Accupuncture for Tinnitus : Hi Has anyone tried... - Tinnitus UK

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Accupuncture for Tinnitus

JenMeerkat profile image
38 Replies

Hi

Has anyone tried accupuncture for their tinnitus ?

Yesterday I visited a Chinese clinic and had accupuncture for my severe Tinnitus and insomnia . I have just recently tried an anti depressant for 9 days but stopped it as I felt it was making things worse.

The thing was I slept better last night than I did when I had taken the anti depressant I have only just stopped it , as in didnt take it last night, but never the less I did sleep better just hoping and praying the accupuncture does quieten the tinnitus and I keep sleeping.

I will post if things change

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JenMeerkat
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38 Replies
Maryanne99 profile image
Maryanne99

I tried accupuncture for months never done me any good but u never know it might help you

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toMaryanne99

Hi Maryanne

I'm sorry it didnt help you

Thanks, I do hope it does something

Have you found anything that helps you at all ?

Xx

Maryanne99 profile image
Maryanne99 in reply toJenMeerkat

Yes I got hearing aids from the audiology for tinitus they help to take the madness away but you still get t they have helped me a great deal

T-shirts profile image
T-shirts in reply toMaryanne99

Hi, I have NHS hearing aids, have helped quietened the Tinnitus

down, still hear it, but better than it was,

Stevenroze profile image
Stevenroze in reply toMaryanne99

Hi Marianne was it very expensive for the hearing aids?

T-shirts profile image
T-shirts in reply toStevenroze

Hi, no, have been given them on the NHS, I'm in England, health care is free here, but they have helped,

Thanks

Anne

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat

Hi young Bob

I'm sorry it didnt help you

And thankyou .

Have you found anything that helps ? .

Regards

Jen

youngbob profile image
youngbob in reply toJenMeerkat

Sorry to say no, tried almost everything, just hope one day, someone comes up with something that will help.

Woodentop99 profile image
Woodentop99

I think you will find most of us on here have literally tried everything known to man, acupuncture included, my take on it is, it relaxed me to some degree but as for helping with tinnitus 100% no effect whatsoever, but if you don’t buy a ticket etc etc, you never know we are all different it may help in your case, also don’t mess with anti depressants ensure a doctor monitors what you are doing.

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toWoodentop99

My hospice doctor agreed I should stop them after 9 days as my tinnitus worsened

Buzzbear profile image
Buzzbear

Hi,

You have my sympathy for the big T and the insomnia, I haven't tried acupuncture for T or even thought about it but I can't help thinking the power of the mind has a great influence, beyond what we already know, on how we can self heal. Maybe your determination is helping you sleep, or your frame of mind? Stay away from the antidepressants...they will take you in a direction without control.

Regards

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toBuzzbear

I have incurable cancer too . Have been battling it for 6 1/2 years . Not sure I can take much more if things dont improve soon my life is just too hard x

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toJenMeerkat

Hello Jen, I really suck at communicating with people as I don't have any friends ,i'm not weird or anything i'm just in a country and an area of the country where people envy you for what you have not for your heath problems (funny part I'm not even rich or close to be I don't even have a job a college degree nor do i know how i'm gonna find anything do to this situation I'm in) but I want to tell you that I'm always thinking about you and pray for you and hope God is going to give you a miracle recovery and live without suffering .I don't even know how to use this site so i just saw your reply and I want to tell you hang in there and I love you and God loves you too.

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toamelirom

Thankyou for your kind words .

Where abouts are you ? I'm sorry you're alone that must be hard

Xx

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toJenMeerkat

Hi ,Jen ! I hope you feel better ,prayed for you last night my dear as I pray for myself and I ask God to touch us with the blessing of healing. I'm in US but originally from Romania, always missed home.

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toamelirom

Thankyou again for. Praying for me it's very kind of you

How did you end up in the US ?

I'm in the UK near Manchester

Can I ask your name , hope you dont mind ?

Regards

Jen

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toJenMeerkat

Hi, Jen ,my name is Amelia. I came to US 26 years ago ,I marieed to my Romanian boyfriend that later on came to US to his parents (they emigrate when was still communism in Romania). America was a dream for me like it is for a lot of people but reality is different , for me became a sad dream ,home is not where you make it ,home is where your heart is. Took me to long to realize that I am miserable here, away from my parents and it was to late when I did , my kids were teenagers and they would not want to move ,now they love Romania and Europe in general and they are not happy here. Do you have any kids Jen? Always thinking of you .Send you my love.

