hearing aids

[Hegg]

hi I’m Hegg suffered with tinnitis for years off and on am now 68 and after taking amitriplin have got worse tinnitis constant I had a hearing test which showed 50% loss in left ear I bought expensive hearing aid has not helped the tinnitis and still have hearing problems. Anyone els had similar &

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hi Hegg

With a 50% hearing loss which is single-sided, there may be only so much that hearing aids can do - they may not take away tinnitus, but they should be able to support you in amplifying and clarifying sounds and frequencies which you now struggle to hear.

If they are performing that task, then your tinnitus may grow less noticeable as your attention is given to other sounds - ones generated in the world around you.

The tinnitus is part of your hearing loss, so hearing aids can't take it away entirely - at the most, they should help you to be less bothered by it.

There are other things which can help this - which I suspect is why amitriptyline has been prescribed to you. If amitriptyline is able to boost your serotonin level and help improve your mood, that should also help you focus less on tinnitus.

If you're taking amitriptyline for another reason - as a pain relief, for example - it's difficult to know why and how it could be having the effect on tinnitus which you describe.

I hope things improve for you soon.

[Hegg in reply to TinnitusUKPat]

thank you I have found that very helpful

[daverussell]

Antidepressants are part of the coping mechanism; it depends on what your expectations are. Amitriptyline did not work for me: it just made me feel "tired" and "groggy". I now take Sertraline which has been a huge help.

I only have mild-hearing loss and Hearing aids do not work for me as I have Hyperacusis. However, the hearing aids have masking program which do help.

We just have to get used it and through trial-and-error, I'm afraid. Just don't be sold a lie. If it sounds too good to be true then...

[Tal-r789T]

Hi sorry to hear you are struggling. I'm 48 and have HA for ~40% in both ears. I find when I put the HA in I can hear everything I can't and it 'unnaturally' masks the Tinnitus. T doesn't go away, still there if I focus on it, but fades to background. Will say it took my brain a little while to get used to, and TBH it still is - how long have you had them for? I would say it took me a good 6 months before I started to forget about the T noise and it became less bothersome. However will say if I take them out the T is present but now it appears to be less or bothering me less. I've had these 12 months now.

[Frankiefocus]

Check out this thread..

healthunlocked.com/tinnitus....

[D-w-L2023]

I've had tinnitus for over 30 years. Two years ago I had my hearing tested, I've lost a lot of my high-frequency hearing (above about 7k) and Amplifon supplied some very expensive hearing aids. Like you I found there was no improvement in my tinnitus and no improvement in my hearing. Luckily they had a 60 day money back trial and I returned the aids and was refunded.

This year I mentioned to my doctor (I was there for another issue) that I'd like to be referred to Audiology as my I felt my hearing was getting worse . The next thing I knew Specsavers had contacted me about a hearing test and within a couple of weeks I had new NHS aids at no cost.

My tinnitus hasn't improved but these hearing aids have helped me in situations where there's a lot of background noise. It's possible to set your own programs.

I also find them useful with the masking sounds in the Mindear app (worth searching out the app)

Good luck with your journey.

[surviveT]

can I ask how long have u been wearing the hearing aids ? Is the tinnitus worse when u take them off??

thnx Hegg

[Hegg in reply to surviveT]

Have had HA 6 weeks t worse when I take them off

[Tal-r789T in reply to Hegg]

What's the 'worse' relative to? Is it before you used HA or now when using HA? When I use HA my T is less (masked by other sound) - when I take them out it's noticeable again - but over last 12 months with wearing ha this is less bothersome (for me). Wearing the HA at first wasn't a quick change, and I do still get spikes.

[surviveT]

I tried hearing aids 2 yrs ago and my t went ballistic - i couldnt sleep , tired every day , lost my appetite and lost 1 stone is about 3 wks - was a nightmare.

[Frankiefocus]

I have chronic tinnitus for 25 years which was self induced by listening to load music. Had to quit coffee, salty foods and lower alcohol use. Now using NHS hearing aids as I'm 56 and got the hearing of an 80 year old as I really damaged my hearing. When the tinnitus peaks I use my Bluetooth ear buds and listen to an App called Tonal Tinnitus therapy. It does help to mask the high pitched hissing I get and calms it down for a while. Hope this helps anyone out there suffering from this horrible affliction.