First Time Noticed Tinnitus After Coming Back from an MRI — TMJ Issues at Play?

Hey y'all, just recently found myself with a bout of what appear to be tinnitus since early December 2020. Apologies if this post is a bit long, but I feel like there's a lot of background here:

Since March 2020, I've been dealing with a number of weird health problems (IBS symptoms, eye pain, extreme fatigue) one and off. Around August I was getting high pretty frequently (off edibles, no smoking) and then after a trip where I got super drunk, I noticed weird neurological symptoms (coordination issues, swaying/balance problems, shaky hands, tingling). I went to see a neurologist who said I had very low B12 based on some blood work and wanted some MRIs done. I started taking methyl B12 supplements daily.

I first noticed the sounds in my ear after coming back from an MRI (for other coordination/joint pain issues I'd been having). I was watching TV with my family and asked if they noticed a weird ringing sound in the house and they said that they didn't. I went into a quiet room with them and they said they couldn't hear it there either. From there, I began noticing it everywhere, though I get some relief when I'm outside.

The sound seems to primarily be in my right ear, though it sometimes jumps to the left one or can be in both. The sound can be a ringing, a loud static, or a what I imagine a dog whistle is like. Sometimes it's multiple sounds at once. A couple of times I hear da whooshing/rumbling in the left ear that almost felt like a physical sensation. Last night I was high and I could hear my pulse as well.

I've also noticed a loud "cracking" in my ears when I swallow and an occasional pop when I yawn. I saw an ENT who said that my hearing tests are totally normal and that he can't see any damage to my ear drum or anything.

Prior to all this tinnitus nonsense, I've been a chronic clencher at night when I sleep even though I wear Invisalign retainers, so TMJ issues could be at play. I also definitely have some severe hypochondriac/possible OCD behaviors that I am currently looking for help with, but I am unsure whether this tinnitus is purely psychosomatic or if there is anything actually physically wrong with my body that I can check at this point with all these possible factors?

 

I think you answered your own question. Stop getting high!

 

Yeah, I definitely need to give it up at this point. I'll probably make it a New Year's resolution.

Is it possible to get sudden permanent tinnitus from weed only? The sounds in my ear change in pitch/frequency daily and hourly even.

 

Have you considered that you may have suffered an acoustic trauma because of the MRI? Did you use any hearing protection during the scan? Those machines are awfully loud.

 

Yeah, they gave me some over the ear headphones. Not sure how effective those are?

 

Hey there! Welcome to the forum, and I hope you are doing well today.

I can't provide any definitive answer as to whether or not it could be permanent, but weed is believed by many here on the forum to have exacerbated their symptom, and Cannabis sativa is listed by the ATA as a potentially ototoxic herbal. Of course, as with most things, your mileage may vary. Some even claim that it lowers their volume or makes them chill out to the point where it doesn't bother.

There's no way really to know with absolute certainty what might be causing your problems, and there's no guarantee either way that the weed consumption has affected it. Yours could have resulted from a combination of factors. Personally, if you can help it, I would advise touching it or any other potentially ototoxic substance for at least a few months.

As previously mentioned, it's also possible you might have experienced an acoustic trauma that pushed you over the edge into having this symptom. This might also come with noise-induced hearing loss, and that isn't always noticeable in your everyday life. Audiograms and other hearing tests currently available are not robust enough to appropriately check the entire range, often missing instances of "hidden" hearing loss.

The best thing you can do right now is do whatever you can not to exacerbate the problem. Try to relax and chill (without taking in weed) and connect with family and friends.

Also, regarding much of this, I can relate with your uncertainty.

This symptom is almost universally regarded as such, meaning it is the result of an underlying problem. As mentioned before, this could come from hearing loss, trauma, or damage by ototoxic substances. But then again, there's also a psychological element that generally has to do with our acute perception of the phantom noise. Stress, anxiety, and depression are all believed to be comorbid to some extent with this symptom. I would imagine this extends to those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, as this behavior likes to feed into the "checking".

 

Depends. Was it for protection or to hear the assistants and ambient music to calm your nerves? I think, best earmuffs provide around 30-37 dB reduction, but in laboratory circumstances, so in real life less. (There is a method on the OSHA website, that you need to subtract 7dB, then divide it by 2.) MRIs can go up to 110-120 dB, so well in the harmful category.

I'm not saying that this is your cause, but my own experience is that MRI spiked me even though the neurologist kind of laughed in my face that it's not possible to cause harm.

 

I think the former (they played music and communicated to me via the headphones). If that's the case, that's damn unfortunate that I didn't get better protection!

 

Well, I would like to correct myself and ease your mind, and sorry for the misinformation, I was not aware of this, because I only could wear earplugs during the brain MRI due to not being enough room for the muffs. So, you were not unprotected, MRI headphones do offer protection while being capable of playing music. It still can be too loud, was for me even with earplugs and did spike me, but very well can be that it has nothing to do with your case even though it seems a bit unlikely coincidental that your onset was after the scan.

 

All good, my man/gal. I'm trying to just accept it and hope that it naturally fades over time.