How can I treat Hyperacusis and Tinnitus?

---

I've been having this problem for awhile now. My ear doctor can never find the cause. And he is a specialist ENT. I had this for years and finally went on google and searched and came up with hyperacusis and tinnitus. When I am near loud music my ear tends to make a whoosing sound, sometimes it pops, and sometimes it makes a cracking sound. I am not sure why but I want it to stop its very annoying. Even a low sound still aggravates it. Today I was in class for a lecture. Teacher is lecturing and my right ear starting popping and whoosing and stuff. Teacher ask me a question and I didnt get it cause of that whoosing sound. Can anyone help me figure out how to treat this problem? I am very determined to get this fix right away.
It causes me to miss 25% of the lecture cause of the whooshing sound.
Ripper, thanks for e-mailing me about this question. I'll do my best for you as I have always done in the past.

Just because someone's a doctor that doesn't mean they have all the answers. Sometimes there just aren't any, you know? And if there's no physical, measurable, observable evidence (these all describe empiric findings) then what do you want???

In addition to what you hear, tinnitus can also present with clanging, chirping, chiming, humming, crackling, rustling, clicking and beating. If yours is caused by exposure to loud noises, then peace & quiet is the answer. No Blue Tooth, no head phone or ear buds, ever. Sinus congestion, ear infections and ear wax build up can cause it. Change these conditions and the tinnitus is nearly always cured. If there has been damage to the inner ear, then this may not be repairable. Sometimes acoustic tumors (these are benign) can cause it. A head CT can rule out a few conditions that would be responsible but I'd hate to make you go through the expense if there's no real justification for one. Think horses instead of zebras and start with ear wax build up first. That's an easy fix and is a common culprit. Work your way through the list if you need to. Sinus congestion, ear infection (which can go undetected) and so on. Anyway, return to a different ENT, a young doctor if possible, and review the possiblities.

The link below lists possible treatments.

http://www.bixby.org/faq/tinnitus/treatmnt.html

And get back to me about the acidity, my friend.  (+ info)

Have you heard of an ear condition, called HYPERACUSIS (Somehow related to TINNITUS)?

---

For 7 1/2 yrs. now, I've been wondering why my ears were so sensitive to certain sounds. I asked doctors, & they didn't have a clue why my ears were so sensitive. Saturday, I googled SENSITIVE EARS, & the Hyperacusis condition came up.

When people chew loudly, like smack on their food or gum or pop & snap/click their gum, suck hard on candy, the sound of someone trimming their nails, certain outside machinery, chainsaws, loud cars/trucks, yelling, screeching the chalkboard, etc. (You get the picture.) Hurts my ears badly enough to where I feel temporarily deaf, like my ears are numb for 2 hrs., they hurt INTENSELY, & I get a migraine headache, & my shoulders, neck, & back start hurting. It hurts bad enough to make me cry. It startles me & makes me lose my temper & triggers me off to have an anxiety attack. It's disabling for me because everywhere I go, people are doing that, & I have trouble leaving my house. When I ask people to stop with the gum, they think I'm crazy.
You need to see an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor, also known as an otolaryngologist. Go to the website of your nearest hospital and search for one. The hyperacusis I have seen as a medical student has not been as severe as what you are describing. An ENT would be a great starting point, and a neurologist might be able to help, as well. Good luck!  (+ info)

Anyone heard of Hyperacusis?

---

if you got or had it what helps it go away?
The most common treatment for hyperacusis is retraining therapy which uses broadband noise. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), a treatment originally used to treat tinnitus, uses broadband noise to treat hyperacusis. Pink noise can also be used to treat hyperacusis. By listening to broadband noise at soft levels for a disciplined period of time each day, patients can rebuild (i.e., re-establish) their tolerances to sound. When seeking treatment, it is important that the physician determine the patient's Loudness Discomfort Levels (LDL) so that hearing tests (brainstem auditory evoke response) or other diagnostic tests which involve loud noise (MRI) do not worsen the patient's tolerance to sound.  (+ info)

My 13 year old daughter has HYPERACUSIS, do you or anyone you know have it, if so what help can you give.thanx

---

Please see the webpages for more details on Hyperacusis.
The most common treatment (therapy) for hyperacusis is sound retraining therapy which utilizes broadband sound. By listening to broadband sound at soft levels for a disciplined period of time each day patients can rebuild (re-establish) their tolerances to sound. When seeking treatment it is important that the physician determine the patient's Loudness Discomfort Levels (LDL) so that hearing tests (brainstem auditory evoke response) or other diagnostic tests which involve loud noise (MRI) do not worsen the patient's tolerance to sound.  (+ info)

Is there a cure for hyperacusis?

---

Ok so my name is Nick.I've always been somewhat sensitive to noise, but could tolerate it for the most part. i miss going to clubs and concertes etc..I feel like i'm missing ou in life.i havent always had this problem. I just want to have as much fun as posible while i'm young.
Can somebody help me...PLEASE
BTW i went to an ENT(ears,nose&throat) doctor when i was 17 and he said the good news is my hearing is perfect the bad news is (my hearing is perfect)it's senstive like a babies. I do use ear plugs but they only help a little i pefer a cure.
  (+ info)

How is it most people don't have ear problems and they listen to crazy music?

