Best / Safest Blood Pressure Medication with Tinnitus?

[John Mahan]

Hi Everybody,

Like many, I struggle at times... more times than not... with the loudness of my tinnitus... which sounds like a high frequency hiss interspersed with a other high frequency harmonics that sound like a wind chime on a porch... for lack of a better description.

My blood pressure has been trending higher the last year or so and my doc thought it maybe best to put me on a blood pressure med and he chose Losartan. He placed me on 50mg daily and after being on it a week, my tinnitus seemed to generally be louder and because my tinnitus is typically already at the annoying level, I sure didn't appreciate this change. A quick look into Losartan, suggests that Losartan is considered ototoxic to sufferers of tinnitus.

So I looked for an alternative and found Irbesartan. I then obtained a prescription through my family doctor only to learn from my pharmacist for whatever reason, the drug currently isn't available from the manufacturer... or at least to him.

So my question for those that have done the research, is there a blood pressure medication that is generally perceived as not influential to tinnitus volume level?

Thanks in advance for any shared experience and recommendation.

 

[Tinniger]

No one will be able to say exactly whether one antihypertensive drug is "safer" than another in terms of tinnitus worsening. For a variety (if not all drugs) tinnitus is mentioned as a side effect, proven ototoxic are only half a dozen.

You can do your own research here:
https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/irbesartan/tinnitus-aggravated/

 

[John Mahan]

No one will be able to say exactly whether one antihypertensive drug is "safer" than another in terms of tinnitus worsening. For a variety (if not all drugs) tinnitus is mentioned as a side effect, proven ototoxic are only half a dozen.

You can do your own research here:
https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/irbesartan/tinnitus-aggravated/

Thanks for your response Tinniger.

I clicked on the link you provided. From the link, I didn't find any clarity if any given med is considered least reactive with Tinnitus. I further didn't understand your comment...."proven ototoxic are only half a dozen".

Are there any high blood pressure meds considered non-ototoxic relative to tinnitus?

Many thanks

Based upon my limited research, it seems that Levobunolol may be least interactive with tinnitus.
This find is based upon the following link:

http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/which-blood-pressure-drugs-do-not-cause-tinnitus/

If somebody has personal experience or can direct me to research to support or refute the above, I would sure appreciate it.

 

[Tinniger]

I'm afraid you're going down the wrong road with your research. Levobunolol is a beta-blocker that is only suitable for the local treatment of glaucoma.
If so much anxiety is associated with any medication, there is also the possibility to leave the treatment of a hypertension. No offense.

 

[John Mahan]

I'm afraid you're going down the wrong road with your research. Levobunolol is a beta-blocker that is only suitable for the local treatment of glaucoma.
If so much anxiety is associated with any medication, there is also the possibility to leave the treatment of a hypertension. No offense.

Thanks for the clarification on Levobunolol.
I don't understand your last sentence...presuming English isn't your first language. Btw, I am sure your German is better than mine by a long shot.
But if you re-write your last sentence in German, perhaps I could understand what you mean better.

Many thanks

 

[Tinniger]

I'll try it again in English.

I mean that all antihypertensives are comparatively safe. And the differences are not so significant that you should take care of them.

If you are firmly convinced that antihypertensives are responsible for tinnitus worsening, you should also consider the possibility of not taking antihypertensives.
Every medical measure is a balance between benefits and risks.

 

[John Mahan]

I'll try it again in English.

I mean that all antihypertensives are comparatively safe. And the differences are not so significant that you should take care of them.

If you are firmly convinced that antihypertensives are responsible for tinnitus worsening, you should also consider the possibility of not taking antihypertensives.
Every medical measure is a balance between benefits and risks.

Very well stated. Thank you. I understand now and completely agree.
And you are right about my questionable assignment of cause and effect. I do not know if Losartan was responsible for my tinnitus worsening. All I can say is, the time frame was coincidental. When I started taking Losartan, my tinnitus unexpectedly increased in volume. Unfortunately, my tinnitus is extremely variable.

As some others have reported, the biggest single contributor to my tinnitus worsening or lessening is due to sleep. Not necessarily sleep deprivation....I always try to get adequate rest.
I can go to bed having a relatively low tinnitus day...most of my days have rather annoying tinnitus...and I can wake up in the middle of the night with my tinnitus screaming. I also find a linkage between the 'type' of dreams I have...good dreams versus nightmares. Nightmares...things I can't quite solve in my sleep seem to really aggravate my tinnitus which at times is scary just like these sort of dreams because my tinnitus becomes so loud. So I am both unsettled by my nightmares and also by my raging tinnitus that seems to accompany it...presuming this is due to heightened cortisol levels due to this nighttime stress. Don't know for sure either. We all look for influencing factors to our tinnitus going up and down and many of us are left with more questions than answers. I am at least.

