Tinnitus clinics

[redcarboy]

Has anyone been or know of anyone that has been to one of the private tinnitus clinics around the UK, the treatments are very expensive but according to the customer reviews have helped - Not cured ???

Thanks in advance

[sammie888]

Hi redcarboy for many years I have researched this area of amazing cures and only found that after many expensive appointments and procedures you end up with a very expensive pair of masking aids, I myself was once quoted £5000 for treatment. I have suffered myself for many years and know what it is like desperately looking for a solution, the people on this forum can be a great help and will give you all the advice you need to cope with the dreaded "T" habituation is the key to coping with it but can take a long time to achieve, I wish you luck and hope you get to grips with the dreaded "T".

[Hidden]

HI Redcarboy,

I have never been to a private tinnitus clinic for treatment and hope that I never have to. I will give you the truth about private tinnitus clinics in the UK as I see it, but first I will tell you something my GP told me 21 years ago, when I first asked if he can recommend a private clinic as my appointment to be seen at NHS ENT was 6 months away.

He said and I quote: " You will get the best help and long term aftercare under the NHS". Twenty one years on I have found this to be true. I am still an outpatient at the hospital I attend and was recently fitted with two new digital white noise generators that cost around £2k and this was free.

I regularly correspond with people that have tinnitus in the UK and other parts of the world. Some people in the UK have gone the private route and all of them I've spoken to have been left disappointed after parting with a lot of money. Two people in the UK, that I have corresponded with on another tinnitus forum have paid over £3000 for white noise generators to treat tinnitus and hyperacusis with no follow-up counselling and have made no improvement. I have been told, once they have parted with their money they are left on their own and the private clinic don't want to know.

Two people that I know have attended a clinic in London for tinnitus treatment. They spent over £5000. This included consultation, tests and white noise generators. At the time they were not offered tinnitus counselling which is an essential part of TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy) without counselling the treatment isn't likely to work. Both made no improvement. When one of the them complained they were quickly shown the door.

Our NHS offers some of the best treatment for tinnitus and I hope that it remains this way for a long time. It is true that in some parts of the country the service needs to be improved but compared with some countries it's still head a shoulders above them.

Hope this helps.

Michael

[PeteCatton]

Yes I have been to one of Tinnitus clinics, yes it can be expensive and range from £2,500

to £5,000 but i found them very helpful. Although they offer no more than any other good audiologist. The hearing aids are very small comfortable and have built in noise generator.

I do believe that the High St hearing aid suppliers are also expensive and maybe not as experienced as the specialists. That is my opinion only.

[ade-the-pade]

I ended up at the Royal ENT place at London. My GP referred me. In addition, I called one of the London Clinics and the price for RTMS was in the region of £12,000. I discussed the private treatments such as RTMS, and other treatments with the NHS consultant. The consultant was quite direct about the London Clinics he said "If these treatments worked, then we would be using them in the NHS". He said that it was my decision to try if I wanted.

The Royal ENT is very good and do what they can for T. The reality is that it is a condition that they are still learning about. Some things work for some people. For others, nothing shifts it.

Try everything that is available and shout for more. Hopefully you will strike gold and have the joy of silence!!

Ade

[redcarboy]

Thanks for the comments, more to think about now lol, not looking good in the T clinic direction.

[berry76 in reply to redcarboy]

Three years ago I went to the Tinnitus Clinic in Harley Street - and forked out £4,500 for hearing aids with masker. Each subsequent visit costs £120 ....so I decided to go recently to the local Boots where I was offered a free comprehensive hearing test and where the audiologist was really thorough - and actually I'm being referred for further investigation ....but all on the NHS. Apparently it's unusual to have one-sided T so maybe the local ENT clinic will find out why. Ultimately I may well end up purchasing another set of hearing aids but I will do so confidently with the local service, where the diagnostic facilities were superior to those in Harley Street.

[Ruud1boy]

I think the issue with these clinics is that they are selling tinnitus treatments that haven't yet been proven to work. The treatments may help some people, they may not, but they're asking for a lot of money to find out.

[Seashore22]

I attended an initial appointment at the private Tinnitus Clinic in London too and was quoted around £2700 for Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Desensitisation Therapy providing aids/masker, with only 2 sessions of therapy alongside it , so will be a lot more in order to have further therapy sessions and also follow up consultations. Trouble is although NHS treatment may be better in the long run, I have found locally was only offered 6 sessions CBT and no aids/maskers.I have now also been referred to the Royal National ENT in London . but after 8 weeks of not hearing anything (I appreciate appointment wait may be much longer) I contacted the hospital who advised they had not received a referral for me, so back to the GP it was.I too am hoping to be offered helpful treatment. Best wishes everyone