Recently added tinnitus to the list. Anyone have any knowledge about this as it relates to thyroid? It's literally driving me crazy. I read that it can be the result of thyroid issues.
Tinnitus: Recently added tinnitus to the list... - Thyroid UK
Tinnitus
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valt4thomas
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I have had tinnitus for many years, before my severe B12 deficiency was later diagnosed and well before and even longer before my Hashimotos was diagnosed. If I had been aware of the possible ramifications of B12 deficiency and underactive thyroid, I would possibly not developed tinnitus which is now a permanent affliction!
Well, I am very interested in the B12 deficiency issues and I will increase my dose of B12 and see what happens - and, of course, report back.
HOWEVER….. this has been my personal experience with tinnitus. I think it is linked to blood pressure (BP)! As my BP goes up, my tinnitus gets worse. I had noticed that when I ate very hot spicy spaghetti or vindaloo for dinner my tinnitus went away for the evening. I have since learned that hot peppers reduce BP and so I conclude that my tinnitus is caused by high BP.
I was told and I have read that when you reach an optimal dose of T4 that your BP will revert to Normal (more or less). This has not been my experience. As I have raised my dose of T4 (I take Armour Thyroid), my BP increased. The same happened when I was on Levo for that matter.
So there you go, I think my tinnitus was due to my BP, but I am going to try the B12 increased dose starting tomorrow, thanks for that info.
When they did a questionnaire to 1000 PA sufferers asking which symptoms troubled then most - tinnitus was an almost 100% response. So that has always left me thinking that low B12 could be the cause. I also think there could be more than one cause ....
• in reply toLAHs
LAHS, I think you may be right there. My tinnitus booms and my BP is very high for some reason. Five years ago it had been 120/80 for decades. I too thought thyroid meds would bring it down when the opposite has happened. I have hearing loss in my left ear as my low thyroxine was neglected for 20 years.
Do you find your tinnitus is worse in your left ear?
LAHs• in reply to
Funnily enough, yes! I never really paid any attention to a difference in sides. Pressure in anything is usually higher closer to the pump, wow, that is a very interesting observation. Lends more evidence to the BP theory, thanks.
• in reply toLAHs
No problem LAHs! Another thing to throw at you is are the sounds different in each ear? I have an engine running type sound in my right ear, and in my left a high pitched white noise, which is incredibly loud. Using my hearing aid in my left ear sometimes gets the volume of tinnitus down for a while, but honestly I find it pretty useless unless in a 1:1 situation. My previous hearing therapist said it was my deaf ear struggling to hear. Stress and lack of sleep makes it worse, I live with a lot of pain and the stress to my system I'm sure contributes to high blood pressure. I'm always anaemic too, and have tested low cortisol.
More simply...I get tinnitus when I'm not taking enough thyroxine. I hope to go on NDT when my adrenals are sorted.
As soon as I got off Synthroid and started using Armor Thyroid it went away
Definately check b12 I've had tinnitus for 8 years and doc and myself have blamed it on thyroid. Since being on b12 the tinnitus has improved dramatically.
Do you have a pulsating tinnitus, one that throbs in time with your heartbeat? If so, this will need investigating as it can be the result of a number of causes, including thyroid dysfunction and B12 deficiency.
Since getting more frequent B12 injections my tinnitus isn't as bad as it was, although it hasn't gone completely.
Is it pulsatile tinnitus I.e can you stop it by pressing against the artery behind the year ?If so there is an op for this.After10years I found a specialist attached to Franchais Hospital Bristol who performed n op blocking the vein with a lump of glue!!Five years ago .No problem since.Touch wood.But you will really have to push to get this done as he ,the specialist works part of the year in USA .
B12 - absolutely: My elderly mother-in-law has the same problem - high bp, hearing loss, dizziness, nerve damage to extremities and tinnitus. The first thing that got picked up on was that she'd had a chronic ear infection for years (after my ex-nurse mum begged her to see a specialist) and following some blood tests they realised she also had an under-active thyroid. Her diet is almost meat and dairy free and I guess that without properly supplementing the B12 - she won't take supplements unless they've been prescribed by the GP, she's continued to suffer symptoms even though she's on thyroid replacement. She tells everyone that she doesn't want to find out any more about it, or make a fuss, but it's blindingly obvious to me that her body just doesn't absorb B12 that well. Her mother, who died in her thirties of a heart problem, had grey hair at 18 - a clear sign of B12 deficiency, so it's also a hereditary thing.
