Thyroid disease and tinnitus: Hi everyone... - Thyroid UK

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Thyroid disease and tinnitus

Mstiles profile image
17 Replies

Hi everyone,

I was treated for Graves’ disease last year and not currently on Methimazole. medication. I’m now now on prednisone for another autoimmune disease, PMR/GCA, tapered down from 40 to 25 mg. And experiencing a lot of tinnitus.

At last thyroid check my levels were within range but tending towards hypo,(TSH up, T3and T4 down).

Has anyone experienced tinnitus from thyroid issues?

Thanks for your thoughts.

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Mstiles profile image
Mstiles
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17 Replies
Hashi-Monster profile image
Hashi-Monster

Yes I get it a lot ... it’s really annoying.

It’s a sign of hypo and usually means you are under medicated.

Mine eases once I take my morning meds.

Marz profile image
Marz

Also linked to LOW B12 ....

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

It is only one of the clinical symptoms:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Stumpy57 profile image
Stumpy57

Good morning Mstiles.

How I sympathise with you! My ears have rung/buzzed/hummed day and night for the last 2 years. It started at the same time as I was diagnosed hypo. Currently on 125/150 levo but no improvement. Have seen audiologist twice and they said there is ‘no clear evidence’ of tinnitus being thyroid related., although they know that thyroid hormones are vital to development of hearing in utero. Consultant wasn’t interested in pursuing that conversation and just offered hearing aid trial - which I declined. The NHS wastes vast sums in referring hypo people to a range of hospital departments as endos are so dismissive / ignorant of thyroid problems. I still haven’t seen an endo - but I have seen everyone else!

I am usually able to block the tinnitus out but it is as loud and persistent as ever.

Have concluded that it will always be with me.

in reply to Stumpy57

I’m with you Stumpy, whistling and whooshed along quite nicely although I wear the hearing aids and find some benefit from them.

Heloise profile image
Heloise

Many, many people suffer with this. I've posted some information because I would like to get to the bottom of the insidious condition. I do think it is due to inflammation of the vagus nerve. This cranial nerve runs very close to the ear and throat and then on to many other organs. Chronic inflammation is becoming more common unfortunately and difficult to treat. Proteolytic enzymes might help as they attack inflammation. You could try this: healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Mamapea1 profile image
Mamapea1 in reply to Heloise

I'm still doing it Heloise🙉and it always lowers the volume temporarily, so I'm finding it helpful ~ I'd love to get to the bottom of precisely how I got it in the first place.😳 xx

Heloise profile image
Heloise in reply to Mamapea1

I do, too, but the fluctuations make it hard to determine if it helps. Did I mention that one night while sound asleep I suddenly woke up, sat up in bed and wondered why I was hearing a man's choir singing some sort of marching song. I went to the window but it was all in my head!! Just once but it is amazing what the brain will do. I had a blood clot in my lung at one time and also in the night I heard a cow bell and sirens going off.

Dr. Bergman has a new video on healing and when I finish watching all of Zack Bush's interviews I will watch John's. If I find anything out you will be the first to know. Keep tapping:)

Mamapea1 profile image
Mamapea1 in reply to Heloise

Heloise ~ yes, it's amazing...I have deafening noise all the time, and I jump when someone comes up behind me (like when you're vacuuming the carpet), but as you say it fluctuates.

Mine goes from really loud to ridiculously loud and occasionally turns into really loud birdsong😳???

I have no idea how this has come about, and obviously I have never told my GP, as she already thinks I'm insane, and I don't want her to force drugs onto me!😕

One night my daughter found me in the garden with a torch, looking about and checking for birds ~ I couldn't believe she couldn't hear them!

I wondered why they were making such a noise in the middle of the night ~ I thought one of the local cats had found a nest!🐣

So I had to confess it all to my daughters, but I have never mentioned it to anyone else until now ~ I'm already known locally as the crazy lady who excessively feeds birds and takes in injured wildlife and abandoned pets, etc., so I think it would be off to the funny farm for me😄.

I'm pretty sure that I have been Vit B12 deficient for a really long time, despite my GP saying I wasn't ~ looking through my medical notes shows a folate deficiency (which she's only recently mentioned in passing), going back years!😔.

Also, yesterday I lost my B12 spray (I take loads of it), and this morning I've been shaking like a leaf and couldnt walk properly. I found it earlier and within the last couple of hours the tremours have completely stopped😊.

I know I need injections, but pretty sure GP will not agree, although I may go and fight it out with her. It's been worse since I increased my folate, and there's only so much spray you can take in a day ~ or afford!😨

The more I learn re B12, etc., the more horrified I am at the sheer incompetence and condescending attitude of my GP and it makes me so cross that they get away with it!

No one expects them to know everything, but a bit of investigation into what it could be after so many years wouldn't go amiss! Did you have a bad B12 deficiency when you got the tinnitus, or was it through thyroid?

