Tinnatus and GORD is driving me insane

[Puddleperson]

I’m hoping some of you kind and knowledgeable people here can shed some light on how thyroid hormones can affect tinnitus – and GORD – before my endo appointment later this week.

I now have a helpful Endo who has been gradually adjusting my dosage over the past couple of years. I still have some symptoms but am a great deal better than I was. The addition of Levothyroxine, a year ago, has made a huge difference in ways I simply hadn’t expected. For several years prior I had been falling over, for no apparent reason, I’m so lucky I didn’t break any bones. That has stopped and I no longer feen vulnerable to falls. Also, my sensitive bladder was a real nuisance combined with numerous UTI’s. Having only previously suffered one UTI, in my early 20’s, I couldn’t understand why I was then getting them regularly, at various levels of severity, from my 60’s on. This too has virtually resolved (coincidentally?) after starting on Levo.

There are two things now that are really getting me down. I know they are both thyroid symptoms but I am wondering whether either of them are responding to me, perhaps, being slightly undermedicated? My tinnitus began circa 25 years ago before I’d even heard of thyroid. Initially I though it was a light bulb singing prior to it blowing. It wasn’t but the sound has remained ever since, I’ve managed, for the most part, to ignore it. Recently though it has become louder and is sometimes joined by a second slightly lower tone. It’s driving me insane, especially at night when it’s quiet. The other thing is GORD, I know I have a hiatus hernia, it’s probably been around for most of my life but is giving me a lot of grief now. I’m still taking one omeprazole a day, I wish I could stop that but it just isn’t possible. I also know that a higher dose makes matters a whole lot worse. I wish I could identify anything that might be bringing on an attack, but have failed. I can eat exactly the same thing for days with no problems then suddenly, with no obvious reflux, I have raging heartburn, sore throat and cough, cough, cough.

So my question is, could it be possible that any of this could be improved by increasing/decreasing meds or supplements. Here are my last two blood results:-

Aug 24 .01 (.27 -4.20) 4.8 (3.1 – 6.8) 14.1 (12 – 22)

Feb 25 .011 (.27 – 4.2) 5.3 (3.1 – 6.8) 14.2 (12 – 22)

I currently take Erfa 30mg, Levothyroxine 50mcg and 12.5mcg T3

I also supplement with Vit C, Super B complex, Folate, Selenium, Zinc, Flax oil, Vit B + K2 spray, Ubiquinol 100.

[TiggerMe Ambassador]

I'm wondering if the tinnitus is tied in with menopause? Low oestrogen being the issue

As for GORD I don't know much other than anyone taking long term omeprazole is likely to be low in magnesium and you don't seem to take it?

I'd have thought if adding a little Levo has made things better there'd be no harm adding a little more as it's only at 24%

[Puddleperson in reply to TiggerMe]

Thanks, that’s interesting. I had a hysterectomy at 39, so sudden menopause. Almost immediately after the op I started to feel awful. When my oestrogen was measured it was zero. I was then prescribed every form of hrt ever invented but none made any difference. The tinnitus began roughly 8/9 years later. Thyroid was diagnosed a few years after that but I got no help from my GP. It was, however, the cause of all my symptoms! I saw Dr Peatfield who was great, he said to take progesterone. The GP said that was very dangerous and at the time I didn’t have the confidence to argue. When I reached 60 GP refused to prescribe hrt any more. I’ve asked many times if someone could tell me how much oestrogen a post menopausal woman should have but no one can tell me. I’m 70 now and I guess I still have zero. I’ll ask my Endo about it, I wonder if it could be connected to the tinnitus?

I’ve always been reasonably ok with magnesium so never supplemented. Last summer it was 0.9 (0.7-1.0) slightly down on the previous year but I thought ok?

I agree, I’d love to try a small increase of levo. I’ll ask but I don’t think I’ll get as my TSH is already .001. I’ve explained that I’m happy to accept that as it’s only a theoretical risk but I don’t think he’ll want to go any further down that route. Thank for your help, it gives me a few things to talk through with endo.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Puddleperson]

The general thought these days is that you need enough oestradiol to relieve symptoms, if they took your ovaries to then you'll have very little, the adrenals can make some but 😕 certainly if mine drops below 200pmol/L the tinnitus returns, progesterone is just as important for people with no uterus as it benefits sleep and wellbeing.... it's never too late to add in missing hormones but you might need to go to a menopause clinic to get it if he isn't up to speed, I've a friend who's now 82 and been on HRT since her hysterectomy at 35, totally swears by it and I struggle to keep up with her!

