Hi Barry,
I have just been given the news that due to age some hearing loss is causing my tinnitus and is beyond repair. I have tried many techniques but this hissing is horrible. I’ve tried fans, white noise. Is there any hope of relief?
Judy B.
Dear Judy,
Yes, there is hope for relief. In fact, there are many avenues you can investigate that should help lower your tinnitus.
Your doctor is correct that there is no repair for damaged hearing, whether it is damaged by noise exposure or age the damage is not repairable. However, there are many things that will aggravate tinnitus and some that will be helpful in reducing it. Without mentioning everything that is possibly helpful, here is a rundown on some of the most effective means.
Diet affects tinnitus and is an important consideration. Intake of salt can always make tinnitus worse. Also, most sugar substitutes and flavor enhancers will aggravate tinnitus. You must have a very healthy diet to manage tinnitus.
Stress is also an important trigger for tinnitus. Stress will take a level 3 tinnitus (on a scale of 10) and turn it into a level 7 or 8 overnight. It is important to manage stress.
As mentioned in these previous articles, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, biofeedback and hypnosis are all helpful in reducing tinnitus.
Tinnitus masking is usually accomplished by the sound of moving water. If you don’t notice your tinnitus when in the shower, or if it is significantly reduced, you are a good candidate for this. Sound generators sold in department stores typically have several sounds of moving water. These include bubbling brook, crashing surf, rainfall and others. I find the sound of falling rain to be very soothing and it masks my tinnitus.
Arches Tinnitus Formula has been shown in clinical studies to reduce tinnitus for most people. It is especially helpful for those, such as you, whose tinnitus was caused by hearing loss. It is necessary to use it for a full three months before the full benefit can be determined. We recommend Arches Tinnitus Starter Kit which includes a three month supply of the Tinnitus Formula.
I hope this is helpful for you.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Dear Barry,
Did you ever see the study on stem cell injections directly into the brain of people who had strokes? The outcome for many of the patients was remarkable, one of the wheelchair bound patient walked again. Could this therapy possibly be applied to people with tinnitus?
Thanks,
Carole F.
Dear Carole,
This was an important stem cell study by Stanford researcher and I think it will eventually lead to definite applications for people with hearing loss and tinnitus. I think stem cell therapy could be the wave of the future for curing both conditions. The Stanford study you refer to was an extremely small study of 18 people and was designed to test the safety of the procedure, not the effectiveness.
There have been previous studies on stem cells to restore hearing but they have not been conducted on people as yet. Prior work was conducted on laboratory mice and chickens and was successful in initiating the growth of cochlear hair cells. The next step is to integrate these stem cell-derived hair cells with the recovery of neural synapses to complete the auditory pathway. Many challenges and ethical concerns associated with stem cell therapy still need to be addressed, such as the risk of immune rejection, tumor formation, and the ethical implications of using embryonic stem cells. There is much work ahead and it may be a number of years before this can develop into a clinical treatment for hearing loss and tinnitus in people.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
Reading your information on tinnitus is very informative. I developed tinnitus about 3-4 months after a car accident in which I was hit in the back. However, a “hearing clinic” said it probably is the blood pressure medication I was taking. I have since changed the medication to one that says it does not cause tinnitus.
My doctor put me on Amitriptyline saying that it will improve the tinnitus. I have only been on this for a few days. The doctor says the blood pressure tablets did not cause my tinnitus even though it does say that they do on the internet. She says that she cannot say what causes it. Please advise and help if you can help.
Yours Sincerely,
Elaine C.
Dear Elaine,
I agree with your doctor; the blood pressure medications probably did not cause tinnitus. Although there is the potential for this to happen, the odds are quite low. It should also be noted that Amitriptyline can also worsen tinnitus. So be careful and monitor your experience with it.
I believe it may be the accident itself. TMJ dysfunction is a common result of whiplash and it can frequently cause tinnitus.
There are other treatment options for the tinnitus. Acupuncture can be helpful for it and Ginkgo biloba has been shown to be helpful. We also have an informative article on how head and neck injuries cause tinnitus.
You should be checked for TMJ dysfunction. Specialists in this area are dentists with advanced training in the field and you can look for one in your area at the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain. Inside their website is a way to find a specialist in your area. A TMJ specialist will be able to tell you whether you have this or not. If you do, treatment can begin immediately. Almost all treatment options are painless and non-invasive.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hello Barry,
I have tinnitus since May 2025. It started to go away but came back worse than ever in January 2026. I’ve been on Xanax for about 6-7 months. I was on 1.5 mg and now down to .5 mg and believe I experienced some withdraw symptoms from that.