So I am on a tinnitus rollercoaster really. I never know where its going to go. I always try to get a lot of rest, exercise, moderate my stress levels....doesn't matter. I can wake up either with softening tinnitus which is rare...or wake up to raging tinnitus which is much more common for me. Sleep...type of sleep apparently has the biggest influence on my tinnitus which makes it that much more unsettling because I have absolutely no control about it.

Thanks again.

 

[Samilou]

I have been having trouble finding a blood pressure medication that does not mess with my ears. So far inderal is the best.

 

[Harley]

Hi Everybody,

Like many, I struggle at times... more times than not... with the loudness of my tinnitus... which sounds like a high frequency hiss interspersed with a other high frequency harmonics that sound like a wind chime on a porch... for lack of a better description.

My blood pressure has been trending higher the last year or so and my doc thought it maybe best to put me on a blood pressure med and he chose Losartan. He placed me on 50mg daily and after being on it a week, my tinnitus seemed to generally be louder and because my tinnitus is typically already at the annoying level, I sure didn't appreciate this change. A quick look into Losartan, suggests that Losartan is considered ototoxic to sufferers of tinnitus.

So I looked for an alternative and found Irbesartan. I then obtained a prescription through my family doctor only to learn from my pharmacist for whatever reason, the drug currently isn't available from the manufacturer... or at least to him.

So my question for those that have done the research, is there a blood pressure medication that is generally perceived as not influential to tinnitus volume level?

Thanks in advance for any shared experience and recommendation.

Maybe a stupid question, but have you tried the natural way first?
A good quality garlic supplement, especially in combination with coenzyme Q10 and magnesium (preferably in bisglycinate form), can do wonders for blood pressure.
But of course as with most supplements, the effect won't be immediate, but rather build up over time.

Also, just recently I was responding to another poster and I remembered an excellent supplement called Shiljait.
It may not directly affect blood pressure, but it protects the blood and heart from free radicals and damage on top of many other benefits.
But one needs to be careful about sourcing it, as there are lot of imitations and garbage floating around.
It should be only consumed in it's unprocessed form, which looks like a blob of tar.
I had good experience with Pur Black and Lotus Blooming Herbs.
Pricey, but worth every penny (assuming you don't mind the taste, which could be closely replicated by licking a well used ashtray):
https://draxe.com/nutrition/herbs/shilajit/

Either way, good luck to you at finding what works.

 

[ajc]

Hi Everybody,

Like many, I struggle at times... more times than not... with the loudness of my tinnitus... which sounds like a high frequency hiss interspersed with a other high frequency harmonics that sound like a wind chime on a porch... for lack of a better description.

My blood pressure has been trending higher the last year or so and my doc thought it maybe best to put me on a blood pressure med and he chose Losartan. He placed me on 50mg daily and after being on it a week, my tinnitus seemed to generally be louder and because my tinnitus is typically already at the annoying level, I sure didn't appreciate this change. A quick look into Losartan, suggests that Losartan is considered ototoxic to sufferers of tinnitus.

So I looked for an alternative and found Irbesartan. I then obtained a prescription through my family doctor only to learn from my pharmacist for whatever reason, the drug currently isn't available from the manufacturer... or at least to him.

So my question for those that have done the research, is there a blood pressure medication that is generally perceived as not influential to tinnitus volume level?

Thanks in advance for any shared experience and recommendation.

What did you decide about your situation?

I might need to start Losartan soon.

Scared.

Can it make tinnitus permanently worse?

 

[all to gain]

I have been having trouble finding a blood pressure medication that does not mess with my ears. So far inderal is the best.

Propranolol (inderal) may well have given me tinnitus.

 

[JudyM]

Are there any high blood pressure meds considered non-ototoxic relative to tinnitus?

John, was wondering what blood pressure meds you decided to use..I too may need to go that route. Thxs

 

[John Mahan]

Hi Everybody,
I went around and around on this one as we are all too aware of some of the pitfalls of meds we take, some to cope with tinnitus, but overall the interaction with meds and tinnitus.

A web search revealed that blood pressure meds are a slippery slope when it comes to tinnitus. Hey, 'everything' seems like a slippery slope when it comes to tinnitus, this intractable disorder, why we all are so vigilant and try to be careful with what we put in our bodies.

