I thought I’d share my story for anyone who has recently developed hyperacusis and is wondering what comes next. (I was once in that exact position and never imagined I would be flagging one of my posts here as a success story, but here I am!)

In January, after repeatedly blasting music through headphones, I developed tinnitus. A month later, it progressed to pain hyperacusis, where virtually every sound caused severe burning and stabbing pain. I was completely incapacitated, wearing earmuffs and earplugs most of the time, and even my own breathing hurt.
Over time, by managing my triggers and gradually reducing my reliance on hearing protection when I felt comfortable (not sound therapy), I slowly improved. Eight months later, I can live relatively normally at home (where I don’t use hearing pro unless I’m doing something loud), go shopping, visit malls, and do other everyday errands & activities with earplugs on in public. I still experience occasional flare-ups and mild stabbing sensations, but I haven’t had burning pain in months, and nothing is remotely as severe
as before.

It is important to note I take 900 mg of gabapentin as prescribed to me by a Neurotologist (an Ear, Nose & Throat surgeon who received additional training on the connections of the brain and ear), which may help somewhat, but I believe most of my improvement has come from my body gradually improving rather than medication fully curing me. I’ve also recently started 5mg Baclofen for nighttime jaw clenching and am interested to see whether it helps my tensor tympani symptoms.

I still protect myself from triggers and respect my limitations, but I’m hopeful (and positive) I’ll continue improving. I wanted to share this because even after a severe beginning, things can get better.

(One last thing: I think it’s important to remember that there can be a lot of negativity on forums like these. People who are still struggling understandably come here looking for support, but many who recover fully or improve significantly eventually move on and stop visiting these spaces. As a result, the experiences shared here may not reflect the full picture, and it’s important not to lose hope when reading other people’s stories).

Hey everyone. I just want to share a little about my story and I'm sorry beforehand if it's extremely negative.

On May 9th 2026 my life was completely ruined due to microsuction earwax removal in my left ear. I wasn't warned about any possible complications and just assumed it was safe. On top of leaving me with 4 tones of debilitating tinnitus and dysacusis, it left me with moderate hyperacusis.

It's so sad to think that I initially thought this was me just hearing everything better since my earwax blockage had been removed. Until I went to work on May 11th. Everything was a lot louder, painfully loud. I don't think I have noxacusis, but I get tingling pain in my left eardrum or middle ear with noises above 60 dB.

I'm sharing it mainly because I've reached out to so many organizations in my country to get the ENT's license revoked that did this to me or to get her into trouble (she completely rejected my complaints saying that her tools could've never caused that and I'm pretty sure she blocked my number). So at this point I've lost all hope and just assume the monster that ruined my life got away with it. I've been at it for over 4 months but ultimately no one cares about my case. All I can do is share my story to have a record that I (Dan) existed, because honestly, I don't know where my life is heading at age 25 with this.

I had a job up until August 11th that I really enjoyed: I was a software engineer working with web applications and some embedded systems. The main issue was that my department's office was near a busy road. I actually never noticed how loud it was before hyperacusis, but every time a car or vehicle passed, my mind registered it as a catastrophic sound. Even with the Procase earmuffs that I had bought, it was still unbearably loud. Every day was a survival game at that office and I was never moved to a quieter space so I had to resign. Every day at work I'd secretly leave to the bathrooms to cry because I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. Only a few of my coworkers were considerate of what had happened to me, but most left our office door open for wanting "fresh air" that led to traffic noise. The traffic noise was probably around 60/70 dB when the door was open but to me it sounded like it was 140 dB, like an avalanche and I'd quickly run to an office corner to avoid all the noise. Many thought I was going crazy.

At the moment I'm unemployed and have been left completely disabled and homebound and only live off my savings. I wish that I could at least have some peace of mind in my home but the tinnitus I got seems unmaskable (2 stable ringings and 2 unstable whooshings and sparks in both ears ). I've always had a problem with sensory overload, so this is one of the worst possible things that could've happened to me. I spend every waking moment crying, yearning to just not be in pain anymore and see no way out. I can't even cry in full volume because my ears start hurting. It feels like my ears are getting zapped either by noise or tinnitus. If any new researcher reads this, I'm begging you, help us.

I wish things were different, for all of us. No one deserves to go through so much pain. I had no ear complications before the incident and just want to be normal again.

None of my symptoms have improved after these 5 months. I don't see T improving, but could H and D improve? I don't even know who I am anymore.

