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Tinnitus and MDMA

125mg

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 6, 2004
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64
Hi folks,
I just would like to know if any of you have had any experience with XTC and tinnitus?
For those of you that don't already know, tinnitus is a medical condition that causes a person to percieve a noise contstantly, like a contant ringing in the ears. Its usually caused by some form of trauma to the inner ear such as gunshot/blast noise, general loud noise, or infection. Its usually related to permanent hearing loss, ie. permanent hearing damage. There is no known cure or effective method of treatment - though the stress that it causes to a person can be treated...ie. they basically treat the depression that it causes.

I have this condition, it was caused by an explosion when I was 16 - like more than 10 years ago. So, since then I hear a loud ringing noise in both my ears, constantly and its permanent.

Anyway, I've found that the effects of MDMA cause the tinnitus to almost entirely disappear, amazingly.
Somehow, the perceived noise becomes "not in my head", but like it could be nextdoor or something. That is quite amazing (indescribable if you havent heard silence in a decade...)and could be important in understanding the perception of the tinnitus by the mind, and potentially could maybe help is the development of a cure..!.!

For those/most of you who don't have tinnitus - this is how I would explain what I mean:
You know that noise you get when someone slaps you in the ear?
Well imagine you had it contantly but when MDMA starts to come on, it (the ringing noise) doesn't seem like it's your ears ringing, instead it seems like there is a whining noise next door, or downstairs, etc. - but not in your head. It makes the noise EXTERNAL.
Isnt that stange???
MDMA can bring on an altered state which is very close to totally turning off the noise, if only for a while, maybe 2 hours. If nothing else, I think that tells us a bit more about how MDMA affects the mind. However, the next day after use, (as with all amphetamines) the tinnitus is a bit worse.

Has anyone else with tinnitus noticed any of this????????????
 
Geeez, I thought after reading a few lines that you were gunna say that MDMA causes this..........lol.

When you say that next day it is a bit worse...........does that subside again or does it stay a bit worse.
 
Hmmmm that is an interesting statement you've made there, 125!

I have been to the doctor years ago for what I thought could be tinnitus... I used to find my ears would ring quite a bit, and I had loads of sinus headaches... I went to an ear/nose/throat specialist and he prescribed me some pills for several months I think... Did ear tests, etc... And the sinus headaches subsided and I think the ringing did too for a while...

I do have a very faint ringing in my ears pretty much all the time, but I would think it's not as severe as some people have... One reason I'm starting to take those ear plugs to clubs with me so I don't do any further damage!

But I've never really taken any notice if the ringing stops while I'm rolling... Probably because I love to listen to music anywhere, anytime when I have the opportunity... One of my old workmates says has music playing almost consistantly because he has ringing in his ears, and sitting in silence means he's forced to hear that irritating high-pitched squeel constantly...

It's quite funny, one way I try to stop my ears from ringing is by closing my eyes and mentally visualising either the ringing in my ears can be controlled by a volume knob (and I turn it down) or by packing it in a box and stepping away from it til it's out of sight... strange, but it sometimes works :)

I'll try to remember to make a note of it next time and see what happens :)

And yes, the ringing in my ears is a zillion times worse the next day only because of being exposed to the loud music when I'm out... :\
 
I haven't noticed that MDMA improves the condition but I'll pay attention to this next time I roll. I've gotten used to the minor ringing (or in my case "hissing") sound, and it actually seems to have decreased over the years.

I have noticed the opposite effect with many tryptamines (5MEO-DiPT, 5MEO-NiPT, AMT, etc). It seems that for a few days after using them the tinnitus increases. But I haven't seen this to be the case with MDMA.

Anyway, I hope that your tinnitus decreases over time, too.
 
Yes, its quite common for psychedelic drugs of many kinds ot produce that effect.

Alexander Shulgin infact, notices drugs comming on by the fact that it makes his tinnitus disapear.
 
Hi,
and thanks all for the responses.
MazDan, the tinnitus only seems to be worse the next day or so, not permanent. It returns to normal after a day or two, same with drinking.

I had no idea that Alexander Shulgin also has tinnitus?! I own a copy of PIHKAL but I've haven't read much of the first half...I should! And I'm going to.

For years, I've been able to tell if I've ingested just about any kind of drug by the "signature" of the tinnitus. It's weird, my tinnitus is made up of thousands of different frequencies (as with most peoples) that all come together to make one sound - a ringing/hissing sound (in my case). As soon as a drug starts to take effect, the complex multitude of sounds changes a little, sometimes alot - producing a different sound.

It is a great way to tell if you've been drugged...When I roll, I notice the change in the ringing about 15 or so mins before peak, then I sit back and enjoy the ride...
I also notice a change after a cup of coffee! Caffeine, however - generally makes it worse/more annoying for some reason.

