Your Thyroid Can Make Your Ears Ring!

[JohnJ]

Hi. Thought I'd just add my story to the thread. I'd had very low level tinnitus for maybe 20 years. I could go weeks without noticing it. Then last year my Dr said my thyroid levels were low and he thought I would benefit from medication so he started me on 25mg thyroxin even though I'd not complained of any symptoms. After 1 month he put my dose up to 50mg and then up to 100mg 1 month after that. About 1 week after starting on 100mg I noticed my tinnitus had got worse and it got progressively worse thereafter. I told the Dr I thought it was the thyroxine causing it and suggested I drop back down to 50mg which I did but by then my tinnitus was horrendous and so I stopped taking it altogether. That was 9 months ago and I still have very bad tinnitus although I feel I have started to habituate. A couple of months ago I had an MRI scan which showed that I have an acoustic neuroma. The consultant said this was a possible cause of my T but he couldn't say for certain. Since then my Dr has been concerned about my thyroid levels again and wants to put me back on thyroxine. So far I've declined as I had associated it with the cause of my T but I'm now thinking that it might just have been coincidence and that the acoustic neuroma is the more likely cause so I think I will go back on to a low dose of thyroxine and see how it goes.

 

[Karen]

Hi, John,

There are so many possible causes for tinnitus that it's hard to say what might have triggered it, but I don't blame you for being cautious about the thyroxin. I'm currently on 100 mg Synthroid (thyroxin), and have been on this drug for many years. It didn't cause my tinnitus, but it may have contributed to my ears being more sensitive. My tinnitus first started after loud noise exposure; then, in 2010, I took a blood pressure drug which caused my tinnitus to get much worse, along with pulsatile tinnitus.

If you are feeling run down and tired, or have other symptoms, it probably would be good to get back on a low dose of the thyroxin to see how you feel on it. If you have problems, there are other natural alternatives that might work better for you.

Good luck, and I'll be interested to hear how the low-dose thyroxine works for you.

 

[alifalijohn]

So, I'm one week in taking 50 mcg of levothyroxine, and so far big help in getting my energy levels back on track. Fuzzy head feeling gone, but tinnitus is still around. I cannot say it has changed much, other than I am somewhat better able to not notice it during the day (it's on humming away, but background noise). With better energy, it could simply be activity keeps me preoccupied. Levothyroxine has given me, in just one week, a feeling like I'm not completely falling apart physically and to some extent, mentally from exhaustion and tinnitus. So, maybe treating the Hashimoto's with levothyroxine will also lead to minimizing tinnitus. I have heard treating the thyroid can help reduce tinnitus. I sure am retaining some hopefulness and you can, too! I take the meds every day, one pill, same time of day, with no food. The only medication I take, and I understand will have to do so forever to keep thyroid in balance. Since you have started on the 50mcg, are you noticing any improvement in general and/or tinnitus reduction?

Hello Just keepiin touch , how are things going with your thyroid..I still feel dizzy and lightheaded..are you gettinh this with your tinnitus..please let me know ..not feeling too good today/

 

[alifalijohn]

Hi, John,

There are so many possible causes for tinnitus that it's hard to say what might have triggered it, but I don't blame you for being cautious about the thyroxin. I'm currently on 100 mg Synthroid (thyroxin), and have been on this drug for many years. It didn't cause my tinnitus, but it may have contributed to my ears being more sensitive. My tinnitus first started after loud noise exposure; then, in 2010, I took a blood pressure drug which caused my tinnitus to get much worse, along with pulsatile tinnitus.

If you are feeling run down and tired, or have other symptoms, it probably would be good to get back on a low dose of the thyroxin to see how you feel on it. If you have problems, there are other natural alternatives that might work better for you.

Good luck, and I'll be interested to hear how the low-dose thyroxine works for you.

