This is driving me crazy, to the point it keeps me up at night. Anyone find anything that helps this symptom?
Posted by improver (Member # 8380) on :
I have had the ringing in the ears for at least 2 years now. Sometimes its louder than others. I have learned to live with it for the most part.
Sometimes background noise can make it less noticable. There are machines such as white noise machines than can help, and they make inexpensive ones.
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
I had that for over 2 years and I thought it would never go away but in 9 months of IV Rocephin it went away in the 8th month!!! THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Could be from a med. What are you taking?
Posted by Lioness (Member # 10655) on :
I was given different meds for tinnitus. It didn't really help it. One of them really knocked me out though!
I spent 4 months in a totally quiet house. No work, no phone calls, the TV on silent most the time.
Between the ringing, ticking and amplified sounds, I couldn't handle any more stimulation!
It comes and goes now.
Posted by heathnicole (Member # 9313) on :
I have ringing and I am not sure what triggers it. Sometimes it is worse than others . .but it always seems to hit me at night when I am trying to sleep. Right now that is the least of my problems.
Heather
Posted by Moosie (Member # 10033) on :
Constantly, for a few years now.
I told my doctor about it and was told I could "teach" myself not to notice it. . . like William Shatner did.
Yeah, okay. So I walk around telling myself over and over that I don't hear it. It's not working.
Like some others have said, it is really bad at night. The only thing that drowns it out is if I listen to bagpipe music. Or really loud Hendrix or Phish.
Moosie
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
p.s. Can also be from yeast!
Posted by improver (Member # 8380) on :
I think the main reason that it comes on at night, is the lack of background noise. I hate when it gets real loud just as you lay your head on your pillow.
This ringing was one of my first symptoms, and the duck of that week put me on a nasal spray....
Needless to say it didnt help.
Posted by Chickadee (Member # 8715) on :
Thanks all...
it's nice to know I am not alone with this. oh yes, my ringing comes and goes too. For a while it was my eyes..floaters and blurry vision and I thought that would never go away it was awful.
And now it's my ears....just when I thought I was feeling better. Oh God I hope this goes away!
I was on doxycyline and now i am taking zithromax.
thanks again
Posted by Lymeindunkirk (Member # 7118) on :
I don't think this is the cause of medication. I don't notice the ringing in my ears if its during the day when I'm busy, but at night, oops there it goes, it started in my right ear as I was typing. Anyhow, at night it seems to kick in to a higher pitch. I kind of ignore it. I think its been there for so long it has become just one of those things we get used to. Most of the time is a low whooshing sound. The higher pitch only comes at night.
Posted by lymednva (Member # 9098) on :
Mine is constant and I've had it for 9-10 years now. The only med I'm still on that I was on then is Synthroid, so I don't think that's the cause.
Sometimes it's worse, often when I'm falling asleep and it sounds like something is swooping down to land on me! So far, nothing has done that, though. Posted by luvdogs (Member # 9507) on :
I just had to go off of zithromax because of the ear ringing which was leading to hearing loss. I know of others on zith that this has happened to. Please be careful and talk with your doctor. The zithromax can inflame the nerves around your ear canal and cause tinnitus (ear ringing) and hearing loss. It is nothing to tamper with. Please tell your doctor and maybe post on zithromax and tinnitus / ear ringing and see what feedback you get.
I even tried to tell my doctor that I would put up with it because the zithromax was helping me and he stated that the damage can be permanent and would not let me stay on it.
I don't mean to scare you. Good luck - oh, and mine was worse at night also, even though I infused in the a.m.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
I've had high ringing in my ears from the beginning of exposure to Lyme -- ie, ears ringing away without any meds. A chiropractor was guessing that maybe the eighth cranial nerve is causing this symptom?
Posted by catalysT (Member # 10786) on :
Thankfully I don't have ringing in my ears (Tinnitus). You may likely already know about these, however you may want to try some of the remedies mentioned on these pages -
Personally I would try vinpocetine first. The cheapest source i could find is from Vitacost . i-herb.com also sells some comparbly priced ones (source naturals). I don't think you want to try vincamine, go with VINPOCETINE.
There was one case of an adverse reaction I saw, here . HOWEVER, there was a reported case of a man with a bad reaction to taking vitamin c, some people just get bizzare rare reactions to many things. Just monitor your health. I just wanted to point that out!
Vinpocetine is also usefull for memory problems, I think Buhner mentioned it in his book (or maybe he mentioned vincamine, but I'm under the impression vinpocetine is what you really want.) It is a pretty potent cerebral vasodilator (increases blood flow in the brain). It is a neuroprotectant (protects from brain damage) .
If you want to try vinpocetine, dosages range from about 5mg-30mg, with 10 or 20 being about average. It's pretty cheap and worth a try, considering its additional benefits.
