I never thought this was a PsA symptom, but I finally looked at some of the discussion about ringing ears, and it seems like a few of you have this problem. Mine started at least a year ago and it can drive me nuts. It seems more like my entire head is ringing. No, it isn't my blood pressure because that is pretty well controlled. I shouldn't have ear damage because I haven't been exposed to too much loud noise. In thinking back, for quite awhile I had pain in my jaw and right ear. My dentist told me it was an infected saliva gland. After antibiotics didn't help the pain, my doctor's nurse cleaned my ear, but she actually hurt it squirting the liquid in so forcefully! After that my right ear started ringing, but now it's my whole head. Like right now, sitting here typing, it's just about driving me nuts! Anybody know anything about this? I had attempted to make an appt with the ENT docs, but by the time they called me back I was feeling hopeless about them being able to do anything to help me. I'm now hoping it's a PsA symptom and the Enbrel will help.
I have 40 percent hearing loss in both ears. I know PsA caused it.
I have significant hearing loss too (as well as other symptoms ), and I’ve always been told that mine is menieres syndrome. Why do you say that you know PsA caused yours? (I ask because I’ve been told that the pattern of my hearing loss isn’t typical of menieres. Makes me wonder…)
Karen said:
I have 40 percent hearing loss in both ears. I know PsA caused it.
It has not been confirmed by Dr.. It is just in the timing of everything. Everything just seems like it is going full blast in almost every area of my body
Karen
I know. I’ve wondered the same thing. Would stand to reason that if PsA can inflame tendons and organs, it could also inflame the delicate little structures of the inner ear.
Tinnitus is soooooo annoying and it can be distracting. I try really hard to just ignore mine. Easier said than done!
My husband has it. He uses noise to drown it out.. And of course I need quiet.. Go figure
I have tinnitus too. Mine is a kind of high pitched tone, bit like the high frequency whistle that I used to be able to detect from some electrical appliances .... ha, ha I've now got one in my head constantly. I really miss the sound of silence.
It's something I did ask my rheumy about way back when. He said 'no' it has nothing to do with PsA although it can happen with other types of arthritis. I'm not convinced about the 'no'.
I have had the ringing ears too. High doses of NSAIDs, some antibiotics (monocycline for one) and other drugs can cause it. With your description of the nurse cleaning your ear, having an radiologist check it out may be an idea; or the ENT. Cleaning the ears should never hurt! I would want to know if your eardrum is okay after the “forceful cleaning”. Good luck and take care!
Thanks, guys, it sure seems weird that so many of us have tinnitus. Jules, that's exactly what mine is like and noise does drown it out somewhat. I'll definitely report if it goes away or lessens up once I'm on Enbrel. Tomorrow's the big day I should receive it and get my first shot!!!!!
I had pretty bad tinnitus when I was on meloxicam, a NSAID. Switched to another NSAID, diclofenac, and the tinnitus went away, along with dizziness, vertigo, etc.
I hope you get to the bottom of this and find some relief. It sounds really frustrating. Good luck!
Thanks Janeatiu, I should see the ENT about it but being the pessimist I am I don't think they can fix it anyway. Then that'll be more wasted time in a clinic. It's annoying, but haha at least it isn't painful!
I started this discussion almost a year ago and thought I'd open it back up now because I'm almost going nuts from the ringing today! Please, if anyone knows anything I can do to stop it or at least reduce it, I'd appreciate it. I've tried something I found online-covering my ears with my palms, hands on the back of my head and then flicking my finger against the base of my head. Unfortunately, it only helps for a few seconds. :-( I haven't bothered to talk to a doctor about it because they usually can't help anyway. But, maybe I should.
Well, I have hearing loss from work for sure. They test us once a year, I try really hard to always use ear protection but it still gets worse. My ears started ringing when I started high doses of ibuprofen and now that I use indomethacin its even worse. I get your frustration but have no idea what to do for it. Strange how it comes and goes at times huh? Did you ever get over your sinus thing? All connected. I felt like I should respond but I guess nothing too helpful to say.I also find it weird that an any inflammatory causes it rather then prevent it. Wishing you peace tonight!
