hi, I’m suffering with tinnitus and muffled hearing problems which came on quite suddenly a year ago when I was told to take Furosemide 40mg daily. I searched the web for answers to this problem and it appears loop diuretics can cause hearing problems.
This problem is making me feel slightly unsteady and ‘absent’ from the real world.
I’ve reduced my dosage but no improvement. I’ve changed tablets but still I’m no better. Has anyone else been through this problem with their medication?
Has anyone else had a problem with their hearing?
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Dinamite
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The cause of tinnitus is even more puzzling than the cause of of AF!! I suspected my hearing had also deteriorated but that seemed to recover when my anxiety reduced a tad.
I suspect (as I can't pinpoint the actual start) my pulsatile tinnitus started around diagnosis of AF, prescribing of Flecainide and general high anxiety at the time; that was 11+ years ago and I still have it.
On the plus side, I find if I am busy concentrating I don't notice it and it also gives me real time monitoring of my AF, which is useful to make notes for medics when going through changes in an AF/Flutter pattern, which I am at present.
Easy to say I know but probably best just to take steps to reduce anxiety and in the meantime just keep busy with something you love doing.
Thank you Secondtry for your response. I’m an AF member on here with a PM and many drugs but this tinnitus has arrived since my diuretics were prescribed. I’m just trying to see who else has a solution other than a hearing aid. Which I’m not sure is the answer.
My tinnitus is not a heartbeat echo but constant whistling and bubbling like being under water. It just makes me feel I’m living in an aquarium.
It gets even worse on car journeys so I’m sure it’s air pressure.
The many replies on here are very interesting but I’m still trying to find the reason for my distortion as it’s making me unsteady and also they do say that hearing loss can lead to dementia. Which I can quite believe as you become secluded in your own little bubble.
Hi! Tinnitus comes with ageing and body changes coupled with it, most probably like AF comes to exist. I was on no medication in the past 3 decades (still not on any medication) and still developed tinnitus some 5 years ago (72 now). So, the drugs may only contribute to it, to develop faster, but are not necessarily the cause of it.
In my opinion, pulsatile tinnitus, with the clear heartbeat rhythm, shows that it may be the "noise" of the hearing sensor. If, say, the blood vessel is located near the hearing nerve, pure mechanical irritation of the nerve, induced with rhythmic, elastic blood vessel dilatation, might produce a rhythmic noise. If it is not pulsatile, as it usually is not in the beginning, it may be simply a pressure on the nerve, induced because of the increased blood pressure and excessive blood vessel dilatation...
Being not lazy to experiment with my body, I have realized that pushing my scull towards backward, with the fingers put beneath cheekbones, can reduce tinnitus intensity and can even stop it, for as long as it is pushed. It maybe produces the relaxation of the contact blood vessel/hearing nerve and stops the noise.
For a long time, I have been listening about the changes in the position of the scull in relation to the first cervical vertebra, named Atlas, with the ageing, and about the problems it can create. Tinnitus may be one of them, who knows. There are the "paramedics" who correct the disturbance of Atlas position, using a vibrating tool, like pneumatic hammer. Would never like to try it, lol!
That’s a rather extreme treatment and I prefer to stay clear of hospitals etc . I’m more into self help and am hoping someone here has this living in an aquarium noise and has found out it’s cause and treatment.
Meanwhile I’m quite satisfied with my AF treatment and PM - just wanted to find the tinnitus culprit.
I’m on Furosemide for oedema from my weakened heart. It’s a common drug but there are others and I’m hoping someone who has been on this drug has found the side effect of tinnitus has gone when they change to another diuretic.
I’m in no way depressed or in need of a better social life. I agree that depression can cause many things but I’m fine.
I have tinnitus as well as atrial arrhythmias and a pacemaker . I went and had a free hearing check and as soon as you say you can also amongst all the other crazy sounds hear your heart a letter is given to you for your GP surgery so a hospital ENT appointment was made , then a hearing aid and hearing thereapy support at the tinnitus clinic . It’s been very helpful and supportive.