Hello How are you how are things going with your thyroid, still have tinnitus , plus I am dizzy and lightheaded..did my mri sat. will let you know how things turn out not feeling good today.keep in touch

 

[alifalijohn]

Hi, Darcie,

I have an underactive thyroid, too. I've been taking Synthroid for many years, and it has worked well for me. Getting your thyroid under control can definitely reduce, or even resolve, your tinnitus if that's what caused it. Here is an article I found about thyroid and tinnitus:
http://www.tinnitusformula.com/library/thyroid-dysfunction-and-tinnitus/#.U3fPc7kU9ok

For me, the tinnitus started when I took a blood pressure drug for the first time, so I don't think mine is related to my thyroid, unless the gland may make our ears extra-sensitive and prone to getting tinnitus.

Please do be careful if you have to take any new drugs in the future. You have to make sure they don't interact with the levothyroxine, as well as make sure they are not ototoxic.

Good luck, and I'm glad you're seeing some positive results so far!

Best wishes,
Karen

Hello Karen keeping intouch, how are you? I still have tinnitus , plus dizzy and wobbly, had my mri done on sat, will let you know the outcome. did you get dizzy and wobbly from your low thyroid? Let me keep keep intouch

 

[Karen]

Hi, @alifalijohn,

I'm glad you had your MRI, and will be interested to hear what the results are.

Yes, when my thyroid problems first started, I felt weak and shaky, and very tired. All the bad symptoms went away after I had been taking thyroid medicine for awhile. I don't think it took too long to begin feeling better; the medicine made such a difference for me! I've been taking it for about 30 years now.

Take care, and I hope you get some answers soon so that you can start to feel better!

 

[alifalijohn]

Hi, @alifalijohn,

I'm glad you had your MRI, and will be interested to hear what the results are.

Yes, when my thyroid problems first started, I felt weak and shaky, and very tired. All the bad symptoms went away after I had been taking thyroid medicine for awhile. I don't think it took too long to begin feeling better; the medicine made such a difference for me! I've been taking it for about 30 years now.

Take care, and I hope you get some answers soon so that you can start to feel better!

Hello Karen, nice to hear from you, waiting for my result from my Mri, I feel Dizzy and wobbly every day, do not get much sleep, did you get dizzy and wobbly? I think i can handle the T, but the Dizzy and wobbly feelings makes me feel like I have lost myself. Does the T comes with feeling dizzy and wobbly? let me know, much appreciated.

 

[Karen]

@alifalijohn ,

It's hard to say. Either thyroid OR tinnitus, or both, could be making you dizzy and wobbly. It depends on the cause of the tinnitus. For me, (speaking for myself only), my thyroid condition made me feel weak and shaky, not dizzy. However, when I changed from one brand of pills to another, I may have felt dizzy and wobbly for a few days.

Tinnitus can do that, too, but it depends on so many different factors, it would be hard to say.

I hope you get feeling better soon!

 

[alifalijohn]

@alifalijohn ,

It's hard to say. Either thyroid OR tinnitus, or both, could be making you dizzy and wobbly. It depends on the cause of the tinnitus. For me, (speaking for myself only), my thyroid condition made me feel weak and shaky, not dizzy. However, when I changed from one brand of pills to another, I may have felt dizzy and wobbly for a few days.

Tinnitus can do that, too, but it depends on so many different factors, it would be hard to say.

I hope you get feeling better soon!

Thanks for the info, still trying to find what is causing this, I hope they can find out soon and fix this..thanks

 

[alifalijohn]

@alifalijohn ,

It's hard to say. Either thyroid OR tinnitus, or both, could be making you dizzy and wobbly. It depends on the cause of the tinnitus. For me, (speaking for myself only), my thyroid condition made me feel weak and shaky, not dizzy. However, when I changed from one brand of pills to another, I may have felt dizzy and wobbly for a few days.

Tinnitus can do that, too, but it depends on so many different factors, it would be hard to say.

I hope you get feeling better soon!

I think I feel shaky and wobbley..I guess I say dizzy, because that is the first thing comes to my mind..thank you for the info.. did it go away? they have changed my thyroid pills about 3 times, right now I am taking 75mcg. the blue pills synthroid , not the yellow pills ( levo) What mcg do you take..much appreciate your answer, I feel we both have the same problems..plus I am not sleeping well.not sure to do..thanks for listening..GOD BLESS!

