I have moderate hyperacusis, mild Noxacusis and moderate/severe tinnitus. I got it after my second acoustic trauma. (After my first I only had mild tinnitus for 5-6 years).

I’m 3,5 months in. The first 2 months was absolutely horribly. My whole life changed overnight. I have more or less isolated in my apartment for this period. When I need to go outdoors I always use muffs + ear plugs. Indoors I use plugs when it’s noisy and muffs if I have to shower or do the dishes.

After 2 months of no improvement it started to improve slowly over time. I don’t experience pain often and hyperacusis are less pronounced. Tinnitus possibly a bit better but not much. Life indoors is easier now than it used to be. I don’t have to whisper anymore and I can have very low volume on tv (not nearly as I used to though).

2 days ago I went outdoors for 15-20 minutes with double protection. When I came home it I noticed it was worse again. I’m not back to the initial level but it’s certainly worse than it has been the last 2 weeks.

Will this curse ever heal? How much can i expect to improve realistically? Will I ever be able to go outdoors or to the gym with only plugs?

It’s horrible.

Obviously there's people out there who have abused their ears more than some of us and yet haven't got this life altering condition.

What other things probably can make a person more susceptible to hyperacusis than a average person? I just saw a post where it said depression and sinus problems and I'm wondering how acoustic shock hyperacusis or sounds trauma is associated with this.

Acoustic shocks and noise exposure hyperacusis are definitely more hard to recover from other means of hyperacusis causes is what I've understood.

My ENT said that I have a deviated nasal septum, which may cause Eustachian tube dysfunction, and that this Eustachain tube dysfunction may lead to sound sensitivity. Is she correct?

My ears have felt swollen most of the time since set back a month ago from sound exposure. It even feels sore when I push on the tragus. Is this likely all hyperacusis or is it possible got outer ear infection from plugs? I havnt worn plugs in about a month since I’ve been home bound I’ve used ear muffs. The plugs were getting uncomfortable.

Last question before I take a long break from this sub. Doom scrolling is horrible and my anxiety has been through the roof and I notice that anxiety makes my condition way worse and I’m starting to think my condition is linked to the ocd and anxiety that I have as well as OCD and the brain. I don’t have any inner pain. I have facial pain, like my cheeks and jaw. Also behind the ear, and ear lobes as well. Anyone else have this? Without stabbing and burning etc. and I say related to anxiety and ocd because I tried 5mg of clomi and it spiked both really bad, the facial pain and anxiety so I feel like it’s linked, for me that is.

Hello everyone! Before I go into my room, I'd like to mention I just talked with a very prominent psychiatric doctor who believes this sound proof room will only treat the symptom, not the condition. I have brain damage, and she has a plan involving healing the limbic system that i don't fully understand yet.

But if you're thinking about this very extreme route to helping your condition I have some advice and ideas;

1. It's expensive and time consuming. You will not finish in 1 day if you're working with someone else. Be prepared for a month long project (or longer depending on your schedule). If you don't have a couple thousand dollars for a room, skip to 2.

2. Covering the windows thoroughly will get you most of the way there. Get some good insulation, and a roll of mass loaded vinyl. Do 1 layer of mlv, then a layer of insulation, 1 more layer of mlv. This will do more than a poorly sealed sound booth.

3. Air conditioning lets in the most sound. I'm currently looking for a solution to this. It's cold enough right now to worry about it later but removing the ac hose made the biggest difference. I'm thinking about redirecting exhaust from an ac unit into the vents. Not sure if this is a good idea, could use some tips.

I'm sure this is a little obvious, but I know I'm not the only one who wants this. If anyone wants to talk about it I'm here!

Hello all I’ve had T and H for 6 months now, it’s better than it was when it first started. I’ve been feeling a random sharp pain in my bad ear randomly at night when I’m around the animal I’m allergic too. Not sure if it allergies or maybe has something to do with my H or T???? It last for like a second or two and is pretty random (at night) the other night my good ear was ringing loud and I went def or my hearing was muffled, when I woke up and sat up it took an hour to go away… maybe all this is from allergies or somehow related to my T and H. Not sure but it’s definitely annoying.

Okay, so, here is my timeline since I’m not completely sure if I might have hyperacusis.

Last saturday, I went clubbing with friends. I experienced absolutely no pain after we were done since we walked around a lot. Had no ringing in my ears- Totally chill.

Went to sleep for a few hours (like 5) woke up, went to work. Experienced absolutely ZERO pain during my shift. Worked for only 7 hours. It’s a decently busy area but nothing irritated me on the clock.

Rode the bus, took a stop to go pick up something and started feeling a slight ache. Didn’t pay it any mind. I get home and the pain starts roaring. Mind you, everything besides the clubs were extremely quiet.

I still have zero tinnitus. The only symptoms I have are earache, and the earache seems to get worse from sound- notably anything playing from my headphones or phone speaker. My left ear is worse than my right and I usually get a hollow? sensation within it from time to time. The pain moves around my face and I did have throat ache from screaming too much on Saturday so I don’t know if that could just be from me being too loud and still recovering from my throat ache.