My tinnitus has got a lot worse since starting Bisoprolol. I had no idea how many ototoxic medications there are until I looked it up a while back. It’s only when I’m very tired &/or stressed that I get it very badly though. Unfortunately the more you focus on tinnitus the worse it seems to get. I remember watching a video by an ENT doctor who had tinnitus himself & he advised playing fully immersive computer games that call for absolute concentration & quick reactions. He claimed at the end of these sessions he was barely noticing his tinnitus & eventually it started to hardly trouble him at all.
Thank you HGates, I’m sure my grandchildren would second that idea of me playing computer games with them.
However so far nothing has relieved it. I’m very active and work endlessly in the garden, am very busy with the home and finance organisation but my physical and mental activities do not relieve my problem.
Blocked eustachian tubes can lead to unsteadiness and muffled heating and a lightheaded sensation in my experience. There are various home therapies for clearing eustachian tubes, same sort of thing you do on a plane to equalise pressure, yawn, blow.nose etc.For the unsteadiness, you can do the Brandt Daroff (so?) exercises to train your brain to ignore the symptoms.
Yes Jajarunner, I am constantly yawning and trying all the different ear clearing motions they suggest from air pressure deafness but nothing helps., in fact when I’m travelling it gets worse and I’m trying all the techniques throughout the journey, but it’s no help.
I had pulsatile tinnitus some years ago, but don't seem to get it now. I get tinnitus like a rushing wind in my right ear off and on, worse at night. I live with it.
I also have tinnitus but have never linked that with a feeling of being "absent" or, as I call it "distant". That is a feeling I do get on occasion, but I have had tinnitus for much longer than I have had that. It is a most unpleasant feeling, so you have my sympathies.
I don't take diuretics, and it first happened to me before I was taking any tablets for my AF, perhaps back in 2017. I have come to believe from what the specialist I see tells me that it is caused by the effect of arrhythmias on the blood pressure and brain, changes that he says are too subtle to show on a BP machine. In my case my arrhythmias cause a slow rate at times (which on my watch can measure down to 38bpm or so), along with something called left branch bundle block (LBBB), and lots of ectopic beats and AF.
I hope not. I've edited my post to make it clearer. I was trying to say that my tinnitus is not linked to the distancing feeling, and that my doctor told me this was caused by the effects of the arrhythmia reducing the heart's output.
Yes I understand. I too get the low heart beat which reduces the blood to the brain, I have a PM to counteract that but I still get the lightheaded moments at times. That however is not exactly the same as the balance problem.
Ah, I was referring to a "distancing" feeling, as if the world were somehow further away than it is. I get mild light-headedness and imbalance with the arrhythmia, too, and especially when my AF causes a really fast rate of 150-190bpm but that is different.
Well I was not expecting to see a Tinnitus entry here but, here goes.
History. 2 Ablations following PAF 11 years ago and currently on small dose of Lisinopril and Bisoprolol.
Pulsatile Tinnitus started a couple of years ago resulting in about 70% hearing loss in one ear. Finally diagnosed as glue ear and had a grommet fitted resulting in 100% fix. I have had the Tinnitus back for a few minutes or hours once or twice but not to the degree prior to the grommet being fitted. Consultant suggested Tinnitus due to a weak nerve.
Many of us with AF have pulsatile tinnitus ( we hear our heart beat in one or other or both ears. My Hearing aid specialist was most concerned origially as he told me such type can result from blockages in the carotid artery which could pre empt a stroke. He wrote to my GP but I don't ever remmber any ultra sound testing being done. Thats was probably ten years ago?
Exactly Bob…. I’m not looking for NHS hospital tests just yet but this is becoming very disturbing to my everyday life. But it’s not my heart beat echo it’s rushing water and bubbling and whistling noises.
I developed tinnitus after about a year of taking Bisoprolol. It disappeared within 48 hours of moving from Bisoprolol to Diltiazem. Fortunately it hasn’t returned.
