What should I do about my sound reactive tinnitus? Has anyone gotten rid of it?

[Alugo6340]

Is there a way to possibly get rid of my sound reactive tinnitus? Like anybody who had tinnitus that reacted to every sound and made it difficult to watch tv, how did you improve it or fix it? I know you cant cure tinnitus but I hear sound reactive tinnitus is a part of hypercusis. I dont know what caused my hypercusis but it causes my tinnitus flare up to very severe levels at the end of the day if I'm lucky. I'm really sad cause reactive tinnitus took all my enjoyment away. TV is hard now and I hear my tinnitus everywhere. Since I've withdrawn from benzos , I been waking up with super loud scary level tinnitus and I dont have sleep aids to use at the moment. I'm only 23 and born hearing impaired but never had it like this til 5 months ago. Didnt lose anymore hearing, got a CT scan and no fluid in the ears so far. I work in a grocery store and my dad is a musician but I try keeping my distance cause loud noise is bad for tinnitus. Is it possible to tune out reactive tinnitus or eliminate so tinnitus stops getting so loud that I cant sleep? I dont know what caused it.

[CW2106]

It gets easier is probably the best advice I can give you. I’m 9 years in to my reactive tinnitus and whilst it has progressively worsened over time, I have become used to it and can tolerate it more. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it can stop me doing things but I’m in a much better place now than I was in the earlier stages. I’ve been told it’s hyperacusis by some and not by others, I’ve tried noise generators and hearing aids and earplugs and anything else I’ve been offered, all with varying degrees of success. I initially thought that the sensitivity would decrease over time but in my case unfortunately not, but remember everyone is different and everyone’s tinnitus is different. It will get better over time. I’ve also been taking anti-depressants for a few years now, while I don’t think I’m ‘depressed’ the sedative side of the tablets help with my sleep. This may be something to speak with your GP or audiologist about. All the best.

[Alugo6340 in reply to CW2106]

When you say varying degrees of success does that mean it helped the reactive tinnitus somewhat temporarily but then it came back? And what caused your reactive tinnitus? Is it possible while watching tv for example or being outside, to tune out the reactive tinnitus to where you dont hear it unless you think about? I wonder why some tinnitus competes with noises anyway. I'd like to be able to go malls and on dates and stuff.

[CW2106 in reply to Alugo6340]

The white noise generators would make my tinnitus worse but they can also help hide the spikes from being somewhere noisy such as shops, cafes etc.. so they bring the tinnitus up to a level which makes the increase from other sources less noticeable. This was the case for around 12 months or so until they became less effective (my tinnitus is constantly changing). I wouldn’t say I tune out my tinnitus but whereas the TV was always a problem for me initially, I can now manage it for longer. I guess I’ve become more used to the sound. Unfortunately there is not a time where I don’t hear it. My tinnitus was caused by a head injury which seems to be the case in most reactive tinnitus issues, or a surgical procedure. By the way, people say you need to wear noise generators for hyperacusis and there’s no such thing as reactive tinnitus. I’ve tried wearing them many many times and it’s never changed how it reacts. 9 years later I think I now know that I have reactive T.

[Alugo6340 in reply to CW2106]

Do you work or go places still despite having reactive tinnitus? My tinnitus is always louder at the end of the day.