is there a link between hypothyroidism and tinnitus?
I have unilateral tinnitus and have been referred to a consultant ENT.
I can’t find any hopeful information suggesting tinnitus is curable and the references to unilateral tinnitus are all a bit worrying ie tumour (benign) and Ménière’s disease.
I’m just coming through over two years of horrendous stress and wondered if there could be a link.
I just want it gone!
No answers but I have constant tinnitus. Waiting on my second hearing appointment. My first they sent me to the nurse who asked me if eae wax was my issue and then was baffled why the GP sent me to her. Now waiting on a hearing test next month... Not sure what good that will do as I can hear fine... Just the extra bothering me.
Interested in hearing replies you get!
Yes, I have tinnitus. I barely notice it now and hearing aids help!
I have hearing aids for when I’m in busy, noisy places and large rooms with poor acoustics. I don’t wear them all the time as I don’t need them for every day activities and they really itch!
Is yours unilateral too?
There's seems to be a link with hypothyroid and vestibular conditions in general. I've been diagnosed with vestibular migraines.
Hi,
I get tinnitus in one side with Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). When I manage to clear the tubes it goes. I usually have to use a nasal steroid spray to do this. Just thought I’d mention it as it was something I discovered myself and was recently confirmed by an audiologist. My GP didn’t know this and was going to refer me to ENT.
A google search told me that ETD is related to hypothyroid. Sorry I don’t have any links now - this is just from memory of when I was first trying to find out what was wrong.
I know there can lots of causes of tinnitus and often it’s unknown. I’m just sharing my own personal experience in case it helps.
Thank you. I’m currently using a prescribed steroid nasal spray and an antibiotic ear spray. No improvement so far.
Ah I’m sorry if it doesn’t work for you… it takes a week or two to work for me but is effective. I’ve now been recommended to try Otovent (an unusual balloon system thingy available on Amazon) as it is meant to be good and avoids issuing steroids. I’ve yet to try it.
Really hoping you get to the bottom of your tinnitus and get it sorted as I know it can be very distressing.
Thanks for all your information WestElf . I am currently going through this with my LD Son and just about to try the Otovent balloon. Nothing has so far worked.
The audiologist I saw said it was very good. The instructions that come with it are a bit basic though but there are some good videos on YouTube that show you how to use it correctly like this one:
youtube.com/shorts/z_H_VhUX...
It’s important to not just blow the balloon up but also to take the air back in and swallow at the same time - as I understand it that’s how the air gets into the eustachian tubes and actually sorts the problem. I found it a bit hard to do this (I have problems with swallowing) so that’s why I haven’t actually tried it yet. But I believe it just takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it.
Wishing you good luck with it and I hope it works for your son.
Thanks for all that information WestElf . That has made it much simpler for me to understand. I will keep you posted about results, but my Son is not the most co-operative in doing these sort of things.
Some people have found that Tinnitus can be reduced by having optimal levels of Vitamin B12. The only problem is that opinions on what constitutes optimal B12 vary.
Personally, I aim to get my own Serum Vitamin B12 up to about 1000 ng/L which is above the top of the range for many ranges. But then some ranges in the UK put the top of the range for serum B12 at about 600 ng/L, and I think that is an absurdly low level.
For Active B12 I assume optimal is 100+ pmol/L.
I go by these links :
perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...
perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...
And I supplement using methylcobalamin on the basis of this link :
perniciousanemia.org/b12/fo...
In terms of tinnitus, which I've had for many, many years...
I developed high-pitched tinnitus as a student in my early 20s. I developed a low-pitched drone in my late 40s. The best treatment for me was to buy a sound machine and use sound therapy. It taught me how to ignore the tinnitus.
rnid.org.uk/information-and...
tinnitus.org.uk/support-for...
The idea of sound therapy is not to drown out the tinnitus. In fact it is quite the reverse. A sound machine is used at a volume just below the level of the tinnitus. Then the patient has to turn their attention to the sound machine and ignore the tinnitus.
My sound machine has sounds like rain, waves, a babbling brook, trains, tinkling sounds, white noise (I hate that one), plus a few others.
If you want to try out the idea there are lots of nature sounds videos on Youtube that go on for 8 - 10 hours or so, and you could set up a speaker or headphones to listen to them at the appropriate volume.
These are a few examples :
Because this link is blocking access until you go to the YouTube site, admin will add the title:
Tropical Rainforest Ambience 🏕️🌙 nature sounds for sleep 10 hours, rain on leaves & cozy treehouse.
youtube.com/watch?v=FUQEecZ...
youtube.com/watch?v=4bskZYo...
youtube.com/watch?v=bn9F19H...
youtube.com/watch?v=-xiF9YI...
[ Edited by admin to add the video title to the link that refuses to play. ]
what are your most recent TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 results
How much levothyroxine are you taking
Can be linked to low thyroid levels
Can also be linked to low vitamin levels, especially B vitamins
what vitamin supplements do you take
When were B12, folate, vitamin D and ferritin last tested
I am due my next blood screen in November.
