I have Tinnitus as well, I got mine from a very bad drug reaction to the antibiotic Avelox. There are several things that can cause it like loud noise, over 200 prescription medications and even some over the counter drugs like aspirin that can be ototoxic to the ear, stress, ear infections, etc. It's basically damage to the tiny hair cells inside the ear, sometimes it's permanent and sometimes it's not.
For me, it was awful in the beginning and really loud- I had to get a sound machine so I could sleep at night, however over time it really quieted down and became more intermittent and now I barely notice it. Ignoring it helps, I would have something like music or the TV on in the background all the time so I couldn't hear it because otherwise I would just focus on it- which would only make it worse. You want to try and not listen for it and maybe avoid really quiet rooms at all costs for a awhile and also try to avoid other ototoxic drugs and loud music, machines, etc. as it can just make the ringing louder and worse permanently. Wear ear plugs when you can around loud noises and you can look up the large list of drugs that are ototoxic to the ears. I always let my doctors know so they can prescribe a medication that is safe for the ears, ototoxic drugs can also cause hearing loss as well.
One thing that was sort of comforting for me to learn is that anyone can hear ringing and other sounds when they're in a quiet room, if they listen for it.
You can have your hearing tested just to make sure you're not experiencing any hearing loss or other ear or medical problems. Usually though Tinnitus doesn't cause hearing loss, however I think it can be a symptom of it-I had my hearing and ears checked out after I first got it and was really scared, but everything came back fine, and all in the normal range.
For me, it was awful in the beginning and really loud- I had to get a sound machine so I could sleep at night, however over time it really quieted down and became more intermittent and now I barely notice it. Ignoring it helps, I would have something like music or the TV on in the background all the time so I couldn't hear it because otherwise I would just focus on it- which would only make it worse. You want to try and not listen for it and maybe avoid really quiet rooms at all costs for a awhile and also try to avoid other ototoxic drugs and loud music, machines, etc. as it can just make the ringing louder and worse permanently. Wear ear plugs when you can around loud noises and you can look up the large list of drugs that are ototoxic to the ears. I always let my doctors know so they can prescribe a medication that is safe for the ears, ototoxic drugs can also cause hearing loss as well.
One thing that was sort of comforting for me to learn is that anyone can hear ringing and other sounds when they're in a quiet room, if they listen for it.
You can have your hearing tested just to make sure you're not experiencing any hearing loss or other ear or medical problems. Usually though Tinnitus doesn't cause hearing loss, however I think it can be a symptom of it-I had my hearing and ears checked out after I first got it and was really scared, but everything came back fine, and all in the normal range.
