New and Worried — Tinnitus from Virus or Testosterone Replacement Therapy?

[AdamLondon2020]

Hi everyone. Firstly I want to wish everyone a happy 2020.

I stumbled across this forum on google after I had been looking at online studies and medical journal entries on tinnitus.

I had absolutely normal hearing and enjoyed a nice Christmas with my family, although was not getting so much sleep due to the testosterone replacement therapy that I had started a week prior and also my sleeping pattern was irregular (which never bothered me in the past).

So after our lovely Christmas dinner I decided to go to sleep early at around 8.30pm. I had not been listening to any loud music and when I went to sleep I didn't have any ringing in my head at all.

I woke up at 11.30 pm (again with no ringing in my ears) and called my girlfriend to wish her merry Christmas. Then I went to sleep again at midnight.
However I woke up with a piercing ringing in my head (ears) at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep again.

Other than the testosterone replacement therapy, or the flu like virus that I had on the 10th December until 18th December (it had cleared for over a week before the tinnitus came), I have no idea what could have caused this.

Unfortunately the tinnitus hasn't gone away and it has now been 5 weeks. I am at a loss because my doctors are very poor at responding and I have been put on a 3 month waiting list before being able to see an ear nose and throat specialist. It will take even longer to get MRI scans.

I trust there are probably some very experienced and knowledgeable people on here, who might be able to help to get rid of this. Or could shed any light on how I got it? I have friends who have tinnitus from loud noise exposure, I can understand that. Also someone I know has tinnitus in his ear where he has lost his hearing, also I can understand that.
But I have no idea what has caused this and my hearing is normal, it hasn't been affected.

If anyone is able to suggest anything, or help me, I will be extremely grateful.

Many thanks, Adam B.

 

[Candy]

Hi Adam

Ask for an emergency ENT appointment - tell your GP you're struggling and get an appointment with the audiologist as you may have lost some hearing. For many of us we never get to the route cause...

Did your flu leave you with some congestion?

You can ask the doctor who is giving you the testosterone therapy whether the meds are ototoxic.

Try and sleep and stay busy/engaged...

 

[bmat]

Hi everyone. Firstly I want to wish everyone a happy 2020.

I stumbled across this forum on google after I had been looking at online studies and medical journal entries on tinnitus.

I had absolutely normal hearing and enjoyed a nice Christmas with my family, although was not getting so much sleep due to the testosterone replacement therapy that I had started a week prior and also my sleeping pattern was irregular (which never bothered me in the past).

So after our lovely Christmas dinner I decided to go to sleep early at around 8.30pm. I had not been listening to any loud music and when I went to sleep I didn't have any ringing in my head at all.

I woke up at 11.30 pm (again with no ringing in my ears) and called my girlfriend to wish her merry Christmas. Then I went to sleep again at midnight.
However I woke up with a piercing ringing in my head (ears) at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep again.

Other than the testosterone replacement therapy, or the flu like virus that I had on the 10th December until 18th December (it had cleared for over a week before the tinnitus came), I have no idea what could have caused this.

Unfortunately the tinnitus hasn't gone away and it has now been 5 weeks. I am at a loss because my doctors are very poor at responding and I have been put on a 3 month waiting list before being able to see an ear nose and throat specialist. It will take even longer to get MRI scans.

I trust there are probably some very experienced and knowledgeable people on here, who might be able to help to get rid of this. Or could shed any light on how I got it? I have friends who have tinnitus from loud noise exposure, I can understand that. Also someone I know has tinnitus in his ear where he has lost his hearing, also I can understand that.
But I have no idea what has caused this and my hearing is normal, it hasn't been affected.

If anyone is able to suggest anything, or help me, I will be extremely grateful.

Many thanks, Adam B.

Hello , I'm curious to know how your situation turned out. I have had tinnitus for 8 years. While retracing potential causes, I just noticed in my medical records that my testosterone replacement therapy started shortly before my first ENT visit complaining about tinnitus.

Hi everyone. Firstly I want to wish everyone a happy 2020.