I also find that denial can be a Hypo/B12 symptom in many cases ..... White hair around forehead can be a Hypo symptom too - I read somewhere 
I have a halo of white hair - the rest ? - grey !
Denial - yes. It's very frustrating, because she has become a shadow of her former self - mentally, emotionally and physically. B12 is such a fundamentally important vitamin and it amazes me that many GPs are not trained to pick up and test for these nutritional deficiencies.
Hi HLAAB, a diet that is almost meat free might make that person very low in Iron. Have a look at her inside lower eyelid, if it is very pale, she needs iron.
Good idea - I'll ask my father-in-law to check as we've been concerned and it's easy to do. I won't mention the veggie thing as he's a very fussy vegetarian, but it doesn't seem to effect his health one bit: she says she wants to cook things for both of them that he'll eat. They seem surprised that my husband eats a far more varied diet now than he did as a child.
If the neck, head or shoulder muscles are very tight and hard, this can cause tinnitus.
I get tinnitus a lot, my B12 and thyroid levels are OK, but I do have bad neck pain. So I think you are right. I once asked a thyroid group if back of the neck pain was common with thyroid disease and quite a few said yes. I am still looking for a way to reduce the pain!
If the pain is dull, exercise and stretching will do. If there is sharp pain in the neck in addition to dull pain, there is most likely inflammation there. This means the best diet is cutting down sugar, which causes a lot of inflammation. At the same time it would be good to check cortisol levels as this is our natural anti-inflammatory. If cortisol levels are not high enough, inflammation occurs. I have myofascial pain syndrome in my neck as a result of adrenal fatigue. The inflammation become much more controllable without sugar. Omega 3 oil and vitamins D3 and K2 are also a good combination.
Good suggestion. I do have very low cortisol according to saliva tests and generally feel much better in the evenings, when cortisol levels are supposed to be lower. But with blood cortisol in range, albeit at the bottom, no Dr will do anything. How are you dealing with your adrenal fatigue?
I'm still looking for ways to improve it. I eat 5 times a day with whole foods making sure I get some carbs on every meal. Usually I wouldn't recommend carbs like this, but I have an experience of crashing big time when I went very low carb. Carbs are important when you have adrenal fatigue. I sleep as much as possible and some of the time I don't succeed too well because of hormones. I take 1000mg vitamin C complex daily. Very important not to be just ascorbic acid, but the whole complex C.
I'm planning to try taking liquorice root as a supplement short term for a month or so (danger of increasing blood pressure). I'm also contemplating trying adrenal cortex glandular. I bought the wrong one and the adrenaline made things worse. So definitely cortex.
For me getting rest and peace is the challenge. I have a temperamental 3-year old who requires a lot of energy.
The problem with going by serum (blood) levels of B12 is that it's not measuring B12 where it's needed - in the spinal fluid. It has been shown that patients with MS and Alzheimers may have normal serum levels of B12, but much reduced levels in the spinal-fluid (CSF). The passage of B12 across the blood-CSF barrier can therefore be impaired in some people. Not sure how much research has been done regarding this problem with those of us with other auto-immune diseases?? I'd be interested in finding out!
I've had tinnitus for years and never really found the cause . it fluctuates massively and at the moment is a better phase though I can't be sure why. I'm presently sleeping better so whether that's a factor for me. ??
Its not B 12 in my case but think there are probably many causes .An evening out with too much wine is a definite trigger !
I have tinnitus and thyroid problems. Actually I was diagnosed with tinnitus first, but looking back I'd always had an underlying thyroid problem. Personally I'd put my tinnitus down to stress and loud music. The best way I've found to deal with tinnitus is to tune into background noise. It's good if you live in a city as the background noise will provide distraction, although it's harder in rural areas. I know people who have slept by fridges for background noise and from time to time I've fallen asleep with my iPod on when it has been bad. White noise machines might be the answer here. Once you have tinnitus it doesn't go away and your health professional should be able to offer you counselling for it. I've had it for 12 years and it's very rare that I notice it now. You need to develop a strategy to deal with it.