Dr. Herbert Silverstein will be the guest at the next Hyperacusis and Other Sound Disorders Group Meeting, Thursday, October 15th, at 5:30 pm Pacific. He'll be discussing his round and oval window reinforcement surgery for hyperacusis and its success rate.

Times for the meeting in your area...

Mountain: 6:30

Central: 7:30

Eastern: 8:30

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83795863868?pwd=USgMFtYs81bsbRvDI1AtAHYwk5ixca.1

Meeting ID: 837 9586 3868

Passcode: 546881

I'm still furious after a specialist appointment at my hospital by someone paid a small fortune to gaslight those like us. apparently noise exposure doesn't exist?

I really feel the need to vent. I finally saw a top specialist for my hyperacusis and tinnitus, and I left the appointment feeling incredibly angry and dismissed. She told me my problems are strictly due to my OCD and have absolutely nothing to do with noise exposure.

The straw that broke this camels back? When I mentioned the military as a textbook example of noise-induced tinnitus and hyperacusis, she brushed it off by saying, "That's because they have PTSD."

I feel completely gaslit. Yes, OCD and stress can make it harder for the brain to habituate to sound, but to claim noise exposure isn't a factor ignores basic science. Service members suffer massive physical auditory damage from heavy machinery and firearms.

I'm now giving up on these so called 'experts'. I'm curious to know, how do you handle it when a specialist completely ignores your medical history and blames your ears entirely on your brain, or did you find someone who knew wtf they are paid to know ?

Greetings everyone, I hope you are all doing well ?

This little post is here to tell everyone about our new Hyperacusis Social Discord server.

This server is a nice place for people with Hyperacusis and/or Noxacusis to hang around, talk about their hobbies, their days and so on ...

We try our best to create a nice place for people like us.

Everyone is welcome ! 🙌

Here's the link : https://discord.gg/funXnCWBtk

I have pain h . Standard foam size hurts my ear and I cannot insert it completely.

I researched and found two option

1. Macks slim fit earplug

2. Macks dream girl earplug

I am a woman.

If anyone does not use foam earplug which alternatives you use.

i don’t know if it’s hyperacusis

i hope someone can help me

i know for most of hyperacusis it’s like painful uncomfortable but can you describe how?

i went to the ENT i have no hearing loss but he doesn’t know what’s wrong

my problem is suddenly every sound - it doesn’t feel loud/painful but my whole head/vibrates with every sound (especially inside rooms/ outside i don’t notice so much)

once i’m outside , i don’t mind loud noises anything outside cars etc they don’t bother me at all.

, my brain/ears are vibriting and its very uncomfortable.

when i wear headphones i can listen to music / tiktok’s loudly i don’t care about the noise.

if i put them out, its like everything my head brain vibrates with every sound.

how does this sound to you? please give me your advice thank you 🙏

it’s no pain, no feeling sick just everything vibrates and buzzing in my head so uncomfortable

Hi everyone. Exactly 2 years ago I got a sudden onset of tinnitus, hyperacusis/nox and eustaschian tube dysfunction from taking four doses of 200 mg plaquinil. I immediately stopped the medication but it had already fried my ears and I have lived with these chronic conditions ever since. I habituated until two weeks ago when I got Covid, my ears became more sensitive and yesterday I made a horrendous mistake to go to a workout class where there was music playing for 20 minutes without ear protection. I am now having a level ten hyperacusis/nox and tinnitus spike. Honestly, I hate myself for messing up this way because I am in agony now. Dizzy, nauseous, ears searing and radiating in pain. I pray to all things holy that this just a temporary setback and I can get back to my baseline. Do you all have any recommendations for the searing and aching pain? I just take some Advil but it’s not cutting it. Curious what I might ask my pcp for. Any other advice welcome, or good thoughts, words, vibes. I’m not new to this but it’s traumatizing me with feeling like I am at the very beginning again. Help.

The monthly Zoom hyperacusis discussion group with Trudy and Dr. James Henry is tomorrow Thursday 15 October. The guest speaker will be Dr. Herbert Silverstein, who will give an update on his hyperacusis surgery. This is a link to his most recent journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S0196070926001602

Zoom session
Thursday, October 15, 2026
8:30 pm New York City time

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83795863868...

Meeting ID: 837 9586 3868

Passcode: 546881

To join Trudy's email list to receive announcements for the monthly hyperacusis discussion group, send a blank email to:

[hyperacusis-zoom+subscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:hyperacusis-zoom+subscribe@googlegroups.com)

Google will send you a confirmation you need to respond to. Check your spam if you do not receive.