Yes, I can't imagine why with you on T3 and NDT he'd still be going by TSH and a little more or less T4 isn't going to make a jot of difference to that 🤷‍♀️

[MaggieSylvie in reply to TiggerMe]

Oh wow! My GP at the time put me on progesterone, as I had an early menopause. I am now 80 and take pregabalin in order to sleep (it's brilliant), but I'm wondering why I stopped progesterone, apart from the fact that my only symptom when menopausal basically was to go mad. My GP (a different one) did diagnose me with an underactive thyroid, otherwise, I would never be on this forum, but that diagnosis was made in error. I just find some posts interesting.

[Guineapiggy]

There is also the theory that low stomach acid causes GORD, as acid is needed to close the sphincter between the oesophagus and stomach. Hypothyroidism is known to cause low stomach acid.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Guineapiggy]

I thought with a hiatus hernia the flap is missing or you lose the ability to close off the sphincter?

[Puddleperson in reply to TiggerMe]

No, it’s just weak so it allows stuff to flow back up.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Puddleperson]

Have you tried adding a little apple cider vinegar before meals to kick up acid production?

[Puddleperson in reply to TiggerMe]

No not yet, I was told that you can’t do that if you’re still taking ppi’s. I might just give it a go though - after all, I’m not improving as I am…..

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Puddleperson]

Oh no, you'd need to ditch the ppi's first

[Puddleperson in reply to TiggerMe]

Ah, there lies the problem. Tried to ditch them but got an ulcerated oesophagus for my trouble. Blasted things get you hooked so you can’t just stop Not doing that again without help from someone who knows how. ☹️

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Puddleperson]

Nasty, have you kept a food diary to see what triggers?

[Puddleperson in reply to TiggerMe]

Not really. Full caffeine coffee will do it but decaf is ok. My preferred diet is pretty much the same most days, but some days I get heartburn others are completely fine. I'm gluten free so it's not that, slightly suspicious of sugar but again it's variable whether or not it has any adverse effect.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Puddleperson]

I wonder if it's histamine as I would find I could eat avocado one day but if I dared to eat it the next it would trigger... histamineintolerance.net/bl...

[Puddleperson in reply to TiggerMe]

That's an interesting thought. I suppose it might explain why eating the same foods can have different results on different days.

[TiggerMe Ambassador in reply to Puddleperson]

Yep! It's a real curve ball 🙃

[Bertwills]

I too have tinnitus & GORD with a hiatus hernia. I’ve had some acid relief from using prescription Famotadine which I think has less effect on thyroid hormones than omeprazole. If it works for you it’s possible to buy it without a prescription from Biovea who sell American supplements in Europe. It’s called “Acid controller”.

Nothing to suggest for the tinnitus unfortunately

[Puddleperson in reply to Bertwills]

Thanks Bertwills, I don't fancy the Famotidine, it works in a different way to PPI's but it still blocks production of stomach acid. I want more, not less stomach acid.

I am very interested in your other suggestion, I haven't tried digestive enzymes before so I'll look into that and probably give it a try.

[Bertwills]

Forgot to say that I usually take digestive enzymes with meals which helps. Nature’s Best & Time Health I use. Have you tried gluten free &/or dairy free. It has helped me

[Knowsnothing]

Could I please ask do you get wheezy with your Gord? I'm having so many symptoms at the moment and I am sure they are all related, I have one nostril constantly blocked, one ear with problems hearing, constant sore throat and cough with wheeze and my throat feels blocked all the time.

[Puddleperson in reply to Knowsnothing]

The constant sore throat and cough are certainly familiar. I'm constantly having to clear my throat as it is covered in phlegm, it's horrible. I don't know if your blocked throat is what I had. Google Vic Veer, Globus. I did what he suggested and I don't have trouble swallowing any more. The other thing I have done is buy an iQoro, Google that too if you haven't heard of it. It hasn't cured my hiatus hernia but I have seen a definite improvement with the coughing. The worst for me at present is the heartburn. I don't get any obvious reflux but the burning suddenly appears from nowhere. I guess it's silent reflux? The third recommendation I had which helps my heartburn (if you get that) every time, is the simplest of all - chewing gum. Instant relief and no nasty drugs with side effects. Good luck, hope that helps. All of this is a misery isn't it, made more so by the very people you go to for help - your doctors - haven't got a clue!

