Help — Took Tramadol (Ultram) — Ringing Started

[lbjprxoxo]

Hello. I'm so freaking out ! Yeah nice way to start a conversation with ppl I don't know. (Sorry). I was taking tramodol (ultram) 2 a day no more at 50 mg. and stopped it immediately when the ringing started. I was taking it for chronic pain. I also have a history of TMJ. Oct 18th I woke up with this loud ringing in my right ear and never stopped. It's horrible and makes me afraid. I went to ENT 4 days ago and did hearing tests and I have no hearing loss. (Thank God). I don't understand why this will not go away. I stopped the meds over 2 weeks ago and ringing still there. It's the last thing I hear at night and first thing when I wake up. Ugh I'm so upset. I'm a mom of 4 and still young at 42. Someone please help me.

 

[Karen]

Hi, Lbjprx0x0,
Welcome to Tinnitus Talk! I certainly do understand what you're going through right now. How long did you take the Tramadol before the ringing started? I'm glad you got yourself off the drug, and hope that you have been given something else for pain that is NOT ototoxic.

I believe the ringing may have been caused by the drug; I've had a similar experience myself, with blood pressure medicine. I got myself off the drugs, and still have the ringing, but it has improved somewhat. In the beginning, I had roaring tinnitus. It is still there, but it is not roaring any more!

You did the right thing by getting off the drug, and by going to the ENT to have a hearing test. It's good that you don't have any hearing loss; that is a blessing. It's possible that, if you give it time, the awful ringing will subside, or even go away. But --- it will take time. In the meantime, there are some things you can do: Try not to let the ringing take over your life (easier said than done!!). Try to get some good quality sleep, if that is possible. Don't disrupt your life routines because of the tinnitus. In the early stage of tinnitus, the ringing is overwhelming and horrible, but it will most likely subside over time. Many of us use sound therapy or sound masking of some type, that will help mask the sound of the tinnitus. Water sounds are particularly calming, and may help you get to sleep easier. Also, if you are interested in taking natural supplements, we can suggest some that seem to help.

You are going to be OK. I'm very glad you got off the drug; that was the first step in the right direction. There are so many ototoxic (damaging to the ear) drugs out there, that you've got to be careful what you take.

Best wishes, and extra hugs,
Karen

 

[erik]

Hi. If the ringing is caused by the med then it may take a while to go away. Tramadol affects the brain receptors which help to alleviate pain. Sometimes, these changes in the brain can take a little while reversing themselves after stopping. A friend of mine had tinnitus from taking meds and it took about 8 months before the ringing went away after he stopped. It is good that you had an ENT check it out to make sure your hearing is fine and rule out other possible issues. This means you have an excellent chance for recovery, it just may take some time.

 

[Lulubug69]

Hi,
Don't panic, I too think my ringing came from taking drugs for a head cold. It's been several weeks now and I can say that things have calmed down quite a bit since the onset. There is hope so as Eric said, it may take some time. Mine is much quieter but is still there. I have great hope that it will diminish even further. Keep yourself busy and try not to focus to much on the T. The first week or so can be very scary and overwhelming, but if you try to find something else to focus on, it can calm on its own. Anxiety can rev it up and make it seem louder.

 

[lbjprxoxo]

Hi, Lbjprx0x0,
Welcome to Tinnitus Talk! I certainly do understand what you're going through right now. How long did you take the Tramadol before the ringing started? I'm glad you got yourself off the drug, and hope that you have been given something else for pain that is NOT ototoxic.

I believe the ringing may have been caused by the drug; I've had a similar experience myself, with blood pressure medicine. I got myself off the drugs, and still have the ringing, but it has improved somewhat. In the beginning, I had roaring tinnitus. It is still there, but it is not roaring any more!

