Using Minoxidil / Rogaine for Hair Loss — Impact on Tinnitus?

[Hengist]

I have tried Minoxidil for hair growth and I noticed my tinnitus got quieter, after a while I researched about it and found it is a potassium channel modulator like other stuff that is tested for tinnitus treatment. I recommend people to try it out and use 1ml-2ml a day rubbing in their face, relatively close to their ears.

I would say I noticed a 50% decrease. You can buy it from every pharmacy.

 

[Lloyd Carter]

Have read this can cause tinnitus. Not relieve it. Interesting that you think it helped. Maybe a placebo?

 

[Hengist]

I don't think so as I was not even focused on that it was just when I started noticing that my tinnitus is not so high as usual.

This thread should not be in the alternative treatment as Minoxidil is a hard drug comparable to things in treatments thread and nowhere along the lines of massage, hypnotism, supplements and similiar things in alternative treatments.

 

[Bobby B]

Nice find.
The scalp is very vascular I would rub a good amount onto the scalp and it will penetrate the bloodstream.

Also, oral minoxidil is called loniten and is sold on prescription and on the Internet.
More serious side effects on heart and such but worth a try.

 

[GrosBalou]

What is the cause of your tinnitus Hengist?

 

[Ecip]

I'm wondering if anyone here uses a product that contains Minoxidil. It's most commonly used in hair regrowth products for baldness, such as Rogaine.
The way the drug works isn't fully understood, however what is know is that it is a potassium channel opener.

I wonder if there is a possibility it could be used to treat some certain forms of tinnitus.

 

[Markuss]

I started using 5% Minoxidil last summer. A few months later I noticed my tinnitus had gotten worse but I figured it might have been due to a few loud concerts and parties during the summer. I ran out of Minoxidil in December but ordered a new patch in February. No changes noticed at the time I was off of Minoxidil.

Today I stumbled upon a thread where people using Minoxidil complain about developing Tinnitus. This got me seriously worried because I realised my Tinnitus had gotten worse shortly after I started applying Minoxidil. Still not sure whether Minoxidil has had a negative affect on my Tinnitus but according to the information found on web, many people using it have experienced developing Tinnitus.

So based on what I have researched, I haven't discovered any topics where Minoxidil/Rogaine has had a positive affect on their Tinnitus.

 

[Bobby B]

Minoxidil is more potent in the oral form under the Loniten brand. It has been out since 1979... we don't have studies or scientific reports linking it to hearing loss or tinnitus.

It does affect blood pressure and heart beat, that's a fact and those can have a temporary effect on tinnitus just like exercising will spike tinnitus, but I doubt it's having any permanent inner ear damage potential that has not been uncovered since 1979.

 

[Tigo]

Browsing the internet I came across this...
Can it be helpful for Tinnitus?

Mechanism of action[edit]
The mechanism by which minoxidil promotes hair growth is not fully understood. Minoxidil is a potassium channel opener, causing hyperpolarization of cell membranes. Hypothetically, by widening blood vessels and opening potassium channels, it allows more oxygen, blood, and nutrients to the follicles. This may cause follicles in the telogen phase to shed, which are then replaced by thicker hairs in a new anagen phase. Minoxidil is a prodrug that is converted by sulfation via the sulfotransferase enzyme SULT1A1 to its active form, minoxidil sulfate. Several studies demonstrated that the activity of sulfotransferase in hair follicles predict minoxidil response in the treatment of hair loss.[14][15][16]

Minoxidil is less effective when the area of hair loss is large. In addition, its effectiveness has largely been demonstrated in younger men who have experienced hair loss for less than 5 years. Minoxidil use is indicated for central (vertex) hair loss only.[17] Minoxidil is also a vasodilator.[18] Two clinical studies are being conducted in the US for a medical device that may allow patients to determine if they are likely to benefit from minoxidil therapy.[19]

 

[greenpointer]

Hey all,

I'm about to start using Minoxidil, but I read a few mentions (across the internet) of it increasing or causing tinnitus. I'm a little suspect of random posts because their tinnitus could have started from something other than the Minoxidil, but have any of you experienced anything like this?

Any info would be much appreciated, as I feel like the relationship between Minoxidil and tinnitus has not been studied much.

 

[Bobby B]

There are no issues at all.

The oral version of the same active molecule has been used for decades at a much higher dosage than your typical hair loss dosage and there are no reports of issues or ototoxicity.

