Beeping, Inconsistent Tinnitus — Help Me Figure This Out

I have a beeping type of tinnitus in my right ear. Sometimes it switches to the left ear in the morning.

It does not follow my heartbeat or any other pattern. It sounds a lot like electric coil noise or an old hard drive writing.

It seems to be quiet once it's dead silent, but any type of noise such as wind, rain, fan etc makes it sound a bit higher.

Some days it is not there even if I listen for it, but more often than not it is there bothering me.

Anybody has any clue as to what this is? And what might be causing it?

If normal tinnitus is like eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, mine is eeEEe eeEEEee eEEEe EeeeEEEeeeEEeEEeeE E e e e EE e e EE e...

 

Anyone?

 

@Bar, it's difficult to say what is causing it. Maybe some kind of reactivity to sound - seems like the way you explain it. I have the same from time to time - this fluctuation and variable frequency beeping (EEeees). Kind of random, but wind, rain, vacuum cleaners, typical tinny may temporarily make it worse.

 

Mine is like this, but in my right ear only.

Heavy workouts give me silence for a few moments after.

Being COMPLETELY still makes it less beepy and more steady and it gets much quieter.

I think mine is due to TMJ/clenching/neck tension. I have a lot of other symptoms that only affect the right side of my head.

 

Yes maybe itys something to do with my stiff neck.

By the way, if Ii drink a lot of beers, it goes away for a few days, weird!

 

Maybe I should try the beer thing

 

In this morning's Chicago Tribune:

Some report ringing in the ears after Covid-19 vaccine

Q: I received the Moderna vaccine. After a second shot, I developed tinnitus that has lasted five weeks (so far).

I haven't found much about this side effect online in medical reports. However, I did find a forum [perhaps referring to this one?] with other people complaining of tinnitus that has not gone away. Have you heard of this?

A: As far as we can tell, the clinical trials for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines did not reveal tinnitus as a side effect. There are, however, some reports in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database.

We have received a couple of similar stories:

"I've have both doses of the Moderna vaccine. After the second dose my chronic tinnitus, which was worked up extensively in the past, got louder and continues that way over a month later."

Another person wrote: "I received my last shot of the Pfizer vaccine two weeks ago. I had COVID in June 2020, and it caused some ringing in my ears. I never connected it to COVID, though. Then after each injection I got more ringing in my ears. It's now worse than ever. Will it ever go away? I hope it is just temporary and will resolve in time."

The possibility of tinnitus as a rare vaccine side effect should not discourage people from getting their shots.

As our reader above noted, COVID-19 infections themselves can cause tinnitus. One study found that 6.6% of hospitalized patients developed this condition (International Journal of Audiology, online, July 31, 2020). Only time will tell if the ringing will fade.​

Does that mean that one out 15 of that portion of the 32,000,000 who have been hospitalized (and those who were not but were nonetheless severely affected) will get this?

COVID-19 will yield a new generational epidemic of tinnitus sufferers. Perhaps this will be the long neglected but finally recognized crisis that will engender an emergency impetus requiring the necessary concentration on a truly effective treatment.

 

@Bar, you still out there? I think I have the same thing and alcohol helps mine too. I guess if I have to drink a beer almost day for the rest of my life, so be it.