Has anyone here been "cured" or "treated" for this condition and can share what was helpful?

The high pitched whine in my head is quite distracting at times and I've been hearing it at least for the past 10 years I think. My doctor has no idea what to do, other than refer me to an ear specialist who found absolutely nothing.

Sometimes it gets absolutely unbearable, rarely I don't hear it at all, usually it's just there but I can try to ignore it. Doesn't make much difference whether I am in quiet or loud surroundings. Sounds like a constant 17kHz hum. Quite loud right now in fact. AAAHHH!! make it stop!

Thanks for reminding me, now I hear it... ;)

Never been treated as I have heard there is no cure for it and to give you an idea as to how loud mine is I have the 32 inch Vizio set at 25 on the volume 3 feet to my left while my daughter and wife have another tv going in the next room and they're both being rather loud and my tinnitus is overpowering all of it. My tone is actually about 3 individual tones and I have had this all of my life most likely from an ear infection that I was born with. The only time it actually bothers me is when I'm near equipment that produces a similar tone or a constant loud tone or situations where there are loud sounds, the similar tones I deal with by putting in sound canceling ear bud headphones and listening to my ipod and I do the same with loud noises but I have to get away from them if I don't have the ear buds lest it drive me insane.

"What is the treatment of tinnitus?

After a careful evaluation, your doctor may find an identifiable cause and be able to treat or make recommendations to treat the tinnitus. Once you have had a thorough evaluation, an essential part of treatment is your own understanding of the tinnitus (what has caused it, and your options for treatment).

In many cases, there is no specific treatment for tinnitus. It may simply go away on its own, or it may be a permanent disability that the patient will have to "live with." Some otolaryngologists have recommended niacin to treat tinnitus. However, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that niacin helps reduce tinnitus, and it may cause problems with skin flushing." Tinnitus Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention Information on MedicineNet.com (http://www.medicinenet.com/tinnitus/article.htm)

"What drugs are available for treating tinnitus?

Anti-Depressants, Tranquilizers,
and Muscle Relaxants

Anti-drepressants are drugs used to prevent or relieve mental depression. Tranquilizers are drugs that promote tranquility by calming, soothing, quieting, or pacifying without drpressant effects. Muscle relaxants are drugs that reduce tension in the muscle.

Many tinnitus sufferers become depressed from having to deal with the constant noise. Treating the depression may make the tinnitus seem less severe. But beware that certain ototoxic anti-depressants may worsen tinnitus. SSRI anti-depressants may temporarily worsen tinnitus for the first few weeks, but risk fewer side-effects as compared to the older tricyclic drugs.

Tricyclic anti-depressants, such as Nortriptyline and benzodiazepines, such as Alprazolam (Xanax) were used in one study in which some people reported improvement.

Possible reasons:

* Patients just think they feel better (placebo effect).
* Since these drugs are central nervous system depressants, auditory responsiveness diminishes.
* Tinnitus is stress-related - i.e. muscle tension in neck & jaw restricts blood and lymph flow. " Tinnitus FAQ - Treatment Possibilities (http://www.bixby.org/faq/tinnitus/treatmnt.html#drugs)

Here's my google search results and if you look the repeating theme is that different treatments have mixed results. One of the important things to do is determine what has caused the tinnitus which can be anything from environmental to illness to genetics. If your doctor is a general practitioner or a family doctor you should get a referral for a specialist and before you go sit down with some paper and pen and go back through the months or years prior to the arrival of your tinnitus and writing down events and situations that could have lead to its appearance.

treating tinnitus - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?q=treating+tinnitus&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)

I have it, probably from my sub days. No cure or good treatment. Learned to live with it. Usually not too bad, but right now it's at max. And I'm about to got w/family to a movie!

I do alright till reminded that I have it ;)

I take Hydrclorothiazide for high BP, I am now 65, several years ago I began noticing the high pitched whine especially at night. About 6 months ago I quit the Hyd to see if that would help--within a few days the tinnitus stopped. My blood pressure went back up so I started taking the hyd again and now the tinnitus has returned. I have changed my diet(lifestyle) and am exercising and hope to get off the Hyd soon. ron

I happen to work at a clinic that is known for tinnitus research and treatment. The following link is from The New YOrker magazine. We were also on Good Morning America.
The mystery of tinnitus : The New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/02/09/090209fa_fact_groopman)

Depending on the person and their test results there are therapy methods. Some as simple as counseling. The latest (and of course most expensive) is called Neuromonics. They have a website neuromonics.com
Edited to add
Some people have success with counseling
Some people have success with Noise generators combined with counseling
Some people have success with hearing aids (believe it or not)
Some people have success with Neuromonics device

I have it too. Need to sleep with a fan on to drown out the noise. Been to an ENT and said there is no cure. I tried ear Ring Relief drops for a month but did no good.