I have developed tinnitus over the last couple of years and now have 24 /7 whistling and screeching in both ears, I also have recently developed hyperacousis. I can't tolerate general household sounds like switching lights on and off, or cutlery touching a plate while eating, people typing on a keyboard, any sort of tapping or clicking noise really. I also can't listen to music anymore. I have been having thyroid treatment for a while now and it's getting worse so I do think it's my b12 which I am battling to get treatment for as it's low but in range.
Hi, i have the same problems . . . can't take lots of different noises too many to list. I sometimes have to ask people to talk more quietly for instance.
I find that a hot shower inc. hair wash when i get up in the morning often helps but have not a clue as to how/why!?
Great thread with so many helpful pointers to cause and suggestions for remedies and coping strategies. Thank you!
Hi valt4thomas, tinnitus is likely to be due to low adrenals, i.e. cortisol. This will go hand in hand with thyroid problems, as the adrenals rely on a healthy thyroid function.
Do you still have goitres?
Yes
I have goiters and low cortisol. I'm so grateful for this site. Thank you.
Yes I still have goiters. It's amazing how many things can go wrong when thyroid is out of whack. So confused because doctor/labs say thyroid it's normal so I have not removed it. Found a very good book titled mastering Leptin. Talks about this affecting thyroid, causing endometriosis which I've had 3-4 surgeries for. The medical industry baffles me.
I don't remember a time when I didn't have tinnitus. Interesting thread. Mine gets more intense when I'm sick. My B12 is in the lower range of normal. I've read that iodine therapy can help it. Time will tell.
Hi, I had quite a bad experience of pulsatile tinnitus when I reached 75mcg of levo which just vanished with the next increase to 100mcg. I don't have it now, only slight ringing and cracking in my ears now and again but nothing like it was. I think there are many causes but as I hadn't had it before or since I tend to think it was caused by being on T4 but not enough, if that makes sense
Did the brand of Levothyroxine change when going from 75 to 100mcg?
Are you taking Aspirin? Aspirin is notorious for causing tinnitus.
I often get intermitant tinnitus and recently found out when I had a hearing test that the pattern displayed was highly sugestive of a slipped disc in my neck. I have two slipped discs in my neck, one of which is pressing on the nerve and is in need of surgical intervention, however, I am not fit enough for surgery at the moment. In the meantime, I attend physio twice per week and she is wonderful. She has managed to relieve the pressure which in turn has relieved the tinnitus symptoms.
I don't know if physio would help you but its worth a try, even if only to exclude pressure on a nerve as a possible cause.
Thank you! I will check into this.
Is also a symptom on low B12. Have you had that checked?
I have not but I will. Thanks.
On reflection, I recommend having your homocysteine levels checked.
These would be elevated regardless of serum levels of B12. Serum B12 is a red herring as B12 in the blood hasn't actually got to where it's needed yet (in the cerebrospinal fluid).
There is a very strong link between high serum homocysteine and tinnitus. Lowering homocysteine levels is really important, but can be achieved through diet and improving the 'methylation' cycle with supplements if necessary.
I've had tinnitus since I was a child - I now think this was due to bad ear infections I had when I was about 5 / 6.
I can cope with it. It hasn't gone down as I've supplemented B12 (this is now high in the range) nor as my adrenals are improving. But I'm not quite optimally medicated so hopefully that will help. Though because I've had it since childhood maybe not!
Hope some of the suggestions here help yours
Thanks for your response and concern.
Thank you
Me too, left ear, started this year at the same time I had blocked sinuses and glue ear, mostly the left sinus is blocked. It's a vibration and I mostly hear it when I lie down so I think it's fluid on the ear drum. Trying to fix it with an Otovent nasal balloon and Euphorbium Sinus Relief Spray... Have you see an ENT doctor yet and got audio therapy? I've read high pitched classical music can help
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