I did talk to my GP, they checked my ears and did a sound test to see if any hearing was loss or if any damage was found. Nothing was visibly damaged- the ear from that level looked healthy (their words) and I had passed my sound test.

Are my ears just super sensitive from the combination of noises or is it something worse that I should push? If you guys have any thoughts it would be appreciated because the pain is super intense.. And I really hope it goes away :( (i love music..)

Hyperacusis can affect people very differently. Some mostly heal in a few years, and some seem to never get a sense of normalcy. If you're one of the people that still can't talk to people without pain after 5-7 years, my heart goes out to you.

There's a trend in this sub of bashing anyone who says anything optimistic about healing and living a normalish life. While this may be true for your case, it doesn't mean it's true for most. For a condition that is tightly corelated with the nervous system, spreading your catastrophizing hopelessness is not helping anyone.

My acoustic damage pain hyperacusis took about 3 years to live normalish again. With custom musicians earplugs, I was able to attend concerts and play drums again. I had no pain or need for protection for talking to people and going to restaurants. It took a very long and painful time, but I was living mostly a normal life by only protecting at objectively loud places. 6 years later I had a second onset at a time in which for the past two months I hadn't been to concerts or played instruments. But I had a covid infection a week after covid vaccination, and it all came back to Day 1. This was also a high-stress period in my life.

I know some of you will want to say they're related, but the cause of the second onset was not sound, but some sort of limbic/nervous system malfunction from covid.

In my first onset, I had regular use of neurogenesis support from psilocybin and lions mane, along with deep relaxing meditation. This was combined with using masking sounds and gradual exposure without rushing it. I'm not utilizing this strategy as much this time around, and I think my progress is actually slower this time. I am planning to bring it back into my life little by little.

This is a very draining and tough condition. Do what you can to keep your jaw and nervous system relaxed. The fear and anxiety only makes things worse.

Anyone have there pain worsen and anxiety worsen after one dose? 5mg? Facial pain was barely noticeable today and after one hour of a 5mg dose it’s horrible again.

If I bite down hard and my teeth clash together it makes my ear ring immediately. As well as if I have on ear muffs and accidentally knock earmuff on a wall or hard object. Anyone experience this?

Hey there. I did not flair it as a success story as it's too early to tell but there's improvements and hope for nox sufferers.

My story is kind of weird. I developed T and H shortly after a festival. It was my first kind of underground festival which was organized by some students. I did not know exactly what to expect. Well, turned out it was hard techno (I thought it would be random commercial songs) and ALL the night. No break. The music was painfully loud and I could not quit as the security at the event would refuse until the next morning. Yeah, that's crazy. I did not insist because I had nowhere else to go at the moment and it was the middle of nowhere. I should have gone, still. Anyways, I was fucked up.

Yes, I was wearing ear protection. No, I did not go close to the speakers. Was my ear protection correctly inserted? Yes I think so. Maybe I should have renew them before however.

It seems nobody else developed the symptoms I had during this night. Which is surprising to say the least. Or it was just my mild hyperacusis who had gone totally crazy.

The aftermath now. The next morning, I feel muffled hearing in my right ear mostly. A feeling I never experienced before. So, I don't know what to do. I google " acoustic trauma " but since I still hear well and have no tinnitus, I don't know if it's really a trauma. My mistake.

So I go back home after long hours on the road. Slight noise sensitivy which I never had before. I only had very mild hyperacusis meaning vaacum was too loud for me and clubs also. I would always do these with protection.

Now, it seems very clear that already had hyperacusis but I did not know about it. Why? Because I was still able to live my life almost normally. Though my roomate found weird that I wear earpro to vaccum. Honestly, me too but I did feel great with all the noise.

Now, I'm back home. Day 1. Feeling of fullness appeared. And it goes up until day 7-9.

Day 7 : the fullness/pressure is pretty disturbing. I suspect something is really wrong as I expected to fullness to abate as days passed. It was the contrary. Nonetheless, I decide to go to an audiologist to make custom protection. When she fills my ears, I hear total silence. Well, this is the beginning of my problems. I hear a slight EEEEE. Never heard this before even when plugging my ears in silence.

I start to panick a bit. Fullness is still here. We are 7 days after. No improvement. Slight EEE when ears are plugged.

I want to say all of these elements are obvious for me now! But they were not at the time when it was developing. I knew nothing about acoustic trauma. Also, muffled hearing was hearing loss for me and I have always been told there was nothing to do. So basically, I was telling myself to suck it up and we will how that goes. WRONG.

Day 8. I see my partner. Lying on the bed in silence, I hear a slight eeee. Shit man. Becoming stressful. Not being comfortable with the silence and the tinnitus, I quit. Going back home, I don't notice it.

Day 9. Wake up. Big sirens. Ok, now I know that I'm screwed. Big time. Call my doctor and take steroids. But probably too late. Honestly, I don't know if taking them on day 1 or 2 would have changed something. Maybe. I still very much regret it to this day.

Then, with the steroids, H and nox starts to happen. Flushing the toilet is too loud, volume 1 on phone is too loud, microwave is too loud, TV is too loud. For the first two months, I could only whisper basically. My car was too loud.

Lots of pain. I had to quit my job at an hospital because it was too noisy and because of insomnia too.