I never had a job where I needed hearing protection, but I guess it doesn't take much noise to do damage. The ringing used to come and go, but for a long time now it's been steady--some days (like today) it's almost unbearable! Usually it's just annoying. Rachael, I don't take high doses of any pain meds--I rarely take pain meds. The only time was a few months ago I took about 3,000 mg/day of ibuprofen for about 2 weeks when my back was really bad, but I resorted to using the heating pad and ice packs once the worst of the pain was over. The only pill I regularly take is one Tylenol pm to help me sleep, which I think is harmless. If that one Tylenol can cause the ringing, I would like to know, because I'd stop taking it today! I've got the TV on right now and the ringing is as loud as it! Ugh. Oh, and yes, today my sinuses are OK. :)
My tinnitus drives me nuts sometimes, I notice it the most at night when there is no other noises for my brain to truly listen to. Sadly I don't think there is a cure, GrandmaJ, but there are some things which can help. This is a link to a British association but the info is good whichever side of the pond you're on http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/what-is-tinnitus
Mine is definitely worse if my blood pressure spikes, so worsening tinnitus is always a reminder to me to check my BP. It's been annoying recently because I had to stop one of my BP meds which was making me feel really unwell (and I'd been blaming the PsA, which on this occasion was truly innocent) so I'm back to having to tinker with BP meds to get that back down as well ..... which reminds me I must call in at the pharmacy today to collect whatever I'm trying now :)
I just visited the link, Jules, and from what i read, there's no cure for tinnitus. I'm thinking I'll try wearing hearing protection for awhile to see if the reduction in all noise helps. Although for me the noise seems like it's in my brain and not my ears, so I'll let you know later how my little experiment goes.....I guess it's worth a try! ....well, so much for that idea....I thought we had some disposable ear plugs here but they're missing. I realized that won't work anyway--if I cover my ears the noise actually gets louder (I just tried that!) And I identified it's worse on the right side. Now I'm thinking this is from the time my nurse sprayed water in my ear so hard it hurt and I had to ask her to stop. That was at least two years ago! But I also should add I frequently (at least for a few hours every day) I have a headache....wondering if that is linked to the ringing. I rarely take pain meds for the headache because it starts at bedtime and I think it's a small SE from my bp med. You don't think my bp med could be causing this do you? Hmmmm, I'm going to look into that!!!!! :). .....Omg so update: I looked up amlodipine (my bp med) SEs on drugs.com and tinnitus wasn't in the long list of possible SEs, but it was mentioned in a paragraph below that under "nervous system" as a very rare complaint. Maybe it IS time to switch bp meds.
Yep, no cure! My understanding, in most cases, is that the tinnitus sounds are 'imagined' by the brain rather than sounds we actually hear that have a physical cause inside the ear ... so unless yours is made worse by external noise then you may find the tinnitus seems worse with hearing protection because the bit of your brain which processes sound (and where the tinnitus originates) actually has nothing else to do except 'listen' to tinnitus.
I had to have mine checked at the hearing clinic (last year or might have been the year before?) and they tell me some people have it both sides and it can vary in intensity and some people it's just one side.
For the best part I try to ignore it ...it's my constant companion so not sure what else I can do!!!!!
Grandma J, regarding BP meds ... definitely have a read up on whatever it is you're taking.
I've recently discovered (totally by accident) that the indapamide (a thiazide diuretic) I was put on over a year ago has been responsible for how unwell I've been feeling for months and months ... of course, I was blaming it on the PsA when it wasn't that at all! I actually asked my doctor what the point was in being alive if I felt half dead all the time, and that really was how unwell I felt.
Unfortunately my BP is proving difficult to control on just atenolol and candesartan so I've got to go back on another thiazide diuretic and pray this one doesn't cause me the same problem 'cos I'm burning through all the BP meds like a racehorse. Seems that we're discovering I'm much more medication side-effect sensitive (and not just to BP meds) than anyone could have anticipated.
My brother has tinnitus and twice this year I've feared I had it - once was one of worst mornings I have ever had.
Grandma J - I would definitely talk to your doctor about it! They might not be able to do anything , but 1) they might or 2) confirm that it's not something else. Good luck :/
The prevalence of tinnitus is quite high - something like 20% and even higher for certain age groups - but from my googling, it does not look like it's any higher with those of use who have PsA.