That’s very interesting Herbie30. I’ve been on Bisoprolol for about 18 years so that’s not my rogue drug causing my demise. But the fact that your change gave you almost immediate relief is very good news. I live in hope.
I have had Tinnitus for far too long now and it is and can be very annoying. Sorry to say mine was work and heavy music! Now the unsteady bit is or could be ear related too. My Wife suffers and she lies on the bed with her head hanging over a bit. if you get a dizzy feeling wait until that goes then move the head to the left once more if the dizzy feeling is there wait until it goes . Move over to the right and repeat always going to the centre first until it has gone.
I have Hearing aids now that do help the Tinnitus but it has not completely gone.
Oh Offcut, your poor wife. My dizziness is a bit like being sloshed but without the fun. I’m hoping to find a cure with my tinnitus that incorporates ear balance recovery too.
You obviously enjoyed your music too much, But then we never think about the consequences when we are having fun. Never saw my friends wearing ear defenders in our youth so I wonder how many of us are suffering now. However I’m convinced this hearing disturbance is related to my drugs.
The circular saw we used was not the most silent and we never wore ear protection it was there but just got covered in Sawdust It could well be the drugs I have had some strange reactions to a few I have taken. But please try the neck/head exercise it may work?
Ah now I understand your Alias of Offcut. Could it be sawdust clog like smokers get tar in their lungs.
My loud noise disturbance these days comes from the garden leaf blower especially at this season. Most gardeners use ear defenders, I don’t. Maybe I should use ear plugs. The tinnitus just makes loud noises even louder. Like an echo. I’m not comfortable in busy noisy restaurants.
Offcut was inspired from my old CB handle because I was working with wood which I use when Gaming online. I was a smoker too so not a lot going for the lungs. I did work with Brown Asbestos for about 10 years too! My hearing is now what they call "Skyslope deafness" It does not slowly go down but very steeply so certain sounds I do not hear at all! If I am in a echoey room I cannot make sense of much at all. I was out fishing with my old mates and they commented on a bird singing which I could not hear at all as it was at the same pitch as my tinnitus.
Yes Offcut, the hearing is very frustrating, the TV especially seems distorted these days. But I’m not guilty of clogging my sensory passages or my lungs, however somewhere along the way my heart decided it wasn’t happy with my lifestyle, stress related most likely from over caring for others and under caring for me. But I’m content with my life and my medical issues, we all have problems as we age, however I’m always sure that we need to question, medicine doesn’t always work for everyone and we each need to be responsible for our own well-being. If a drug causes you problems there are alternatives. I am sure my Loop Diuretics have damaged my hearing. I just need to convince the medics that I’m right. So, I’m trying to find who else has had this problem from their drugs.
Could be it be anything else? I haven't been on any regular heart med other than Apixaban. Just from my experience - I noticed my tinnitus after getting radiation for breast cancer. Autoimmune problems (Sjogren's) ramped up considerably and balance is one of them. How much aging is part of this is hard to tell. I have been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease, an ear disease, and have since had to get hearing aids. Getting old is for the brave.
Marcyh you’ve been through the radiotherapy treatment which in itself causes side effects. Mostly lymph damage which causes fluid build up and that may well affect your sinus etc. and your ears.
I find my tinnitus is not just the only thing that has arrived since taking diuretics, my nose runs constantly and my eyesight gets blurred like I’m in water. My whole head feels like it’s taken on fluid and the unsteadiness goes with it.
The side effects of treatment are never explained at the start, we find out as we proceed.
I have had tinnitus off and on for several years, long before my cardiac condition exposed itself and I was medicated. I can’t say I’ve noticed any increase however I’m not on diuretics. I do now hear more pulsing sounds, especially since starting isosorbide mononitrate but this sound isn’t the tinnitus I know normally. For starters, I can hear other sounds over it whereas I can’t hear anything over the tinnitus most of the time.