I stayed in silence for like 22/24 hours for 4 months. Now, it seems to be better. Nox and H related I mean.

But I'm still in despair about my tinnitus. I'm suicidal everyday because it has derailed my life, my job, my sleep and silence. I'm a sheel of who I was before. I don't think I can recover honestly. I feel dead inside. I just wanted to make this post to give hope to some people that H and noxacusis can really get better, at least to some degree. For the last 3 days, I have been driving without plugs. Good feelings. I use TV at almost normal volume. But I still feel defeated by tinnitus.

I know I'm going to say something unpopular but tinnitus destroys me more than H and nox. It prevents me to sleep, to focus, to concentrate. I can live in a silent environement. But I can't live with insomnia, continue college with insomnia, always being tired because of tinnitus. Habituation does miracle they say. Yeah, but not everybody is able to habituate and I don't know HOW to habituate. It would be easy with a good night sleep. But it's not. I feel like I have lost everything so I'm struggling with suicidal thoughts honestly.

In retrospective, here are the things that could have caused my mild hyperacusis in the first place :

• Genetics
• Aminoglycosides use, esp. Tobramycin
• A rifle shoot when I was 9 (hunting with my oncle, obviously at 9 I did not even know about ear pro...)
• Being a premature Idk?

I don't really know why I had hyperacusis in the first place. I had already been at loud even and it was not a problem. But this time, everything felt louder and it was actually louder. Why people staying way longer than me and without ear pro have no damage is beyond my comprehension.

What kills me the most is probably that I thought it could be great to have earmuffs but I did not know double protection was a thing atm and I think I was exaggerating. I don't know if it would have helped but I regret this too.

TLDR : at my lowest point, I could not tolerate my voice for more than 10 mns and whispering. Driving was with double protection. Pain was permanent even with silence. Now pain is mostly gone. Still struggling with tinnitus and what this disease has taken from me.

Last week, a friend who suffers from hyperacusis had an overdose of anxiolytics. A month before, he shared with me the circumstances of his acoustic accident and his new disability through a WhatsApp message. Today, many of us want justice and want our friend to be able to leave the hospital safe and sound.

The case being of extreme severity, I allow myself to share it only in this forum so that somewhere the truth of what my friend has suffered remains.

Here's the Wapp message:

"Hello dear friends,

This is the saddest story I have ever had to write in my life, but the need to leave somewhere what really happened is stronger than me, and it is very important for me in case something ever happens to me.

In 2023, I was working for a construction company in France, Limas that makes slabs. On May 16 of that year, a colleague, asked me to go to a work site. As usual, I asked him if we needed personal protection, and he replied that we did not, that it was just to meet with a client and see some defects on site.

Once at the location, I saw a large concrete saw; I had never seen it in action. There were also two other workers from the company. We met with the client and discussed a solution. To execute it my collegue asked me to stretch a film to facilitate the passage of the saw. Immediately, the saw operator started it up; I was crouched down, just two meters away. The operator continued to use the machine without caring about my proximity or my lack of protection while A. C. was signaling me to cover my ears with my hands. The pain was unbearable; something inside my eardrum tightened, and later I learned that the machine reached 130 dB.

On the way home, I felt very dizzy; I started to hear very high-pitched buzzing, but the most surprising thing was that during my train journey, all sounds caused me pain. I then went to see an on-call doctor, who found an anomaly in my eardrum and gave me a work accident certificate, as it is the employer's obligation to provide hearing protection to employees, which had not been my case. That same day, I sent the accident certificate to the company by email.

A couple of days passed while my auditory symptoms worsened; I noticed that the atmosphere in the office was tense. I ended up speaking with my employer, because he had not declared the work accident to social security beyond the legal limit of three days. In his office, I asked him why he hadn’t declared the accident, and the question was followed by aggression and humiliation on his part. Apparently, I had betrayed the company by going to the doctor; this accident was going to cost them a lot of money now that social security was aware. In summary, the entire company hated me, and I was useless; “I should be ashamed of having had an accident.” The psychological pressure from my employer was so strong that he convinced me to sign a mutual termination. Everything he told me that day resonates in my head a year and a half later.

When I left the company, I thought my symptoms would pass with time. Little did I know about painful hyperacusis, TTTS, and reactive tinnitus. In the coming months, and to this day, my life began to be completely limited. I went from being a music lover to someone who could hardly listen to music; my entire identity was forged by it, and now it’s a thing of the past. My cello and guitar have also seen better days. The pain of leaving my house was only matched by the dizziness caused by certain sounds. And to make matters worse, if I wanted to rest my hearing in silence, my tinnitus would attack, which to this day prevents me from reading, watching TV, or sleeping.

All these symptoms were too severe. Around October, I wrote to my former employer to declare the work accident; in France, this allows for coverage of medical expenses and compensation for what happened. I naively wanted to start some TRT therapy. My former employer never replied.

Time passed, and social security asked me for my version of events, which I found very curious. Apparently, my employer had declared that there were no witnesses to what happened…

Shortly thereafter, I received some documents in the mail. I had investigated the company and they had communicated by phone with the witnesses I had mentioned in my statement, witnesses I had previously tried to contact without success.

