Hi, I have been on Flecainide 100mg twice a day since my cardioversion in July for AF and over the past few weeks have developed ringing in my right ear that is now constant and annoying. I have read that ringing in the ears is a rare side effect of Flecainide.
I have searched this forum and others have experienced Tinnitus but I had no problems with hearing before starting Flecainide -I know it is easy to blame the drugs.
Has anyone experienced this before and will it disappear over time or will I have to stop the med and then how long does it take to subside? I'm due to see my consultant in 2 weeks time but should I see my GP first to check it? I'm generally feeling well
and been in SR since my CV.
I'm also taking Bisoprolol 2.5mg
Thanks,
Stuart
Written by
Stucoo
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I have had the most horrendous tinnitus for years now. I am on 100x2 Flecainide and 1.25mg bisoprolol each day.
I cannot remember when the tinnitus started. It is so loud every waking hour and gets even worse when I am tired or stressed.
I have never linked it with my AF and the drugs I have to take and unless I come off them, unlikely in the foreseeable future, I am resigned to just putting up with it.
Can't come off Flecainide right now as only alternative would be Amiodarone and I really do not get on with that drug.
Control of AF is more important to me at present.
I was referring to hearing clinic once but they only offered me counselling and white noise ear plugs. Neither helped.
I have never associated my tinnitus with Flecainide. I put it down to standing too close to the speakers at a Who performance in the sixties at Worthing Pier Pavilion and other similar loud music nights out.
My son in law also thinks that my AF was started when I was struck by lightning years ago. I can't tie up the dates in my mind so cannot be sure but maybe........
exactly my story too!! I find at night that if it's very annoying I have some headphones and a small MP3 music player which I put on low to distract. Otherwise try not to pay it any attention and think of something nice,it is a skill but you can manage it over time.Best wishes
Maybe if you take Eliquis (blood thinner) you could go off the Tambocor Pete. I have the same problem. I've read where this drug can also cause your heart to go into AF. Very strange. I've had my pulsatile tinnitus from around 2011 when I got AF and then went onto Tambocor. I'm going off it if my GP agrees tomorrow. Tinnitus is shocking and I can't imagine living with it for the rest of my life. The only time that I can't hear mine is when I'm on the phone. Shocking in bed at night, so hardly sleep.
I have been taking Warfarin for years as an anti coagulant. I too suffer from Tinnitus. It is more likely to have been caused by being in the proximity of too many loud groups back in the 60s.
I am reluctant to stop Flecainide as my heart is behaving itself by and large and I would rather put up with these other issues than have my old 'friend' AF back again.
Sometimes some of the active ingredients in a med can linger in the system after you have ceased treatment. I once had thyroid problems caused by my taking Amiodorone for my AF. I had ceased taking the Amiodorone 2 yrs previously. My GP told me it was definitely that, that caused it.
Very interesting & frustrating. My EP has not been helpful. I tried going off the Flecainide to see if my Tinnitus would stop. Four days later I went into AFib for 5 painful hours.My EP then said, if it were the Flecainide, the Tinnitus would have resolved in 2-3 days.
I had an EP study undertaken by my electro physiologist in London, he could not find or stimulate the rogue electrical signals so could not ablate them. He concluded that rather than take the flecainide on a regular basis I should take it as and when my paroxysmal atrial fib/tachycardia episodes came. Hope this helps.
No not taking another med have flecainide as pill in the pocket now to take as and when an episode kicks in. The tinnitus was when I was taking it twice a day as a regular medication. I guess it takes a while to fully leave you're system and things to settle down again.
That's great. If you don't mind me asking, what was the circumstance around going for regular to PiP? I would like to do the same but I was in persistent AF.
I have been in NSR since my cardioversion in July and have been taking Flecainide since then. Obviously I don't know if I would still be in NSR without it. Double edged sword really.
I take Flecanide as well and suffer ringing in my ears. It's getting louder and more annoying. I have mentioned it to my GP, and EP and no one seems to want to address it. Maybe an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist can help. I've put up with it because I can't imagine going to anymore Doctors! Gracey
I went to an ENT, two actually. There is nothing to do about it. They told me to have some background noise when it’s most bothersome. They attributed it to a higher frequency hearing loss. The buzzing started shortly after I started flecainide and Bystolic. It’s only slightly better now that I’m off flecainide. the night time buzzing, which was really loud, has decreased significantly.
how strange that I didn't associate the ringing in my ears with my meds but now you mention it I have only had the noise since being diagnosed with AF and it's more noticeable in the last year when my Flecainide was increased. I will mention it when I see my cardiologist. So thank you
Me too I've only just discovered that there could be a connection. Read my previous comments.
Hi Stuart, I am on same dose Flec and have tinnitus as well, I suspect they could be connected. Mine started in the right ear and is predominant there and then later the left ear joined in to a lesser extent. The medics sent me for a scan as one ear tinni can mean in rare cases some other issue e.g. tumour but I wouldn't worry too much as I think they were just being over cautious. My results were fine and the prominence in the right ear is most likely due to my carotid artery (also clear after a scan) being much bigger that side - maybe you have the same?