Amelia

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toamelirom

I forgot to ask you how's your sleep? I still struggle, magnesium I thought it helps but it doesn't seems like it keeps me up instead of helping . Doctors are no help all they push is SSRI or benzodiazepines.

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toamelirom

Hi Amelia

Maybe you could wait till your children are a bit older then maybe move back to Romania ?

I have a 25 year old daughter I split from her father when she was 10 but I met someone else just over 7 1/2 years ago . Sadly we had only been together a year when I was diagnosed with cancer .We got married in Oct 2014 . Are you still with your husband?

I'm sleeping better since starting the acupuncture but was trying an antidepressant mirtazapine but I only took it for 9 nights as ny tinnitus went worse before that I took sleeping tablets . I'm trying to manage without if I can so just take occasionally

X

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toJenMeerkat

Hi , Jen

I tried mirtazapine too it's called remeron in US gave me intolerable heart burn and such a metallic taste in mouth, never helped me to sleep, I don't know for sure what medication to blame for my ringing in the head too is either temazepam ,remeron or klonopil. I only took them for 6,7 nights none of them help me with sleep and I didn't want to be an any addictive medication I just took them out of desperation because I wasn't sleeping at all in weeks.

I'm still with my husband for 26 years but my life wasn't easy nor happy , right now the tinnitus , depression and insomnia is being hard to overcome and problems in personal relation makes them worse and impossible to heal , I wish so much that I could sleep, does acupuncture helped you with sleep? I tried it only twice but it was in the beginning of my nightmare and the meds that I tried at that time give me anxiety and I was never to long on a medication before I stoped always felling so sick every day was like something was eating my organs inside my stomach , so I stoped going. How many times you went before you start sleeping? What seeping pills you take?

My kids are big enough to move back to Romania but right now every thing is so complicated , and sometimes I fell like I don't belong nowhere .My son is your daughter's age his 25 and my daughter she's 22 still in college for her master degree.

I'm deeply sorry that you have to go thru so much, is your husband supporting ?

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toamelirom

Hi Amelia

Did you try Remeron at 7.5mg ? The lower the dose the more sedating it is, I dont think you can go below that .

It definitely puts a strain on relationships as our husbands get frustrated because they feel helpless

My hubby is very supportive he has been sleeping on the sofa for well over a month now so that his snoring doesnt stop me from getting what sleep I get .

I found I slept better after my first acupuncture treatment I've been three times in 7 days I went last Thursday, Saturday and today .

I took Zoplicone 3.75mg. I still have them for when needed just not every night I last took one on sunday it didnt do much. I take a lot of meds for my cancer to be honest .

Out of the drugs you took Remeron is the most likely to cause tinnitus I know I only took it for 9 nights but it has added another sound to my tinnitus.

It's so very hard to know what to do for the best . I feel your pain xx

It may be nothing to do with your meds have you been checked for thyroid, diabetes and MS all these plus anemia can cause tinnitus .

Have you got hearing loss too ? As it's common with tinnitus sufferers

Regards

Jen x

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toJenMeerkat

Hi Jen,

The remeron that i had was 15mg ,took the whole pill the first time, didn't put me to sleep ,then i stopped for some days 3-4 could not sleep not even 1/2 h and I was told to take half a pill took them for 6 days I think and no sleep just horrible side effects.I was also given lorazepam when i went to ER couple of times, trazodone from my dr. ,ambien ,gabapeptin by a neurologist (saying that i am hyperventilating but I did not agree with him) escitalopram ,and o my god I didn't tried them all just some or maybe one , but i was told that they don't work on me because i was afraid of taking something that gets you addicted or it makes my tinnitus worse , and it actually did.Most of the dr. they say you already have tinnitus so the medication can't do any harm.

