Can Antihistamines Make Your Tinnitus Worse?

[JasonP]

I started taking an antihistamine on Tuesday and the tinnitus I thought was normal on Wednesday.

Thursday I can't remember but on Friday my tinnitus got really bad. I didn't take the antihistamine on Friday and when I woke up Saturday, my tinnitus wasn't as bad.

However, that morning I decided to take it again and my tinnitus shot up for the rest of the day. I was thinking since maybe the antihistamine I was taking worked on other brain receptors that maybe that was the cause of it so I took Meclizine (another antihistamine) last night. Woke up to the same horrid tinnitus sound.

It's weird, I think maybe two times last year I took an antihistamine before bed and it seemed to help me the next day, however if I took it two times in a row, I would wake up with bad tinnitus.

Also, my ears can have an ache off an on like it they are being pierced with a needle. I hope it is the antihistamine or something related to it and not something else. I'm on other medicines too. I haven't had any hyperacusis YET.

 

[DreiT]

What is the safest antihistamine to take? I'm having an allergic reaction right now. My doctor wants me to take Bilastine for 5 days, it has tinnitus listed as a side effect. Any advice?

 

[Brooklyn NY]

Have you considered allergy shots? I've taken them for 25 years with no side effects.

 

[Stacken77]

I know this is an old post, but I've recently been using Hydroxyzine (an antihistamine) for 6 days and my tinnitus seems to worsen day by day. I'm just now realizing a correlation.

@JasonP, did your spikes related to antihistamines always subside after seizing its use?

 

[Lane]

@Stacken77 -- My understanding is most antihistamines are anticholinergic drugs, which are known to cause or exacerbate tinnitus for some people. They work by affecting acetylcholine receptors, which are literally everywhere in the body, but are especially numerous in the brain and nervous system. Notably, they're also located in the inner ears. -- My own tinnitus was caused by a single dose of an anticholinergic drug Promethazine three years ago.

 

[TheDanishGirl]

I have been on Mirtazapine for 3 years. It is a histamine 1 antagonist, and my tinnitus has been getting worse in the last year. Several new tones, and baseline also seems to have raised a bit. I now suspect Mirtazapine is responsible... How I regret ever taking it

 

[Forever hopeful]

@Stacken77 -- My understanding is most antihistamines are anticholinergic drugs, which are known to cause or exacerbate tinnitus for some people. They work by affecting acetylcholine receptors, which are literally everywhere in the body, but are especially numerous in the brain and nervous system. Notably, they're also located in the inner ears. -- My own tinnitus was caused by a single dose of an anticholinergic drug Promethazine three years ago.

I'm not sure where you saw that information, but antihistamines are not anticholinergic drugs. However, Benadryl does have some anticholinergic characteristics, but antihistamines are not classified as anticholinergic. I think there are some antihistamines that have a greater potential to exacerbate tinnitus or have it as a side effect, but not all.

 

[Lane]

I'm not sure where you saw that information, but antihistamines are not anticholinergic drugs.

@Forever hopeful -- I just did a quick Google search and came up with the following:

Antihistamines with anticholinergic properties include the following:

• Chlorpheniramine.
• Cyproheptadine.
• Doxylamine.
• Hydroxyzine.
• Dimenhydrinate.
• Diphenhydramine.
• Meclizine.
• Promethazine.

Jun 6, 2020

I had said my understanding is most antihistamines are anticholinergic drugs. Whether or not that's completely accurate, I can't say for certain. I did see a list at one time that was quite lengthy however. My take is it would behoove anybody considering taking an antihistamine to do their research and ascertain whether or not it's anticholinergic, which has the potential to cause or exacerbate tinnitus.

 

[hears4fears]

I have been on Mirtazapine for 3 years. It is a histamine 1 antagonist, and my tinnitus has been getting worse in the last year. Several new tones, and baseline also seems to have raised a bit. I now suspect Mirtazapine is responsible... How I regret ever taking it

I just got on Mirtazapine. It made my tinnitus worse? I took it last night and my ringing is bad now.

 

[Sayeed]

I take Mirtazapine and it actually lowered my tinnitus. Maybe give it a couple or days to adjust? Could be anxiety playing tricks on you.

If you can handle it, give it a few days and if it's still spiking, then I would stop.

 

[JasonP]

did your spikes related to antihistamines always subside after seizing its use?

Yes, after I stopped taking the antihistamine, the tinnitus went down sometime within the next couple of days or so after taking it. Also, Mirtazapine made my tinnitus worse too by changing the sound of it. I took it for weeks hoping it would go away but it did not. Upon discontinuing the Mirtazapine, that tinnitus sound went away. Upon doing more research, I read that antihistamines can make mucus thicker which can cause drainage problems so I am wondering if that may be the reason but I am not sure.

 

[FlatDarkEarth]

I would really like to learn more about anticholinergics as I appear to have been taking two recently:

Azelastine nasal spray (which my ENT gave me to clear up sinuses/ears after complaining about tinnitus getting worse) and Hydroxyzine (which my primary care doctor gave me after I couldn't sleep due to tinnitus getting worse).

It seems like either of these may have the possibility to make tinnitus worse. I'm amazed how many things can make it worse, and are given by doctors that may not know/care about it.

I was also given Mirtazapine (Remeron, right?) for anxiety/depression over tinnitus. I have yet to take this. But it seems like I have 3 candidates that could make tinnitus worse: Azelastine, Hydroxyzine, and Remeron.

Granted I was given these all after having issues with a bad spike already, but, I don't need anything making it worse.

 

[James Randall]

I've been taking Mirtazapine for about a year now. I started at 7.5 mg because my research indicated that a lower dose is actually more effective for sleep, which is my primary reason for taking it. However, I experienced some eye issues, which can be a side effect. I noticed "movement" and shadows, which worried me, as I was concerned about the risk of vision loss.

Since alternative medications had their own potential side effects, I lowered my dose to around 6 mg by cutting the tablet. Now, only very rarely, about once every three months, I experience a kaleidoscope effect in the corner of my eye that lasts around 10 minutes. My doctor thought it was safe to continue with the medication, and it does help me sleep through the night.