Does Shingles Make Tinnitus Worse?

Good afternoon,

I have had low level tinnitus for 6 months and was diagnosed with Shingles 4 days ago. I have been taking Valacyclovir as treatment. My tinnitus has increased since then. I am hoping it is only the medication. Can Shingles permanently increase the sound level? Thanks.

 

Given that Shingles is a virus and viruses can cause damage (or irritation) to the auditory nerve, it could definitely bother your tinnitus.

Antivirals are sometimes prescribed when a virus is suspected for sudden hearing loss, so it’s doubtful the medication is the cause.

Hopefully you will be feeling better soon!

 

Tinnitus is a clinically documented complication of Shingles.

For example: In this FDA clinical study of the Shingrix Shingles vaccine, the following quote and reference to 2 additional studies is made: "may result in sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus and vestibular symptoms such as vertigo and nystagmus [(Gondivkar, 2010), (Nagel, 2013)]"

Gondivkar, S., Parikh, V. and Parikh, R., 2010. Herpes zoster oticus: A rare clinical entity. Contemporary Clinical Dentistry, 1(2), p.127.

Nagel, M.A. and Gilden, D., 2013. Complications of varicella zoster virus reactivation. Current Treatment Options in Neurology, 15(4), pp.439-453.