Advice

[CMRN11]

Hi All,

I have hearing loss in both ears and have tinnitus all the time. This is a difficult challenge for us all.

The doctors just put you on betahistine or amitriptyline or alprazolam or any anti depressants they say it helps reduce tinnitus or improve blood flow to inner ear.

This is the same process that is used , but technology is moving on so why are we taking the same medication!

I have mentioned to my doctor about things such as inner hair cell regeneration, gene therapy. Been told it’s not finalised will take 10 years. I was upset.

I have seen many things online about people on trials and successful treatments for hearing loss. So when I mentioned I got turned away.

I have hearing aids which produce white noise but adding noise to the tinnitus is not good in my opinion.

I am going to look at the following: Acupuncture, Lenire, ginkgo bilboa which is a herbal supplement for ears.

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hi CMRN11 - I'm sorry to read that you're struggling with tinnitus.

I'm not entirely sure that the information you have been offered is correct, however. The medications that you are mentioning are largely anti-depressants and they are not intended to treat tinnitus. We've discussed betahistine elsewhere on the forum today, but the TL:DR version is that it appears to help folks in the Menieres community with some symptoms but isn't generally felt to be helpful where tinnitus is the chief difficulty being reported.

Might antidepressants have a positive effect on mental health issues? Certainly, as part of a wider model of supporting a patient. When our mood and emotions are not as impacted by thoughts or feelings about tinnitus, our level of distress may lessen and anti-depressants are sometimes helpful in achieving that goal for some users.

There have been recent stories in the news about rare genetic hearing losses being reversed in very young children - bbc.co.uk/news/health-68921561 - but these are outlying cases and perhaps not caused by the types of hearing loss which a significant part of the populace have. It's very easy for a news outlet to grab hold of a story like this and for readers to conflate this with their experience of hearing loss or accompanying issues like tinnitus.

I think your hearing aids are a good tool to help you manage your hearing loss - I would be cautious in building up too many expectations that the complementary therapies and add on devices you mention are going to help significantly. Lenire may well help with habituation to tinnitus, but ethically speaking anyone supplying the device should be very clear with you about what outcomes you should be looking for from it.

[Happyrosie]

as Pat so rightly says.

I would urge you not to roam around the internet looking for cures - there are no such things, just people trying to make money. There ARE ways you can help yourself. One poster here in this forum has had some success with ginkgo. Other posters have reported great help with mental health strategies such as CBT. I seem to remember one or two who have used hypnotherapy successfully and others who find it doesn’t help.

For myself, I have used “acceptance” as my mental health tool. My T is very loud (I can, if I wish, hear it in a car travelling on a busy motorway at 60). I can hear it now, because I’m writing about it. But I have habituated.

What do I mean by habituation? We do many things which the brain is used to and takes no notice of. For instance, I have clothes on and if I choose to I can feel them. I choose not to feel them so I don’t. I’m used to them. If I go into my nearest town I see a lot of people walking near me in the pedestrian areas. But I don’t look at each and every person or listen to them talking. They are just there and I’m habituated to them.

[Eppteink]

Hello. Sorry to hear. Just living this message to tell you amitriptyline caused my severe tinnitus 6 months ago and its still going strong. Unless u really need it stay away from ADs

[Philip6]

Hi, I’ve taken Gingko for years, it does nothing for my tinnitus. There is some evidence that it can help with one sided vascular tinnitus, there was a trial in Germany. But it has to be a particular type of Gingko. There was a trial using panax red Korean ginseng that showed hopeful results, but I tried it and it didn’t help.

[Ray200]

I've had limited success with Ginkgo but it's not a daily dose thing as clinical trials prove time after time. Click on my username to see posts on how I did it.

[Cookie24]

I think acupuncture helps some.

[Hidden]

Hi - on a positive note please search Julian Cowan Hill on You Tube or he has a website or an app Quieten free months trial, yes there is no medical cure but its simply untrue to say that T will always remain with you, it is a stress response of your nervous system telling you there is a problem, no matter what the cause it can lessen in time and go, this is not holding out false hope, sadly lots of negativity online so please look this man up, he had T for a very long time and found natural methods to help him as well as Cranial Sacral Therapy (i am currently having this) all the best to you.

[MAC0811 in reply to Hidden]

A good positive post, nice to hear amongst all the doom and gloom. But I know it’s hard for many of us as I too have the worse case of T and H too, I am v.interested in what treatments you are having? If you have any more info on cranial sacral therapy and any names contacts etc, be good to hear? TIA.

[Hidden in reply to MAC0811]

Hi - there is a registered list of CST which is recommended by Julian for people to look up - depending on where you live as not all therapists are equal, a friend of mine saw someone who told her she might find it boring? That is not a good thing to say to someone.

CST is a very gentle hands on approach, if you can go on 'Quieten' you will find loads of info about CST. Free trial for a month. Julian is a very kind man and totally understands all things T and H related. I have learnt such a lot from this condition, my heart goes out to you as I know exactly how difficult and challenging it is.

However, both T and H are a response, your poor body has gone into overdrive and hypersensitivity.

CST is ideal for T as they will help calm your nervous system, it may take time so please be aware none of these treatments are a quick fix.

If you want to private message me I am more than happy to help in any way I can.

My T started end of last year and I was so grateful I came across Julian's positive take and knowledge - he is saddened that most professionals - Drs, ENTs will tell you there is nothing that can be done, this is simply not true.

T put me on a journey I didn't want to take, but it is a journey and we can get in a road to recovery.

I tried Acupuncture and whilst it didn't personally help me it can certainly help calm you - I did learn however more about why my body was stressed out so that was helpful. 👍

[Jorrocks]

Hi, I didn't try acupuncture in the end but for what it.s worth my sister tried it and says it is very relaxing, pins being stuck in your hands, but not effective at relieving tinnitus. Her tinnitus was associated with migraine and she found that the epley manoeuvre worked and eased the migraine as well. I think for that to work though it depends on what has caused the tinnitus and it's not available on the NHS.