @bobbyboomer | Sep 25, 2023

I didn't think it was working for me, until I stopped taking it.

I guess we are all different, though.

I'm doing 4 a day now, and it's not gone, but minimized. The good days are better, the bad days are mild.

My tinnitus was caused by an allergic reaction to dust mites. It took a year and a second opinion to nail it down. In the meantime, the inflammation swelling blocked the capillaries that fed my inner ear and cut off the blood supply.

I guess that's rare, and that's why it was way down on the list of causes.

Bob

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windyshores | @windyshores | Sep 26, 2023

I have read about taurine on a tinnitus site.

For me, acceptance is part of the answer. I first got tinnitus in 2015, I believe from an MRI. It was relatively mild until I ended up at an immersive musical performance, which was stupid on my part, but I didn't feel anything at the time. When I left I felt dizzy and had some ear pain. A few days later my tinnitus was much louder and I was in despair.

It got better but I lived in fear of loud noises (I also have hyperacusis) lest they again make the tinnitus hard to bear.

I am no longer looking for a cure or for things to get or even stay better when I have a good day. I now understand that this is going to fluctuate. I try to expose myself to noise so I don't stay afraid (leaf blowers still need to be avoided!).

The hardest time is when I go to bed. Masking with rain noises etc. give me vertigo. It's very loud at this moment, possibly because I am writing about it! It helps to understand it is the brain doing this!

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1 reply
laughlin1947 | @laughlin1947 | Nov 29, 2023
In reply to @windyshores "I have read about taurine on a tinnitus site. For me, acceptance is part of the..." + (show)
@windyshores

I have read about taurine on a tinnitus site.

For me, acceptance is part of the answer. I first got tinnitus in 2015, I believe from an MRI. It was relatively mild until I ended up at an immersive musical performance, which was stupid on my part, but I didn't feel anything at the time. When I left I felt dizzy and had some ear pain. A few days later my tinnitus was much louder and I was in despair.

It got better but I lived in fear of loud noises (I also have hyperacusis) lest they again make the tinnitus hard to bear.

I am no longer looking for a cure or for things to get or even stay better when I have a good day. I now understand that this is going to fluctuate. I try to expose myself to noise so I don't stay afraid (leaf blowers still need to be avoided!).

The hardest time is when I go to bed. Masking with rain noises etc. give me vertigo. It's very loud at this moment, possibly because I am writing about it! It helps to understand it is the brain doing this!

Jump to this post

I have found taurine to be helpful in greatly reducing my tinnitus, along with taking 5 mg of melatonin at night. I also make sure I use earplugs when I use a hairdryer, which for me is daily. If you do a search on Facebook for tinnitus, you'll find some additional suggestions for reducing tinnitus.

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1 reply
windyshores | @windyshores | Dec 1, 2023
In reply to @laughlin1947 "I have found taurine to be helpful in greatly reducing my tinnitus, along with taking 5..." + (show)
@laughlin1947

I have found taurine to be helpful in greatly reducing my tinnitus, along with taking 5 mg of melatonin at night. I also make sure I use earplugs when I use a hairdryer, which for me is daily. If you do a search on Facebook for tinnitus, you'll find some additional suggestions for reducing tinnitus.

Jump to this post

What dose taurine do you take? Any side effects for you?

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1 reply
laughlin1947 | @laughlin1947 | Dec 1, 2023
In reply to @windyshores "What dose taurine do you take? Any side effects for you?" + (show)
@windyshores

What dose taurine do you take? Any side effects for you?

Jump to this post

I take one capsule of 1,000 mg daily. It's a large bottle that I bought on Amazon. I take it mid-day, but I'm thinking I may change and take it at bedtime. But my tinnitus did not totally go away, but it is greatly diminished, and I have to think about the tinnitus to recognize it is still ringing. Noise level is very low. I think melatonin (5 mg) also plays a helpful part in tinnitus reduction. There are no side effects really. Taurine is a common ingredient in energy drinks, and I don't know what part it plays in giving people an energy boost, but if it really does have a stimulant effect, that a might be a reason to not take before bedtime. My tinnitus does seem to vary in noise level during the day.