You did the right thing by getting off the drug, and by going to the ENT to have a hearing test. It's good that you don't have any hearing loss; that is a blessing. It's possible that, if you give it time, the awful ringing will subside, or even go away. But --- it will take time. In the meantime, there are some things you can do: Try not to let the ringing take over your life (easier said than done!!). Try to get some good quality sleep, if that is possible. Don't disrupt your life routines because of the tinnitus. In the early stage of tinnitus, the ringing is overwhelming and horrible, but it will most likely subside over time. Many of us use sound therapy or sound masking of some type, that will help mask the sound of the tinnitus. Water sounds are particularly calming, and may help you get to sleep easier. Also, if you are interested in taking natural supplements, we can suggest some that seem to help.

You are going to be OK. I'm very glad you got off the drug; that was the first step in the right direction. There are so many ototoxic (damaging to the ear) drugs out there, that you've got to be careful what you take.

Best wishes, and extra hugs,
Karen

Dear Karen,

I can't thank you enough for your response. It was very warm and calming knowing I'm not alone. I was taking tramodol for maybe 5 months. 2 a day no more at 50 mg. I started taking it for my hands (arthritis) but it also put me in a better mood all day and was great all around but was also told it wasn't a nacardic so to me it was a win win. WELL , I didn't take it one day cause I felt pretty good and later on that night I withdrew pretty bad. I felt like I was hit by a bus. That's when the ringing set in. 2 weeks ago. I've never been so scared and prayed to God to turn it off. It was loud and definitely scary. Still is there but I'm calming down a bit after reading that this still may go away but may need to take time. I'm under so much stress. I just moved my family to charleston sc from ny and if it wasn't one thing it was another. 4 kids one just in hs (ughhhh) that alone is a biggie ! Twin 6 yr olds and a 2 yr old. My husband always working and took my mother with us. (Whew) stress is the word alright. When I went to the ent the doc told me my hearing is above average and felt that no damage was done (a blessing for sure) but still afraid this is perminent ringing. Sorry for the family venting part but maybe this is all part if the annoying ringing. I can't thank you enough for reaching out to me. Sometimes reaching out to someone you don't know can be life changing for them. God bless you Karen.
Laura. Xoxo

 

[lbjprxoxo]

Hi. If the ringing is caused by the med then it may take a while to go away. Tramadol affects the brain receptors which help to alleviate pain. Sometimes, these changes in the brain can take a little while reversing themselves after stopping. A friend of mine had tinnitus from taking meds and it took about 8 months before the ringing went away after he stopped. It is good that you had an ENT check it out to make sure your hearing is fine and rule out other possible issues. This means you have an excellent chance for recovery, it just may take some time.

Thank you so much for your reply. I feel better knowing that this may stop from taking the tramodol. Had I known this would cause this ringing I would have never started !! I haven't taken anything since oct 18 now going on 18 days with this and boy is this scary. I pray everyday that this will stop. I didn't realize there are so many ppl suffering with this. I will pray for them as well. Thank you so much for your kind words. You have helped me calm down a bit knowing there hope. Laura. Xoxo

 

[Karen]

Hi, again, Laura,

It certainly does sound like you're under a lot of stress, with the family move to Charleston (which is a lovely place, by the way!), and four children of different age ranges. Hopefully, things will calm down for you soon, and maybe your tinnitus will calm down along with it.

Your tinnitus occurrence sounds a lot like mine, as mine started up (I had mild tinnitus before) after I withdrew from the drugs. Maybe it was the shock to our systems that caused the tinnitus to get worse (?). I'm not sure, but it's enough to make me very cautious about any drugs I take in the future!

I wish you a quiet evening, and hope you'll keep in touch with us here at Tinnitus Talk. We're here to support one another!!

Hugs,
Karen

 

[lbjprxoxo]

Hi guys. I have a question. Has anyone taking tramodol (ultram) and got T ? For 5 months I took 2 pills a day 50 mg. then just stopped cause I felt I didn't need them, that night like within 10 hours I withdrew pretty bad. (Who knew) the next morning the T started and hasn't stopped since oct 18th. Does anyone know if this will stop or know of anyone with same problem from taking this drug ?? Now off the drug since then. Went to ent and all normal. Grrrrr it's so annoying !!