[Hypotennisnut7]

I’m 77, diagnosed hypothyroid about 17 years ago, have had tinnitus for at least 40 years so for me, it’s definitely not related to thyroid. Also diagnosed with hiatal hernia about 6 years ago, but thankfully don’t use meds regarding that. I was prescribed some but didn’t know why.

I’ve been on HRT, estrogen for 42 years after a hysterectomy, added Progesterone and testosterone about 15 years ago - I still have my ovaries.

I play tennis socially and competitively and average 5 times a week, singles and doubles, sometimes playing twice a day for two + hours each session -I’m up until about 9-10pm every night and up between 5 & 7am in the morning -

Lots of energy, no naps, driving myself wherever I need to be and traveling as much as I want by plane.

I highly recommend HRT - I’m in the US, so it’s not a problem to be prescribed.

I take Levothyroxine 125mcg and Liothyronine 15 mcg daily.

[Puddleperson in reply to Hypotennisnut7]

Hi Hypotennisnut, thanks for all this info, you certainly prove a point!! I can't help wondering if I'd have done better if I'd stayed on the HRT and progesterone. Dr's on this side of the pond are adamant that HRT causes breast cancer if taken after age 60 or so. I was also told that progesterone was particularly dangerous. I didn't know as much about it all then and didn't feel able to argue the point. I was already taking HRT when I saw the lovely Dr Peatfield, he was happy with that and told me to add progesterone, which I did. It was my GP who said it was dangerous - I shouldn't have listened, I now know that Dr P was the expert not my GP.

[Hypotennisnut7 in reply to Puddleperson]

I did have some doctors here disagree with the HRT, so it’s universally a shared opinion, but there are definitely some that realize the benefits. Fortunately I have found them.

I hope that you find the relief that you need - some great suggestions from humanbean! I just live with the tinnitus . . . 🙃

I do take high doses of B12 but haven’t found any difference / improvement of the tinnitus with that.

[humanbean]

I've had tinnitus for at least 40 years. It started as a high pitched whine, and then 20 or 30 years later a low frequency drone started up as well.

I've read that some people can improve/reduce their tinnitus with high dose vitamin B12. My tinnitus affects me less now than it did when it started, and I take B12. One important thing for me is that I must use methylcobalamin, rather than any other form of B12, to get any benefits from it at all. I have taken my B12 level up to > 2000 ng/L which is way over any reference ranges, but B12 isn't toxic so I don't worry about it.

Some useful links on B12 :

b12info.com/signs-and-sympt...

perniciousanemia.org/b12/fo...

perniciousanemia.org/b12/to...

Some websites that have info on how to learn to live with tinnitus :

rnid.org.uk/

tinnitus.org.uk/

I bought myself a "tinnitus relaxer". It makes sounds that are relaxing - rain, waves, wind, bonfires, trains and others. I switch on my preferred sound when I'm in bed and I put the volume at a level just beneath the volume of my tinnitus, then I concentrate on the sound from the relaxer. The idea is not to drown out the tinnitus it is to help your brain to learn to ignore the sound of the tinnitus.

You can try out what relaxers do for free if you have something that will play videos for hours while you sleep.

This website has lots to choose from : naturesounds.tv/

[Puddleperson in reply to humanbean]

Thanks, Humanbean, this is really interesting, certainly your tinnitus experience sounds very similar to mine. I've been very successful at blocking it out until now when it has really started to get on my nerves. I think I'll start by doubling up on my Igennus super b complex by taking two per day. Do you know if it's ok to take methylfolate at the same time? My folate is on the low side so I bought some 400ug capsules. I have been substituting these twice a week for the super b's but perhaps it would be better to take one every day alongside the super b's?

[humanbean in reply to Puddleperson]

I'm happy to take my B12 high i.e. well above range without worrying.

But when it comes to folate I try to stick to the top half of the range if there is one, but otherwise I aim for 20 mcg/L.

sciencedirect.com/science/a...

link.springer.com/article/1...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/328...

The links above all seem to be about high folate or folic acid in conjunction with low B12, but I just take it as a suggestion that I should keep my folate within range. I don't test my B12 that often, so I'm erring on the side of caution.

Note that folic acid is not the same as folate. I avoid folic acid completely - it was only developed for the first time in the early 1940s. We didn't all evolve to make use of folic acid.

drfuhrman.com/blog/16/why-y...