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fredrijk | @fredrijk | Dec 29, 2023
In reply to @bobbyboomer "I'll answer the last question first. I had a misdiagnosed allergy. The swelling from the inflammation..." + (show)
@bobbyboomer

I'll answer the last question first.

I had a misdiagnosed allergy. The swelling from the inflammation cut off the blood supply to my inner ear and probably killed some hair cells.

I am also a professional musician, but using ear protection. Before the allergic reaction, I had about 3 db loss in the high frequencies. Probably from the days before I discovered musician's ear plugs.

Yes, I'm still having relief.

The Taurine works gradually. I bought a number of months supply, I forget how many, and thought it wasn't working. When I ran out, I could tell the difference in a week, the volume went up quite a bit.

My tinnitus has always been variable. On a scale of 1-10 before the Taurine I would guess it varied from 5-9.

After the Taurine, from 0-3.

I have many quiet days. Often it's so light I can't tell I'm having a hiss unless I'm in a very quiet environment. Sometimes I have a low level ringing that is easy to ignore. In most situations, I don't hear it at all, but in quieter places, I can. Since you called attention to it, and I'm in my office with no sound distraction, I can hear the faint tone. If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed.

So for me, I would say the relief is over 90%.

If I wake up at night, sometimes I have the ringing at its new highest level, which is still much lower than the pre-taurine level.

It's an amino acid, found in many foods. I just take it now, first thing in the morning with a class of water. My ear doc is interested, said it doesn't seem to be doing me any harm, and if it works for me, keep doing it.

According to Wiki: "Taurine has an observed safe level of supplemental intake in normal healthy adults at up to 3 g/day.[68] Even so, a study by the European Food Safety Authority found no adverse effects for up to 1,000 mg of taurine per kilogram of body weight per day.[69]"

But you might want to check with your doctor first, I'm not a professional, and therefore not qualified to give others health advice.

Bob

Jump to this post

I experience the same symptoms.
What is the reason for which the ringing gets higher when awaking during sleep ?

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1 reply
laughlin1947 | @laughlin1947 | Dec 29, 2023

I have tinnitus, I don't think it will ever go away completely. But I recommend you try both taurine (1000 mg daily). and 5 mg of melatonin at bedtime. Works for me, I don't recognize my tinnitus is going on in the background of my hearing because the volume is so diminished. And be sure to use ear plugs when you use your hair dryer. Same goes for lawn mowing.

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1 reply
Mentor
Julie, Volunteer Mentor | @julieo4 | Dec 30, 2023
In reply to @fredrijk "I experience the same symptoms. What is the reason for which the ringing gets higher when..." + (show)
@fredrijk

I experience the same symptoms.
What is the reason for which the ringing gets higher when awaking during sleep ?

Jump to this post

Tinnitus is very common, and people experience it differently. Years ago mine came to me as crickets. It helped to imagine being at our summer cabin listening to the sounds of the outdoors...even in midwinter! Now, many years later, it comes to me as 'the hum'. I also have progressive sensorineural hearing loss, which is very common with tinnitus. Researchers are working on this, but so far there is no cure other than stress management that helps us block out the constant sounds we hear.

I've attached a document that may give you some ideas on how to prevent it.

Shared files

Tinnitus__Healing_From_Home (Tinnitus__Healing_From_Home.10.pdf)

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terryleonardi | @terryleonardi | Jan 7 7:44am

I got tinnitus after having a hearing test by an audiologist for hearing loss and to get hearing aids in August 2023. Nothing helped to get rid of it. It stopped in January 2024 spontaneously.

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windyshores | @windyshores | Jan 7 7:57am

I have a problem with ear plugs, unfortunately. The doc said it might be hitting a nerve. I tried musician's ear plugs that apparently have less of an issue with the pressure change when taking plugs out, though I also unseal the vacuum slowly with my finger. I tried them last night and got facial pain, numbness and headache on the left side. It also goes down my neck. Anyone else?

Tinnitus is limiting me in listening to my daughter's work (she is a composer), and attending concerts with friends. Or movies.

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