 

[Karen]

@alifalijohn

Yes, the shaky and wobbly feelings went away when my body adjusted to the medicine. I am currently taking 100 mcg Synthroid (yellow pills). When I get my medicine, I insist that the druggist give me the name brand, not a generic. I've tried the generics and they don't work for me. They make me feel sort of dizzy.

Your sleep problems and bad feelings may get better after you get used to the new dosage of medicine.

Good luck!

 

[alifalijohn]

Thank You..right now I an 75 mcg , I should go back to 10omcg. I have to check with my doc., I think my shakiness and wobbly feeling started when i started the blue pills..75mcg.. I wish these doc. could get it right. I hope I can sleep tonight.. I am going to a natural path..not sre they can do any thing for me, have you tried them..have you tried valarian root for sleeping .thanks keep intouch.

 

[Karen]

Yes, I've tried a naturopath, and I have used valerian root. A naturopath might be able to give you some good suggestions for things you can do to begin feeling better. Valerian root really does seem to work for sleep.

Hope you're able to get some sleep tonight!

 

[jimH]

Karen,

Specifically, which blood pressure medicication was it that made you T condition become worse?

 

[Karen]

Hi, @jimH ,

The blood pressure drug that made my tinnitus worse was Lisinopril. Then, my doctor switched me to propranolol, then Toprol XL, then a diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide). I think it was the Lisinopril that caused the increased ringing. I also have pulsatile tinnitus, and I'm not sure if it was the drug that caused it, or getting off and on several drugs.

I was able to get myself off all the blood pressure meds, as my blood pressure has come down to a normal level. However, the tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus remain.

Are you currently on a blood pressure drug (or drugs)?

 

[jimH]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my question. I am currently on Metoprolol (Lopressor generic) and have been for on it for at least eight years. Although, I've been on several different doses over the years, I've never experienced any change in my T. My preexisting condition of T was noise induced. That I'm sure of.

Metoprolol is one of the five ototxic cardiac medicines specified in this pdf that can possibly cause Tinnitus:

http://www.ata.org/sites/ata.org/fi...by_League_for_Hard_of_Hearing_2012_Jul_12.pdf

My T became worse over the Winter. I had a couple of stressful situations in my life that lasted several months. It was during that time that I realized that my Tinnitus was loud all of the time in my left ear and about 70% of the time in my right. Before that both sides were moderate most of the time with occasional periods of them being loud for several hours. My age might also be a factor. I think that I once read that it's not uncommon for it to become louder for some people when they get into their sixties.

I'm adjusting to the fact that this may be the way it's going to be from now on.

I'm sorry that you're T condition didn't improve for you when you got off of the BP meds.

 

[Karen]

@jimH ,

Thanks for responding. Your tinnitus may be similar to mine, in that mine was first noise-induced. I had it for about 25 years with no problems; it wasn't that loud or intrusive. Then, after I took the blood pressure drug, it became almost unbearable. I often had roaring tinnitus, and that combined with the pulsatile tinnitus was enough to make me a basket case for awhile!

Like you, I'm in my 60's, and I think age has something to do with it, too. We simply take longer to heal, and most people probably begin to experience some hearing loss and/or tinnitus at this age.

I took Toprol XL, which is basically the same drug as Metropolol (a beta blocker), so we both may have experienced some exacerbation of our tinnitus due to that drug.

I've been to several doctors for my PT, and had a number of tests, but nothing was found, so right now I am simply trying to live with my tinnitus as/is. I notice that when I'm distracted, the tinnitus seems much better, so I try to stay busy as much as possible.

I wish you well, and hope you are finding ways to cope!

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[Telis]

My doctor ran a ton of blood tests and I am now on some sort of thyroid supplement.

Anyone have this issue?

Im sure this isn't the primary reason for my T, but maybe I will see some reduction when this is resolved?

 

[Grace]

I read somewhere that causes of T can be because of thyroid issues.. Did you look into that?

