Is Tinnitus related to B12 def?

[moonbeamX]

I've always had mild tinnitus but now my B12 is low, it is really loud and different - it sounds like one of those ventaxias in a window, rattling a bit. And it's constant. Previously it was just various intermittent quiet whistles and hums. Could there be a link between B12 and tinnitus?

[Lisahelen]

Its a known symptom and as i understand it, one of the hardest to get rid of completely.

[moonbeamX in reply to Lisahelen]

Thank you

[Hidden]

Definitely a link and as Lisa said, very hard to get rid of too. You have to learn to 'tune' out of it which is easier said than done

[moonbeamX in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I can tune out of minor whistles and hums, but this Ventaxia fan is hard!

[holehead]

Hi

Yes you are absolutely right Tinnitus is a known neurological symptom of B12 deficiency along with Numbness and nerve pain, restless legs amongst other things visit B12d.org and you can run a symptom checker just register your e mail and you can get support from one of the few Gps in the UK who know B12 deficiency and it's curse.

Mark B12 sufferer

Note - edited to correct typo

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to holehead]

this is the link to b12d.org website

b12d.org/

Please note that Dr Chandy is, I believe now retired and no longer practises as a GP

[clivealive Forum Support]

I've had tinnitus since the early 1980s and I was diagnosed with P.A. in 1972. It seems to get worse in the run up to my next B12 injection so there's definitely a connection.

[moonbeamX in reply to clivealive]

I just hadn't realised there was a link! My sugar levels are rising, because of the fatigue I get with B12, so I'm too tired to get enough exercise to keep sugar levels down. I wondered if my tinnitus was getting worse becasue of low B12. I put this to my doc today - asking him if I could have MORE than one B12 injection every 3 months. Unbelievably he not only agreed to one injection every 2 months, but he gave me an injection right there and then as well. He said there MAY be a link re tinnitus because B12 def involved something to do with nerves (I lost the plot at that point).

[Lisahelen in reply to moonbeamX]

Flipping heck! Two good dr stories in one night! Perhaps there is hope afterall!

[Steap]

I've had tinnitus for about ten years but more recently around the time all of my other symptoms appear/worsen it's ramped right up and changed.

It was always a quiet central hiss but now it's quite loud, sometimes grumbles and once or twice pulsed as my heart beat.

The rumbles were early morning and woke me up. It was quite frightening.

[LucyG82]

I have tinnitus and it is the one symptom which has never improved with injections so I think I'm probably stuck with it. I've had it for so long that I don't even notice it and I'd probably hate the sound of silence if it ever did go away!

Yours does sound particularly bad though and if it has recently gotten worse I hope that means you have a better chance of getting it sorted (or at least back to the old level).

[taka Administrator]

Yes being B12 deficient can cause tinnitus. B12 is involved in myelin sheath production. Myelin is a bit like the plastic coating surrounding an electrical wire, there to protect the nerve and insulate it to prevent short circuiting. For many the symptoms can massively improve once they get enough B12 and things have a chance to repair but sadly that is not guaranteed.

Tinnitus can also be a symptom of iron deficiency and other things like thyroid problems too ( nhs.uk/conditions/Anaemia-i... nhs.uk/Conditions/Tinnitus/... ) so it can also be a symptom of something else rather than just being B12 related.

I get tinnitus infrequently in one ear (as a result of a perforated eardrum + consequent infection many years ago) but my bad ear gets worse and the other ear joins in when my iron levels are too low - for me it doesn't seen to be linked to my B12 levels. For me it is mostly that stupid one tone whining sound you used to get when the TV channels stopped transmitting back in the day. Urghhhhh.

[Karenthehair]

I get this really weird thing in my ear, it'd like a drumming inside my ear when I hear a certain pitch of sound like our boiler makes or when the washing machine is spinning! I do get tinnitus as well but I can cope with that, but my twitchy ear drum drives me mad! I swear it's it's the b12 difficiency 😔

[tflynnhk]

All my doctors tell me I will never be rid of my tinnitus and I've gotten use to it. There is an up side, walking through tunnels or in large cavernous rooms it's loud enough to have trouble hearing my wife talking at me.

Apart from the 24/7 buzzing, only annoying incident I've had was in bed a few weeks ago, heard a car alarm going. Laid there a long time waiting for it to stop. Finally rolled over, tinnitus went back to steady buzz and realized it's all in my head.