by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote: I was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. I have horrible tinnitus and can tell my hearing has gone horribly downhill. My question is, can a hearing aid help with the tinnitus to shut it out or anything? When I’m in a room with stuff going on I don’t usually […]
Nodding Chime Tinnitus
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A woman explained: When I nod my head, or shake it from side to side (yes-ing or no-ing), I hear chimes. Kind of like those chime toys that babies have, that when they are touched sway side to side and there’s a little chime inside. Do you know of anyone else […]
Tinnitus Prevalent Among Young Adults
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Here’s a shocking statistic—75% of 18 to 30 year-olds who go to nightclubs and concerts may experience tinnitus, according to an article published in a recent edition of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. That’s a lot of people flirting with disaster to their ears. You see, in such situations tinnitus is […]
Residual Inhibition Can Temporarily Eliminate Tinnitus
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote: I have tinnitus. Tonight I was surfing the web and found a site that played pure tones at various frequencies when you clicked on the corresponding buttons. To my surprise, most of my high-pitched tinnitus went away for a while after listening to the higher-frequency sounds! Does this […]
Can Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) Cause Tinnitus?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked: Can HCTZ cause the constant roar I now hear in my ears? Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is about the least ototoxic of all the diuretics. It is listed as sometimes causing dizziness or vertigo, but is not listed (as far as I have ever seen) as causing tinnitus. However, one […]
Tinnitus Resulting from Using the Phone—What’s Going On?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote: I have mild to moderate hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus and some hyperacusis. There’s no rhyme or reason to the hyperacusis. Some days it’s stable and other days it gets worse. Likewise with my hearing loss—it fluctuates—sometimes in the morning I feel I can hear fine and after a […]
Sudden Hearing Loss—What Happens Next?
Sudden Hearing Loss—What Happens Next? by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man explained: I am a 37 year old male who has experienced sudden hearing loss in my right ear. Unfortunately, the problem was not treated right away. Prednisone therapy, which didn’t help, was initiated 13 days after the loss. In hearing tests I could not […]
Here’s Why Chronic Anxiety Can Result in Tinnitus and Hyperacusis
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained: I find that my tinnitus is worse if I am stressed about something. Sometimes the pitch changes and sometimes I can hear more than one sound at a time. My tinnitus is always worse when I’m trying to get to sleep and that’s when I get anxious. I […]
Can Adalimumab (Humira) Cause Tinnitus?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man explained: I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 35 years. About a year ago I was put on 40 mg shots of Adalimumab (brand name Humira) every two weeks. My tinnitus was bad during the last few years and I attributed it to stress. This past Saturday I took a […]
Neuromonics: Is It For Real?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked: What can you tell me about Neuromonics. Is it for real? Does it really work? “Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment is a relatively new treatment for tinnitus. Developed by audiologist, Paul Davis, Ph.D. of Australia to reduce the disturbing effects of tinnitus, Neuromonics opened for business in Australia in 2001. […]
Drugs and Tinnitus: Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. “When “Jonathan” took a course of Erythromycin prescribed by his doctor, the last thing on his mind was that this drug would cause him to lose hearing in one ear, give him hyperacusis and balance problems, and result in “horrific bilateral tinnitus.” No one warned “Eunice” that taking the […]
Sound Therapy: Is It For Real?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote: I was browsing on a website and want to know whether what it said about sound therapy is true. The website said that: ‘The Sound Therapy Program is a rehabilitation of the inner ear muscles, thanks to high frequencies. It can help in all ear disorders as: · […]
Can Taking Esomeprazole (Nexium) Cause Tinnitus?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote: Is it possible that Nexium has caused my sudden bouts of tinnitus, first in my left ear, and a week later in my right ear? I was taking 40 mg twice daily for about 6-8 weeks. Is there a chance that it will go away after I discontinue […]
Can Alcohol Cause Tinnitus?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote: I have a question regarding alcohol. I recently visited an audiologist about my tinnitus after it got worse from a clubbing experience (first time it happened due to a club). I wore ear plugs and figured I’d be safe. She seemed convinced it was due the copious amounts […]
Why Do Drugs for Treating Tinnitus Also Cause Tinnitus?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote: Some drugs, such as Neurontin [Gabapentin] or Xanax [Alprazolam] have been recommended as treatments for tinnitus. Is not this contradictory since they can also cause tinnitus? Xanax does lower it for me, temporarily; and Neurontin does lower it while the drug is in my system. The above drugs […]
Causes of Tinnitus
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked: What causes ringing in both ears? There are a good number of causes of ringing in the ears—what we call tinnitus. Here are some of them. Exposing your ears to loud sounds Taking any of the 450 drugs that can cause tinnitus Hearing loss, especially sudden hearing loss […]
Stress and Anger Make Tinnitus Worse
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. This is the third of three tinnitus stories, illustrating different effective coping mechanisms used by each of these three people. No one thing works for everyone—so you have to see which coping strategies work the best for you in reducing your tinnitus. Here is “Sandra’s” story. She explained, My tinnitus is […]
Sudden Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. This is the second of three tinnitus stories. In contrast to “Jim’s” gradual drift into tinnitus, “Audrey” was suddenly plunged into it. Here is her story. I developed tinnitus very suddenly in 1993 when I was 38 years old. Before that day, I had excellent hearing and balance. I was in […]
Tinnitus and Tinnitus Maskers—One Person’s Story
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. In this and the following two blog entries are the tinnitus stories of three different people. (Each of them has graciously given me permission to share their stories in hopes of helping others. I have changed their names to protect their privacy.) Notice how each person’s tinnitus has a somewhat different […]
Tinnitus—”The Sound of Hell”
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. For some people, the tinnitus they hear all day long—every day—makes it hard to cope with life. Eddy is one such person. Now totally deaf and almost blind, she writes, “The noises in my head almost drive me nuts. They change constantly. I know, that people could go nuts with what […]