Another one mentioned on those pages that is somewhat simular to vinpocetine, is hydergine. Hydergine you have to buy from overseas (if you live in the US). Hydergine -is- more expensive, however, it is an EXCELLENT neuroprotectant!!!
It's of my opinion that anyone with lyme or who had lyme should be consuming massive amounts of neuroprotectant drugs/chemicals/nutrients . Hydergine is exceptional for that. It should also help with some cognitive enhancement.
They've both helped me with cognitive issues, and I've also taken them as mental prophylactics. I personally take hydergine, and I'm ordering some vinpocetine to try again this week, as I found it beneficial in the past.
You can get hydergine from a site called airsealed (cheapest place for it), sure you can find it if you search around. For the record, I have no affiliation with any companies.
[ 12. December 2006, 04:18 PM: Message edited by: catalysT ]
Posted by quic (Member # 5262) on :
Its too soon to know if its really helping, but my initial impression is that it is. My tinnitus is minor now after almost 3 years of lyme treatment with abx and other stuff, but was severe for over 2 years. I'm just trying to get rid of it completely.
- Mike
Posted by Nebula2005 (Member # 8244) on :
The ringing hurts, dammit. Imagine having a really really really really really loud noise going off INSIDE your head.
The noises change. They change in tone and quality. Sometimes there are layers of sounds, different ones at the same time.
Sometimes I can ignore it, but when the pain extends to my teeth and my jaw and up and down my neck there is nothing that can distract me. Especially when the muscles in my face and head are twitching at the same time.
It IS worse at night, because it's worse AND because the house is quieter. It gets worse when all the other symptoms get worse.
Ambien will bring on sleep when nothing else works.
When Dr. J in NC had his Lyme info available online, he described patients with this, and attributed it to cranial nerve involvement, which can only improve with continued treatment for Lyme.
This has been my most difficult symptom. The ringing started maybe four years ago but the pain has been intensely unbearable for the last year, before and after starting treatment.
[ 12. December 2006, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: Nebula2005 ]
Posted by chroniccosmic (Member # 7789) on :
Ditto on what everyone else said about it seeming louder when everything else is quiet.
For sure I have noticed that its worse when I herx and quinine and babesia meds affect it the most.
I, too, am praying this goes away.
Hang in there.
Posted by Chickadee (Member # 8715) on :
wow all thanks.
i am not sleeping, that's why it is bugging me. yes, it does hurt it's awful, and I have jaw pain! I did not think that had anything to do with it.
I will talk to my doctor about zithromax. I do not want this to be permanent
thanks again
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
Zithromax can totally cause this! When i was on both oral and Iv Zithromax the ringing was pretty crazy. the higher the dose, the more the ringing...thank goodness for iPods!
Posted by duke77 (Member # 5051) on :
Until the post I almost forgot about the ringing. It used to be really bad for me before treatment. After reading the post I tried to tell if there was still ringing. For the most part it is almost totally gone. Sometimes in very very quiet rooms with my ear close to a pillow I can hear the ringing. It has gotten better. Now if I could only fix my vision problems.
I went to an autoimmune specialist and he said I have a sinus infection. He said that you have had it so long you didn't even realize it. My LLMD said that chronic sinus infections are fairly common with Lyme. I think the tinnitus went away when the sinus infection did. Wonder if there is a connection to sinus infections and tinnitus.
Posted by pope (Member # 10725) on :
quote:Originally posted by CaliforniaLyme: p.s. Can also be from yeast!
Not that I'm doubting you, but is there anything solid online to back this up?
I had my tinnitus completely go away for about five hours when I first took a dose of Diflucan. I also slept brilliantly, without my usual appalling dreams and repeated waking.
But I took two more doses the next two days, and they had no effect.
We hunted for evidence of any kind of systemic fungal infection back in February, but came up with nothing. I get the impression it's even harder to diagnose than Lyme!
P
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Pope- if you put tinnitus and candida into google you will hit thousands of anecdotal references- and it is always mentioned at candida sites- see as follows- there is no one good paper on this- wish there was~!!!
Candida Free Finally, a permanent solutionHOME HOW TO ORDER RESOURCES TESTIMONIALS YEAST TESTS THREELAC FAQS Eliminate The Underlying CausePrint this page My name is Mark Cobb, and this website is dedicated to the millions of people who, like me, have suffered through the debilitating effects of, and myriad treatments for what is commonly referred to as Candida, or more accurately, a yeast/fungal overgrowth of Candida albicans, which I was diagnosed with 19 years ago.
Candida Yeast/Fungal overgrowth has been found to be a common occurrence in many disorders and is also present in millions of other people who cannot figure out what is wrong with them, or what to do about it.
Symptoms vary from person to person and fluctuate in severity, or may come and go. Most symptoms are invisible, which makes it difficult for others to understand the vast array of debilitating symptoms with which we contend.
