one of the few side effects I have lingering (about 2 years now) is the tinnitus in my ears.. its not too bad but im wondering if anyone has tried anything thats actually helped reduce it or even eliminate it? I understand it a lot better now which is great but it would be so nice to live tinnitus free

You dreamer. What would life be like without tinnitus? I can't remember. LOL

My tinnitus has been getting worse over the years. It will start screaming from time to time. This is usually after I eat or drink something. I am looking into getting a glucometer to check my blood sugar and see if it makes a difference.

I did something interesting or odd, depends on your viewpoint. I discovered that my tinnitus is at a pitch between C6sharp and D6 or D6flat and D6 on a piano.

So it is between C#6 @ 1109 Hertz (cycles per second) and D6 @ 1175 Hertz

I have tried to rate the Decibel level but this is a tough one. I think it is about 50-65db at normal and up to 75db at its worst. At least that is how loud the sounds need to be for them to overcome the tinnitus.

Call me odd, or am I just brain damaged?

There have been studies done that identified the exact place in the brain where the tinnitus is heard. The hope is using subdural (deep brain) electro stimulation to cancel out the tinnitus. This is aimed at those whose tinnitus is to the point of disabling or interrupting life activities.

Way to much risk for most of us.

That's awesome! At least people can completely understand what it sounds like.
How did you go about testing for this?

Do some research on Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. I'm undergoing it for hyperacusis and tinnitus as a result of my head injury. At my worst point, the sensitivity to sound and ringing in my ears was so bad I couldn't even stand the sound of my own voice. Now I'd say my tinnitus is noticeable maybe 20% of the time - and when it is –*it's much more tolerable.

I've also found that Neurontin helped reduce both tinnitus and hyperacusis significantly.

Try and maybe listen to some pink noise or white noise at low volumes and see if it masks the tinnitus, and makes your ears feel better. If it does - I'd definitely check out TRT.

It's helped me for sure.

I found the pitch of my tinnitus by using a piano. I just tried the different keys until I found the ones that are lower and higher pitch than the tinnitus. It was not very difficult, especially when I found the pitch that was higher. the comparison was very noticeable. I thought I had very poor pitch recognition, but not so.

My tinnitus was real loud last night, especially right after I had a drink of water. I wonder if the cool water, straight out of the tap, has any effect. I know it made the back of my mouth feel cooler.

"I wonder if the cool water, straight out of the tap, has any effect."

Could be on to something. I'll pay attention to that. I eat/crunch ice and more ice.

I'm up to 600mgs. of Neurontin and it has improved my tinnitus...that's about all it is helping (other than to make me sleep). Hasn't really touched the headaches and has made my cognitive problems worse. I have also experienced an increase in fatigue and dizziness while on it. I'm hoping it will improve as my body adjusts to the Neurontin.

jemahon,

I am surprised at your struggles with Neurontin. Do you take it once or twice a day? I take it in the late evening. It has a very short half-life (8 hours) so should not have much effect during the day if taken the night before. I was on 600 mgs for 8 years. I finally had to increase to 900 mgs this past year. Maximum therapeutic dosages up to 4800 mgs per day were studied without problems.

Hockey,

One of the benefits of Neurontin is it has reduced my jaw clenching. I had wrecked my TMJ with jaw clenching.

My physical therapist does an in the mouth procedure that helps my TMJ settle down. I looked into a variety of TMJ therapies but most were far more expensive than effective. The PT's tricks have been my best solution. I think it is a variety of myofacial release. Painful for a while but worth it.

Wow. This is simply amazing info you've happened upon, Mark.

It may be my imagination or 'brain accommodation' --- (Thank you, My Brain) --- however, 'white noise' such as a fan seems to help me better deal with unrelenting tinnitus, especially at night when trying to get to sleep. Theta Z

My tinnitus is worse now then it was after my TBI in 87' The back of my head and ears rings a very high pitch and sometimes screams when around alot of loud noise. I can't hear the person talking to me when there is alot of background noise, it drowns out the person talking, which brings on the bouts of confusion, not being able to comprehend and function mentally. 06/09 I had a auditory test and loss 20% of my hearing. I'm along with the others who would love to have a few moments of peace & silence. Have a good day, Grizz