Recent content by Dr. Nagler

Hello @Former newyorker. Sorry to hear of your tinnitus difficulties, compounded by the Covid-19 challenges we all face these days. You asked: As I understand it from your post, you last took Effexor back in July. While Effexor can (rarely) aggravate tinnitus, the drug does not cause auditory...

Hello @Roger79 - Thank you for your question. There are around a gazillion drugs that have been reported to potentially temporarily aggravate tinnitus. The precise mechanisms are for the most part not completely understood, and it is virtually impossible to avoid all of them without...

Before going further, I just want to be clear that ideally you want your tinnitus to be eliminated or at least significantly mitigated. So I believe that 100% of tinnitus research funds should be devoted to curing tinnitus rather than to habituation and the like. All I am talking about above is...

Hello @Aaaron8 - Thank you for your question. There are innumerable things that can cause tinnitus. The reason most folks try to figure out what has caused theirs is in the hopes that once it is identified, the cause can be fixed, thereby eliminating the tinnitus or at least significantly...

Hello Jacqueline - Thank you for your interesting question. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get around to responding. I have been (and still am) attending to some important family matters. I hope over the next weeks to very slowly catch up with the backlog of questions and will start...

Hello @jb998 - Thank you for your question. With your history of boxing the first thing that comes to mind would be a structural problem - like possibly ossicular disruption or something along those lines. I would definitely see a neurotologist before considering some form of atypical...

Hello @lleyah - Perhaps I am missing something, but I do not see any clear connection between your four-year history of pulsatile tinnitus that does not bother you at all and your six-month history of dizziness and headaches. I assume you have been thoroughly evaluated by a neurologist, who may...

Hello @Wheella - Thank you for your interesting question. I apologize for taking so long to respond. There are three issues to be addressed: (1) How bothersome is the tinnitus? You say that it is causing you tremendous distress, but knowing that the cause does not represent a threat to your...

Hello @AfroSnowman. Having tinnitus (regardless of cause) does not make you more susceptible to noise-induced auditory damage than anybody else. So if you wish to go hunting with proper ear protection, you should be fine in that regard. The question of whether or not hunting with proper ear...

Hello @Watasha - It's really a personal decision ... If I were infected with coronavirus, and my doctor prescribed hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin based upon solid FDA guidelines (i.e., not based upon "very early anecdotal stories"), I would take it without hesitation. I am over 70, and to me...

Hello @monkey124 - I can well-understand your concern. As I see it, tinnitus loudness as one perceives it is a multifactorial phenomenon (see, for instance, the attachment below) - so I tend not to use it as some sort of predictor of the future but rather as a statement about the present. And...

Hello @Missmia87 - Diphenhydramine can cause tinnitus, but the incidence is *very rare*. In fact, diphenhydramine is one of the most frequently prescribed antihistamines for people who have tinnitus and need a decongestant. In any event, diphenhydramine does not cause auditory damage, which...

I am well indeed, @kitanakahn. Thanks for your good wishes! Excellent question. So here are my thoughts. The usual dose of aspirin for a headache is two 325 mg pills, to be repeated if necessary every 4-6 hours to a maximum of 12 pills in 24 hours. Here in the US it would be highly unusual to...

Hello @Air23 - With regard to relapse it helps to keep in mind that habituation is a process rather than a state - and that rather than being a straight line with positive slope, progress in habituation tends to be more like a sine wave with overall positive slope (i.e., there are natural hills...

Glad to help. Anxiety has been described as a side effect of either drug, but it is rare in my experience. More likely than not there are other anxiety-inducing factors at work, especially at the relatively low doses you describe. Best to discuss with your prescribing physician. Neither drug...