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
Hi Barry,
How can I tell if the ringing in my ears is from sinus or ear problems?
Thanks,
Chris A.
Dear Chris,
Thanks for sending in this question. It is a very important one and deserves a close look.
Hearing loss is most likely the cause of your tinnitus. There are two types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted through the eardrum and the small bones in the middle ear to the cochlea. The most common causes of conductive hearing loss are: fluid in the middle ear from colds, allergies or infection; otosclerosis, perforated eardrum, or impacted earwax.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the hair cells in the cochlea or to the auditory nerves that connect the inner ear to the brain. This happens in the majority of cases of hearing loss. The most prevalent causes of sensorineural hearing loss are: noise exposure, ototoxic drugs, viruses, various diseases, head trauma, aging and tumors.
The two can be distinguished by means of an audiogram which shows examples from fluid build-up in the middle ear, age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss. It clearly shows the differences in these three conditions.
So, you can tell what is happening by visiting an ear doctor or an audiologist and have a hearing test conducted. Then you can look at treatment options.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hello Barry!
I recently found an Arches pamphlet among my ENT papers from a few years ago after having sinus surgery. I picked it up because I have had tinnitus for some years and it hasn’t been too horrible. Recently I developed a pretty bad case of shingles (I’m only 42 by the way) while recovering from discectomy for a herniated disc and fusion of my c5-7 vertebrae.
The shingles affected my right ear and now I have hearing loss and intense tinnitus. It is horrible and is negatively impacting life. I will be ordering your product soon.
Have you come across any studies, success with your product, or anything useful about improvement in tinnitus caused from Shingles. I am currently half way through a strong month-long prescription of the steroid prednisone from my ENT in hopes of repairing and preserving my nerve.
Thanks, in advance for any insight.
Theresa I.
Dear Theresa,
I’m terribly sorry this happened to you but there is good news. Shingles is not a permanent problem and begins to scab over and clear up in 3 to 5 weeks. It definitely causes hearing loss and tinnitus but as the infection ebbs, hearing loss and tinnitus generally do also. About 95% of people who experience hearing loss due to shingles will have complete recovery of their hearing and tinnitus should abate.
Taking Arches Tinnitus Formula (ATF) should help this process along. Our higher potency Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgo Max 26/7 in ATF is known to help prevent damage to the cochlea and auditory nerve and should help in recovery. It should also calm the auditory nerve and lead to reduced tinnitus.
I wish you a speedy recovery and hope Arches Tinnitus Formula is a great help for you.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I have had tinnitus for about a year now. I have been taking Paxil for many years, so I don’t think it’s from the Paxil. Recently I found out that I have a toxic level of cobalt in my system from a metal on metal hip replacement. Once I get a revision done and the cobalt is gone will the tinnitus get better or is it irreversible?
I thank you for any information you can find out for me. Sometimes I feel like it is driving me crazy.
Thanks,
Gayle P.G.
Dear Gayle,
I did a little research and found that cobalt does indeed cause hearing loss and tinnitus. Cobalt can be chelated out of the system. Perhaps that is what you mean by a revision. There is no research I can find about whether or not tinnitus is reduced after chelation, or revision. If you have sensorineural hearing loss from the cobalt, this means nerve damage and is probably permanent. One way to find out is by having an audiologist give you a hearing test. Audiograms can tell if the hearing loss is there and, if so, if it is sensorineural or caused by something else. Our article, Hearing Loss: An Overview will show you how the audiograms differ and what they mean.
Even if it is sensorineural hearing loss, there are many therapies that can be helpful. Millions of us have this condition. I developed sensorineural hearing loss from loud noise in the military and have had tinnitus for the last 50 years. Most people adapt to a certain degree and over time the tinnitus doesn’t bother them as much. Please know that the stress caused by tinnitus is the greatest aggravator of it and will always make it worse. If stress can be reduced, tinnitus is reduced.
Helpful therapies include acupuncture, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, biofeedback and hypnotherapy. You can read about these therapies in our Tinnitus Library. There is a search engine there where you can look up the articles.
Arches Tinnitus Formula was developed specifically for tinnitus caused by sensorineural hearing loss and has been clinically shown to be helpful for the great majority of these patients. It can be used in conjunction with any of the above therapies. It takes up to three months to get the full benefit of the product so we recommend the Arches Tinnitus Starter Kit, a three-month supply.