 

[Telis]

Yeah I just found this...

http://www.tinnitusformula.com/library/thyroid-dysfunction-and-tinnitus/#.U9q8_dm9Kc0

I read somewhere that causes of T can be because of thyroid issues.. Did you look into that?

 

[Telis]

I know this isn't the issue for the most part as I have damaged ears, but maybe it's making things worse.

 

[James]

Thank you Telis for that link. I'll have to re-read that. I think I did at one time.

I have a thyroid issue, some genetic link in my family. Tinnitus didn't happen to me until after the thyroid issues. I don't know who wrote that article. There's one statement seems to fit me. Dr. said I was hyper and now I have pulsing T. Funny thing is, my regular doctors don't seem to make this connection between the two. My ENT seems to think my T,,, well it's all about stress.

Article says:
"The tinnitus caused by hyperthyroidism is usually associated with heart rate and is pulsatile in nature".

 

[James]

This is the guy that wrote the article,
FYI

http://www.tinnitusformula.com/barry-keate

Who's tried his products and do they work?

http://www.tinnitusformula.com/store

 

[alifalijohn]

Hello Telis, I do have low thyroid, early this year I started feeling dizzy, and my doc. said my thyroid went to high and told to take my pills ( synthroid ) a few times a week, He then changed the dosage back and forth and a few months I started getting T, He said there is no connection, I feel there is a connection, now I get dizzy all day long and I have T 3 mths now. Wish I knew how my T started and the doc.could fix it. Thanks for listening Take care!

 

[Telis]

Thank you Telis for that link. I'll have to re-read that. I think I did at one time.

I have a thyroid issue, some genetic link in my family. Tinnitus didn't happen to me until after the thyroid issues. I don't know who wrote that article. There's one statement seems to fit me. Dr. said I was hyper and now I have pulsing T. Funny thing is, my regular doctors don't seem to make this connection between the two. My ENT seems to think my T,,, well it's all about stress.

Article says:
"The tinnitus caused by hyperthyroidism is usually associated with heart rate and is pulsatile in nature".

I'm hoping mine is more along the lines of hypothyroidism (sounds like this is more common).

Article says:

With hypothyroidism tinnitus is generally present as a continuous sound.


I definitely have to discuss in further detail with my doc!

 

[Telis]

Hello Telis, I do have low thyroid, early this year I started feeling dizzy, and my doc. said my thyroid went to high and told to take my pills ( synthroid ) a few times a week, He then changed the dosage back and forth and a few months I started getting T, He said there is no connection, I feel there is a connection, now I get dizzy all day long and I have T 3 mths now. Wish I knew how my T started and the doc.could fix it. Thanks for listening Take care!

Sorry to hear this...you are still early in and if it has something to do with your thyroid, maybe it will resolve itself at some point.

 

[Karen]

Hi, Telis,

I am hypothyroid and have been for many years, before my tinnitus started. I've been on Synthroid for about 25 years now, and I think there may be a connection, as far as our ears being more sensitive is concerned.

Also, like James, I have both tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus. My pulsating started four years ago, after taking a blood pressure drug. Right around that time, for a very short time, I had symptoms of being hyperthyroid (maybe because I was so distraught over the tinnitus, the blood pressure drug, the anxiety, weight loss, adrenal fatigue, and other symptoms I suffered at that time. At any rate, I do think there may be a connection.

I wish you good luck in getting your thyroid under control, and hope that it does result in a reduction in your tinnitus.

 

[ampumpkin]

could hyperthyroidism (sorry spelling) could explain T?

 

[alifalijohn]

Sorry to hear this...you are still early in and if it has something to do with your thyroid, maybe it will resolve itself at some point.

I really think low thyroid has something to do with T and dizzieness all day, my doctor does not thinks so, wish I could find a doctor who can help. Take care help. One day God will smile on us..stay strong!

 

[alifalijohn]

Sorry to hear this...you are still early in and if it has something to do with your thyroid, maybe it will resolve itself at some point.

Hi Telis, is your T one sound all the time?, mine is. It sounds like crickets in the night!