I’m on Liothyronine and feel I’m keeping one step ahead of being sent to a local Endo for review. I know he’ll be very unlikely to allow me to remain on my current medication and dosage (90mcg daily) so I don’t ‘draw attention’ to myself by asking for additional tests.
I will however ask for my Vit levels to be checked. I have a strong autoimmune family history on the female side and my paternal grandmother had pernicious anaemia.
So like thousands of U.K. members you could test privately
Relatively rare to be on T3 ONLY
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test (and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test)
This gives highest TSH and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
on high dose T3 TSH is likely completely suppressed
T3 ….day before test split T3 as 2 or 3 smaller doses spread through the day, with last dose approximately 8-12 hours before test
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
Post all about what time of day to test
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Testing options and includes money off codes for private testing
Medichecks Thyroid plus BOTH TPO and TG antibodies and vitamins
medichecks.com/products/adv...
Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes BOTH TPO and TG antibodies, cortisol and vitamins
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...
Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.
Link about thyroid blood tests
thyroiduk.org/testing/thyro...
Link about Hashimoto’s
thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...
Symptoms of hypothyroidism
thyroiduk.org/signs-and-sym...
Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test
support.medichecks.com/hc/e...
Medichecks and BH also offer private blood draw at clinic near you, or private nurse to your own home…..for an extra fee
Thank you.
I don’t however live in UK so arrangements are different.
Please add country of residence on your profile we tend to assume based in U.K. unless stated otherwise
Also helpful to add gender and age
I'll add to the mix... low oestrogen levels also cause tinnitus
I've had tinnitus for almost sixty years! It has varied over time. But the only thing I find helpful is something like speech radio. A program or podcast that is just interesting enough, but not actually exciting.
And loud enough to make out the words, but not intrusive.
All the "sounds" - and I have tried lots - and music actually irritate so much I felt worse.
I have a radio on my desk and I keep that on low throughout the day.
I have a ‘red ear’ on the tinnitus side too and that can be very painful and embarrassing! I used to get red ear very rarely about 10 years ago but now it’s most days.
All very annoying.
Yours is very different to mine!
For me, so far as I am aware, it came from nowhere and there are no associated symptoms. But I realise that in amongst all the apps and suggestions, the option of speech is often missed or ignored.
There are a few papers about Red Ear Syndrome - here's three:
Red ear syndrome: A review of all published cases (1996–2010)
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10...
Red ear syndrome and auricular erythromelalgia: the same condition?
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/194...
The red ear syndrome
thejournalofheadacheandpain...
I'd be very wary of any of the drug treatments - that is, read and consider carefully. All the drugs mentioned have side effects/adverse reactions and with a long-term condition you need to go in with your eyes open.
Thank you for the reading 👍
I have an aversion to all medication so very unlikely to take anything.
That’s why I worry about a GP or Endo messsing with my T3. It works for me, I feel normal, pulse, BP and temperature are fine. Over the years they’ve tried to change my dose and brand and I’ve had to argue to get back to where I need to be.
I had hoped that tinnitus would be linked to something else eg sinus, recent chronic gum infection (‘had to have an extraction - so traumatic followed by weeks of pain and two courses of antibiotics.
And I wondered if it could be linked to recent prolonged period of stress.
But it seems I may be stuck with it.
Because it’s one side there’s a chance that it could be a tumour (benign) so I’m not fretting about that.
I’ve had tinnitus for years too. I take T3 only. The only thing I can add is that it’s a known side effect of taking ibuprofen or similar. I was prescribed high doses for fibromyalgia pain. It gave me acid reflux & tinnitus. Probably for life.
It doesn’t seem widely known unfortunately. Ibuprofen probably causes many cases as it is so widely used. I wish I’d known. I just live with it, listening to a radio play etc helps me drop off to sleep. Not a thriller!
I can’t take asprin, ibuprofen or any of those meds so can’t attribute it to that.
I have sinus issues too, more pronounced on the tinnitus side.
I’m a bit of a wreck on that side! 😩
Ah, that sounds different from mine then. I expect the sinus problem is connected. Have you ever tried using a salt pipe , Sarah Myhill swears by them. Lots on Amazon etc. Himalayan salt best apparently.
This answer is about pulsatile tinnitus only.
Dare I say usually there is a flurry of Forumites saying that when they went on T3 their tinnitus disappeared when posts about it appear here. I wish.
I have pulsatile tinnitus which started when I commenced 75mcg levo (third level of levo for me). I am now on 100mcg and it’s still with me.
For pulsatile tinnitus, I have a theory. Lack of T3, in my case is causing thickening and lack of flexibilty in my arteries (can’t remember name of the artery that runs up the side of the neck at the moment) causing an ‘echo’ of my heart beat right up through neck arteries passing close to my ears. I note every change in HR.
There is a reference to this ‘thickening’ in a paper about heart issues and hypothyroidism. If it’s of any interest to you I can look it up.
If it’s the more ‘normal’ tinnitus, I am not sure it would be the same cause - but you never know with hypothyroidism, it covers such a huge swathe of symptomatology.
I judge if my NDT dose is right by how loud the tinnitus gets. I cannot remember not having tinnitus, got a lot of ear infections as a child. Now I just think it is my brain hard disk spinning!
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