I want to wean myself off of it completely so i plan to cut down to .25 mg and then stop. I’d like to see if your Tinnitus Formula would help as well as trying a melatonin product for sleep. I have a constant hissing sound in my ear and it’s not too bad at night but I wake up to it early in the morning and it stays with me most of the day.
Best regards,
Andrew H.
Dear Andrew,
Benzodiazepine medications such as Xanax are powerful and addictive medications. Withdrawing from benzos frequently causes the symptoms for which they were originally taken to worsen. This may be why your tinnitus came back worse. You must withdraw at a very slow rate.
It may be possible to substitute another benzodiazepine for the Xanax that has a longer half-life. Then slow withdrawal for the new substitute may be easier as it leaves the bloodstream faster. Your doctor will be able to determine if there is a good substitute with shorter half-life.
Arches Tinnitus Formula may well help during the withdrawal period. It is necessary to use this for 100 days minimum (four bottles) before you can gauge how effective it will be for you. Melatonin should also be helpful in keeping you asleep at night.
I hope you can find relief through a slow withdrawal and the use of Arches products.
Sincerely,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
This morning really frightened me. I woke up with my heartbeat throbbing in my left ear very loudly, which is normally not too bad. My right ear is screaming and whistling as I type this. I think my hearing is now being affected. I took a Xanax and the left ear subsided a bit but the right is very bad. Is this typical of tinnitus? I’ve had it for 20+ years and never came close to this morning’s event. It changes sound frequently but not to the extent of filling my whole head. How bad can it get?
Thank you,
Diane M.
Dear Diane,
I’m very sorry this happened; it must be frightening. Pulsatile tinnitus is due to turbulent blood flow in an artery or vein close to the cochlea. There are many possible causes of this, among which are; increased pressure on cerebrospinal fluid due to hypertension, atherosclerosis and hyperthyroidism. The proper specialist to see is a vascular surgeon who can examine the entire vascular system to find the cause.
The fact you took a Xanax and it helped may indicate hypertension as the cause of your pulsatile tinnitus.
You mention that your tinnitus changes sound frequently. I don’t know what this means. I don’t think you mean it changes frequency, probably just loudness. If it changes frequency, that is a different type of tinnitus. If it changes sound level often, it may be a form of somatic tinnitus. This is when signals from the body interfere with auditory signals and cause or worsen tinnitus. Somatic signals can originate in muscle spasm in the head or neck, dental problems or TMJ, where the jaw is misaligned with the skull at the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ). Any of these will cause tinnitus to fluctuate in intensity. It is also possible you may have slept differently last night and twisted your neck.
Stress is also a huge aggravator of tinnitus. If you can find ways reduce stress such as meditation or yoga or daily exercise you may find the sounds decrease.
I hope this is helpful and your bad morning improves greatly.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
Do you think that things we eat make tinnitus worse? I can’t figure it out. What are we supposed to eat now, and what will help spikes? And your formula; how does that work and how long will it take? Is it a permanent fix or I would have to take it forever?
Thanks,
Ron R.
Dear Ron,
Diet is very important for controlling tinnitus. Many people don’t know salt is a major aggravator of tinnitus and may be chowing down on salty snacks wondering why their tinnitus is spiking. Caffeine and alcohol are also known offenders. There are many other considerations that are discussed in this article on Diet and Tinnitus.
It takes about three full months to get the full benefit of Arches Tinnitus Formula. This is consistent with all dietary supplements used to relieve any condition. After tinnitus is reduced you must continue to use the Tinnitus Formula to keep it that way. Many people find they can reduce the dosage of the Tinnitus Formula after the first three months and still get good results. This depends on the individual. We have a detailed article on the science behind Arches Tinnitus Formula and how it works to minimize symptoms.
Since it takes up to three months to get the full benefit, we recommend Arches Tinnitus Starter Kit, a three-month supply. It requires four bottles of the Tinnitus Formula. You can purchase these individually but there is a significant cost saving by purchasing the entire Starter Kit. Plus, you won’t run the danger of running out during the initial period.
I hope this is helpful for you and answers your questions.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
On the advice of my neurologist, I’m trying Arches Tinnitus Formula. Hopefully, I’ll obtain some relief.
As we’ve discussed previously, my T started on withdrawal from venlafaxine, an antidepressant. The tinnitus doctors I’ve consulted seem fairly convinced the chance that venlafaxine was the ultimate cause is minimal, despite the literature available on venlafaxine-related tinnitus.
