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Tinnitus: if suddenly worse, can it get better?

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My tinnitius is worse in my right ear, louder and 24/7. I have been using Flonase and a steroid spray to open my eustachian tubes for about two years. I wonder if one or both may have contributed to the sudden rise in my tinnitus. and so I’ve pretty much stopped using them.

Have folks here ever had tinnitus get suddenly worse and then, after a time, go back to something like it was before? or is it always progressive, with no going back?

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i hope this helps

the more stressed I am the worse my Tinnitus is and the more I notice it

I have had it for decades

I think it depends on the cause. I’ve had it appear out of nowhere in response to noise exposure (never had it before that) then gradually get better over several months and eventually disappear.

Thanks. Tinnitus has been long standing in my right ear, but has become a bit louder and more constant recently. I’m hoping that if I back off the nasal sprays, it may revert to its old form–a bit quieter and less constant.

The thing is, I have no idea if the nasal sprays had anything to do with this. No one does. so all I can do is feel my way forward, and hope.

I am getting better at ignoring the new, louder tinnitus, so in that sense I feel blessed! It’s fading from my awareness, just like the ‘old’ tinnitus.

I taught myself to be totally relaxed about tinnitus @jeffrey, I don’t bat an eyelid nowadays when it goes off the scale, I have had extremely loud tinnitus for 30 odd years, since … At first, it nearly drove me insane, I was almost suicidal… Eventually, I realized it will fluctuate greatly, so you can become more excepting, of tinnitus. In my MD days (Meniers Disease) I regarded tinnitus as a blessing, it became my early warning system, that a vertigo attack was now imminent, the louder the tinnitus became, the closer the attack was, it was time to lie down for a few hours, and ride out the vertigo… Eventually, I experienced burn out, after approximately 8 years, the vertigo ceased… As I said, nowadays I am totally relaxed about tinnitus, a few years ago, I started exploring relaxation techniques when tinnitus was particularly loud, and annoying… I told myself, “you know it will get quieter, so relax”… I repeat this several dozen times to myself over 20 minutes to half an hour, and the tinnitus will start too quieten down (it is almost like turning down a dial) eventually going from maybe 8 or 9 out of 10, to perhaps 1 or 2 out of 10… It works for me… Cheers Kev :grin:

I’m sorry to hear your tinnitus has increased.

I’ve noticed that my tinnitus cranks up anytime my body becomes stressed due to a new Flu or COVID-19 vaccination, an infection, etc. My tinnitus will suddenly ramp up until my system somehow adjusts, or I recover from the infection.

Anger or frustration can also bring on my tinnitus.

My tinnitus is my personal messenger that something is bothering me.

Good Luck,

David

In reply to @CombatWombat

@CombatWombat said:

I think it depends on the cause. I’ve had it appear out of nowhere in response to noise exposure (never had it before that) then gradually get better over several months and eventually disappear.

I’ve had tinnitus for ~30 years. Strangest occurrence was as I walked under a noisy fan on my way to a hearing test. One ear suddenly switched it on LOUD. Of course, I did very poorly on that ear and the technician insisted I have an to check for a tumor. As my wife kidded me – they didn’t find anything.

I still have tinnitus but no more sudden increases.

In reply to @CombatWombat

Hey there! Mind sharing some infos about your experience? I’m on day 4 with noise induced tinnitus because of a concert I went to, and I’m not sure if it’s getting better, I’m getting the hang of it already, or the pressure in the ear subsiding made it less noticeable 'cause I just hear better. Did you do anything? Was the change noticeable? If so, how did you notice? Did you have references like a certain sound used to mask it having to be quieter and quieter as it faded away? Did you notice just by the loudness or the pitch? Do tell me, I’m trying to gather as much infos as possible, in order to understand my situation better.

My tinnitus was not noise induced, but it took a few years to subside, not days. Develop your management strategies and then try not to think about it too much.

In reply to @DaveL

Woke up. Couldn’t sleep. Had an ah ha moment.

I have sleep apnea. My first realization waking up was my tinnitus. Second realization. I’m alive. I’m breathing. Life is good.

My tinnitus has a purpose. That’s the first time tinnitus has made me happy!
Wow.

DaveL

In reply to @Raudrive

Ahhhhhh. Good advice. But worrying about tinnitus can.

I’ve had mine so long it’s a feature in my life. We humans are complicated beings.

DaveL

In reply to @DaveL

So my tinnitus has become better. Now it has a purpose.

I hope this explanation helps others.

My tinnitus is the first thing I noticed this morning when I woke up before dawn. I’m awake! And that’s beautiful

(Over 35 years ago my sleep doc put real fear in me. I have severe sleep apnea. He said I must be compliant or sleep apnea would kill me. Since then when I wake I celebrate my life. This morning I thought darn tinnitus! No more. I’m awake!)

My tinnitus started when I hit my head on the floor. The ringing just did not stop. I used a frequency tone generator app to discover the exact frequency of my ‘ringing’ by adjusting the generator upwards in frequency until it matched the sound in my ears, which happens to 2350hz. That helps me get my ’s adjust to compensate for the competing range. I also use only a nasal rinse (Alkolol ) 1/1, with saline 4oz each to clean my sinus’. Yes I waterboard myself, head over backwards while it is poured in and held for as long as I am able, but WOW is my head clear after that!!

Interesting, I just went through something like this and I’ll share my story.

I complained to my about clogged ears that was affecting my hearing plus tinnitus. She sent me to an audiologist and I got (new ones) plus prescribed Flonase, saline rinses and a bunch of other stuff. In another visit, she said I had an infection and prescribed antibiotics. At a 3rd visit, she prescribed prednisone.

A month after the whole salad of Rxs, I started getting really bad tinnitus. It was driving me nuts!

After 4 months, I finally got a referral to an , who said I do not have Eustachian tube dysfunction but gave me no other explanation – a very terrible ENT MD.

I requested a 2nd opinion with a different ENT. 2nd ENT told to stop everything as she thought I had Patulous ear syndrome, which is the opposite of clogged ears. A month after stopping everything, the tinnitus is mostly gone (I’m just doing saline sprays). 2nd END told me that the symptoms of clogged ears and Patulous Eustachian tubes can be similar.

Needless to say, I threw away all the Flonase I bought @ Costco.

Hope you get better!

Edited

I’ve had sporadic worsening of my long-term bilateral tinnitus that will last about 15 minutes and then subside to its ordinary level. I don’t know what causes the increase.

Edited to add: i try not to use Flonase unless I have no other choice. I hate the smell of it.

Hi Patrick
my tinnitus has been around forever.
Some days I can’t handle it. It’s like a stress meter.

  • Tinnitus is loud?
  • I’m stressed!
  • So I do something about it. Meditation? Bach Flower Remedy – Rescue Remedy; or, Passion Flower as recommended by Dr Oz on his show years ago.

Do I take my own advise? Heck no. I haven’t slept since Wednesday night a week ago because of stress from work. That’s a week of 3 or so hours a night.

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