Flec (I'm not taking anything else) works too well for me to reduce or change now but hope to cut it down sometime in the next year.
I suggest you try reducing sugar and gluten in your diet both of those seemed to turn down the volume (as well as being better for you all-round) for me and I notice it goes up after a binge. I also suspect Mindfulness, relaxation and breathing exercises help. Now although the tinni is still there, except when I sit down very quietly, it rarely bothers me in the day and it doesn't stop me going to sleep.
Might be an idea to check your blood pressure. I've been on flecainide and bisoprolol for years but my tinnitus started this year when I developed raised BP. Just a thought.
I take 150mg daily Flecainide for my AF. I also suffer from tinnitus in my right ear. Couldn't exactly say when it started but it has definitely got worse. I would describe it more as white noise than ringing but it certainly never goes away. I do find it helps to have a radio on quietly all the time but I also find it is worse when I am in AF or stressed. Like other people who have replied, I have never linked it to the meds but who knows. I think it is one of those conditions that very little is known about. Not a lot of help but at least you know you are not alone.
I discovered some time ago, before ever taking Flecainude, that my taking aspirin products (arthritis) was causing terrible tinnitus in both ears, so discontinued those and began an OTC called Lipo-Flavinoid, specifically for tinnitus. After using it faithfully, even while on flec, the tinnitus has reduced significantly. It also, incidentally, took care of the vitamin B deficiency my blood work had shown. Hope this helps some fellow silver bell earringers.
I've had tinnitus for well over 30 years - long before I had heart problems and then PAF. Apart from meds it may be worth have your hearing checked - hearing loss is usually gradual. I was once told that hearing loss, which is the usual cause of tinnitus, was sometimes associated with heart disease - but perhaps I misheard!
I also have had tinnitus for some years now. I went to the GP and he told me it was probably excess mucous in my nasal and Eustachian tubes and to do some steam inhalation's!! It didn't work.
I am on Flecainide 100 x 2 a day. Interesting to note the frequency with which it is linked. Does anybody know if it's a recognised symptom of the Flecainide?
In the pamphlet with my brand of Flecainide it states ringing in the ears as a rare side effect. Judging by the comments here I would say it is a common side effect! I thought for a while yesterday while at work that it had gone as I couldn't hear it, but once I focused on my hearing it returned - I suppose I had just tuned it out. It is very annoying though all the same.
I too was on Flecainide (50/2x) and had terrible side effects. The final straw that almost drove me up to the wall was the ringing and fullness feeling in BOTH my ears. Went to my PCP and he checked me out, then sadly told me that it was one of the side effects of Flecainide. I stayed on the stuff until the night before my ablation and mercifully, about 6 weeks later, all the hideous effects of the Flecainide finally left my system. I have this as a PIP and am on Eliquis. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't EVER have to go back on it.
I was a US artillery officer and developed tinnitus, mild vertigo and some hearing loss after a stateside firing demonstration that went wrong. That was in 1974. I've had tinnitus ever since. I have not experienced silence since then and never will.
You have my undying compassion, sympathy even. I can't tell you the misery I've lived with. It took about 30 years for me to get over my white-hot anger at the Army. Thanks to a couple decades of meditation and mindfulness practice, I've come to accept it and have learned to let go of the corrosive anger and resentment toward people who put me in harm's way.
You may or may not lose the ringing. My suggestion is to pay attention to it with a curious and open mind. Get to know its patterns, its variations, and especially your reactions. Always treat it with curiosity and forbearance, as you would a young child who is developmentally disabled and can't control its tantrums.
It will help to learn to meditate, which develops concentration, awareness, and mindfulness. The tinnitus can be a point of focus, and it can fade into the background when focusing on the breath or something else. If you pay attention, you'll see that you don't notice it from time to time, and maybe for long periods. Note carefully what's been happening - were you occupied with something, or was it really gone? Mine never left, but if yours comes and goes it could point to something curable, or at least more tolerable.
That sound like me, Koda. I was in the CCF at school firing Lee Enfield rifles with no ear protection. Then I spent 6 years in the Royal Navy as an Ops Officer and was exposed to the 4.5 inch guns firing at targets with minimal protection in 1976. In both cases my ears rung for days afterwards and I've had tinnitus for the last 15 years plus hearing loss. It doesn't usually bother me though I do now wear hearing aids. That's helped a lot and I can now hear higher frequencies and conversation much more easily.
I doubt you'd get tinnitus from firing an Enfield, which is just .30 caliber. But the 4.50-guns are certainly another story. I was firing mostly 105-mm (4-in) howitzers. I was the safety officer for a shoot where ear plugs had not been issued. I plugged my ears with small weeds but some idiot gave the order to fire prematurely and I was caught in the blast cone. Lucky for me we were firing the lowest charge. The maximum charge might have killed me, or worse, left me with collapsed lungs and eyes.