I stumbled across this forum on google after I had been looking at online studies and medical journal entries on tinnitus.

I had absolutely normal hearing and enjoyed a nice Christmas with my family, although was not getting so much sleep due to the testosterone replacement therapy that I had started a week prior and also my sleeping pattern was irregular (which never bothered me in the past).

So after our lovely Christmas dinner I decided to go to sleep early at around 8.30pm. I had not been listening to any loud music and when I went to sleep I didn't have any ringing in my head at all.

I woke up at 11.30 pm (again with no ringing in my ears) and called my girlfriend to wish her merry Christmas. Then I went to sleep again at midnight.
However I woke up with a piercing ringing in my head (ears) at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep again.

Other than the testosterone replacement therapy, or the flu like virus that I had on the 10th December until 18th December (it had cleared for over a week before the tinnitus came), I have no idea what could have caused this.

Unfortunately the tinnitus hasn't gone away and it has now been 5 weeks. I am at a loss because my doctors are very poor at responding and I have been put on a 3 month waiting list before being able to see an ear nose and throat specialist. It will take even longer to get MRI scans.

I trust there are probably some very experienced and knowledgeable people on here, who might be able to help to get rid of this. Or could shed any light on how I got it? I have friends who have tinnitus from loud noise exposure, I can understand that. Also someone I know has tinnitus in his ear where he has lost his hearing, also I can understand that.
But I have no idea what has caused this and my hearing is normal, it hasn't been affected.

If anyone is able to suggest anything, or help me, I will be extremely grateful.

Many thanks, Adam B.

Hello Adam, I'm curious to know how your situation turned out. I have had tinnitus for 8 years. While retracing potential causes, my medical records indicate that my testosterone replacement therapy started shortly before my first ENT visit complaining about tinnitus. I painfully regret that I didn't list testosterone as a new medication to my ENT. However, I'm not sure if they would have warned against it regardless. I haven't found ENTs to be very helpful when it comes to tinnitus.

Anyway, now I am very worried that 8 years of Testosterone Replacement Therapy may have caused both tinnitus and dependency on the medication. A double-edged sword, so to speak.

Have you had any luck?

 

[Pulsing Ear]

Hello , I'm curious to know how your situation turned out. I have had tinnitus for 8 years. While retracing potential causes, I just noticed in my medical records that my testosterone replacement therapy started shortly before my first ENT visit complaining about tinnitus.

Hello Adam, I'm curious to know how your situation turned out. I have had tinnitus for 8 years. While retracing potential causes, my medical records indicate that my testosterone replacement therapy started shortly before my first ENT visit complaining about tinnitus. I painfully regret that I didn't list testosterone as a new medication to my ENT. However, I'm not sure if they would have warned against it regardless. I haven't found ENTs to be very helpful when it comes to tinnitus.

Anyway, now I am very worried that 8 years of Testosterone Replacement Therapy may have caused both tinnitus and dependency on the medication. A double-edged sword, so to speak.

Have you had any luck?

I've been on Testosterone Replacement Therapy now for going on 13 years since I had my heart attack in '08. Prior to that I had tinnitus caused by listening to loud music. It did not get any worse during that time. So for me Testosterone Replacement Therapy had no effect on my hearing. I know many guys on it and that has never been reported. Testosterone is also a natural hormone that your body produces, so it shouldn't do that.

What method do you use to deliver the dose? I do a once weekly IM injection. Others may use creams, they tried to force that on me but I did not want to mess with that. Other than the testosterone in the injection, there is only oil and benzyl alcohol/benzyl benzoate to dissolve it in solution and make it sterile. I don't know what's in the cream.

 

[bmat]

I've been on Testosterone Replacement Therapy now for going on 13 years since I had my heart attack in '08. Prior to that I had tinnitus caused by listening to loud music. It did not get any worse during that time. So for me Testosterone Replacement Therapy had no effect on my hearing. I know many guys on it and that has never been reported. Testosterone is also a natural hormone that your body produces, so it shouldn't do that.

