Tinnitus

[Eva M]

I recently developed tinnitus and wondered if this is a coincidence or more common to people with DES. It's too soon to tell if it's permanent or temporary (I suspect permanent). I would appreciate information from anyone with this condition and if their tinnitus came about during or after their diagnosis of DES. Thanks to all of you.

[NYer]

Eva,
There are a number of oral medications that have the side effect of causing tinnitus. If you get off of the medication quickly enough, the tinnitus may be temporary. Unfortunately, however, if that's not the cause, then it's probably permanent. So before you accept that your condition is permanent, make sure you're not taking something that is causing it.

There is a really good web site called www.hearinglosshelp.com that has a section about tinnitus:
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/tinnitus.htm
Also, he offers a really amazing list of all the medications that can cause tinnitus.

I don't know of any correlation to dry eye. (That's not to say there isn't a correlation, though.)

[Rebecca Petris]

I looked this up on wrongdiagnosis.com's multiple symptom checker and got only one hit - Ramsey Hunt Syndrome.

[Blueyes]

Hi Eva,
I am sorry to hear about your condition. My mother has been suffering from tinnitus for the past ten years. She does not have DES. Her tinnitus is permanent, however, she learned to ignore it and claims it does not bother her anymore.

You probably know this, but just in case: you need to rule out Lyme disease.

[NYer]

I looked this up on wrongdiagnosis.com's multiple symptom checker and got only one hit - Ramsey Hunt Syndrome.

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome has a myriad of symptoms and is very similar to Bells Palsy. Due to it's impact on the facial nerve, it can cause the inability to close the eye, leading to dry eye. It can also cause something similar to tinnitus. HOWEVER, just having tinnitus and dry eye is NOT symptomatic of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. There are a whole bunch of other factors involved in that condition.

[Rebecca Petris]

I was not suggesting RH as a possible diagnosis. Rather, my point was that I think a tie-in between dry eye and tinnitus is probably far-fetched.

[Eva M]

Tinnitus

Thank you one and all for your quick reply. Very helpful. Eva

[Terri]

Eva M: Ask your doc to give you a standard hearing test. You didn't say whether your tinnitus was on one side or both sides. However, if it's on one side only, and if your hearing in the ear with tinnitus is not as good as your hearing in the other ear, insist upon getting an MRI. One-sided hearing loss, especially when coupled with tinnitus, can be a sign of an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor on the acoustic nerve.

Terri

[Lady88]

Tinnitus and Dry Eyes

I recently developed tinnitus and wondered if this is a coincidence or more common to people with DES. It's too soon to tell if it's permanent or temporary (I suspect permanent). I would appreciate information from anyone with this condition and if their tinnitus came about during or after their diagnosis of DES. Thanks to all of you.

Hi
I was searching for information on google and your post caught my eye. I have been a sufferer of tinnitus since I was 14 and am now 23. Previously mine has usually been related to stress but strong glares also seem to set it off. Mostly I just put up with it but relaxation techniques and polarized sunglasses seemed to help. More recently I have been suffering from persistent dry eyes which I think may be related to the heating system at work but this seems to make the tinnitus worse than ever and can, at times, be quite debilitating. I agree with you that I think there is some correlation between tinnitus and your eyes and was eager to find out if you've heard any more feedback on this since the message was posted.

[PotatoCakes]

I'm not familiar with any correlation between dry eye but PPs are correct, some medications can cause it.

Here's a couple of organizations you might find useful: http://www.ata.org/ and http://www.vestibular.org/

[MaryVa61]

I think meds could do both and also possibly allergies or TMJ, though they may just cause eye pain and watering instead of DES. Probably many things could cause both, but both are very common conditions so could be coincidental.

I developed Tinnitus after developing dry eye and another eye disorder, SLK, many years ago. But had other health problems too and was on various meds, so hard to say the cause for me. I do think my muscle problems and blood vessel issues may be implicated for both. And just in case you happen to have TMJ, that and my tinnitus decreased when I went on Magnesium supplements. Had to figure out the right dose for my weight, with the right amount of Calcium supplementation, and did it with a doctor's oversight. It works for me. Avoid Mg Oxide though if you don't want GI issues.

Just my thoughts.

Mary

[Stanza]

Hi, I guess there can be a link, Eva. I have chronic TMJ and I do see it as linked to my DES. This link is also not well documented as of yet but I my facial symptoms have been severe enough that I've had a multitude of issues from occular migraines to various muscle and nerve issues in my face and upper body.

Also for me both the DES and jaw issues arose at similar times.

The doctor I work with has asked me before if I have tinitus as this has a link to TMJ, but I don't, I do have muffling and a feeling of blocked ears but no ringing/noises.

[lulu]

Sjorgren's!