 

[greenpointer]

@Bobby B Thanks for the info! Giving it a go. I'm sure its totally fine, but if I do notice any effects i'll be sure to report them here.

 

[DDS]

Hey all,

I'm about to start using Minoxidil, but I read a few mentions (across the internet) of it increasing or causing tinnitus. I'm a little suspect of random posts because their tinnitus could have started from something other than the Minoxidil, but have any of you experienced anything like this?

Any info would be much appreciated, as I feel like the relationship between Minoxidil and tinnitus has not been studied much.

I'm almost age 60 and thought I was losing my mind with the onset of recent ear ringing. I started to use Minoxidil 4 weeks ago and after the second week I notice a slight ringing. Now a month later I have a full nest of bee's constantly buzzing in my head and going crazy! Thinking the worst and desperate for answers, I search the web and found this balding site hosted by doctors, https://baldingblog.com/2008/10/03/tinnitus-after-using-minoxidil/#comment-2168879. There are dozens of stories just like mine and it makes a clear connection between Minoxidil and Tinnitus for people in my situation. It's far from a medical study, but the many post describe my exact situation and the cause and effect. How many others are suffering not knowing that this is self-inflicted pain that is not disclosed by the manufacture?

I just stopped using the Rogaine (Minoxidil) yesterday and will post with my optimistic recovery results. I hope this information can helps other.

 

[Adam warwick]

I've been using minoxidil 5% on my scalp for 2-3 months. Two weeks ago I noticed ringing in one ear. It's constant but not too loud. I've stopped using minox. but am bummed out because now I can't thicken my hair

 

[Bill Bauer]

am bummed out because now I can't thicken my hair

Are you on Proscar/Finasteride? It will stop your hair loss. It shouldn't cause tinnitus, but if one stops it cold turkey, it can result in tinnitus.

 

[Smartone202]

This will probably be my last thread for a while. Because well, basically I've now scratched the bottom of the barrel as far as new topics IMO and I have nothing left to talk about at this point.

Anyway, the question is simple. Is there anyone in here that knows of any weird/ototoxic side effects from Rogaine (Minoxidil)? Read very few reports online that there may be a connection. For what it's worth, I tend to be a pretty "side effect prone" person.

But yeah, I've been on this drug since around April. Oh yeah, obviously I'm losing my hair pretty badly for years, too, in case you were all wondering. Finally decided to give it a try before I ever considered shelling out $10,000+ on a hair transplant one day.

I just thought this may be one last ditch effort in thinking of a potential culprit in my "Brian/Head buzz" Tinnitus that began last month. Chances are the two aren't connected at all, but hey, I'm desperate. Getting off the Rogaine now for a week few weeks to see what happens. Oh, what a life...

 

[Red]

There is no mention of minoxidil being ototoxic on the rather extensive ototoxic medications list. Keep your hair and look elsewhere!

 

[Deamon22]

Any more experiences or advice? I am now 30 and noticing that my hair slowly starts getting thinner so I was thinking about doing something against it However I also do not want to make my tinnitus worse.

 

[Ruse]

Any more experiences or advice? I am now 30 and noticing that my hair slowly starts getting thinner so I was thinking about doing something against it However I also do not want to make my tinnitus worse.

It hasn't made my tinnitus worse and can't see it listed anywhere online as ototoxic.

 

[Deamon22]

It hasn't made my tinnitus worse and can't see it listed anywhere online as ototoxic.

Thanks for your opinion. Will probably check with my GP in the future, seeing what is available in Europe and if they prescribe it here.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Any more experiences or advice? I am now 30 and noticing that my hair slowly starts getting thinner so I was thinking about doing something against it However I also do not want to make my tinnitus worse.

I've been on Proscar for about 10 years now. I am happy about my experience with it.

 

[Deamon22]

I've been on Proscar for about 10 years now. I am happy about my experience with it.

Thanks Bill, will see what my doc has to say.

