What’s Safe to Take for a Headache?

[Stephanie72]

Hi all. Any thoughts on what's safe to take for a headache? Over the counter? I've only been dealing with this for a little over 2 weeks. Exhausting day, tinnitus super loud and I'm coming unhinged.

I just want to take something for pain relief, zzzquil and pass out with cricket sounds on one iPad and Trailer Park Boys on the other.

Any suggestions?

 

[GregCA]

I use ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

 

[Bill Bauer]

ibuprofen

Isn't ibuprophen (and other NSAIDs) ototoxic?

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...il-etc-or-do-you-avoid-them-completely.22471/

 

[1MW]

The only safe way to stop headache is to sleep properly this also will reduce your tinnitus.
Also drink a lot of water this have seen that eliminates headaches.
NSAIDs / acetaminophen / aspirin and generally all these drugs cause hearing loss & tinnitus.

Headache can stop immediately if you breathe 95% oxygen for about 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
But be careful because oxygen can increase you tinnitus temporarily.

 

[GregCA]

Isn't ibuprophen (and other NSAIDs) ototoxic?

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...il-etc-or-do-you-avoid-them-completely.22471/

I'm not worried about it at the dosage that I use (which is what's written on the bottle).

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm not worried about it at the dosage that I use (which is what's written on the bottle).

I know that healthy people ended up with permanent T after taking one amitriptyline pill. It is a different drug, but this proves that any common sense ideas we might have about the relationship between the dosage and the danger are not to be trusted.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm not worried about it at the dosage that I use (which is what's written on the bottle).

It is a risk that you are willing to take. But it is not right for you to advise a known ototoxic drug and not mention all of these issues to a person who is asking for a drug that is safe = not ototoxic.

In any case, to answer the original poster's question - Tylenol/acetaminophen is supposed to be safe.

 

[GregCA]

It is a risk you are willing to take. But it is not right for you to advise a known ototoxic drug and not mention all of these issues to a person who is asking for a drug that is safe = not ototoxic.

I'm not advising: I'm just stating what I do. Perhaps if you go reread the post it'll be more obvious to you.

Ototoxicity depends on dosage as well, which is why I don't worry about it (reread that other post too in case you are construing it as advice).

 

[GregCA]

It is a risk that you are willing to take.

400 mg of ibuprofen every few days. What a maverick I am!

 

[Bill Bauer]

400 mg of ibuprofen every few days. What a maverick I am!

You have been taking an ototoxic drug every few days. Enough said.

I can't find the paper where someone developed T after one amitriptyline pill, but here is one where a woman developed T (that lasted for at least 7 months) after taking 3 pills.
http://sci-hub.tw/http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0269881107082126

Our case is of a 40-year old woman who complained of a 1 month
history of sudden-onset severe unilateral left-sided tinnitus. This
occurred after five commencing amitriptyline for neuralgic foot pain,
at a dose of 10 mg. The medication was taken for 3 days, by which
time the neuralgic foot pain had resolved but the tinnitus persisted.
This was not associated with hearing loss. The patient presented to
outpatients clinic 4 months later after its initial onset and at this time
there had been some gradual improvement in the tinnitus.
Pure tone audiogram confirmed normal hearing thresholds,
however due to the unilateral nature of the tinnitus a magnetic res-
onance imaging scan was performed, which was normal.
Subsequent review in outpatients 7 months later demonstrated a
persistence of the tinnitus with a similar pure tone audiogram

 

[1MW]

My suggestion for headaches is
1) the more simple, get good sleep and drink water
2) more risky but has drastic effect, breathe 95% oxygen for 0.5 to 5 mins

 

[Bill Bauer]

breathe 95% oxygen for 0.5 to 5 mins

Where do you get 95% oxygen?

 

[vermillion]

You have been taking an ototoxic drug every few days. Enough said.

I can't find the paper where someone developed T after one amitriptyline pill, but here is one where a woman developed T (that lasted for at least 7 months) after taking 3 pills.
http://sci-hub.tw/http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0269881107082126

But @Bill Bauer aren't you using amitriptyline, even though it is considered ototoxic?

 

[Bill Bauer]

But @Bill Bauer aren't you using amitriptyline, even though it is considered ototoxic?

I Had used it during the first two months after onset. I didn't know that it was ototoxic (I didn't even know the meaning of that word), when I began taking it. It was just something prescribed to me by my doctor that had actually helped me sleep, that wasn't addictive, and that didn't make me feel drowsy the next day. It is also a drug that had been used to successfully Treat T in some people.

But in this case, @Stephanie72 actually asked for something that is safe as far as T is concerned, and @GregCA 's reply clearly implied that his recommendation is for her to take a drug known to be ototoxic. He pointed out that it ought to be ok at low doses, and this reminded me of the report that I quoted, that proves that one could get unlucky with those drugs even when the dose is low.

According to
https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/ibuprofen/tinnitus/
in the past 20 years, only 592 people reported getting T as a side effect of taking Ibuprofen, to the FDA. That's not a lot, given Ibuprofen's popularity. I would still try to stay away from it, unless there is really no other way.