In discussing with them, they still believe continued use of antidepressant SSRI’s, continued use of klonopin, or tricyclic antidepressants (TCA’s) such as nortriptyline, would benefit me with regard to if not tinnitus, then depression.
A few questions:
– I believe you have opined, and I tend to agree, that SSRI’s can, and often are, associated with increased tinnitus. Is that true, and why do you think this position is not widely held by tinnitus professionals in the medical community?
– The latest expert has indicated that, in the remote chance that SSRI’s do aggravate tinnitus, any resulting increase would likely abate over a couple of months and no increase in damage would likely be permanent. What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Lee
Dear Lee,
I cannot get in a controversy with your doctors or explain why they don’t think SSRI anti-depressants are associated with tinnitus. The Physician’s Desk Reference, which all of them have, lists tinnitus as a frequent side effect of SSRI anti-depressants. In the case of Effexor, it states that 2% of people will develop tinnitus and some cases happen during withdrawal. I hear of many, many people like you who either got their tinnitus from taking these medications or from withdrawing from them.
Technically, Effexor is an SSNRI (selective serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors) which has all the standard side-effects of SSRI anti-depressants.
SSRI anti-depressants are very dangerous for other reasons. They fool the brain into thinking there is adequate serotonin so the brain stops manufacturing it. When these people then try to withdraw from SSRI’s, they crash and crash hard. It is its own type of addiction and I know many people who are totally unable to get off them. They will remain taking them for life. The same is true for benzodiazepines, including Klonopin. They fool the brain into thinking there is plenty of GABA so the brain stops making that as well. The benzos are very addicting and should only be used for a short period of time.
Some people may be able to benefit from SSRI’s and I don’t totally condemn them. I do think they are very overused when other options exist. Please read my article on serotonin and then go to the link within that article to Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome.
My thinking has evolved some since I wrote the serotonin article. I now think 5-HTP may be a better supplement than Tryptophan. Tryptophan breaks down into several metabolites including 5-HTP and 5-HTP is the direct precursor of serotonin. It may take some time but I recommend 5-HTP taken for several months. It is very inexpensive and there are no side-effects.
Hopefully this will be helpful for you.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Dear Barry,
My mother had a “train” in her ear… She went to an ENT and he put a tube up her nose and much to her surprise the train was gone! The MD told her she was good for 25 years. Are there any ENTs out there who still use tubes? I cannot find one and would like one to try it on me. I have tinnitus in both ears, since 1990 and it is just awful. The pitch changes and I’ve even had it stop in one ear for seconds, so something happens to make it stop. if I could only figure out what that is I’d be a pretty happy camper! Know of an ENT who uses tubes?
Thanks,
Irene P.
Dear Irene,
I don’t know of any ENTs who use tubes anymore because they have better treatments available. What the tubes do is help to drain the sinuses and the Eustachian tube. This is effective for those with plugged Eustachian tubes. It sounds like this might be the case with you. I advise you to see an ENT specialist for this.
Common treatments today are use of a prescription nasal spray and an antihistamine. This works for most people. For those in whom it is ineffective, the physician will then insert a tube through the ear drum and drain the Eustachian tube this way. They are able to correct the plugged Eustachian tubes in 80-90% of people with these measures. This condition is known as conductive hearing loss and it frequently causes tinnitus.
Please see our overview of hearing loss.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I’ve had tinnitus for over six years and I’m getting increasingly sensitive to loud “everything;” amplified music, loud speakers, clanking dishes and pots are the worst. They can bring me to my knees.
What is this called when the brain interferes with the ability to mitigate or dampen sound to something that is tolerable? My sensitivity is getting worse. I’ve worked with a doctor at a dizziness and hearing clinic and have given up on doing anything other than avoiding noise and wearing my Etymotic ear plugs whenever I need them. I even wear them in the steam room at my health club. Steam can be very loud.
Thanks, Tom L.
Dear Tom,
I’m sorry you have developed this condition. It is called hyperacusis and is the result of the brain not responding properly to incoming signals which causes loudness tolerance to collapse.
Wearing ear plugs to prevent hyperacusis from worsening is false security. Ear plugs can actually make hyperacusis worse. The practice allows people to develop a fear of sound and noise. The proper way to desensitize the ears is to provide them with sound therapy which will improve the threshold for sound tolerance over time. There are two primary ways to do this. One is with Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and the other is with pink noise. Both of these take time but they are effective in reducing hyperacusis.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
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