Do any of the treatments actually work??

[JeremyDublin75]

Hi,

I have had moderate Tinnitus for 26 years up until the past 3 months where my left ear has gone up a few notches to the point where I am getting a little concerned as its quite hard to ignore at times.

I have been looking to see if there are any therapies that might help, and of course the internet shows plenty of options. Are these a waste of time? TBH, I'd pay whatever it takes at this stage, even to bring my left ear back down to previous levels.

My tinnitus is a mixture of ringing and buzzing which goes up and down.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I will pass on the favour someday to someone who is in need.

Thanks,

Jeremy

[Suz_2]

The 2 main treatments are sound therapy and CBT therapy - which work for many people. These treatments divert the brain away from the sound ( neuroplasticity) . As far as I know there is no actual treatment to reduce the sound of T .

The OTO app it good for CBT therapies and I learnt all about sound therapy on Treble Health on YouTube as well as about other T issues ( they are a team of tinnitus audiologists). Also a good book to read is "Rewiring Tinnitus" by Glenn Shweitzer

I would also add ear protection against loud noise is necessary if yr T has become louder

[Darren6 in reply to Suz_2]

i strongly agree with everything suz has written here. this is the path i followed to reduce my tinnitus volume to a point where i dont notice it any more.

[JeremyDublin75 in reply to Darren6]

thanks Darren

[mids_thyman in reply to Darren6]

Hi Darren. I've only had tinnitus for about 2 or 3 weeks, which is constant. I'm OK in the daytime as there's other things to focus on. But it's interrupting my sleep which is a challenge. Can I ask how bad your tinnitus was before you tried OPO? I've just downloaded the app and it looks really good.

[Darren6 in reply to mids_thyman]

Hi, I never used the Oto app but i hear good things about it. I did a course in CBT with a professional qualified person who specialises in Tinnitus sufferers.

[mids_thyman in reply to Darren6]

Thanks Darren. I assume it's the same type of thing? I've used CBT before so know how powerful it can be. I've just started using OPO (10 minutes ago!) and I'm very impressed. How bad was your tinnitus before you started?

[Darren6 in reply to mids_thyman]

I cant say as ive not used it, hopefully others can comment on the benefits of OPO vs real life CBT Sessions. My tinnitus was really bad, the same as many on here. it stopped my life for a good few months but positivity, strong will, CBT and sound therapy got me through to where I am. I hope that helps.

[mids_thyman in reply to Darren6]

Thanks Darren. That‘s really useful and give me hope.

[JeremyDublin75 in reply to Suz_2]

thanks Suz, thats a real help

[Ana20]

Hi, Jeremy! I’ve had T for 17 years. I had been able to cope with it until 5 years ago, when strange noises appeared in my left ear. I had an RMN done. It was OK. In my country, România, they give Mg a maximal amount for 2 weeks and Betaserc(I think Serc there). The noise disappeared after 2 years, but my T got worse in both ears. So I take Betaserc (2x 24 mg) every day. I can cope with these noises ignoring them, when I can.

I’ve noticed recently that any medicine containing Paracetamol makes my T spike up a lot.

Good health! Listen to music! Have walks every day! Get a hobby! I started painting. When I’m painting I completely forget about my dear T!

[JeremyDublin75 in reply to Ana20]

Thanks Ana, distraction certainly seems key.

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hi Jeremy

I would say that so long as you view sound therapy as predominantly therapeutic, and not a treatment as such, this sets a reasonable expectation - it isn't intended to cure tinnitus but to a pleasant way of using music or sound to distract our attention away from tinnitus. By being external and tangible - as opposed to T - it has the opportunity to be more interesting.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is, again, not a cure for tinnitus but a way of thinking about the condition which is most helpful when someone has generally negative or anxious thoughts about tinnitus. It's part of a tool kit to address one aspect of tinnitus - which many people now refer to as 'tinnitus distress'.

As resident broken record on the forum, I will say that people whose tinnitus is related to hearing loss will arguably benefit from audiology consultation and using hearing aids (with or without built-in masking sounds) to tackle the hearing loss they have been diagnosed with.

It's usually a combination of approaches which makes a difference and helps a lot of people to habituate to tinnitus.

[JeremyDublin75]

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the reply and it is very interesting reading your comments. I think my Tinnitus started with anxiety when I was younger and has triggered again due to my wife undergoing Chemo. I have managed to use CBT successfully before so I'll go back down that road again. I have a hearing test lined up too so I'll see what comes of that.

There are quite a few therapies online like Lenire as an example, but knowing its uncurable atm, I am concerned its a waste of money.

Anyway, onwards and upwards.

BR,

Jeremy

[Suz_2 in reply to JeremyDublin75]

Lenire is a bi-modal distraction technique and there are numerous articles online about the Lenire 2nd study in 2022 , which shows that it worked for 70% of those participating in the study

[doglover1973 in reply to JeremyDublin75]

Hi Jeremy. I'll just add to what Suz_2 says about Lenire. The criteria for the clinical trials were relatively narrow so the figures are not a true reflection . I hope your wife gets well soon. I can imagine it's a very stressful time for you.

[Ana20]

Good health to you and your wife!

[ks1966]

Hello. A new product developed in Ireland was recently approved for use in the US and EU. It’s supposed to help a lot. It’s called Lenire. Good luck

[Happyrosie]

just to add, Jeremy, to the excellent comments given here: If you trawl around the internet you can find “cures” aplenty. So if you don’t mind being really disappointed and you have deep deep pockets you can go down that route. Dragons blood, especially, might be very effective!