What method do you use to deliver the dose? I do a once weekly IM injection. Others may use creams, they tried to force that on me but I did not want to mess with that. Other than the testosterone in the injection, there is only oil and benzyl alcohol/benzyl benzoate to dissolve it in solution and make it sterile. I don't know what's in the cream.

Good to hear it hasn't affected your hearing. I take daily subcutaneous injections using an insulin needle. Doing it daily removes any peak/valley effect you can get if taken weekly, and the subcutaneous reduces spikes in estrogen that can sometimes be caused by IM. In the past I have tried weekly IM and have also tried cream 2x per day. I found cream to be the most effective, but I don't like the risk of transferring it to others.

 

[Pulsing Ear]

Good to hear it hasn't affected your hearing. I take daily subcutaneous injections using an insulin needle. Doing it daily removes any peak/valley effect you can get if taken weekly, and the subcutaneous reduces spikes in estrogen that can sometimes be caused by IM. In the past I have tried weekly IM and have also tried cream 2x per day. I found cream to be the most effective, but I don't like the risk of transferring it to others.

I'm aware of doing daily injections, but I do well with once a week and don't want to mess with daily injections. Daily is a good thing though, and you end up using a lower total dose for the week. 10 mg/day does the job.

I'm not aware of anyone ever getting tinnitus from testosterone, even at doses as high as 1 gram a week.

 

[Silence4me]

Hello guys, my tinnitus started last year in 2020 during COVID-19. I don't know exactly what caused it, but I can assume what contributed to it. I had just lost my job, was drinking excessively, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stressed and fighting with my other half.

I was also getting Testosterone Replacement Therapy (started like 2 years ago) and I also have hypothyroidism and been taking meds for it in 2020.

I'm still trying to find ways to cope with it. Some days are better. I don't know whether to stop the Testosterone Replacement Therapy or thyroid meds just to see if it improves.

Cutting alcohol helps a lot, it seems it's vascular with my tinnitus. No one can really give me a definite answer... =[

 

[Lukee]

Hello guys, my tinnitus started last year in 2020 during COVID-19. I don't know exactly what caused it, but I can assume what contributed to it. I had just lost my job, was drinking excessively, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stressed and fighting with my other half.

I was also getting Testosterone Replacement Therapy (started like 2 years ago) and I also have hypothyroidism and been taking meds for it in 2020.

I'm still trying to find ways to cope with it. Some days are better. I don't know whether to stop the Testosterone Replacement Therapy or thyroid meds just to see if it improves.

Cutting alcohol helps a lot, it seems it's vascular with my tinnitus. No one can really give me a definite answer... =[

I would not stop your thyroid meds as this is likely not the culprit. There are a few people who have reported tinnitus after hormonal changes (IVF, giving birth, menopause, etc.) but they seem to be mostly women. I would think that Testosterone Replacement Therapy could contribute to it but based on your description of high stress, increased alcohol intake and high blood pressure, your problem likely lies there. Cut the alcohol and get on a healthy lifestyle and diet and see if that helps.

Have you increased your sugar intake as well? Many times tinnitus can be a comorbidity with metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Have your blood panels checked and go from there.

 

[Lane]

I also have hypothyroidism and been taking meds for it in 2020.

@Silence4me -- When I was first diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism many years ago, I was given a synthetic prescription medication. I think I only took one dose, but I recall my body went into beserk mode for about a week before it was able to calm down again.

I then took a prescription thyroid extract, and did very well with that. If you're taking a synthetic form of medication, you may want to consider an extract form, which I believe to be much better, and easier on the body. My understanding is it's not unusual for tinnitus to result from thyroid dysfunction.

 

[Lukee]

@Silence4me -- When I was first diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism many years ago, I was given a synthetic prescription medication. I think I only took one dose, but I recall my body went into beserk mode for about a week before it was able to calm down again.

I then took a prescription thyroid extract, and did very well with that. If you're taking a synthetic form of medication, you may want to consider an extract form, which I believe to be much better, and easier on the body. My understanding is it's not unusual for tinnitus to result from thyroid dysfunction.

That makes sense as well. I didn't see that he started thyroid meds in 2020. I guess it's something to look into.