Tinnitus, tinnitus, tinnitus...

[monkie]

It was about two years ago that I had decided to put on ear plugs every gig I play in. It really helps a lot but I still get that tinnitus ringing once in a while. Other times when I go to clubs I usually carry a pair of earplugs along.

I'm constantly surrounded by music and noises everyday of my life. It's starting to be noticeable while I was in my car in my parking lot in the middle of the night. If there are no noises around then I can definitely hear the tinnitus ringing, otherwise it's inaudible.

When I'm at home I usually practice my instruments or else do some recording. I also play gigs every other weekends. Every time after each gig I usually get a louder ringing in the ears.

It's not affecting me to the point where it's really bothering me that I can't hear or do anything because of it. I've heard miserable stories about it and I don't want to get there.

I've read somewhere a while ago about an OTC medication that can help with exposure to loud noises or music for long periods. If I could remember, it's something called NAC; it's an abbreviation for something..... I'm not sure. At that time I didn't really care much because I didn't notice the ringing as much. I heard you can get them at your local pharmacy such as CVS or GNC. Wal-Greens doesn't have them; I checked it myself but haven't check with the other two. I'm going to find out more about it.

Have any of you guys had the tinnitus problem? One time an Audiologist told me that people in the construction and music industry are most likely and at higher risk for developing tinnitus. It's a permanent disorder and that's freakin scary.

Now a days I usually put on earplugs even when I'm not making music just for the peace and quietness of it.

Do you have a story to tell?

Thanks for reading.

[qiktune]

I googled "Tinnitus medication nac" and it returned.....

http://www.asha.org/about/publicatio...14/050614e.htm

...is that what you're looking for?

[monkie]

Originally Posted by qiktune

I googled "Tinnitus medication nac" and it returned.....

http://www.asha.org/about/publicatio...14/050614e.htm

...is that what you're looking for?

Yes, that's what I was looking for. Are you familiar with it? Tried it before? It seems pretty interesting. What do you think?

[Chili]

I think ringing in your ears is a legitimate reason to see a doctor. He can prescribe a steroid that might help.

I've got a ringing in my ear that started when I bought my harley. 2 weeks ago, I met someone who had the same problem and he told me about this company:

http://www.bigearinc.com/home/Default.aspx

He got the solid ear plugs for $80.
Haven't tried it yet, but he says it works great. It's a silicone gel that they mold in your ear. When it sets, it fits your ear perfectly.

Cheers,

[Light]

Try this. (I had some ringing in my ears a few years back, and more than a little terrified I went to my Ear, Nose, & Throat guy - this is what he had me do). Hold your nose, shut your mouth as tight as you can, and blow out as hard as you can. Now blow harder. Until your ears "pop." It may or may not fix the issue, but it did for me. He actually told me I should be doing this 3-4 times a day, but I almost never need to do it. If I start to get some ringing, I do it. The idea is to equalize the pressure in your ear drums. If you are using earplugs on a regular basis, this seems likely to help - at least to my non-medically trained mind. And it's a hell of a lot better than taking steroids.

I'm not saying you have the same problem as me, but it can't hurt to try it. It may very well help.

(Actually, when I went in back then he grabbed my nose, and told me to blow. Then to blow harder. When I shuddered in pain from my ears popping, he said, "how's that?" I've been going to this guy since I was about 3 years old, and that is still and to this day one of the shortest visits I've ever had with him.)


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[VomitHatSteve]

Originally Posted by the nac article

the participants took 900 mg of NAC three times a day

Holy carp! That's a lot of meds. 2700 mg a day?

[Carny1122]

Is Tinnitus permanent? Yeah, basically. We've all got it. There's a tiny little organ that musicians all love dearly in your ear called your Organ of Corti. It has these little hairs that respond to different frequencies, and every time you are exposing those to a long period of a certain frequncy, it damages them to the point of constant nerve response, which is, yeah, you guessed it - Tinnitus. Screw enough of those bad boys up and you're done for.

There's a thing that people with permanent or near-permanent hearing loss can get called a Cochlear implant, which is basically a hearing aid that they link up to (maximum) of 16 of your auditory nerves so you can hear again. People who could hear, then went deaf, then got one said that people's voices sound like robots (I'm curious which frequencies got the go-ahead to be linked up...150, 300, etc, etc, 1kHz, 2kHz, basic auditory/vocal range?)

Sorry about the health lesson. It's just my kinda thing But yeah, I've been wearing earplugs for a few years now, especially when drumming. It makes an incredible difference.

[HapiCmpur]

Originally Posted by Chili

I think ringing in your ears is a legitimate reason to see a doctor.

I second that.

[mikeh]

See a doctor!!!!!! Hearing loss can not be reversed and if you are suffering consistant ringing in your ears......you are on your way.

I stated gigging in the mid 1960's and nobody talked about hearing loss back then. I've lost almost all hearing in my left ear and significant hearing in my right ear (over many years of gigging) - and yes it started with ringing in my ears. Back then, we were very uninformed and actually took pride if we woke the day after a gig with ringing in our ears (a badge of courage, perhaps).

If I would have know then what I know now about the damage loud music can cause.....I would have taken a lot more precautions.

Today's musicians have access to information, hearing protection and other resources we did not have in the 60's............and only very foolish people would not learn how to protect their hearing!!!!

Take this from someone who knows what it is like to live with significant hearing loss - even with with hearing aids in both ears.

[Elton Bear]

My drum teacher was playing in London when he was young (about 20 i think) and the n00b of a desk engineer sent a high-frequency sine wave right through his ear (via a tweeter mounted on a monitor stack). He's had permanent tinnitus since and can't play music unless he wears ear plugs.

It's nasty stuff. One thing I would say is get moulded ear plugs, not those cheap disposable things (just checking; you didn't specify what ear plugs you were using)!

[Superhuman]

I've been to an ear specialist recently and had full audiology testing including an MRI brain scan which revealed tinnitus. This happened to be the best case scenario for the symptoms - ringing in the ears, vertigo and migraine can mean a lot worse things!
From being through the local GP, hospital and private specialist consultant what I learned was there is currently NO medication available that can cure tinnitus (you can get surgery if the problem is caused by a problem other than loud noise). Other than that, the ONLY effective cure is cognitive therapy.
Things that aggravate tinnitus are coffee, red wine, chocolate, high blood pressure, changes in air pressure, loud noise and stress - where possible stay away from them as much as you can. If you work in a stressfull environment and your tinnitus is affecting your way of life then you may be prescribed Xanax by your GP which helps a lot.
I got it from mixing through headphones so I only use my monitors now plus I keep the volumes at lower levels and take regular breaks. Tinnitus is irreversable - you may notice it going away but the test is to put yourself in a silent room and concentrate on what you can hear. This is when you will hear it coming back - basically your mind filters it out when it's not too bad. When it gets very loud you need coginitive therapy to retrain your mind to filter out the signal.
Tinnitus usually accompanies hearing loss which is also permanent, I had mine tested and discovered my right ear was down on the high frequencies (these are the first to go). If you change your ways you can stop it from getting any worse and train yourself to filter it out.
My advice is to have a full medical backed up with a trip to a consultant specialist (eg a real qualified surgeon at a real hospital, not a quack with a dodgy clinic). Best of luck to anyone with tinnitus, it can be managed!

PS Specialit ear defenders for musicians make a huge difference - you can still hear the music but its just like the volume has been turned down.

[nomad1970]

I've had it for a number of years. Mostly due to the usual loud band / drum cymbal exposure.

One thing I have noticed is that aspirin seems to make it worse, so it's worth reducing consumption of that to see if it helps.