 

[yonkapin]

When my tinnitus were real bad I avoided anything listed on the internet as being ototoxic, whether it was from a study or some anecdotal report from someone on this forum or another.

So for a couple of years I completely avoided NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen, and also other pain killers such as paracetamol (acetaminophen) and then opiates such as codeine, tramadol, etc.

I slowly got over that and have pretty much used all of the above listed at one time or another since 2014 to no ill effect on my tinnitus or hearing. The most common combination I've used over the last few years to deal with pain has been acetaminophen/codeine - never had an issue.

I think you'll be fine with any over the counter product. Things only become tricky when you need to be using high doses over a extended period - this would apply especially to NSAIDs.

If you're really worried about it, you can use a supplement like NAC to possibly help negate any possible ototoxic affect you may encounter, but this is probably overkill.

 

[1MW]

Where do you get 95% oxygen?

Breathe directly from oxygen tank. When I'm saying 95% I mean you must inhale directly from oxygen tank all the oxygen goes outside under pressure, maybe it is lower than 95% due to air mixture but should work. Also works for hyperacusis.

 

[lena_]

do not take aspirin and do not take ibuprofen. i don't know about paracetamol...maybe it is safe?
but the best option is to stay away from then all...i decided not to take any ototoxic med from now on and over the counter pain killers are noth healthy at all...aspirin in particular causes tinnitus quite often (i read a lot about it) so stay away at least from this drug...

use some ginger, it is a natural painkiller. it helps

 

[vermillion]

I Had used it during the first two months after onset. I didn't know that it was ototoxic (I didn't even know the meaning of that word), when I began taking it. It was just something prescribed to me by my doctor that had actually helped me sleep, that wasn't addictive, and that didn't make me feel drowsy the next day. It is also a drug that had been used to successfully Treat T in some people.

But in this case, @Stephanie72 actually asked for something that is safe as far as T is concerned, and @GregCA 's reply clearly implied that his recommendation is for her to take a drug known to be ototoxic. He pointed out that it ought to be ok at low doses, and this reminded me of the report that I quoted, that proves that one could get unlucky with those drugs even when the dose is low.

According to
https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/ibuprofen/tinnitus/
in the past 20 years, only 592 people reported getting T as a side effect of taking Ibuprofen, to the FDA. That's not a lot, given Ibuprofen's popularity. I would still try to stay away from it, unless there is really no other way.

Speaking of ototoxicity and since you have a tremendous talent in finding things online, are you aware of any possible links between fluconazole and tinnitus?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Speaking of ototoxicity and since you have a tremendous talent in finding things online, are you aware of any possible links between fluconazole and tinnitus?

Over the past 20 years, just 78 people had reported getting T as a result of taking this drug.
https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/fluconazole/tinnitus/
Then again, it might be low because it is not a very popular drug. It still seems like a low number, though.

I don't see it (or its other name - diflucan) listed on
http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf

T is not listed as even a rare side effect on
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-...ral/fluconazole-oral/details/list-sideeffects


I just found a really cool paper. It lists drugs in three categories:
1. Ototoxic drugs (ototoxicity may include both the
possible associated symptomatology of labyrinthi-
cal alteration vertigo and the possible generation of
tinnitus);
2. Drugs tinnitus-generating (there is no mention of
ototoxicity);
3. Drugs vertigo-generating (there is no mention of
ototoxicity);

4. Drugs with possible audiologic effects, indicated as
"hearing disturbances" (drugs with aspecific otologic
side effects).

Fluconazole is classified as "3".
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3e87/7738a0a91539e50105ac24f4062ff713e22e.pdf

Ibuprofen and amitriptyline are classified as 2 and 3...

 

[Bill Bauer]

Breathe directly from oxygen tank.

Where do you get an oxygen tank?

 

[vermillion]

Over the past 20 years, just 78 people had reported getting T as a result of taking this drug.
https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/fluconazole/tinnitus/
Then again, it might be low because it is not a very popular drug. It still seems like a low number, though.

I don't see it (or its other name - diflucan) listed on
http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf

T is not listed as even a rare side effect on
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-...ral/fluconazole-oral/details/list-sideeffects


I just found a really cool paper. It lists drugs in three categories:
1. Ototoxic drugs (ototoxicity may include both the
possible associated symptomatology of labyrinthi-
cal alteration vertigo and the possible generation of
tinnitus);
2. Drugs tinnitus-generating (there is no mention of
ototoxicity);
3. Drugs vertigo-generating (there is no mention of
ototoxicity);

4. Drugs with possible audiologic effects, indicated as
"hearing disturbances" (drugs with aspecific otologic
side effects).

Fluconazole is classified as "3".
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3e87/7738a0a91539e50105ac24f4062ff713e22e.pdf

Ibuprofen and amitriptyline are classified as 2 and 3...

Thank you Bill. I believe that is a possible reason why i aquired it in the first place. A fatal mistake i did 15 months ago.

 

[Bill Bauer]

15 months ago

Have you experienced any fading compared to how you felt a year ago?

 

[vermillion]

Have you experienced any fading compared to how you felt a year ago?

The contrary. Especially the last 4 days. Its getting very complicated.

 

[Pleasure_Paulie]

acetaminophen/paracetamol