Originally posted 04/14/2009:

Neuromonics is a newer treatment process that many audiologists recommend for tinnitus.  I haven't used this treatment myself, but it is an important option for tinnitus patients that warrants review.  

Neuromonics uses a sound signal to serve as a "neural stimulus" according to the manufacturer.  This neural stimulus is customized to each tinnitus patient and it is then combined with music delivered through a device that looks like an MP3 player.  The manufacturer states that the process is clinically proven and FDA cleared.  I'm not sure what the difference between FDA approved and FDA cleared is however.  Also, the device needs to be listened to for 2-4 hours a day.  This may not sound like much, but think about listening to the same four tracks for 2-4 hours a day for many months.

My understanding of Neuromonics is that it is an expensive treatment for tinnitus.  When I say expensive, I am talking about $5000 expensive.  Some people with tinnitus have reported on tinnitus boards how they have made imitations of the Neuromonics process using iPODs at a fraction of the cost.  I will post some of the links to these postings in the future.

If you would like more information, please consult the Neuromonics website:

    http://www.neuromonics.com/

If anyone has any experience with Neuromonics or wants to comment of this, please post.

4/17/2009 Reno wrote:

I paid $5,000 for Neuromonics a year ago. I refused to fill out the final questionaire as they want to be able to put me in the 85% they helped & I could not ethically do that to everyone. I still listen to it, sometimes all day as it does give me a little relief as it is a lot better in the fidelity department then an ipod or MP3 player.
It may help some people with mild tinnitus but mine is quite chronic I can't say I would do it over again. I think I would rather have my $5,000 back. There is not any counseling with this program even though they say there is special counseling. They give you an audio test, make a SIM card for you, have you come back every few weeks to see 'how you are doing?'. I guess that is the counseling, 'how are you doing'?

10/13/2009 Barry wrote:

I started Phase I on June 12,2009 and am still in Phase I. My audiologist determined I was not ready for Phase II because of my reaction to the the Tinnitus. It still cause me a lot of distress. I am seeing a phsycologist to help me but that hasn't done much so far. I had a strong sudden onset of Tinnitus in April 2009 that has varied in sounds but never left. I had to use Ambiem to get to sleep and Lorazapam to manage anxiety produced by this problem. I started sleeping with Neuromonics on 6 weeks ago which has allowed me to slowly get off all medications. I also wear it 2-12 hours a day to provide relief. I tried an mps player early on but it could not mask the tinnitus. The ringing buzzing noises are a little less severe as I use lower volumes now to mask but the tinnitus it is still very loud to me. It effect my sleep, concentration, mood and outlook for life. I am only 51 years old and otherwise very healthy. I have not been able to return to life as normal but neuromonics has saved my life thus far by giving me a means to cope. I hope to got to phase in 3 more weeks. I understand Phase 2 is a long period of time, however I know of no other options. I am very curious if the Kevin Hogan system is helpful as it uses self hypnosis to help lower the disturbance. Mentally, this problem has caused me almost continuous distress. I don't know of anyone who has finished Phase II or what the final outcome is but at this point I would say Neuromonics has helped me tremendously. I developed allergic reactions to Lorazapam, Clonazepam, and Zolpidem(Ambiem) so I needed a way to get off the meds

10/27/2009 pj thornton wrote:

I have been using the Neuromonics device for about a year and a half with no improvement whatsoever. I still use it as instructed, but I am now thinking of giving it up. I've had no change at all. I've been into the office for all the "counseling" and tests, as well as several phase resets, but to no avail. However, my case is somewhat unusual from what I understand, and that is what I want to discuss here, relative to the effectiveness of this device.

I have talked to other patients in the waiting room at my local hearing clinic, and some of them absolutely swear by this device. Those that have the best results seem to be those who were the most troubled by the original tinnitus, or in other words, those that just couldn't ever relax and were never without awareness of the tinnitus.

In my case, while they believe the tinnitus to be just about as loud in one ear as anyone as ever experienced (like a constant, mid-frequency siren, no joke, although it is mild in the other ear), for some reason it doesn't bother me all that much, and it never has. I tried this device anyway, because at the time I was still under the impression that the tinnitus might "go away" completely, but that isn't how it works. It works by training your brain to better ignore the tinnitus. I guess my brain was already pretty good at that in the first place, before I ever tried Neuromonics.

Basically, if you're like me, and have even the worst screaming tinnitus imaginable, but for some inexplicable reason it doesn't severely annoy, irritate and/or anger you, then this device is probably NOT for you.

I'm serious here: even if you have really, REALLY loud tinnitus, if your personal response to it is already fairly mild and it thus doesn't penetrate your consciousness constantly, then this device may well be a total waste of money. There is no point trying to fake or alter your response, it is what it is. If you go in for an assessment, answer the questionnaire honestly, and see what it tells you. If you answer very many of the severity questions regarding awareness, irritation, anger and depression in the less-serious range, then this device may not work for you. Just don't expect them to tell you that up-front, on their own.

Just to be extra clear here, if your tinnitus is already something you regularly ignore and don't always consciously notice, this device may have a low probability of doing anything for you at all.

I wish to clearly stress that I do NOT think the technology or the device are useless, even if they haven't worked for me. I just wish they had used a better upfront assessment process to screen out or advise folks like me, BEFORE they took the money.

Mandie Grace:

I went to a tinnitus clinic for an evaluation - I have moderate high frequency loss in both ears.  Was told that Neuromonics would not reach my damaged hearing nerves and I would not pick up on the preprogrammed frequencies that would help my brain habituate to the inner noise.

It was recommended that I try TRT with a combo instrument as I would not function well in the hearing world with light broad noise playing into my ears hours a day with no ability to hear as other people do.

I didn't really know much about Neuromonics before this first visit other than it is very expensive and requires discipline to do it.

My audiologist said people love it because TRT can take up to two years to see results and people using Neuromonics were seeing results within six months - some finished treatment within the first year -