This was the saddest moment of my life; both witnesses, including me collegue, said that I had been 20 meters from the saw instead of the 2 meters I actually was… at that moment, I didn’t understand what was happening; I started to lose my breath, I couldn’t feel my extremities, I couldn’t think… not only was my life crumbling at just 37 years old, but everything led me to believe that my employer had made the two witnesses lie.

In the following days, the images of my employer and the witness, who asked me to stand next to the saw, kept coming back to me endlessly; this is still the case today.

Near the end of 2023, the French social security made its decision; the accident was not recognized due to the two false testimonies. My life passed before my eyes… I had lost everything… I didn’t want to live in such a world anymore; I took 30 Valium tablets to end it all. Apparently, my girlfriend luckily found me unconscious on the bathroom floor and called the firefighters. I woke up hospitalized, where I began a strong antidepressant treatment.

To this day, none of the symptoms have diminished, and the doctors speak of a chronic condition since the damage to my inner ear was irreversible.

I, who consider myself, I hope I’m not wrong, to have been a good person to my neighbors, must go out on the street with earplugs; I haven’t been able to listen to music for a year and a half, I struggle to walk due to dizziness, I can’t work, I can’t read, I cry every day; if I’m in silence, high-pitched buzzing attacks me; if I expose myself to sound, I feel pain; I have nightmares always remembering the faces of my employer and my collegue, the same faces that haunt me during the day while I try to move forward. I’ve aged 50 years in a year and a half.

I write perhaps from my desire to overcome my suicidal thoughts by leaving a testimony in a community that I hope will understand me. I was a victim of something that will never be known outside this message; they have completely robbed me of my life. The only thing that keeps me alive is a cocktail of five different psychotropic medications that do not improve the painful hyperacusis or calm my suicidal thoughts.

I miss music, I miss being able to talk to people, I miss going out to discover new places and destinations, I miss conversations with my friends and family, I miss being able to feel happiness.

Thank you for reading me; this message has very sensitive content, so please do not show it to other people in my circle or acquaintances. I hope to be able to count on your help and your words of encouragement."

I have peltor X5A and they are great when needing max protection but they become uncomfortable after long. Is there a more comfortable ear muff out there for wearing around the house when maybe max protection isn’t needed but still need some protection for household task? I prefer ear muffs over ear plugs.

TLDR at the bottom.

I developed n, h, t, and m as the result of torture. The room I was tortured in is quiet, so I can't escape. Ear deafeners are not enough to go out. The perpetrators threaten me with social services because they know no one will accomodate me. And it's true, I had a full-blown setback after going to a shelter.

I have undiagnosed autism and the only service that might have helped just denied my case after being on a waitlist for years. I've been getting tortured on and off for ten years, have multiple chronic illnesses as the result, and between illness, neglect, and occasional abuse/torture I've been finding myself in life threatening situations more and more frequently, especially since I've caught covid 4 times while being trapped (yes trapped, because some of this has been false imprisonment) in this room because the perpetrators don't wear masks.

I can't work and need a caregiver. I'm not sure how I'd find a free, silent room with assistance to live in within a 45 minute drive from this place. I wanted to pursue acoustic metamaterials to potentially try to have a super deafener but I'm not convinced I'm going to live long enough to see that through. I've repeatedly tried building a bubble-like barrier for my head but something gigantic barely makes a difference, the main issue is sealing, DIY seals and objects just don't compare to manufacturered stuff. I can't build anything larger because I have mobility issues, and someone quoted me 2,000 dollars to build something and I can't afford that, I don't even know if it would work.

My faith in humanity has been shattered. The average person refuses to accomodate me, and is willing to destroy months of excruciating occupational therapy, or simply put me in excruciating pain and accuse me of having a "behavioral health crisis", because they can not be arsed to wear ear phones. It's the same deal with masks, they're willing to kill people because they don't want to wear masks.

I have concluded that the average person is both a serial killer and more violent than a perpetrator of torture. And I don't feel like I can blame the system when it's people that don't want to change the system. I could write a whole book on that.

TLDR: How do I leave a domestic violence situation with severe symptoms on no income, and get caregiving assistance? I live in Southern California.

Hi all!

I’ve had a very very long journey so far with battling Hyperacusis and associated phonophobia. Just a bit of background, I was dx ADHD age 3, and ASD age 7. It was pretty much normal development except for dysphasia on my right pre-frontal cortex.

I have an incredibly long list of sounds that make my spine chill just thinking about. These are things such as air pressure truck brakes making sudden loud noises,  balloons, loud music, pretty much anything that could go ‘bang’, sound of mosquitos, people yelling, car horns etc. I panic whenever I see any of these, and when I hear the noise happen, I get almost a hypnic jerk and an electric shock down my spine. I would describe this as phonophobia. I have hyperacusis as well, depending on the environment in my body; I’ll get to why that is.

The thing is, I’ve actually developed an incredibly effective way to block out environmental noise being processed down my ear drums, and I have probably done this since I was an infant and I didn’t think too much of it. Basically, by sucking in air through my nose, I create a vacuum of sorts in my inner ear passage, and this pulls the ear drums further inwards in my ear canal. I think this is called a retraction. Once I set the inner ear pressure, it holds and sets until I decide to equalize the pressure again. I push them back out again, by forcefully blowing air out of my nose.

