Recent Onset or Awareness of Bilateral Tinnitus

Hi everyone,

I'm glad to have found this community. Feel so alone.

My tinnitus - it appears to be bilateral - seemingly began just four days ago and it's been constant. Not like the re-equalising frequencies that happen in one ear and are mere seconds of high pitch (have had them over the years). I mean: low hum, sometimes higher, but constant and seemingly in both ears.

I'm shocked. I've been under stress from medical investigations for other things (e.g., thyroid cancer most recently, but result has been benign, I also broke up with my partner the day before onset), I suffer from IBS, have PTSD and generalised anxiety, I commenced Zoloft again to handle that about a month back (50 mg but upped dose to 100 mg same week as the 'onset').

I have allergic rhinitis and have felt quite congested lately. I'm seeing an audiologist in the coming week for ear tests. From there I may see an ENT (I did see one in 2020 for sinus/rhinitis issues but I didn't report tinnitus then).

I'm 51 M, live in Sydney. Perhaps it's ageing and hearing loss, perhaps it's allergy and stress related, perhaps not. I had BPPV (positional vertigo) about a month back too, out of the blue, but it's not come back. When it happened it was also on the back of a stressful moment, but would go immediately upon changing head position and avoiding lying down. Hasn't recurred.

Right now I'm managing with tinnitus screening music. I am starting to think that maybe I've had this longer than just the last four days, but in reality I was good at screening it out and normalising it (putting it down to background electricity in buildings, etc). I seem to recall similar sounds/buzzy head after long haul flights and so on.

I had a CT head back in late 2020 for sinus issues and other things, but there was no neuroma or structural thing then and no brain tumour. It seems like that would remain the case, but where did this all come from?

Just wondering if anyone else has been in the same situation.

Thanks for reading!

Vek

 

Most likely Zoloft. And/or sinus/congestion.

 

Hi Vek,

You are not alone! There are far too many people who have tinnitus, me being one of them.

You are right. You might have had it for longer but weren't really conscious/aware of it. That is exactly how I feel with my tinnitus. Because you were not worried about this noise, your mind used to filter it out after a while.

Now, since you are anxious and thinking about it, your mind keeps focusing on this noise.

I am in a rush, so I will have to wrap it up. I will post again. Just know that you are going to be alright.

G'day.

 

A bit concerned about that, but then again, I have been on Zoloft at other parts of my life before without getting tinnitus.

I do think something may be occurring with the inner ear and congestion, though. I feel I'll be back at an ENT appointment soon enough. Shucks. My allergies are oftentimes worse with the cold and dry air. But this is just suppositional for now.

Thank you. I'm holding on to that last phrase! Best!

I just recalled I'd had an MRI head/spine back in December 2020. I don't fancy being forced back down the road, but whatever tests can work out what is going on, the better.

 

I was on Lexapro before with no issues. 2 days into restarting it, bam, tinnitus. Maybe back off the dose to what you were taking and see if it subsides. Perhaps you crossed that magical threshold. Nobody can say for certain, tinnitus comes from a million things and anxiety seems to be the umbrella they put everything they can't explain into. As always, consult your doctor before doing anything; it could be completely unrelated and very well temporary.

 

Stress won't cause tinnitus, but it will certainly make it seem worse. It's a medical problem that is almost always a physiological, medical issue. Something, somehow, gets damaged in our inner ears. Try masking it w/ white or pink noise, or at least a fan by the bed to help sleeping. I keep one handy to put by the computer, the bed, wherever I am at inside when mine amps up. Be careful about your diet, a lot of salt won't help. Above all, be busy doing things you enjoy. Outside, the ambient noises mask mine on most days. A running stream or waterfall makes it essentially disappear.

 

Honestly, I went through it all. MRIs, blood tests, EEG, ECG and everything. It never pointed to anything but did keep me distracted and indirectly helped me cope with my tinnitus.

Just get yourself checked up. If everything is in place, you know this tinnitus isn't a sign of anything bad. It rarely is.

Hope you feel better. Our mind is a strong tool. Keep feeding it with positivity and it will throw back some positive results.

 

Any reaction to the MRI? Honestly.

 

Thanks a lot for this comment. You stay well, too.

Yeah, part of my PTSD is medicalised... from being a carer (carer burnout) and looking for all the details and tests to ensure proper treatment. I have had all those tests and more, just not since the 'onset'. It makes me weary, but this tinnitus does, too.

 

Do you mean if it's done with contrast dye? I've never had a reaction to that. Or the noise? It's pretty full on. I had one on my foot a few weeks back.

 

Well, honestly, I was too stressed during the MRI because along with everything else, I am claustrophobic as well.

I underwent the MRI without any ear protection as the ear protectors they put made me feel like I was stuck and could not move. It was LOUD, but I have had MRIs done before without really getting any tinnitus/spike. I remember getting an MRI 8 years ago, without any ear protection, when I didn't even know what tinnitus was. I developed tinnitus only 03 years ago for no apparent reason.

So, I doubt the MRI had an impact.

 

Pay attention to the last sentence. They made me go back in the MRI machine to check the ear canal and everything. Nothing.

 

So, I had the hearing test and I have mild hearing loss (high frequency band) but it's symmetrical. Middle ear is clear.

 

Mild hearing loss at 50+ is actually an excellent result.

My Audiologist told me that mild hearing loss isn't severe enough to cause tinnitus. The hearing loss needs to be much worse to 'cause' tinnitus.

Looks like you have somatic tinnitus. Have you tried massaging your neck and head to see if that helps? Off late I've noticed that relaxing my neck helps with my tinnitus and brings down the volume. Still early days, so cannot claim it for sure. But it seems to work.

 

Interesting. I didn't know of 'somatic tinnitus' but I just looked it up. Thanks.

My audiologist is of the opinion that for *some* even minimal hearing loss can cause tinnitus. Not for everyone, that's for sure. The brain doesn't always seek that out and try to compensate. My loss is in the high frequency range and so is the tinnitus.

Anyway, I'm seeing an ENT specialist too.