 

[Markku]

Try not to panic. Your tinnitus is very recent. Still in the acute stage. erik explained it all well above.

Generally speaking, tramadol doesn't cause tinnitus for the majority. You are the first on Tinnitus Talk I've seen mention tinnitus possibly caused by tramadol. If you google for "tramadol tinnitus", you'll find a few results - but that's about it.

Now that you are off it, you'll just have to wait and see how it turns out. The ringing could very well resolve on its own after a while - and if not, the negative and troublesome feelings will start to disappear as time goes by once habituation starts to set in. You'll be fine.

Best wishes
Markku

 

[lbjprxoxo]

Try not to panic. Your tinnitus is very recent. Still in the acute stage. erik explained it all well above.

Generally speaking, tramadol doesn't cause tinnitus for the majority. You are the first on Tinnitus Talk I've seen mention tinnitus possibly caused by tramadol. If you google for "tramadol tinnitus", you'll find a few results - but that's about it.

Now that you are off it, you'll just have to wait and see how it turns out. The ringing could very well resolve on its own after a while - and if not, the negative and troublesome feelings will start to disappear as time goes by once habituation starts to set in. You'll be fine.

Best wishes
Markku

Hey Mark,

So easier said then done. I'm in panic mode and have been since. It's not bad at all during the day. Sometimes I cant hear it at all unless I plug my ears or stand in my coat closet durning the day but as soon as night comes ..... Wowwww fear sets in ...the constant loud ring as if I went into a concert and the speaker was my eardrum !! I wake up that way to until I get out of bed and my kids begin to scream getting ready for school. Then I hear kinda okay. It's so frightening. Sometimes I hear that constant high pitch sound then a lower sound pretty loud comes up at the same time. That only lasts for a minute or so then right back to the constant stream of high pitch whine. This is so scary I'm just praying God will turn it off. Hoping God will help all of us. Thank you. Laura.

 

[Markku]

Hey Mark,

So easier said then done. I'm in panic mode and have been since. It's not bad at all during the day. Sometimes I cant hear it at all unless I plug my ears or stand in my coat closet durning the day but as soon as night comes ..... Wowwww fear sets in ...the constant loud ring as if I went into a concert and the speaker was my eardrum !! I wake up that way to until I get out of bed and my kids begin to scream getting ready for school. Then I hear kinda okay. It's so frightening. Sometimes I hear that constant high pitch sound then a lower sound pretty loud comes up at the same time. That only lasts for a minute or so then right back to the constant stream of high pitch whine. This is so scary I'm just praying God will turn it off. Hoping God will help all of us. Thank you. Laura.

Do you make use of masking techniques, like nature sounds, white noise, and so on? These are great at night to distract you from the tinnitus noise and/or mask it completely.

It's not easy in the beginning to deal with tinnitus, but take example of us "veterans". We're still alive & kicking, enjoying life. The beginning can be extremely difficult, but rest assured that there is light at the end of the tunnel - even if you don't see it yet.

Some great masking resources below:

• SimplyRain - The Best Free Rain Generator on the Internet. (Sound of rain)
• SimplyNoise -- The Best Free White Noise Generator on the Internet. (White, Pink, Brown noise)
• Unique Noise Generators matched to your own Hearing Curve (Several sounds here, check the bottom)

 

[astronomer]

hi,
just hang in and calm yourself , i got tinnitus april 12 2013 , it is unfortunate and the first month i went through the anxiety thing , if you need to take an anti depressant for a while, do so,as time goes on, if it is still there ,your brain will learn to adjust to these indifferences and you gain strength from it,it is not harmful and remember that there are others suffering with much worse illnesses , be strong and dont forget to be good to yourself and others around you,remember ,keep yourself relaxed,take care,kevin(astronomer)

 

[BobSwede]

Hi!
I'm new in this an have just finished a 6 Day period of Tramadol (hexal) 50 mg 3 Times/Day. After only 4 days a started hearing a high pitch sound when going to bed. Now I'm panicing! Is this really bacause of the drugs I've been taking for my pain in the neck? Please give my some info. Sorry for bad language. I' m from Sweden..