By retracting my eardrums and ‘setting them’ this way, background noise and general noise is reduced by around 30%. But I saw an audiologist to have my ears cleaned (no one had looked at them in years), and she said I have one of the worst retractions she has ever seen. She basically told me to lose that manual retraction method or I will risk hearing loss. But I have NEVER gone a day with my ear drums un-retracted as such simple and day-to-day noise is absolutely unbearable when they are un-retracted and normal, and has been since infancy. Stuff life supermarket noise, people talking to me, sound of eating; normal environmental noise. I believe THAT is hyperacusis. In normal day to day life I wear noise-cancelling headphones most places.

SO this freaked me out a bit as being a musician, my ears are my greatest asset and I need to maintain them.

I got a referral to see an ENT to get his advice, and he agreed that I can’t retract my ears anymore. But at the same time I literally will not be able to survive with the level of sound sensitivity I have. He say’s I definitely need grommets, and I agree, but we need a solution to sound sensitivity and we need it ASAP before we put the grommets in as obviously the hyperacusis will be bad after grommets. (no retraction).  I have had years and years of exposure therapy (made everything completely worse), ILS therapy to no effect, sound therapy,  OT, every sort of anxiety medication to battle sound sensitivity to no real avail. I have tried FLARE earplugs and Loop earplugs, and they do nothing.  He was incredibly intrigued by my case and he’s referred me to the professors at my local university.

I’ve met with them, and they were stymied. Because the technology that I would benefit from doesn’t exist in todays world. If there was something like an ‘anti-hearing aid’ that I could use in an occupational environment such as Uni or at work then great. But I don’t think such things exist.

I’m just throwing this out there to any audiology nerds who have an interest in these sorts of things, and if you have any thoughts?

There was a time when I would visit this sub and was convinced my life was changed forever and that I'd never get better. I hope my story gives some hope to those that are struggling right now. I know cases vary in severity and that not everyone will recover, but if you've just landed here THERE IS HOPE.

When I first developed H, I had to have the TV on volume 3, and even that seemed loud. Everything seemed too loud. At first I would avoid sounds altogether, but that just wasn't sustainable. I tried a few different earplugs, and found Vibes to be my favorite. They're small and clear, and their shape allows you to really push them in for more protection or wear them more loosely depending on your surroundings. I decided I was going to go back to living my life, and I'd just have to do it wearing earplugs in public. Most people didn't notice. Some did and some would ask about it.

Anyway, I'd say for about 2 years that's just how I lived my life. I would wear earplugs inside the home and outside of the home just so I didn't have to be careful or live any differently. I would SUPER consistent about this, because I forgot my earplugs on a walk once and a firetruck happened to go by and I had a setback. You simply can't predict what will happen, so you always have to be protected.

I definitely noticed healing taking place and increased thresholds over this time, but in the past year is where I've seen the most progress. I noticed I was able to tolerate a lot more sounds and I decided to gradually loosen my earplugs. Sometimes I would notice they were so loose my ears that they weren't even really doing anything. I started to develop some confidence and my anxiety about it all started to decrease. Then I stopped wearing them at home, but woulds till wear them out. And now, 3.5 years since onset and I no longer wear earplugs at home or when I'm out. I only wear them in truly loud environments, like the movies.

I never thought I'd get to this point. For a long time it felt like very little progress was being made, and I even thought it stalled out completely at the 2 year mark. I had come to terms with the fact that I'd probably be wearing earplugs for the rest of my life. I'm so grateful that I'm back to a place where I don't need protection on a daily basis. I still make sure I always have them on me though, because I don't ever want to risk going through this again.

I hope this helps at least someone remain hopeful - in some cases, patience and time can do wonders.

I’m struggling with clippers at the barber, the loud teeth cleaning drill at dentist etc. I wear earplugs, however occlusion effect is there. Any tips how to get past this ?

I don't and I'm afraid and depressed about how much has happened and changed after that. I remember bits of it, the day before talking to people. Travelling in a bus and so on.

I’ve been spamming this sub for the last couple of days. I’ve been dealing with H/Nox/T/Reactive T

Looking back I had tinnitus a month ago (maybe more) however it would eventually go away or it was very faint so I didn’t pay much attention to it. A month ago I noticed my ears would hurt/burn when I was around loud sounds + muffled. Normal sound also became loud to me & it would irritate my ear. Again, I didn’t think much of it & I even had a period where my tinnitus went away for like 3 days or so.

This month I realize that it’s getting worse. Pain combined with being dizzy, headaches, showering makes my tinnitus worse and my ears start to burn a little bit. I could go on and on.

I’ve started to protect my ears whenever there’s loud noise. I wear earplugs in the shower. I stay in my room all day so I don’t wear any earplugs atm. I don’t think my case is as severe as other people. I can brush my teeth fine without earplugs, I can eat, etc. My sister helps me by bringing food to my room.

