Tinnitus(ringing in ears)

[SueInBoston]

I just happened upon this yesterday. Here’s hoping!

Thank you, I just signed up for the waitlist.

 

[Cheburashka]

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I recently started experiencing ear ringing. Looking for the solution, I found this thread. I wonder whether there are people hear who were lucky to get rid of tinnitus. Thanks in advance.

Go to urgent care and ask for a Medrol dosepak (this is methylprednisolone) for this. This is basically a tapered weeklong dose of steroid. You might have to talk it up a bit because not all general practitioners know about this, but it can be effective and a week of steroid treatment is brief enough to not be any kind of risk. The standard dosepak is 4mg per pill. I've done as high as 16mg per pill when my ears have really been problematic, but the 4mg per pill can work very well. It likely won't eliminate the ringing completely, but if it's loud, it can help bring it down to a lower level that's easier to adjust to.

Some (very few) specialists actually inject steroid directly into the eardrum to combat sudden hearing loss & tinnitus- my son has had that treatment and it did help him.

Methylprednisolone is the front-line defense against sudden hearing loss and ear ringing. It is a cheap, generic drug that was developed for other purposes so there are never going to be tons of research studies financed for this use, but there are some studies that you can look up if you like, and the more knowledgeable doctors do know about this use for it.

On the supplement side of the equation, NAC can be helpful, but it's more of a preventative (take it after an unexpected loud noise exposure), and not so potent as methylprednisolone. It also has some studies on its use.

 

[SueInBoston]

Thank you, I just signed up for the waitlist.

I heard back from a treatment center, $4k

 

[lilmc]

I heard back from a treatment center, $4k

Thoughts on whether insurance will cover?

 

[SueInBoston]

Thoughts on whether insurance will cover?

They included a very detailed (form) letter explaining that they've reached out to all major insurance company and none will cover claiming the treatment is too new.

 

[NotUrsula]

Thoughts on whether insurance will cover?

Based on my past experience with hearing-related coverage, I'd say that if the onset was sudden and caused by an injury, there is a fair chance that insurance will cover it once it is no longer considered "experimental" (which also IME takes about 3 years of the treatment being widely available and effective.) How old you are will probably factor in as well; if there is any chance it is age-related the insurance companies are less likely to pay. My tinnitus is a side effect of my lifelong Meniere's Disease; if this treatment had come along 20 years ago my insurance probably would have paid for that reason, but now that I'm over 60 I suspect it would be a hard fight.

 

[robinb]

There's a fairly active tinnitus forum on reddit. It's a bleak picture. Like some other symptoms, tinnitus is caused by many different things--not one thing--so the cure for it can be varied. I have it in my left ear only stemming from ear problems as a result of COVID. I've had it for about 7 months now and it is not relenting whatsoever. My cousin has had hers for 3 years. It's important to get a workup to see if you can figure out the cause--sometimes it's related to hearing loss, sometimes related to issues with the ears such as wax buildup, eustachian tube dysfunction, and sometimes it's related to a nerve issue in the inner ear. Edited to add that certain medications can trigger it and some deficiencies can cause it.

That subreddit is the pits. I have tinnitus in my right ear (only) for 19 months from Covid. I had sharp pain in my ear a couple days into my Covid infection and I called my doctor and he put me on Flonase for a while, but it didn't help. It's here to stay I think. I saw an ENT a few months later and he said exactly when the subreddit says: I just have to get used to it. And, for the most part I am used to it. Sometimes when it gets really loud I realize I'm clenching my jaw and I relax and it quiets down a bit. Since I'm thinking about it, it's pretty intense right now. *sigh*

 

[goofyernmost]

That subreddit is the pits. I have tinnitus in my right ear (only) for 19 months from Covid. I had sharp pain in my ear a couple days into my Covid infection and I called my doctor and he put me on Flonase for a while, but it didn't help. It's here to stay I think. I saw an ENT a few months later and he said exactly when the subreddit says: I just have to get used to it. And, for the most part I am used to it. Sometimes when it gets really loud I realize I'm clenching my jaw and I relax and it quiets down a bit. Since I'm thinking about it, it's pretty intense right now. *sigh*

I hate to be a presenter of bad news but, my tinnitus showed up about 20 years ago and is still going strong. Somedays are worse then others. Sometimes I hardly ever notice it at all, but it varies from day to day. No one in the medical profession has ever presented any possible way to get rid of it and I make it a point to always mention it. I even get yearly hearing tests done and so far it hasn't seemed to affect my actual hearing, it's just an added attraction. Years ago it bothered me when I tried to sleep until I found a way to have background noise (so called white noise) otherwise silence was like a bugle in my ears. As if its perfect timing, today is a louder situation. Honestly, most of the time I don't even notice it at all.

 

[Christine]

That subreddit is the pits. I have tinnitus in my right ear (only) for 19 months from Covid. I had sharp pain in my ear a couple days into my Covid infection and I called my doctor and he put me on Flonase for a while, but it didn't help. It's here to stay I think. I saw an ENT a few months later and he said exactly when the subreddit says: I just have to get used to it. And, for the most part I am used to it. Sometimes when it gets really loud I realize I'm clenching my jaw and I relax and it quiets down a bit. Since I'm thinking about it, it's pretty intense right now. *sigh*

Yeah it's not the best subreddit but it's all I could find. TinnitusTalks forum has tons of information but the moderation there is very strange but I did a lot of looking at older posts.

Mine was COVID related too. You just don't hear much about it.

 

[robinb]

Yeah it's not the best subreddit but it's all I could find. TinnitusTalks forum has tons of information but the moderation there is very strange but I did a lot of looking at older posts.

Mine was COVID related too. You just don't hear much about it.

My ENT said that he's seen a lot of people with Covid related tinnitus. I think it finally became an "official" long-haul Covid symptom.

I hate to be a presenter of bad news but, my tinnitus showed up about 20 years ago and is still going strong. Somedays are worse then others. Sometimes I hardly ever notice it at all, but it varies from day to day. No one in the medical profession has ever presented any possible way to get rid of it and I make it a point to always mention it. I even get yearly hearing tests done and so far it hasn't seemed to affect my actual hearing, it's just an added attraction. Years ago it bothered me when I tried to sleep until I found a way to have background noise (so called white noise) otherwise silence was like a bugle in my ears. As if its perfect timing, today is a louder situation. Honestly, most of the time I don't even notice it at all.

Yeah, I've resigned myself to having it for the rest of my life. Mine is very high and in the range/register where I'm just starting to experience hearing loss. My ENT said that was pretty common that I can't hear in that ultra high frequency range because of the virus and my brain is helping me out. Thanks a lot brain!

 

[LuvOrlando]

 

[AustinTink]

Sometimes when it gets really loud I realize I'm clenching my jaw and I relax and it quiets down a bit.

I’ve had tinnitus for many years and I also notice how much worse it is when my TMJ is flaring. My ENT verified that is a very real cross symptom of TMJ and tinnitus.

The thing that helps me the most when my jaw is clenched and my tinnitus worsens is using my theragun. I have the theragun mini and it has been a lifesaver. I use it on my shoulders and base of the neck and my jaw unclenches and the tinnitus lightens up.