Tinnitus following an adverse reaction to medication- and only alcohol helps!

[Estreham1]

Hi! Tinnitus is now seriously damaging my sleep and my quality of life. It started about six months ago after an intensive course of Acetazolamide tablets (prescribed following a bad reaction to laser surgery intended to prevent glaucoma). Strangely the only thing that brings any relief is alcohol - three glasses of wine and the tinnitus goes away for several hours, and on the odd occasion that I have had more, it can go away for several days. This is clearly not the solution, however! I did have a cholosteatoma operation on the ear in question many years ago and this may also have something to do with it, although the tinnitus has only recently started, as per the above. I am also told that it could be stress, or a Eustachian tube dysfunction, but cannot get any help from the UK medical system at present. If anybody has anything relevant to the above and/or has had a similar experience - and has then discovered anything that might help - I would be very grateful if you can let me know!

[Happyrosie]

I’m sorry the medical profession hasn’t been too helpful - your experience replicates what a lot of posters have said. The National Institute for Clinical Evidence (NICE) provides guidelines to doctors which you can yourself look up on their website. Just put “Tinnitus “ into search box at the top.

Another and more useful source of guidance is the website of Tinnitus UK. When you’ve had a look at it, and assuming other posters here have given you their take on your post, feel free to come back and ask more questions here . Especially, make sure your hearing is tested as hearing aids could help.

Tinnitus is very common and many people take it in their stride, I think. And former contributors to this site who are now happy probably don’t want to come back here and get reminded of what was a difficult time.

[Karlos99]

if the alcohol stops your tinnitus completely that would indicate to me that it’s stress related. The alcohol relaxes you. In some cases it’s reported that tight muscles, especially around the neck area can cause this. You obviously don’t want to have to use alcohol so you need to find an alternative. Have you tried breathing exercises, meditation or exercise. Also massage therapy or acupuncture may be beneficial. All the best.

[Estreham1 in reply to Karlos99]

Hi - and thank you very much for your contribution. I am hoping that stress is the major factor as I have had a lot of it following a) sudden illness involving emergency hospital admission last year with sepsis and pneumonia which meant a 12 month programme of testing before getting the all clear on cancer and b) 18 trips in 9 months to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London for glaucoma treatment! But tinnitus can apparently be brought on permanently in one out of every fifteen people taking Acetazolamide tablets, which I was obliged to take following eye surgery.. You repeat my observation that alcohol is not the cure so indeed am not relying on that - at least not totally! Will follow up on reducing stress and on neck exercises which have also been recommended elsewhere. I find that iron tablets (initially prescribed for anemia) help in just taking the edge off the tinnitus volume.....they tske about an hour to just slightly reduce it. Interestingly the NHS web site shows tinnitus as one of the four major symptoms of anaemia but to date I have not seen any reference to it in any purely tinnitus information source. Likewise using an over-the-counter nasal spray decongestant gas helped. Thanks again!

[ks1966]

Hello. I hope your tinnitus improves. I’m curious about the laser surgery you had. My ophthalmologist suggested I get it done. Can you please share your thoughts with us? Would you recommend it? Many thanks.

[Estreham1 in reply to ks1966]

Hi and thanks for your wishes for improvement! The laser surgery was to reduce eye pressures as part of treatment for glaucoma - so the following relates.to your question on this, and not to tinnitus and so anybody purely concerned with tinnitus may wish not to read it, unless they too get Acetazolamide prescribed as I am told this can trigger it in one in fifteen people. As for laser surgery, I would strongly recommend that you only ever undergo it to treat a serious medical issue (rather than for, say, what some people might refer to as "vanity" reasons such as the desire to not wear glasses). Laser surgery is used for glaucoma if all available prescribed eye drops stop working and/or cause adverse reactions (one of which, in my case, was a terrifying desire to jump out of the window!). If laser surgery also fails, as it did on the second attempt (6 years after a fully successful first round) in my case, then there are various tube implant surgical options. Obviously never have any kind of surgery on both eyes at the same time.....there is always the possibility of sight loss with any kind of procedure and it does not matter how incredibly rare that outcome might be if it happens to you! Hope this assists.

[ks1966 in reply to Estreham1]

Thank you for your feedback. I have ocular hypertension, and the consultant I saw recommended the laser surgery. I’ve been on eye drops for 3 months only and didn’t see the urgency for it. I have eye floaters now and also suffers from tinnitus.