I think I might get the distance feeling I think you’re referring to. For me, it’s a noise that moves through my head and starts a while away - if that makes sense! All other sound disappears and I feel a sense of time stopping almost. The sounds moves through within seconds and everything is normal again. That all sounds weird I know but I can’t actually find words that describe what happens other then it’s like it’s coming towards me and goes through my head and moves away and I feel like the world stops while this happens.
From all the replies I’ve had on here it appears that whatever form of heart problem we are being treated for and whatever medication we take, so many of us are suffering with tinnitus in different strengths and distortions. We may all accept it and get a hearing aid but that won’t change the balance disturbance. Yes age has some part to play in this but if it’s drug related we should try to find the answer, besides, we all still drive and walk and need a clear head for our everyday chores.
Also they do say that hearing disturbance over time can contribute to the onset of dementia.
So I will continue to question why I feel I’m living in an aquarium and what I’m taking that is causing this.
I have a genetic condition - progressive cardiac conduction disease, sinoatrial disease, and most recently coronary artery spasms. I have all the acronyms as they say - AF, NSVT, LBBB, tachy, brady, CAS and hypertension. I’m on numerous drugs both for the arrythmias and now the CAS. However, as I said my tinnitus has been around for years. I consider my self still reasonably young (under 60) and tinnitus has been with my since probably my late 20s. So for me, it’s not the drugs but perhaps they add to it.
I’m not sure what a PM is? I’m not suitable for ablations (or anti-arrhythmia drugs). In simple terms - my condition is a sodium channelopathy (the epicentre for electrical impulses of the heart) and my EP and cardio believe we need to preserve any conduction pathway I have. An ablation will reduce the number of areas that conduct electricity and as I already have limited efficient electrical impulses moving through my heart, we need as many functioning conductive pathways as possible to maintain a stable rhythm.
A pacemaker is on the cards for the future but for the interim, while the drugs are doing an ok job, they’re reluctant to play with my heart too much.
I have one and I’m so pleased with it. I am now halfway through my second one (they last about 10 years) and no problems, it keeps my heart from struggling and from making me faint etc. if they offer you one then it could well be an improvement. But obviously you are a complicated case. However I’d not be without my little helper now. It makes me feel safe.
Ahh, of course. Sorry I should have guessed. Yes, I’ve been told I’ll feel better with a pacemaker but I trust my cardiologist and will have to wait I guess.
I've had tinnitus since I was 17 (55 years ago) from expired antibiotics a bad high school nurse gave me. So its not old age related, though it has gotten louder over the years. I've finally made friends with the noise; for most of my life I tried to avoid quiet places. You seem to have a good, positive attitude about it already, so hooray. I made radical changes to my diet which helped most of my chronic health problems, including AF and ended my need for diuretics, but no affect on the tinnitus.
Oh Wildiris I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been suffering with Tinnitus for 55 years but are you sure it was caused by out of date medication.
I’m always aware of expiry dates but also know that these are only guidelines and that many drugs have a shelf life of far longer.
This use by date was only introduced in 1979, when drug manufacturers were required to stamp an expiration date on their products. So your school nurse may not have been aware of the date the drugs were ineffective.
If you read about this topic on the Webb you will see the actual ineffectiveness etc of drugs is not a cut off point on the date they expire.
If someone needed urgent medication these days and knowing how slow a response we may get from the NHS. Then I would use my own supply even if a little out of date. Antibiotics can save a life even if slightly under strength.
But that’s just my approach and not to be copied, each to his own. Not to be practiced on the very young and very old but for the adults in a critical situations
I had issues with Bisoprolol many years ago and asked for the brand I was given by my heart consultant at the start. Obviously the NHS chose to continue me on the cheapest alternative but that didn’t work for me so I complained and asked for the superior brand Cardicor. This is more expensive but is better for me. It’s always worth trying other brands as cheapest is not the way to go for all of us.
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It could well be the drugs I have had some strange reactions to a few I have taken. But please try the neck/head exercise it may work? 
Medication side effects
Tinnitus and hearing deterioration 