I don't have diabetes , my husband said that he could see a lump in my neck and it turned the i have a few nodules but not cancerous and I had to ask my dr. to check my vitamins ( i have complains for so many years that I'm tired, shortness of breath ,insomnia, memory problems and she always wanted to give me antidepressants, kept telling her that I'm tired and fatigued and must be a reason) and i was low in vitamin D and b12 (188).So maybe I was always low on that for a long time , I was given a shot it was supposed to be done monthly, and then she said just take some pills b12. One month after the shot i checked my b12 with that neurologist and it was in the 400 and two months later my dr. she realize i did not did my annual check

up (they need to charge the insurance something) so i had the b12 checked again and dropped at 220 so I'm taking pills ,but i got some advice from a nurse that if absorption is a problem (intrinsic factor missing) i should be given injections .I also have hearing loss only in the right ear but is moderate.( my T is louder in the right side but it was not before I start having problems, the sounds in the head are killing me, it's like electric sounds ,hissing and ringing ,is the same in the ears but it echos )

Anyway it's hard to find a good dr. and also hard to change doctors.

I'm glad acupuncture works for you, at least for sleep ,and who knows some people have relief on tinnitus too. What sounds you have?

I slept with my husband the first 4 months and then I told him to move in another room, because if I got the chance to fall asleep he will wake me up.So for the last three months I'm sleeping alone and it makes me feel ,I run a fan and my phone with some crickets sounds or rain.

Does you daughter lives with you ? She's married?

I think you're such a strong person and I admire you . God bless you Jen!

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toamelirom

Hi Amelia

I do understand your fears a out trying things . I'm trying betahistine as a friend takes it and it quietens her tinnitus but I'm scared it will do harm

I think you have to take a leap of faith sometimes and try not to worry oh and dont google just stick to reading the leaflet and asking your doctor or chemist

I'm sure you know that low B12 can cause tinnitus . Yes I'm sure I read something about if something is missing you wont absorb it and you need a different test to get an acurate B12 reading I will see if I can find it

I have hearing loss too in both ears .

Today is a really bad day both my ears are screaming . I have mid to high pitched ringing plus a sound that's like someone is playing an organ in my ears it gets so loud I'm climbing the walls . I know what you mean. My tinnitus is killing me too

I often wish I could fall asleep and not wake up , then I feel bad for my daughter and husband .

My daughter lives in a place called liverpool with her fiance . She left home shortly after i was diagnosed to do her degree in liverpool and then got a job there.

My husband has been sleeping on the sofa for well over 6 weeks now. So that i have the best chance of getting some sleep.

Have you tried the sleeping tablet ambient? I used to take that a long time back

I'm not strong at all . I get stressed and scared just like anyone else

Jen

X

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toJenMeerkat

Hi, Jen

Hope you're having a better day today.

I have tried betahistine too ,in US is not available, not approved but my bother send it to me from Romania. I took it for only two weeks at a lower dose and my T got louder, but I was trying in the same time some Chinese tea(it was a blend of herbal plants that a chinese guy was mixing them especially for me) and chinese sleeping pills so i stopped the betahistine and soon after the Chinese treatment as i did no good to me (took for two months with no succes ) I read that some people got rid of T with betahistine and some they got the ringing worse.

I read about B12 and tinnitus I actually asked my dr. to test me but she's very incompetent in my opinion and I don't know where to go as the health system in this country is such a big business . There is a post by a member here (NKINDIA) she said she had tinnitus for 8 years and when her feet started to loose sensation her dr checked her b12 and she was very low 98, and she received b12 shots but not the kind of b12 that my dr gave me ,she got them daily for 7 days then weekly for 6 weeks then monthly and she got rid of her T and she was able to walk again ,as walking become difficult for her.

I have tried ambien four times the most i got was 2h one night the rest none and lots of side effects I was like zombie the next day, I don't know what's wrong with my mind but nothing works on me, and I don't want to get something addictive. The longest pill i got was amitriptyline for 1 1/2 month and even though wasn't to helpfull in sleeping ,I got very bad heart burn and it made my T way worse and I was still taking it and that's when I went to the Chinese herbalist and I gradually cut the dose in half every week.

I still can't sleep the last 3 days I've been sleeping no more then 2 1/2 -3 h and I don't take anything , is hard to fall asleep but I was happy that I got to do it on my own but I wake up ,I'm getting stuffed on my nose most of the time and I use decongestants but still don't help, and last night the heat woke me up ,here the heat system ids blowing hot air ,you also get dry and you need a humidifier, and I can't fall back asleep my mind starts to wonder around and can't settle down.