Have you found anything that eases the ringing (or the crickets, or the frog chorus) without a lot of masking?
You're right, I shouldn't have had any effects from an Enfield which is just the old .303. However the audiologist said I had a dip in hearing at 3 KHz which is characteristic of gunfire, particularly in my right ear. This puzzled him as I was right handed until I explained that, as I was shortsighted in my right eye, I shot from my left shoulder, thereby exposing my right ear to the sound. However, also I remember in the Navy the target was on the port side, I was on a position behind the gun turret so again my right ear would have taken the brunt.
The high pitched tinnitus sound I can hear is around 3.5 KHz. It's mainly in my right ear and about as loud as a boiling kettle from about 10 feet. Most of the time I can just ignore it. The hearing aid has helped as it enhances higher frequencies which masks the tinnitus. I can now hear my wife talking in the next room (that's got its downsides!).
It sounds as though your experience was worse than mine!
I've used flecainide in the past though it didn't seem to make the tinnitus worse.
Yes, but it happened to me after I was on a rate control med, not Anti arrhythmia. I wonder what the connection is. Is it due to slowing our blood flow to areas that could be sensitive. Ive sought out some treatment for tinnitus with little success.
Same thing when I was on Flecainide 50 mg bid. After the ablation I was tapered off the Flecainide and the the tinnitus slowly subsided to nothing after 3 months. A few weeks ago the Afib returned, I was started on the Flecainide again, and the tinnitus returned within 2 days.
I was on Flecainide before an ablation, and did not make an association with tinnitus, as I've had mild tinnitus for a long time. I have had to go back on the flecainide as the ablation was not entirely successful (very successful for about 6 months, but then things started up again--milder but definite, enough to need a cardio-version a couple months ago). I was first on 50 mg 3X a day, and did not notice problems with the tinnitus, but after the need for the cardio-version my dose was increased to 100 mg 2X a day. The tinnitus has gotten so loud that it affects my hearing, and it is making me crazy. This increase started with the increase in medication. It also abates some about 12 hours after taking it -- but then I have to take it again, and within a couple hours the tinnitus is loud and ever present. It is clearly the flecainide--perhaps I've just reached the point where I can't tolerate it any more. I appreciate reading other's stories, as I've been questioning myself about this association. From what I read here, it is not a "rare" side effect. Thanks to all for sharing.
Interesting post to read. I have had tinnitus for many years now but recently it has got worse and trying to find out what has changed. It has developed in my left ear now as well as my right which is where it was originally. The sound is different kind of more solid and a real pain. I have had af for many year and have had one cryonic ablation already and about to have another but a radio ablation. I have been on flecainide (300 mg per day) for years as well as bisoprolol but only been on apixaban for a short while. I was on warfarin before but it got changed. I cant see any reference to apixaban for tinnitus as a side effect and so far only flecainide has come up as a possibility. But I've been on it years! Nothing else in my life has changed. Stopped going to gigs years ago. So it's a mystery. At this stage I can only put it down to Flecainide. Going to the docs to get the ball rolling and try to get a masking device. My af is permanent so if I stop the meds it might not be such a good idea. Good post. Gary.
Hi. I was taking Flecainide for AF and had nothing but adverse reactions to it and tinnitus was one of them. It is almost one year later and I still have the tinnitus. I had to have an ablation so I am no longer taking it, however, i do feel that the Flecainide is the cause of my tinnitus.
Hi stucoo I’ve also been taking flecanide for over a year now and I also have the ringing/tinnitus in my left ear...I was looking to find out if my meds are causing this??
I have the same problem. I have pulsatile tinnitus which is worse than plain tinnitus and means that I can hear my AF heart beat continually and particularly frightening when it goesout of whack. I've only just discovered that it could be Tambocor that's the cause. Also on Atenalol. The Tinnitus began after starting Tambocor around 2011. Seeing my GP tomorrow to ask him if I can go off Tambocor which doesn't stop my AF anyway. Are you on Eliquis Stucoo? Most important as it thins the blood and could stop heart attack or stroke if you were to stop Tambocor. I'm a little bit excited about tomorrow as I fear my PT will drive me completely around the bend if I have to put up with it much longer. Good luck Stucco. You're not alone.
I am in the midst of trying to sort out this problem as well. I hope that those of us who are experiencing this problem, can share any methods that helped.Getting ANY provider to address the medication issue is difficult. Here in Louisiana, it takes about 4-5 months to find and see a new Dr. It took 3 mos to get an appt w an Ear Nose & Throat Nurse practitioner. She treated me the way one would treat a sinus infection. Apparently that is usual. She also ordered an audiogram and recommended a Tinnitus masking hearing aid.
I started getting ringing in the ears a few months after an increase in Flecainide from 100mg twice a day to 150mg twice a day. I take no other meds. Been on Flecainide for 7 years in total. The ringing seems to fluctuate intensity throughout the day, both ears. Ablation scheduled in a few months so hopefully that goes well and I can get off Flec eventually and see if the ringing stops.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Flecainide
Flecainide
Flecainide 