I guess what I’m asking is if there any hope I can return back to a normal life? I’m extremely depressed, suicidal, not sure I can survive. Is there hope for me? I’m only 20

What’s y’all’s experience with loop earplugs? Are they any good?

Mine does a lot. [Loudness.]

Hi ❤️

Has anyony found any relief for Loudness hyperacusis? I tried Clomipramine but it gave me insomnia so I had to stop.

Has anyone here be able to find a partner who accepts your hyperacusis? How have you made your relationship work with them and your disability? Please share your experiences.

I would like to share some of the ways I cope with my condition with my bf whom met this July. Both of us are autistic and sound hypersensitivity is not uncommon among autistics. I managed to get some baseline understanding having an autistic partner. I would say 20% of my hyperacusis is from autism the rest is from an injury to my left ear.

He is a very patient and caring man, he gave me a expensive pair of Sony XM3 and XM5 so I would be able to travel to see him and go on a date at an exhibition fair grounds. We go for walks while I wear my noise cancelling headphones and he has a phonecall using his smart glasses. It's nice to be able to go for walks with him thanks to technology.

At his place he warns me thoughtfully of any impending loud noises so I can put my headphones on. When we eat he takes extra care to use his utensils quietly, not to bang his dishes. We sometimes out of plastic containers cause it's quieter.

When we watch movies he changes all the accessibility settings to help keep loud noises in check and gives me the remote to adjust as much I as I see fit.

If a siren from the street drive by or a motorcycle races by he will cover my ears.

Sometimes I will tell him my ears are tired and I need a break no more tv for the night. Sometimes I can wear my headphones turned off to just dull the sound that would hurt me while I sit in bed watching tv together and that works for us.

He has a robo vacuum which only cleans when we are away.

These are just some of the adaptations to manage with this disability.

He even kindly explains to his friend who come to visit about my hearing sensitivity so I don't have to.

Im 17 years old from India. So i get really scared by the loud noises like a door shutting loudly, FIREWORKS, someone sneezing hard, someone shouting etc. it makes my heart beat fast!! Indian Festival Diwali is also here its full of fireworks!! Fireworks really makes me anxious and i have panic attack because of it!!

I have experienced mild ear pain which appears to be triggered by music. I am taking precautions to avoid this issue becoming more severe, and to prevent it in the future. I am making this post to share my experience, in the hopes that others may find it beneficial and provide insight into my own condition. I would appreciate any advice or comments.

Background:

I am in my mid 20s. I have never had any acoustic trauma or noticeable ear damage before. Throughout my life I have never been exposed to abnormally loud sounds for a significant amount of time--I've never been to concerts, I don't play music at loud volumes and I haven't worked in loud environments. I have always listened to music at safe volumes according to OHSA standards, however I now believe the duration of my music use was unhealthy (I will provide more details later in this post).

However I have had an abnormal sensitivity to sound and other sensory inputs for my entire life due to autism (I was diagnosed in my youth). This sensitivity is an increased perception of loudness--excited conversations seem like shouting, the rumbling of refrigerators and AC units is moderately loud, loud gymnasiums were significantly irritating, and I can clear hear people speaking in other rooms as if they were in front of me. This sensitivity has remained constant, and has never produced pain. While irritating, this sensitivity is not severe, and it does not significantly affect my life.

Starting in late 2023 I noticed mild TMJ disorder symptoms (aching radiating into jaw from TM joint, aching when chewing, soreness and slight stiffness when opening mouth). I've been told by a dentist I am suspectable to TMJ disorders, but I haven't been diagnosed with it yet (I haven't sought a diagnosis, and will soon). The TMD symptoms are more severe in my left joint.

Use of Earbuds:

I used to frequently listen to music and YouTube videos using Apple earbuds (the standard type without soft tips). Between mid 2022 and 2024 I often listened to 9 hours of music/digital audio a day, as my job allows headphone use. I mostly listened to ambient music and podcasts instead of more involved music. I listened at volumes of 75dB--60dB, within OSHA sound safety guidelines, which I assumed wouldn't cause any problems. I noticed that my left hear had slightly more sensitive hearing than my right.

In mid 2024 I became an audiophile. I listened to and enjoyed a large range of music I had never considered before. Iron Maiden and multiple sub genres of metal. Lana Del Rey and alt rock popular among my age group. 90s classic rap and niche electronic. Modern Talking, a variety of rock, Daft Punk, and so much more. I followed a commitment to listen to a new album every day, and left my narrated history videos and ambient music compilations behind. While the duration of my listening remained the same, the average intensity sharply increased.

First Incident:

One day after work I listened to a few songs from a black metal album. Hating it, I, in my infinite wisdom, decided to listen to an album from an even more extreme sub-genre: war/bestial black metal. The genre is often characterized by rapid drumming, fast power chords, screaming/snarling vocals, and production that is intentionally muddy/rough. The album I listened to was no exception.

I loved it! I turned up my earbuds to 85dB to hear it in all its glory, believing that it would be fine for a period of brief exposure. I listened for half an hour, and then my ears began to ache. The pain was dull, like a sore muscle, and roughly a 3/10 (on a 1-10 scale). It was in the region of my middle ear. I felt exhausted. The pain slowly reduced over the next 24-48 hours, vanishing from the right ear first, and then the more sensitivte left.