 

[BobSwede]

Hey Mark,

So easier said then done. I'm in panic mode and have been since. It's not bad at all during the day. Sometimes I cant hear it at all unless I plug my ears or stand in my coat closet durning the day but as soon as night comes ..... Wowwww fear sets in ...the constant loud ring as if I went into a concert and the speaker was my eardrum !! I wake up that way to until I get out of bed and my kids begin to scream getting ready for school. Then I hear kinda okay. It's so frightening. Sometimes I hear that constant high pitch sound then a lower sound pretty loud comes up at the same time. That only lasts for a minute or so then right back to the constant stream of high pitch whine. This is so scary I'm just praying God will turn it off. Hoping God will help all of us. Thank you. Laura.

Hi lbjprxoxo!
I wonder if Your problems caused of Tramadol is still botgöring You?
Best regards Bob

 

[Alexander]

Just wanted to pitch in, since tinnitus after tramadol use seems to be an uncommon occurence. I also got bad ringing in the ears after taking tramadol, mine has been 6 months now. Still hoping it will go away but after this long I dunno...

 

[Alper]

I was taking also this tramadol drug for ear ache because of an ear infection and after 2 days I got T. I stopped immediatly with tramadol but now since 2 months ringing is 24/7 non stop. I thougt first the eardrops caused T but now I think it's the tramadol.

 

[Alper]

My question is what damage can Tramadol do, in the brain or ears? Can I take supplements or whatever to reduce or eliminate the damage?

 

[DJay]

I am wondering the same thing. I was on 400-->200-->100mg/day Tramadol then quit, but only for 8-10 weeks for a broken rib. Big mistake.

I woke to horrible tinnitus one night after stopping. Three sounds, two in left ear (car horn and grinding) and high pitch tone in the right. That was in Oct 2012. Now it has settled to one high pitch tone in both ears, or middle of head, depending on how it is when I wake up, it stays that way for the day.

I was debilitaed in the beginning. It is becoming managable the lower it goes. But man, this is taking too long. I have lost everything just trying to live through it. I lurked here for over a year and finally decided to post. I see this post is old but there are some recent replies.

 

[Brian Reade]

Welcome to the forum.
Tramadol is a dangerous drug. Read about its known side effects which include seizures.
I am sorry this has happened to you. I tend to think it will go away after awhile, once your body rids itself of this drug.

 

[David J]

This is an old thread, but it is important to note that I also suspect Tramadol originally caused ringing in my ears about five years ago. One prescription, 30 days. So when someone sez that it isn't a common side effect, because if you google it there aren't many results, that just irritates me.
I take it now for pain and when I do, the ringing gets much worse. However, when I stop, the ringing diminishes to what I consider a normal background level. The ringing never goes away. It hasen't gone away in five years.
You may ask; So why do I take it if it causes ringing. The reason is, because the doc no longer wants to prescribe opium based pain relievers that have become so heavily controlled in the U.S. (especially in Ohio). So this is all that remains. It is very effective and since I already have tinnitus (and have habituated), it is no longer an issue. As I said, when I stop taking it, the ringing diminishes. I take it as prescribed and do not use it daily, because I do not want to be addicted.
There should be a strong warning about tinnitus for people that have never taken it.

 

[DJay]

It seems that quite a few people have had the same reaction to Tramadol. It is quite chemically similar to Effexor and that is one tough "drug" to beat from what I have read about it.

 

[mandi]

What are good non-ototoxic alternatives to Tramadol?