I started on 0.5mg of Losartan which many consider the go to blood pressure med and this was a very low dose that didn't put much of a dent in my blood pressure... what my general doctor put me on. We had been debating this for some and carefully watching my blood pressure but with age, it has trended a bit higher. My blood pressure has always been medium to high side of margin. But a discernible trend had emerged with age and my doctor said, we live with our blood pressure every day and you don't want to be 'that guy' with too much blood pressure because it isn't good for long term health. But if you go on line and read too much like we can about tinnitus there is always a counterpoint that slightly high blood pressure may be within the range of 'normalcy' and taking any meds has side effects and maybe a net negative. A matter as with many things...of philosophy and choice.

When my doctor bumped my Losartan up to 1.0mg per day which is far from a mega dose, I 'subjectively' believed that has made my tinnitus louder. And of course all we talk about on here is tinnitus loudness being the scourge of mankind and it is and so I researched some more and came up with Irbesartan being perhaps more benign relative to tinnitus and I am now on 0.75mg once a day. Losartan doesn't play nice with tinnitus... or reportedly doesn't... and I don't like to tempt fate and Irbesartan isn't on the same tinnitus sh!t list that Losartan is based upon what I read. So far, so good. Yes my tinnitus is a rollercoaster, mostly affected by sleep brain wave patterns but I can't seem to find any linkage between Irbesartan and my tinnitus.

As to Harley and your question about a possible herbal remedy. Great question of course and plays into the Goldilocks narrative, always the least invasive approach first which I agree with. Yes, drugs are a periolous path, but overall my experience with 'herbal' remedies is relativity poor. I am not much of an herbal guy as a general rule because herbs don't seem to help me much when I have ever gone down that path. I currently am on Curcumin for example and like the recent Tinnitus Talk poll suggests, in spite of the positives of this substance, most say it does nothing for their tinnitus including me.

As to my overall health, I am an exercise junkie. My life revolves around that life style. I train with bike racers and swim aggressively most days of the week. I also do light weights. I am uber fit for my age. I watch my diet and try to eat as much of a mediterranean diet as possible. I am no vegan however. Fat guys on the bike are slow and I am not slow.
I also have way more cardio than the average guy for my age...what separates people on the bike and in the pool.

But...my blood pressure trends high. It would likely trend higher if I didn't exercise but I really always have. Exercise is the cornerstone of who I am and what I love to do. Tinnitus melts away on the bike and in the pool. Exercise is my release. Being a little kid which has always been a bit of who I am and really don't want to lose that.

So that is my take on supplements. I take a multiple vitamin every day. I have taken Omega 3 at different times which also seems to do nothing for me. I tried CBD oil and even tried upping the dose a bit... no effect on how I felt or my tinnitus. My body must be stubborn and resistant to herbal remedies.

Clonazepam to me is a gift from the heavens however. The greatest med ever created. .

At some point, I am going to start a thread on benzos. And we can all drill down together on the true risks versus the undeniable reward of benzos and how they saved so many here and also as reported created a living hell for others when withdrawing. We can try to get closer to the truth separating fact versus fiction though no doubt the experience is different for each of us because of our particular physiology and brain chemistry.

My experience...

 

[ajc]

I started on 0.5mg of Losartan which many consider the go to blood pressure med and this was a very low dose that didn't put much of a dent in my blood pressure...

That can't possibly be true.

Smallest pill Losartan comes in at is 12.5mg, and the usual maintenance dose is between 25 and 100 mg.

0.5mg would be placebo.

 

[John Mahan]

That can't possibly be true.

Smallest pill Losartan comes in at is 12.5mg, and the usual maintenance dose is between 25 and 100 mg.

0.5mg would be placebo.

Forgive me ajc. You are correct. I started on 50mg and then went to 75 mg of Losartan.
I am presently on 75mg Irbesartan.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Roy E]

L-Arginine is a natural vasodilator, but like all natural supplements, it's not as dependency-inducing as a pharma drug. Trust me, it does work, but when I used it, I had to monitor my blood pressure a few times a day and take them as needed. One word on L-Arginine, it's an amino acid, and for me it makes my tinnitus spike as most aminoacids now do, for some reason. My brain hates me now, so whatever...

I take Telmisartan 80 mg. I find it doesn't last all day so I break them in half and split it between morning and evening. It doesn't spike my tinnitus. It is supposed to be the best of the "sartan" class drugs and also claims to help control blood sugar. I did find this study on PubMed, I think it says Telmisartan reduces some antibiotic induced ototoxicity in rats. Not sure, read and see for yourself:

Telmisartan Attenuates Kanamycin-Induced Ototoxicity in Rats