Alarmed, I stopped listening to music and avoided loud sounds over the weekend. I searched online for possible causes, and found nothing which seemed to match my condition. I only found descriptions of ear infections, hearing loss from extremely loud sounds, and other ear issues which didn't match my symptoms (as far as I could tell). I assumed that my ears had just gotten tired from the extreme war metal music, and assumed it would be safe to keep listening after a short rest. Over the next week I used earbuds again, but only with podcasts again, and only in my right ear, which was less effected during the incident.

A week later I developed very faint tinnitus, which was intermittent with several different tones. It was quiet--one of the quietest sounds I've ever heard, despite my sensitivity. Once again I was alarmed, and searched online again. I didn't find any stories/conditions which matched my symptoms well, and I had long lasting congestion + 1-2 sinus infections during this time, so I assumed the ear aches and tinnitus were due to congestion/minor disease. After a week I could listen to music for 10-15 minutes before I felt a slight ache in my ears, and after two weeks I could listen to music for extended periods without little/no issue. Podcasts didn't cause any pain.

With no solid reason to believe my condition could significantly worsen, I started listening to music again after two weeks. Yet, as a precaution, I listened at lower volumes than before (~65dB), and used a set of headphones instead of my earbuds. The headphones were further from my ear, but the model I used had significantly worse audio quality.

When I started listening to music again the aching occurred a few times, but far less severely than before. Over the next month my tinnitus would fade, and I would sometimes experience the aching after listening to digital audio/music for more than an hour, but it was very faint. I kept listening, even to the war metal, believing the ear irritation was due to allergies/sinus infections of some kind.

Second Incident

A month and a week after the first incident my tolerance for music sharply decreased within a day. I began to feel the aching sensation after listening to music for only five minutes or so, and it seemed most aggravated by low-quality audio. What did I do?

I listened to war metal again!

I assumed it would be no problem, as I couldn't find a worrisome cause for the ear aches I had been experiencing, and I was listening at only 65dB. After 12 minutes of listening to it while ironing clothes on a Saturday, the aching returned, and remained for an extended period of time, just as it had on the first occasion. Once again the pain was a 3/10. I realized I could be dealing with a more severe problem, and resolved to stop using digital audio completely. I searched the internet again, and finally discovered hyperacusis/noxacusis. I read about how debilitating noxacusis could be. I decided to treat my potential condition aggressively. I would like to thank u/Fancy-Footbal-7832, as one of his posts lead to my discovery of hyperacusis.

My Course Of Action:

I started using earplugs, avoided any moderate/loud sounds, secured a quiet office for myself at work, took ginger, sought to keep myself calm, stayed in my apartment unless necessary outside of work, and avoided all digital audio except for rare and cautious testing purposes. I canceled family events, to my chagrin, to avoid the noise exposure.

Within 24 hours the pain had reduced, and my ears began to feel full and wet. The tinnitus returned quickly, and was slightly louder, but still very quiet. On Monday the pain in my right ear was gone, and I took a day off. While relaxing and playing video games the aching disappeared in my left ear, leaving soreness. The soreness felt like a small muscle was very tired. Over the next few days the soreness vanished. On the first day pink noise irritated my ears after a few minutes, in half a week two minutes of music caused the aching to flare up, and after two weeks I listened to an entire song with no reaction.

I developed a slight fear of sound, which I've mostly overcome, and I also had to distinguish between slight aches in my TM joint and the ear aching. The aching was not triggered by any sound besides music, and has nor returned since it vanished in the first week. I also experienced minor eustachian tube dysfunction (abnormal popping, cracking in ear), which has almost vanished as well after a month. My tinnitus remained for unchanged for 2-3 weeks, but has mostly gone away other the last week, however it is still present. It is strongly affected/triggered by my posture. Once again it has been very mild--usually around 20-25dB by my estimation. After a week and the cessation of symptoms I returned to my normal, moderately noisy workstation at my job, but still used earplugs for three more weeks.

Future Plan:

As of now I am a month out from the second incident. All my symptoms (which were very mild) have improved. My plan is to gradually stop using earplugs/expose myself to all everyday sounds over the next 1-2 months. Then I will slowly reintroduce myself to podcasts while avoiding music. If symptoms do not return, I will slowly start listening to soft music again. If symptoms do not return, I will gradually reintroduce all music (minus extreme material) by the end of September 2025 (a year since the second incident). Upon any return of symptoms I will stop digital audio exposure and reevaluate. I will listen to audio using high quality headphones and speakers at or below 70dB. Most importantly, I will limit my listening time per day, probably to only 3-4 hours or less. I will never listen to war metal or other extreme music again (its good stuff, but not for my ears!).

I will be cautious regarding this issue for the rest of my life, as I am aware of how bad it can become, and I am especially suspectable to it due to my TMD, my sound sensitivity, and any permanent damage I may have already caused due to my excessive music consumption.