My kids are staying with us my son is working he's an engineer but he doesn't have a girlfriend and my daughter still in school and working at the school as a grad assistant.

Do you work Jen? How do you spend your days? .Mine are pretty boring and I have to change something pick up a hobby or something.

I'm thinking of you all the time and I pray for us for our healing I hope God is hearing my prayers. And yes You are strong indeed , you do get stressed and scared as I do too but you're brave Jen! Hope is a wonderful day and I send you a big worm hug!

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toamelirom

I mean warm hug ,ha ha!

amelirom profile image
amelirom in reply toamelirom

Hi JEN,

Just want to say hi and to let you know that I'm thinking of you.

ade-the-pade profile image
ade-the-pade

No luck here. The only thing that lightened was my wallet. However you could get lucky and get a result.

Ade

TinnitusUKPat profile image
TinnitusUKPatPartner

Hi Jen.

You can find the BTA's guidance on acupuncture on our website in the very useful Treatments section - tinnitus.org.uk/tinnitus-an...

There's limited evidence that it will cause harm - similarly, there's limited evidence that it significantly reduces perception of tinnitus signals.

As with any treatment, you have to experience it to judge if it is the right thing for you - I would try to view any complementary therapy as something which may improve your general well-being and in doing so, may reduce the extent to which you find yourself distressed by your tinnitus.

I think relaxation and stress reduction are good, realistic goals to aim for and hopefully some relief from tinnitus should flow from any reduction in your stress levels which you are able to achieve.

With best wishes

Pat

amelirom profile image
amelirom

I forgot to mention I tried melatonin for sleep (antidepressants and benzodiazepines made my T worse and gave me T in my head too ,never came back toTHE TINNITUS i used to have)but i did not work for me I just stop taking it last night and I made chamomile tea (always do)and took 400mg magnesium glycinate it made me very relaxed in 40 min also ate pistachio nuts 2 h before bed( not a lot like 10nuts) and I was able to fall asleep woke up 4,5 times but manage to go back to sleep and i probably slept like more than 5 hours, a night before could not sleep at all.( tart cherry juice has melatonin and I try to drink some after dinner ,also if your tinnitus does not go bad at dairy products eat yogurt 2 h before bed with oats, raspberry and tomatoes have melatonin ,cornet a lot of seeds that has magnesium) I'm still struggling to sleep in the last 7 months i never had to nights that i've slept in a row or one night with 5,6 hours of continuous sleep.( i do have nights in a row with 2,3 interrupted hours of sleep)

PeterDunn profile image
PeterDunn

I am having acupuncture for my Tinnitus, with positive results. The problem with efficacy of this method lies in a vast spread of protocols used by therapists that may not always know what they are doing.

Being a physio I’m also trained in acupuncture, but not in treating special cases and Tinnitus is a special case.

I go to my colleague who uses his own pattern developed over the years and consisting of elements of Tung, traditional and micro-acupuncture allowing for some fascia stimulation. It is being adjusted to every patient.

Also - it is always said that acupuncture will not work for everyone. Tinnitus is cause by many conditions and not every each one of them is treatable with acupuncture.

I may give a contact to this guy if anyone is interested. He’s based in Preston, Lancashire.

JenMeerkat profile image
JenMeerkat in reply toPeterDunn

Hi Peter

I live probably 45 mins from Preston

Yes I'd like your friends contact details

I'm currently going to a chinese acupuncturist in st Helen's she puts most of the needles in my abdomen face and hand

Regards

Jen

🤞as would be willing to try it if you have success‼️

I also tried acupuncture and found it really helped !! It seemed to take the high pitch out of my tinnitus !! The only problem is it only lasted 2 days or so and it’s quite expensive but it certainly seems to help ! Good luck 😊

Flinder profile image
Flinder

A few weeks ago I had an acupuncture session. My T went the next day unfortunately it came the day after.

Flinder profile image
Flinder

Has anyone tried ginkgo?

Flinder profile image
Flinder

Perhaps I should try a few more sessions before to giving up.

Yes I tried acupuncture it only stopped my tinnitus shortly after my session but it returned ,

AnotherLevel profile image
AnotherLevel

any update on the acupuncture please

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