Hydrochlorothiazide Causing Vertigo and Tinnitus?

[dellwas]

I've been on this for a year for blood pressure. Had a concussion Jan. 21st, never passed out from it.

Stayed up for a couple of hours at the insistance of my Step Daughter who is Doctor half way across Canada from me. Got up to go to the washroom at 3 am and the room was spinning.

Went to Emergency Room the following morning and Doctor thinks I have Meniere's Disease and put me on a steroid spray. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and tinnitus has started.

However, I've found by reading online that there is an indication that hydrochlorothiazide can cause vertigo and tinnitus, the Mayo Clinic lists it, and so does the American Tinnitus Association in their list of drugs known to be linked to it.

Anybody got some first hand experience with this?

 

[TWK]

I had a similar experience with a different class of blood pressure medications. I started Telmisartan in November 2017. I had real balance problems while on it (not from blood pressure being too low) - like my inner ear vestibule function was disturbed. In late Jan 2018, I developed a severe viral infection in both ears, and tinnitus (high frequency) started thereafter. I quit the telmisartan, but I've had tinnitus ever since, although it is significantly lower in volume than it was for the first 6 months. Within the first six months of the ear damage and tinnitus onset, I had several instances of severe vertigo (spins), and odd ear sensations like the sound of high wind in my ears while just walking across the room (like the sensitivity to sound or air movement was jacked up). ENT suggested Meniere's at first, but those symptoms have all completely stopped.
Any time I try to start taking one of several different types of blood pressure medications (ARBs, hydrochlorothiazide, bisoprolol, amlodipine) I get severe ear pain and my tinnitus ramps up much higher, so blood pressure medications definitely have a deleterious effect on my ears.

 

[RingingInPA]

I've been on this for a year for blood pressure. Had a concussion Jan. 21st, never passed out from it.

Stayed up for a couple of hours at the insistance of my Step Daughter who is Doctor half way across Canada from me. Got up to go to the washroom at 3 am and the room was spinning.

Went to Emergency Room the following morning and Doctor thinks I have Meniere's Disease and put me on a steroid spray. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and tinnitus has started.

However, I've found by reading online that there is an indication that hydrochlorothiazide can cause vertigo and tinnitus, the Mayo Clinic lists it, and so does the American Tinnitus Association in their list of drugs known to be linked to it.

Anybody got some first hand experience with this?

When I joined the forum (15 minutes ago), I couldn't remember how I got this or when and I see it cannot be changed in my profile. I remember now (15 minutes later): Hydrochlorothiazide (HCL) diuretic for blood pressure. I was on it 1-3 years and started getting tinnitus. I researched and found it was a known side effect. I stopped it and am now using Spironolactone, which doesn't work at well, but does work. My tinnitus is now not quite as loud, but it did take a few months to calm down. I hope this helped and hope you change your BP med to something without tinnitus as a side effect.

 

[dellwas]

When I joined the forum (15 minutes ago), I couldn't remember how I got this or when and I see it cannot be changed in my profile. I remember now (15 minutes later): Hydrochlorothiazide (HCL) diuretic for blood pressure. I was on it 1-3 years and started getting tinnitus. I researched and found it was a known side effect. I stopped it and am now using Spironolactone, which doesn't work at well, but does work. My tinnitus is now not quite as loud, but it did take a few months to calm down. I hope this helped and hope you change your BP med to something without tinnitus as a side effect.

Thanks. Come to find out that it also causes Gout, and I recently wound up in Emerg. because of it. They prescribed a gout med, and I followed up with my doc. informing her that Emergency told me (in writing) to get off of it immediately. She prescribed Amlodipine which can affect 0.1-1.0% of the population, causing tinnitus. She has left and I am following up with my new doc on Sept. 4th. Funny thing is that I quit the Hyd. a couple of months ago for the very reason that it can cause tinnitus. She insisted that I get back on it, and like a fool I did. Thanks for your reply!