 

[Holdingon]

I hope that I can help someone reading this and considering the use of minoxidil. DON'T DO IT!!. I've been tortured by extreme tinnitus and hyperacusis for many years now and was somewhat habituated to it. I'm always very careful about any noise exposure, eating right and exercising. A few months ago I decided to try minoxidil 5%, unbelievably and unlike me, I did so without thoroughly investigating it. Now here I am, after using it for two months with the loudest and most horrendous screaming tinnitus of my entire life and the only possible culprit is the minoxidil. I would give anything to be back to the way I was. When the exacerbated tinnitus started a month ago I couldn't take it, it broke me. I had a slip knot in a tie around my neck, the other end tied to a doorknob, and was on my knees, sobbing for ten minutes, begging God to help me (ha). After ten minutes I realized I wasn't going to do it. I got up and faked it the rest of the day. I'm still faking it, but am not going to give up.
Trust me, it's not worth the risk!

 

[Bobby B]

How exactly did you get tinnitus in the first place in 1986?

 

[Barry Gradski]

My onset of tinnitus coincided with my use of Rogaine. BUT! It may, it probably is unrelated. Hearing loss is the primary cause of tinnitus and hearing loss occurs w/age ... so does hair loss. Correlation is not always causation. I stopped using Rogaine and the tinnitus roared!

My approach to tinnitus however has been effective: DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. No therapy, no worry, no cover sounds, no diet, no drugs, no hope, no fear, no thought. Profound NOTHING. Two things occurred in the years since. One, my tinnitus frequently goes away for an hour, a week, a day, 3 days. No pattern. However, I am not aware of when it comes and goes because (see my do nothing strategy), my brain over the first 18 months just got bored with it. I am unaware whether it is on or off because my attention has gone off of it. Because I'm writing this, I am just now aware of a low level today, I will forget whether it's on or off a few minutes from posting this. I recommend the absolute nothing strategy. (and probably, Rogaine has nothing to do with tinnitus, I just got sick of applying it)

 

[TBH]

Be good to know from people their experiences, I've lost half a head of hair BECAUSE of the stress of tinnitus, the misery, anxiety and depression, sleepless nights, bad diet all because of tinnitus. Vicious circle really. Will it make tinnitus worse... what's to do with Minox? The depression is a killer and the irony is that the cause of the stress is the tinnitus and now the hair loss.

 

[chinup]

Just joined Tinnitus Talk to warn others about using Minoxidil. I've had mild tinnitus for at least a decade, caused by playing in bands and listening to loud music. It's always been a faint, high-pitched, cricket-like sound. Almost soothing. It has never once prevented me from sleeping or doing anything.

I started Rogaine about 12 days ago, and somewhere in the second week I developed screaming tinnitus, a totally different tone that sounds like an alarm going off in my head. The first night this happened I got no sleep, and it continued to keep me awake all night for several nights in a row. I had always thought that tinnitus was no big deal and that hyperacusis was much worse (unfortunately I have moderate H as well) but this was unlike anything I've ever experienced and it's genuine torture. With H you can at least make it stop hurting if you avoid loud sounds or use earplugs.

It took a few days to connect the tinnitus to the Rogaine (I also work on music and game with headphones). Eventually I dug around on the internet and found a few accounts of people getting tinnitus from Rogaine. One guy had gotten it 4 years ago. I contacted him to ask if he had improved and he said he had adapted but it was never the same as before!

This terrified me and I immediately discontinued the Rogaine, which was two nights ago.

Since then I *think* the tinnitus has started to slowly subside, today has been noticeably quieter than when it was peaking last week. A few other people seem to have fully recovered a week or two after discontinuing the Rogaine, so obviously I pray that I'm in that camp.

I'll keep everyone updated. Keep in mind I did have tinnitus before so I don't expect to hear silence, but putting my head on a pillow is like putting my ear up against a fire alarm, which NEVER happened until the past week or so...

 

[Poseidon65]

FWIW I started using Rogaine 20 years ago. I've had T for the last 7 months (noise-induced).

I haven't thought about discontinuing the Rogaine in hopes of improving the T. If I knew the T would improve, I would stop the Rogaine in a heartbeat. But I suspect I would still have the same T, just with less hair.

 

[teacher34]

I had used Minoxidil / Rogaine in the past (pre-tinnitus), with no problem.

A few days ago I tried it again, one single application (just the 2%), and within a few hours a spike began. Nothing else was going on, no noise exposure or new medications. I was just working quietly at home. I don't tend to get spikes without some kind of provocation, and that rarely happens. I washed my hair and scalp thoroughly after the spike began.

Two days later, I'm still dealing with the spike. Avoid this rubbish.

 

[teacher34]

Eight months later, I'll report that my spike did subside (it didn't take very long), but I don't recommend Minoxidil to anyone who is prone to tinnitus.