 

[Dave52]

1st post. Wanted to revisit the subject of tramadol and tinnitus. I suffer from tinnitus that's been progressive over the past 10 or so years. It is bilateral but worse on the right. I cannot identify any specific cause of my tinnitus. I believe it is multi factorial. Certainly there's a genetic predisposition in my case. Still over the decades there have been many likely contributions.

As with most aging folks I've gone through a number of health needs that used opioid pain relief - some for extended periods. These episodes also used some heavy doses of NSAIDs. None of these episodes provided a tinnitus 'aha' moment........ until yesterday. I have not been on any opioid drugs for sometime but did have some in the home from prior prescriptions. So, day before yesterday I seriously pulled some muscles. Y'know where you simply cannot move w/o freezing up with spasms. Had the NSAIDs going w/o enough relief so I took a single ultram to help with the pain and to try and rest.

Well I'd forgotten that opioid pain meds cause me insomnia, so not much sleep. The pain was a ton better. But to my very pleasant surprise my tinnitus was practically gone. I enjoyed a whole night of near silence. It was grand. The ultram wore off and the pain and the tinnitus returned. Thus my internet search for tramadol and it's affects on tinnitus. I found what has been noted on this thread already......'sparse information that tramadol may lead to tinnitus'. This I found surprising since the drug clearly did the opposite in my case.

So this is my testimony. I was completely clean of opioid type meds, took a single ultram and got profound relief of my tinnitus as a 'side effect'. When the drug wore off the tinnitus returned at its prior level. I have more of the drug and may try it again..... but I really dislike those medications. It seems quite possible that tramadol impacts tinnitus in some fashion, in a certain % of the population. Thoughts??

 

[Pnut91]

Interesting thread, thank you Dave for revisiting Until now, I assumed that the reason I was having ringing in my ears was because the Tramadol was wearing off and that it was an effect of its discontinuation. I'm now wondering if the tinnitus would have been a problem for me anyway, and the Tramadol is looking after it. I don't mind the noises so much and it's kind of an early warning that I should get on my meds or I'm going to have a nasty day of pain later on. I haven't found the medication to be bothersome in any other way.

 

[Greg1956]

Well I'm apparently another victim of Tramadol. Dammit! Why don't doctors warn about Tinnitis being a common side effect?! I see from this forum and elsewhere that there are LOTS of others in the same boat.

My situation: I'm 63, with good hearing and have never subjected my ears to loud noises -- except rarely, when unavoidable, for short periods. No loud noises recently. I use noise-canceling headphones when cutting the grass, etc. I suffered a herniated disc (L4/L5) two weeks ago, causing extreme sciatic pain down my left leg. The doctor prescribed Tramadol 50mg for pain and Cyclobenzaprine 10mg as a muscle relaxant. I've been taking both 2x to 3x a day, as necessary, for the past 2 weeks.

Yesterday, I woke up with a high-pitched whine in my right ear, fairly loud. At night, as I lay down to sleep, it also started the same whine in my left ear. It took forever to get to sleep but eventually I did. I woke up the next day with the ringing still, but didn't consider at the time that it could be from a drug I was taking. Dummy!, I didn't get around to doing some Google'ing on "ringing ears" -> Tinnitus -> this forum ... where I find that LOTS of people have suffered the same side-effect from taking Tramadol.

I don't have anything else available for the sciatic pain, but I'm terribly scared to take Tramadol again tonight. I'll maybe take half a pill since I read here that stopping suddenly can also cause/increase Tinnitus. I'll call my doctor first thing in the morning to see if he can give me an alternate pain killer. (Any recommendations?)

I'd love to hear from anyone who has suffered Tinnitus from Tramadol, quit taking Tramadol, and found that their tinnitus went away over time. If so, how MUCH time?

 

[DebInAustralia]

Welcome to the forum.
Tramadol is a dangerous drug. Read about its known side effects which include seizures.
I am sorry this has happened to you. I tend to think it will go away after awhile, once your body rids itself of this drug.

It does lower the threshold for seizures so it must impact on the potassium channels in some way.