To make matters worse, I have Meniere's Disease and when my ears close up the ringing seems twice as bad.

If any of you are veterans some veterans hospitals have now started evaluations and treatments. Some of them are even doing Neuromonics.

tigerfan33 There is a special pillow called the Sound Pillow for tinnitus sufferers. Maybe you should check into it.

If any of you are veterans some veterans hospitals have now started evaluations and treatments. Some of them are even doing Neuromonics.

tigerfan33 There is a special pillow called the Sound Pillow for tinnitus sufferers. Maybe you should check into it.


Thanks Gal. I will look into it.

Thanks Gal. I will look into it.

I just went to the Neuromonics site. There is a military base in AL that apparently does Neuromonics. That means they do other things too.

Yep. Just checked. It is in Ft. Rucker.

I checked out the website and have heard of Neunuromonics.

What exactly is it?? Do they train you to ignore the high pitched sound?

i have read that tinnitis is simply normal noise from neurons firing. for some reasons our brains begin to "hear" it. its like normal noise from an amplifier in an lnb.
Mine is a result from cervical neck issues causing muscle spasms. sometimes i have no tinnitis and sometimes i have a lot. it does not bother me anymore Thank God.
My hearing is very good and i can hear to 18 khz..I am 38 years old. I have also had two major concussions which can cause tinnitis for life. I have severe allergies and eustacian tube issues so that is another factor.

Right now mine is very loud, its comparable to a hard drive spinning but take the whining sound and quadruple it and hang one over each ear then put two more behind the first. Like I said before mine has three slightly different but distinct tones to it but to drown it out I have to have loud ambient sound or wear head phones and play the music loud which is why I went with the noise cancelling Panasonic marshmallow headphones that fit in the ear canal like earplugs. Speaking of earplugs I have been forced to wear them to sleep during the day to block out the tv and my wife and daughter who won't stay out of the bedroom while I'm sleeping because I'm a light sleeper so the ringing becomes its own white noise of all things.

As the above New Yorker article explains Tinnitus is caused by a lot of different things. Page 1 and page 5 contain most of our clinic information. Dr Salvi is in the research department. Sometimes people do not know what caused it for them. I am not an audiologist and do not know everything that our specialists know but I do see and deal with the patients.

Neuromonics really does look like an mp3 player. After your test results the neuromonics device is programmed special for you. You are given instructions on how long to wear the device and what setting. After a period of time you come back and they change the music/sound that the device plays. It is a complete program. It's very expensive.

I've noticed a direct correlation with loud noises. If the TV volume was turned up, then my ringing was intense when the volume was lowered. Now, I try to keep the volume to minimum levels and my tinnitus is not as bothersome.

wonder how expensive it is and if my blue cross will cover it.

Neuromonics would be between $4500 and $5000 including the device and the program which they expect to be about 18 - 24 months. Unless you have an unusual plan most insurances do not cover it at all. Most insurances.... at least here in NY State will cover the initial evaluation but none of the devices or therapy programs. Other states may have something different. In our area very few insurance companies have a hearing aid allowance either. Some of them have a very small allowance toward it.... $100 to $300. There is one here that has a generous hearing aid allowance..... $1500 per ear every 4 years.

So then it sounds like it will end up being something that will be out of my price range for a few years till I get into a good position.

Lots of good information. Thanks!

Van - I feel for you. I cannot imagine how crazy I would be with three tones instead of just the one.

ronton - I've been on Diovan for blood pressure for several years now. Might be worth going without for just a few days, I'll be sure to keep my cuff handy to be sure I don't explode!

I wonder, is there any sort of "noise canceling" device that works for a noise that "isn't there" - i.e. can be adjusted to produce the "canceling" of certain frequencies? Perhaps something like that and I could adjust it until the noise "goes away."

Some types seem to be actual noise in the ear. Your idea might help there. Might be kinda what satgal is talking about - haven't followed link yet.

Some types seem to be neurons firing in the head. Not likely nc headphones would help with that.

I don't always notice mine. But, like mentioned above, just mention it and the noise becomes front and center. I'm not sure, but I think mine is slowly getting worse as the years go by. Probably nothing I'll worry about in another 50 years!

Ive had it for over 30 years now. Hearing was damaged by noise in the 80s. Work related and loud concerts. Now that I'm in my 50s it seems to be getting worse. I can hear it all the time. But it only gets to me every once in a while. I use to be able to ignore it.

I tried a precedure offer by The Shea Clinic here in Memphis called Perfusion. What they do is poke a hole in you ear with a laser and put lydocaine (sp?) in it. You have to lay perfectly still with that ear up an do not swallow for two hours. They do this for three days. It didn't work for me. But some of the others having it done it helps. Dr Shea told me it a 60/40 chance of working. I was the 40.