The most common are:
an incapacitating fatigue problems with concentration and short-term memory flu-like symptoms such as pain in the joints and muscle extreme tightness in the shoulders and neck hyper-acidity/acid reflux brown colored mucus in the back of the throat blisters in the mouth/tongue/throat either white or "blood blisters" un-refreshing sleep sore throat white coated tongue dark circles under the eyes an aversion to being touched or jumping "crawling" skin chronic sinus problems and headaches including migraines chronic dental problems
Visual disturbances may include blurring, sensitivity to light and eye pain.
Psychological problems may include:
depression irritability anxiety panic attacks recurring obsessive thoughts personality changes and mood swings (irrational rage or crying for no reason - fear of talking to people, any kind of confrontation, isolation) paranoia
More of the physical symptoms may include:
chills and night sweats shortness of breath dizziness and balance problems sensitivity to heat and/or cold alcohol intolerance gluten and/or casein intolerance irregular heartbeat irritable bowel constipation and/or diarrhea painful gas and abdominal bloating low-grade fever or low body temperature numbness, tingling and/or burning sensations in the face or extremities dryness of the mouth and eyes difficulty swallowing projectile vomiting
Also:
menstrual problems including PMS and endometriosis recurrent yeast infections recurrent ear infections rashes and dry, flaking skin eczema dermatitis acne skin discoloration and/or blotchiness dandruff jock and rectal itching chronic athlete's foot chronic toenail and fingernail fungus ringing in the ears (tinnitus) allergies and sensitivities to noise/sound, foods, odors, chemicals anemia weight changes without changes in diet light-headedness feeling in a fog fainting muscle twitching and muscle weakness restless leg syndrome low sex drive and/or numbness in the genital area
Posted by Chickadee (Member # 8715) on :
thanks again.
Posted by John292 (Member # 4628) on :
My ringing ears come form toxins.
This can be from die off or from food.
I have to eat ORGANIC food or my ears will really be ringing.
I use organic soap, shampoo and deoderant.
MSG and all the other forms of hidden MSG make my ears ring the most.
I buy and cook/prepare my own food so I know what I am eating.
I do not eat food I am allergic to.
I keep a food diary.
The diet from the Salt Vita-C protocol is helpful.
Take care,
John
Posted by Chickadee (Member # 8715) on :
oh gosh i am so overwhelmed, ringing can be from yeast, zithromax ,lyme, nerves, sinus and toxins. wow you all know so much here! I wish i never got bit by a tick.
Posted by pope (Member # 10725) on :
Re fungal connection: As I say, I'm not ruling anything out.
The problem is, if you believe the "alternative health" websites, everything and anything can be caused by "candida".
Way back at the beginning of the year, I was reading those sites too, and so started blaming my illness on candida. But umpteen investigations found nothing. The white coating on my tongue was NOT a fungus (who knows what the heck that stuff is?). A candida antibodies test was negative. And the primary symptoms of systemic fungal infections are (I believe) cough or breathing problems, and white creamy patches on the tongue, neither of which I had.
They say that systemic fungal infections are only really possible in immunocompromised people, and occasionally those undergoing surgery (ironically, the most common place to pick up fungal infections is in hospital!)
Does anyone have their tinnitus only come on at night? What I mean is, you go to bed fairly okay, but wake up deaf in one ear or other? That's what happens to me. In fact, to prove a point, back in May, for two nights in a row, I set an alarm to wake me up every 45 minutes. It was torture never going to sleep properly. However, both times, it worked - in the morning, I still had my hearing.
You'd think that would be a big clue for an ENT specialist. But no. So since then I've lost a ton of my hearing... apparently permanently.
P
Posted by Lioness (Member # 10655) on :
I just remembered something I did when it was at it's worst!
I would put my heating pad over my ear! (one ear at a time)
Not sure why, but that would soothe it for a while.
Not scorching heat, just nice and warm. I can't remember if I used it while slightly moist or not though.
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Pope- I hope not!!! My tinnitus is gone now and my hearing got almost normal- I had my hearing get really bad too (I tell people I know what it is like to be old with my problems walking and arthritis and hearing etc and I mean it!!!)and it is totally normal except when I am in a crowd or dept store or some place with a lot of background noise it is hard for me to separate noises and they just all blend in and even if someone is RIGHT in front of me it is hard to hear them with other voices right there. But it was bad all the time pre-Rocephin. I hope you find something that brings oyu back to a better place with it!!!!
Posted by Nebula2005 (Member # 8244) on :
Lioness:
I go to bed every night with one of those small herb-flax cloth bag things that I microwave until it's toasty.
It feels good on my legs until it's cool enough for my ears.
It also helps my stiff sore neck.
I don't know that it improves the tinnitis, but it's very comforting!
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