Another article, The Science Behind the Product discusses the exact scientific basis of Arches Tinnitus Formula and how it works.
I hope this is helpful for you and you can reduce the sound level.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I have pulsatile tinnitus along with ringing in the ear and hearing loss. My ENT doctor has suggested a stapedectomy. Will this surgery take away my pulsatile tinnitus and improve my hearing loss? Is it a risky surgery? My doctor wants to do one ear at a time. any other suggestions for my pulsatile tinnitus? It’s getting in the way of my daily life.
Thank you,
Melissa W.
Dear Melissa,
Pulsatile tinnitus and the problem doctors address for a stapedectomy are two totally separate things. I believe you may have two conditions, both of which can be successfully treated.
Pulsatile tinnitus is always due to turbulent blood flow in an area close to the cochlea. There are many possible causes of this and, once the cause can be isolated, they are usually treatable. The correct specialist to see for this is a vascular surgeon who has the tools to diagnose and treat the condition.
A stapedectomy for otosclerosis is performed if the bones in the middle ear become soft and don’t transmit sound effectively to the cochlea. This most often causes tinnitus. The surgery to fix it is very routine and not risky. It has been performed tens of thousands of times. But it will not help pulsatile tinnitus.
You should ask your ENT if you have otosclerosis, the problem a stapedectomy is designed to rectify.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I have experienced tinnitus over a decade. Thunderous noise and high pitched whistle. Also I have had hyperacusis since youth and now have sensorineural hearing loss which is worsening. Suddenly three months ago I developed never-ending songs, musical rhythms, marching bands and male voice choirs in the temporal and parietal lobes. The volume varies from very loud to tolerable and tunes and rhythms change quite often.
The only factor which seems to be involved is stress, hurrying, panicking increases the sound but meditation, relaxation does not seem to function to quieten it. Have you any other suggestions how I can obtain a few minutes peace during the day and at night.
Thank you for your help.
Yvonne H.
Dear Yvonne,
Stress is the number-one aggravator of tinnitus, or whatever else bothers us, and will always make it worse.
The songs, rhythms and choirs you hear are called Musical Ear Syndrome. This almost always happens in those who have significantly impaired hearing. If the brain doesn’t get enough audio stimulation it makes up for it by creating or remembering other sounds. This can be helped by making sure you have enough sound input to put the brain to rest.
Your tinnitus can be helped with Arches Tinnitus Formula. It has been shown in clinical trials to be helpful for the majority of people who use it. It is especially helpful for those who have hearing loss accompanying their tinnitus. In this case we have a 7o% success rate in reducing tinnitus loudness. It must be used for at least three months (four bottles) to get the full benefit so we recommend Arches Starter Kit, a full three month supply at a $20 reduction below retail.
I hope this is helpful.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
In preparation for a recent minor surgery (outpatient), I was advised to discontinue Ginkgo biloba and any other type of blood thinner two weeks prior to the surgery. I had been taking your Tinnitus Formula with Ginkgo Max for a couple of years thinking that it wasn’t helping much. I was wrong.
After two weeks of discontinuing your product there was a marked increase in my tinnitus. I’ve had other surgeries while taking your product, but was never advised to discontinue Ginkgo, and I was never advised of excessive bleeding. So my question is: Is it really that important to discontinue prior to a surgery?
Three weeks after resuming the use of the product my tinnitus is still at a high volume. I know that you advise that it takes about 90 days before the effects of the product can be realized, so am I looking at that window as well, even though I have been using for several years? Thank you in advance, and greatly appreciate your fine newsletter.
Wishing YOU quiet times,
Doug C.
Hi Doug,
I’m happy our Tinnitus Formula has worked well for you. This happens with quite a few people; the reduction is gradual and not noticed until after it is stopped, when it increases to its previous level.
The warning regarding ginkgo is to stop using Arches Tinnitus Formula two weeks before any surgical procedure. It is printed on our label. Perhaps some people can do with less but it’s impossible to tell which person will have bleeding problems and which won’t. In order to be safe, we caution people about the two week period. I cannot advise you to do this but I usually stop about 7 days before any surgery and have not had problems. Some others might though.
You may not have to wait 90 days for it to return to the lower level. It is impossible to say how long but it should start getting better soon.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
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