I don't think this was mention. Cutting out caffeine helps some too. Again I could tell the difference. But the ringing in my ears is pretty loud.

I don't think this was mention. Cutting out caffeine helps some too. Again I could tell the difference. But the ringing in my ears is pretty loud.

Could? Or couldn't?

Could? Or couldn't?

I couldn't tell the difference.

Lots of good information. Thanks!

Van - I feel for you. I cannot imagine how crazy I would be with three tones instead of just the one.

ronton - I've been on Diovan for blood pressure for several years now. Might be worth going without for just a few days, I'll be sure to keep my cuff handy to be sure I don't explode!

I wonder, is there any sort of "noise canceling" device that works for a noise that "isn't there" - i.e. can be adjusted to produce the "canceling" of certain frequencies? Perhaps something like that and I could adjust it until the noise "goes away."

What you are describing is called a noise generator. These are much cheaper than the neuromonics device. If you decide to go to an audiologist to try any of these things make sure they have the "trial" period. In NY state it is 45 days.
Here is a link to one manufacturer of noise generators. They work very well ... for some people.
General Hearing Instruments Tackles Tinnitus With Tranquil Simplicity | News | The Hearing Review | Hearing Review Products (http://www.hearingreview.com/news/2009-12-10_01.asp)

ENTs are typically the ones that try injections or drugs of different types.
Audiologists typically use other methods. Really you should read the NY Times article that I posted above. It is not just about our clinic. The writer personally has tinnitus and the article was about the problem and what he ended up doing.

Some types seem to be actual noise in the ear. Your idea might help there. Might be kinda what satgal is talking about - haven't followed link yet.

Some types seem to be neurons firing in the head. Not likely nc headphones would help with that.

I don't always notice mine. But, like mentioned above, just mention it and the noise becomes front and center. I'm not sure, but I think mine is slowly getting worse as the years go by. Probably nothing I'll worry about in another 50 years!

Many military men are having problems and have gone to the VA hospitals. After checking their records for noise exposure. After a bit (well a lot actually) of paperwork the VA hospitals that deal with tinnitus have paid.

Actually, I have a partial disability for this.

I have had it since 1980. I know exactly what caused me to get it. I was restoring a '68 Mustang, running a disk sander. With no ear protection, of course. I was 27, and hearing problems were not a consideration. I'd stop, my ears would ring for a while, then stop. Except one day, one ear didn't stop. Still hasn't. A few years later my doctor gave me a prescription (way to long ago to know exactly what it was) that he said had a slim chance of helping. Medication that would expand the capillaries and might "shake things loose." It did turn me a lovely shade of red 15 minutes after taking it, but didn't do anything for the tinnitus. The worst for me has been noisy rooms, with lots of people talking. Last year I got hearing aids. (My insurance plan added $2500 for hearing aids every 3 years last year.) They don't get rid of the noise, but in a noisy location I can set them so that only the mike facing forward is on, not the rear facing mike, which makes it easier to listen to someone in a crowded, noisy setting, by cutting down on the extra noise. Helpful for me in my profession as a pastor.

It amazes me how much the mind can play with you. I don't have this condition, but I truly feel for you guys that do. But by the time I finish reading an update in this thread I find myself hearing a tone myself - and the more I think about it the more pronounced it gets. Then within a few minutes it is gone. Strange.

Not to worry. Just about everyone actually experiences it short term every now and then. It makes it easier to feel sympathy for those that have to "live with it".

I had it right after a military deployment. 4 days of combat 24/7, never ending explosions, and helicopter noise. I was a medic on evac missions. After that I had it for over 30 years. After my sudden cardiac problem a few years ago, it stopped. I jokingly say that I got a reboot because I run on windows. Now I only get it when reading about others having it. It seems like it is coming from the center of my head, not in the ears so it is likely psychosomatic. Thanks Sat Gal for your post, especially the last one of Not to worry...

PS- I don't recommend cardiac arrest as a cure for tinnitus

I also have some ear problems unrelated to tinnitus. I get excessive ear wax buildup that doesn't naturally wash out. I use the drops that fizzz and then wash it out with a water pic on lowest setting. Recommended by the ENT. After I clean that out ( usually twice a week ) I can hear high frequencies very well again for 2 days of so and then need to do it all over again. I know about diet that increases wax buildup, like chocolate and peanuts etc.

So I avoid nuts altogether but have a weakness for chocolate and eat small amounts every so often. This reduced the wax quantity significantly but I still have the hearing loss that is recovered with the cleansing. 20 some years ago I was doing a lot of diving and some projects took me into polluted water and I got many ear infections so my ears are also sensitive to that.