---

LOUD, noisy, hiphop, metal..punk and they keep listening for years. All i did was play one note(drum patch ) in my yamaha keyboard 2 years ago and it broke some nerve that made me have hyperacusis and tinnitus badly.i can't listen to any loud sound now, or it hurts alot deep inside the ear. What is the difference between me and them.. why they don't get anything?
They will have problems. It might take a few years but when they are 40 they will be legally deaf. My grandfather went deaf from machinery so I used to put an ear plug in my left ear when I cracked up the music. "just in case" I know is sounds silly, but I can hear much better in my left ear now even though I never over did it.

With you it sounds like you just got unlucky. People trip and die in small accidents, I guess you can consider yourself lucky you only hurt your hearing.  (+ info)

How to accept Hearing loss/problems as a young man?

---

im 27. I got tinnitus and Hyperacusis 2 years ago. i still hate it and i'm getting more and more weird sensations in my ears, including spasms.At times one of my ears feels like it's losing hearing. luckly i'm not deaf yet but with all these pains and new symptoms, i fear that i may end deaf
go to an ear nose and throat specialist and find out if your condition is treatable. you may even have to see an audiologist and be fitted for a hearing aid, or possibly surgery.  (+ info)

Are there any cures for these disorders?

---

I have Misophonis (selective sound sensitivity)
Hyperacusis (Loud sound irriate me quite a bit)
and mild Tinnitus ( a ringing in the ear)

Living with these disorders is horrible, no one understands them, all info is greatly appreciated, thank you.
i know that there is an operation that you can have done for the hyper acoustic thing- but for the other two, i dont know. i do know how you feel though- my boyfriend is severely hyper acoustic- everyday life is painful for him. despite this, he refuses to have the operation- it carries with it a risk of losing your hearing altogether.  (+ info)

Is there any relief from severe tinnitus?

---

I am a 41 yr old who has had mild tinnitus for 25 years but in the last few months is has become very bad in one ear and I am also suffering from hyperacusis in that ear. I have seen my GP and am waiting to see an ENT specialist but wondered if there is any way to relieve the tinnitus which is becoming quite distressing.
Medications that are well accepted in treatment of Tinnitus

* Lorazepam or klonazepam (in low doses). These are "benzodiazepines", mainly used for anxiety (Gananca et al, 2002; Dobie, 2003)
* Amitriptyline or nortriptyline (again in low doses). These are "tricyclic antidepressants".

Comment. Benzodiazepines and tricyclics probably mainly change emotional responses to tinnitus. Any sort of relief, however, is important.

We have also had some patients get relief from other antidepressants including the SSRI family.

The anticonvulsants such as mysoline may affect some patients who have tinnitus due to 8th nerve irritation. Mysoline contains phenobarbital, which is sedating.

The effect of local anesthetics on tinnitus was discovered serendipitously by Barany in 1935. Otsuka et al (2003) recently reported administration of Lidocaine to 117 ears over a 24 year period. The method was intravenous infusion, of between 80 and 100 mg. They report a transient (several minutes) response in about 70% of treated ears. As responses are nearly always very temporary, lidocaine does not have a role as a treatment of tinnitus. The mechanism appears to be central (Baguley et al, 2005). According to Dobie (1999), the related drugs tocainamide, mexilitine and flecainamide have not been shown superior to placebo.
Drugs in which it is uncertain whether they are effective

* Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
* Campral (author of this page is not sure -- might be a placebo)
* Flunarizine (not available in US)
* Caroverine (not available in US, IV medication)
* Eperisone (not available in US).

Atorvastatin (Lipitor). A recent trial in older people showed that atorvastatin had no effect on the rate of hearing deterioration but there was a trend toward improvement in tinnitus scores over several years.  (+ info)

can you diagnose my sickness?

---

I get migraines and I have been diagnosed with hyperacusis, I get migraines almost every day and when I have them they are extremely painful. I have seen 3 neurologist and a few other doctors. no one can figure out what i have and no medication helps. Can anyone help me?
Hyperacusis effects your hearing, sometimes painfully so much that the doctors probably think it is causing your migraines to worsen. The progression of hyperacusis is unpredictable. Many patients' tolerance improves while some cases grow steadily worse. The only factor we know of that unquestionably affects progression or regression is continued exposure to loud noise.

Proper guidelines must be followed especially when one first develops hyperacusis. The best source of information comes from The Hyperacusis Network, see the first link below. Many patients have seen improvement in sound tolerance through the use of sound generators (special hearing aids) that emit broad band pink noise. This retraining therapy suggests that the ear will become desensitized to sound by listening to broadband pink noise at barely audible levels for a disciplined period of time each day (usually 2-8 hours a day). This has been proven to help over 90% of hyperacusis patients maximize the tolerances in their ears. The name of this treatment is called Tinnitus (Hypeacusis)Retraining Therapy or TRT. To find a list of current hearing professionals who administer this treatment see the second link below.

I hope this information helps you, at least a little. Good Luck.  (+ info)

---

---

• Home
• Our method
• Usage examples
• Index

• Statistics
• Contact

---