If anyone notices a tinnitus change during your next roll, please report back.
I notice the positive effects most when the drug is just coming on (after 45 min- 1hr).
However, MDA makes it a bit worse (for me) when it starts to come on, so beware since alot of XTC is tainted with MDA! Some claim that most XTC pills are spiced up with MDA, which gives it more physical "kick".
If you are sure you're taking just MDMA (and you have tinnitus), then try it for yourself, and report back anything unusual!
 
hey dude,
ive got tinnitus in my left ear and i can feel it come on every now and then in my right ear! iv only rolled a couple of times, but next time i do, ill try and take notice to see if the ringing stops, problem is my tinnitus comes and goes. ill just be sitting there and bang, it starts, so i guess ill hav to be hearing it at that time, ill keep it in mind though. i think mine is a mild case tho, i can only imagine how frustrating it must become though!
 
I'm glad I came across this thread because I was going to post on this topic before but forgot. I suffer from tinnitus in the left year, and have for a couple of years now. It is a bitch. Especially when I'm tired or stressed out or drunk, it gets really loud.
The first time since I was really young that I've come across good E (not speedy/jibby, and with high MDMA) I was totally SHOCKED that it helped my tinnitus incredibly. Like it pretty much made it disappear while under the effects. It is hard to describe how great of sensation it is to hear silence for the first time in literally years.. I am glad that someone else experienced this so now I'm totally certain I wasn't just tripping.
It is too bad this is an illegal drug because if the could study MDMA more easily, and figure out the mechanics of why this works, they could possibly bring tons of relief and happiness to the millions of tinnitus sufferers out there. Now if I could only find the same high quality pills.. :)
 
i got tinnitus too, and im going to be trying E for the first time probably on thrus or friday

ill see how it goes
 
Another neat thing to try may be self hypnosis during the rolling process. Many people with chronic pain have found that using self hypnosis and locking that experience in their brain, can reduce the pain several times over. Although it may flair up again in the future, one can always use their trigger in order to overcome it. Somebody give it a whirl... lemme know how it goes.

I recently tried this technique during that research study i was in. I am able to breath much easier through my (constant sinus blocked) nose while on MDMA. I attempted linking this feeling to pushing 3 of my fingers together with my thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand. I'm not sure if it worked so much yet, as I don't understand everything that has to do with self hypnosis, but I'm going to read up a bit more for next time. PM me if ya do it :)
 
MDMA has an aneasthetic effect; it appears to interfere with perception of/awareness of all sorts of sensory input. For instance, the reason things feel so soft on MDMA appears to be due to a loss of perception of friction (which your brain interprets as softness.) Awareness of pain and discomfort is suppressed (sometimes dramatically.) Vision seems to become less acute (regardless of how you may feel), you become less aware of shortcomings in music, etc. A cynic might say that MDMA lets you overlook all the ugly little details of life. :)

At any rate, it's not surprising that your awareness of the tinnitus would diminish. Whether or not the actual nerves sending the ringing sound from your ears became less active is harder to say, although it's possible.
 
i did XTC for the first time yesturday, it was fucking amazing, and i didnt notice my fucked ears lol
 
Whenever coming down off of E when it finally reaches that point where I find my warm bed and go for some sleep, I find my ears ring real bad... or even when im High and peaking and i go into a quiet room with NO NOISE what so ever my ears ring like crazy.
 
^ I know the feeling, sure that isn't because of loud music?
 
Either that.... or maybe just increased sensitivity to everything. i.e. Sense of Hearing.
 
TheDEA.org said:
MDMA has an aneasthetic effect; it appears to interfere with perception of/awareness of all sorts of sensory input. For instance, the reason things feel so soft on MDMA appears to be due to a loss of perception of friction (which your brain interprets as softness.) Awareness of pain and discomfort is suppressed (sometimes dramatically.) Vision seems to become less acute (regardless of how you may feel), you become less aware of shortcomings in music, etc. A cynic might say that MDMA lets you overlook all the ugly little details of life. :)

At any rate, it's not surprising that your awareness of the tinnitus would diminish. Whether or not the actual nerves sending the ringing sound from your ears became less active is harder to say, although it's possible.

Is this documented? My experience with it allways leads to an acute increase in sensory perception, particularly to that of sound, light, touch and smell.

I would assume an aneasthetic would be the chemical opposite of MDMA. For example cocaine, a local aneasthetic, typically cancels out your roll (cocaine numbs you whereas E hightens your senses.) I would like to see a study on this. Perhaps the psychedelic side to MDMA is increasing your awareness to your senses, so you perceive them as being enhanced, only instead they are actually dulled. Interesting supposition.
 
^ Well cocaines local anaethetic effect is completly seperate for it's MDMA blocking effect. Cokes a local anaethetic because it blocks sodium channels, it blocks MDMA function because it blocks dopamine and serotonin transporters.

But MDMA does block the sensation of pain, at least in animals[1], and there's no reason to think it wouldn't (recent human MDMA users have lower pain tolerance[2], probably reflecting lowered serotoninergic function).

Psychedelics don't increase sensation. LSD decreases the absolute visual threashold [3] and it decreases ability to accurately judge vertical [4].
 
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