Thank you for the heads up on the new Bergman video, and for all your help ~ I hope you come across something soon🙏. xx

Heloise profile image
Heloise in reply to Mamapea1

I've taken B12 for years and years and all sorts and sizes. I was given shots when I was pregnant so I think I'm inclined to be low. I've had some testing that seems fine but we know a better test is " When a B12 level is normal but a deficiency is still suspected, a health practitioner may order a methylmalonic acid (MMA) test as an early indicator of B12 deficiency." A friend here has ordered B12 solution from Germany and giving herself shots. It comes in a kit. Not that expensive. The tinnitus really didn't begin until after my thyroid diagnosis.

Maybe you should persist and relay how bad your symptoms are. Tremors sound very serious to me and they should investigate it. My chiropractor told me she had periforal neuropathy and needs a salt solution in the morning. A doctor also recommended a half teaspoon of Himalayan salt in juice each morning. (if your kidneys are ok) Even Dr. Bush says that we don't hydrate well and being dehydrated causes lot of problems. Just drinking water doesn't help.

Well, a chipmunk and I were having lunch on the deck yesterday. A deer and a speckled fawn walked by our residential neighborhood this morning and that was a THRILL. I'm sure you have more admirers than you think.

Mamapea1 profile image
Mamapea1 in reply to Heloise

Hi Heloise ~ sorry for delayed response. I think I may have to resort to ordering the B12 kit for myself, if I get the usual negative response from my GP. Not that I would know where to start with such a thing😳.

I will continue with sublingual and spray for now, and then see what the goddess of Big Pharma says when I suggest injections😊.

As I'm slowly increasing the T3, it's hard to know if my adrenals aren't keeping up, but the B12 definitely stops the tremors and the wobbly walking.

I'm so envious of your wildlife....it sounds lovely💓I don't have anything like that, especially not since I moved into town from the country, but I enjoy what I've got. I'd love to have lunch with a little chipmunk though! How cute💕 xx

Heloise profile image
Heloise in reply to Mamapea1

You know now that I think of it the tremors could come from adrenaline. Do you take adrenal cortex or other support?

The gal who ordered the B12 said it came in the little tubules and I don't think it is a very deep injection. Do you belong to the pernicious anemia blog? I used to find information on Phoenix Rising. B12 deficiencies can cause MS symptoms and stomach acid is so necessary and people take proton pump inhibitors on top of that; such a mess. Many varied questions here:

forums.phoenixrising.me/ind...

Mamapea1 profile image
Mamapea1 in reply to Heloise

No Heloise I don't take anything for adrenals but I do feel they can't be right. I had severe emotional and physical stress over a long period which coincided with the menopause and that's when all my 'ME' symptoms returned.

I suspect low cortisol to be the problem but I need tests to confirm which I can't afford at present ~ why GP's don't do comprehensive testing is a mystery to me....it would really help!

They'd rather waste time and money handing out inappropriate meds when they don't even really know what the problem is, so they can get their paybacks.

Yes I'm on PA forum and I have read quite a bit on the Phoenix Rising one too. I take Braggs ACV for absorption issues and low acid, which I find really helpful. It's just weird that the tremors dissapear like magic when I take loads of B12. 🍄 x

Mstiles profile image
Mstiles in reply to Mamapea1

Wow. I’m familiar with doctors like that. Awful.

It’s complicated because I had thyroid disease (Graves) in remission for a month and then was diagnosed with PMR/GCA, another autoimmune disease and put on prednisone. I had some tinnitus before but now it is much worse after being on prednisone for almost 6 months. Last check my thyroid levels were still in range but trending hypo, so not sure what’s causing what right now.

Mamapea1 profile image
Mamapea1 in reply to Mstiles

Sorry for delay in response Mstiles , and I'm sorry to hear you have those added complications and I hope they will soon be in remission. I think because your results are 'trending hypo', you should consider posting your results (with ranges) on here for advice.

Being 'in range' doesn't really mean much anyway, unfortunately. Also it's very important with thyroid disorders to maintain vitamins and minerals at optimal levels.

There's lots of info on this forum regarding this if you search around or put up another post. Standard B12 tests don't always show a deficiency, so it's important to get the right tests.

If folate and even Vit D are low, these can also be indicative of low B12.

Unfortunately, I was not aware of these connections when I was seriously low in these myself. I hope you can find a solution to the tinnitus, because I believe if you catch it early enough, it can be reversed.

Don't trust Drs to know about this, unless you've come across an exceptional one ~ look into it yourself. Hopefully you will be able to come off the prednisone eventually, and that will help, I'm sure. Best of luck. 🌻🐝 x

Mamapea1 profile image
Mamapea1

Yes, I've had it for over 10 years constantly, my GP is useless so I've no idea whether it was the hypothyroidism or the B12 deficiency, because it turns out I had both. Mine is literally deafening now and the hearing aids don't really help.

If you haven't been exposed to a damaging level of noise over a period of time, then I would get private testing to rule out any deficiencies because something is causing it.

Most Drs don't make the connection, unfortunately, so it's up to you. A nurse told me only yesterday there was no connection between tinnitus and hypo (and a bunch of other symptoms that are 'on the list'), so it's still happening.

Make your own investigations and take advice from here ~ I wish I had found this forum years ago, I might have saved myself a whole bunch of trouble! I hope you find some answers. Good luck 🍀 x

MariLiz profile image
MariLiz

Mine has improved since my B12 levels have been increased.

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