My Theory (Take with a grain of salt as I am not a doctor!):

I believe the aching pain I experienced was from my middle ear muscles becoming overworked and fatigued. These muscles tense in response to loud sounds, and the high-tempo sounds found in music can cause them to repeatedly tense, as well as subjecting them to significant vibrations. They didn't evolve to handle artificial music, therefore my gluttonous listening habits may have irritated them over time. Listening to high tempo music with rough recording quality at 85dB for half an hour may have either pushed them over a threshold or caused the injury in the first place. My pain was in the middle ear region, and strongly resembled pain from an exhausted/injured muscle (which I have experienced from being an athlete).

My symptoms lasted for significantly longer in my left ear. I believe this was due to my increased sensitivity in that ear causing more fatigue and stress in my middle ear muscles, as said muscles are commanded by my brain.

I also believe my noise sensitivity made me especially suspectable to this problem. While noise at a reasonable volume doesn't directly damage my ears, my brain thinks its louder than it actually is, and probably contracts my ear muscles accordingly, leading to more strain on my middle ear muscles.

I think rest/relaxation for my ears is the solution, and my approach reflects this. I believe my case is not severe enough to warrant complete isolation from sound, and see no reason to believe otherwise, as my symptoms have been very mild, and have not worsened or returned with my current levels of noise exposure.

I believe that if one does not take precaution against this issue it will worsen, as the middle ear muscles will continue to be irritated, and will become more and more inflamed. This may lead to severe muscle injury, with longer/less likely recovery, and inflammation spreading to other parts of the ear. Imagine walking on a foot sliced open to the bone.

A Few Thoughts on Hyperacusis:

Though my condition is mild, and I may have not had "real nox" in the first place, I have read a lot about hyperacusis, and I have a few ideas I think are useful.

• Hyperacusis/noxacusis probably should be thought more of as a symptom instead of a disease. There are several types, and individuals with the same "Type" report vastly different symptoms and responses to treatment. Some improve with silence, and others can only use it to avoid worsening. Some develop multiple types at once, while others have pain with otherwise normal hearing. Some are cured by certain drugs, which for others achieve nothing but sickness and more tinnitus. Noxacusis pain can come in a variety of different forms, which may be the result of multiple middle ear, inner ear and psychological issues.
• If you have hyperacusis, understanding your specific case and developing your response based on your own experience, while keeping an open mind and being careful, is crucial. You often can't be sure what exactly is wrong with your auditory system, and attempted treatment that is harmful for your variety of the condition can/will worsen you. This is a rare, complex condition, and based on the posts here most audiologists/ENTs simply aren't trained to treat it. Just because one approach worked for one person and not another doesn't mean the approach is worthless/fake--it means its effective at treating hyperacusis/nox caused by problem X but not the variety caused by problem Y.
• If you have moderate/severe noxacusis, be as careful as you possibly can with the next suggestion.
• I think there is a significant psychological component to many, but not all hyperacusis cases. Many have reported success using psychological treatment approaches (often inspired by u/RonnieSpector), and many report being cured by Clomipramine, an antidepressant. A hyperacusis victim should consider whether or not psychological issues contribute to their condition, however this should be done very carefully, as some varieties of hyperacusis do not improve/worsen with treatments addressing psychological causes. It also takes discipline, planning and practice to apply psychological treatments correctly--if you apply it incorrectly you'll just not improve or even worsen like in cases where psychological treatment is useless from the beginning. You can't just "will" yourself not to feel pain, you have to apply complex patterns neurological reconditioning, which will be full of mistakes and dead-ends.
• I think a lot of hyperacusis occurs not only with acoustic trauma, but is also caused/contributed to by repeated ear damage and excessive consumption of music, even at moderate volumes. As I read experiences of hyperacusis online, it seemed as if every third story included something along the lines of "I used to produce music", or "I already had noise-induced tinnitus for nine years, and THEN-", or "I was a musician. Music used to be my life!". While this is a rare condition, you are probably at far greater risk to develop it if you excessively consume music or already have ear damage.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and I would appreciate any thoughts or feedback. I'm interested to know what others think of my experience, and my treatment approach, albeit my case is very mild. God bless you all.

Psychiatrist & the health department says: Hyperakusi & tinnitus isnt treatable with meds (not even adhd meds helps it).

They also say i can get therapy only to accept & understand yourself more, which I already done with help.

Psychiatrist says since it effects more than ADHD, adhd meds wont help my adhd.

Here comes the moment 22.

Tinnitus worsens in silence & Hyperakusi worsens among sound which worsens my existing severe muscle tension issue & chronic physical pain.

Hearing department says to try relax muscle because tension worsens tinnitus/hyperacusi. But im too tense

While health care doctor says i have to walk 20 min 3 times a day as prevent worsen issues & see if help body, which i do but then my pain & tinnitus spike which worsens also my tension & pain in body..

Meds doesn't help my tension/pain even before had Hyperakusi. Now i get more issues with back, neck etc with the years. Have had it for 2,5 years

I start to get depressed. Anxiety sometimes when have good days (low pain & tinnntus, its "low" because used to it) because it makes me questions myself & "if i really have it". Im dead on other ear.

My question is

1. Do your muscle tension from T/H cause issues with pain etc in back/muscle/neck/throat/shoulder/knees back-pain

2. Does question 1 worsen with time

3. Your experience with adhd meds on ADHD and H/T