Hi Barry,
I am currently suffering with tinnitus but when I tilt my head side to side or down the tinnitus stops. There is a lot of tension in my neck and I also suffer with anxiety. My current situation is that I am under suicide watch because of the huge distress on me and my family. I do have a daughter but unfortunately the suicidal thoughts are driving me to despair.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Tom P.
United Kingdom
Dear Tom,
Please do not despair. This is a problem for which there are solutions. It is most likely your tinnitus is caused by somatic conditions. This is where signals from the body interfere with auditory signals and cause tinnitus. The two most likely causes are a spasm of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle in the neck and TMJ dysfunction, where the jaw is out of alignment with the skull. Both of these can be treated and your tinnitus will decrease or completely resolve.
You should see a dentist familiar with TMJ dysfunction. The simplest treatment is a mouth guard that will re-align your jaw and skull. If this is not the case, a physical therapist can easily determine if the SCM muscle is in spasm. This is the large muscle in the neck responsible for turning the head.
Please read these articles about somatic tinnitus and TMJ dysfunction. I hope this is helpful and you can reduce the tension and tinnitus.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
My doctor gave me 5htp for the depression and anxiety caused by tinnitus. SSRI meds did not agree with me plus I think they may increase serotonin making tinnitus worse. Is this also true of 5htp, which makes serotonin? I also tried Remeron once, which made me loopy. 5htp or Remeron?
Thanks,
Cindy K.
Dear Cindy,
I think your doctor is very wise. First, SSRI’s don’t increase serotonin. They keep it from being absorbed after it performs its function so it can be used longer. SSRI’s are synthetic drugs and, since they are alien to the body, have a host of side effects, some quite serious. One side effect is that SSRI’s actually cause tinnitus in many people.
5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin and increases it in the brain. L-Tryptophan does this as well. 5-HTP works faster than L-Tryptophan. Neither will cause or worsen tinnitus. There are advantages to both. 5-HTP works fast but L-Tryptophan is longer acting and better for getting a good night’s sleep. Here’s an article comparing 5-HTP and L-Tryptophan.’s
I’d choose 5-HTP over Remeron every time.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hello Barry,
I am on the last bottle of your Starter Kit. It appeared I was getting good results, however in the last week I have had much more loud ringing in my ear. …I do feel stress plays a role, but can this improve with more time? Can this be an up and down type of condition?
Appreciate the updates very much.
Sincerely,
Anna G.
Dear Anna,
Stress is the #1 aggravator of tinnitus and will make it seem much louder. I don’t know if your stress has increased at the same time as the increase in loudness but it is something to think about. Varying stress levels can make tinnitus an up and down type of condition.
Because stress plays a big part in affecting tinnitus intensity, we created Tinnitus Stress Formula, a high potency B-complex vitamin along with Tinnitus B12 Formula, a small raspberry flavored sublingual, which goes under the tongue for better absorption into the blood stream. When we’re under stress we tend to burn up B-Vitamins. These two products support the work of Arches Tinnitus Formula by helping to manage stress levels.
Another thing that can make tinnitus louder or softer is diet. A salty meal can increase tinnitus almost immediately and it will take a day or two to flush through and revert to a calmer level. Here’s an article on diet and tinnitus.
Because you’ve had “good results” you may want to continue with another bottle without interruption. Some people take less time and others take longer to work fully. However, if one more bottle doesn’t do it for you, you may consider discontinuing the product. I hope it is helpful and you get good results.
I would also suggest reading my article on Stress and Tinnitus. There are many effective ways to mitigate stress besides B-Vitamins, such as biofeedback, exercise, meditation to mention a few.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate