H2 Antihistamines, Famotidine, Tinnitus

i struggle with acid reflux and have suspected for a long time that a number of medications i took last year contributed to the return of my tinnitus

i dont know why but this week my acid reflux got really bad and in desperation i took an H2 antihistamine yesterday to help stem the pain

i had not taken any H2 antihistamines for over 6 months and my tinnitus had stabilized and maybe even improved a bit

this morning the ringing in my ears is worse than ever

once again i searced the web and found few references to a link between H2 antacids medication and tinnitus

until...i did this///search nih and famotidine

wow...and found this, so it seems there is some research making a possible connection

1. FAMOTIDINE (FAMOTIDINE) INJECTION, SOLUTION [BAXTER ...
   
   dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=7487
   http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=6ca166e5-8591-4eb1- b6dd-ade7f6f4c1bf ... The active ingredient in Famotidine Injection, USP is a histamine H 2-receptor antagonist. ..... Special Senses: tinnitus, taste disorder ...
2. 
   
   PEPCID (FAMOTIDINE) TABLET, FILM COATED [PD-RX ...
   
   dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=66351
   http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=4f1992ef-d1c8-4219- b3c4-33c608fce28c ... The active ingredient in PEPCID® (famotidine) is a histamine H2-receptor antagonist. Famotidine is ..... Special Senses: tinnitus, taste disorder ...
3. 
   
   FAMOTIDINE TABLET [GOLDEN STATE MEDICAL SUPPLY, INC.]
   
   dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=58325
   Permanent Link: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid= a526ee23-eb4b-4bf4-a815-61ae171d182b ... The active ingredient in famotidine , is a histamine H2 -receptor antagonist. ..... Special Senses: tinnitus, taste disorder ...
4. 
   
   FAMOTIDINE - National Library of Medicine HSDB Database
   
   toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdbterm...3572
   Fever, hypertension, flushing, musculoskeletal pain, arthralgia, and tinnitus have been reported in 1% or less of patients receiving famotidine, but a causal ...
5. 
   
   famotidine injection, solution [app pharmaceuticals, llc] - DailyMed ...
   
   dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=56591
   Permanent Link: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid= aeb27cea-1ff7-4a6e-93f1-d4c4dac5faa7 ... The active ingredient in famotidine injection is a histamine H2–receptor antagonist. ..... Special Senses: tinnitus, taste disorder ...
   --------
   
   can others here share knowledge of research or personal experience that would enlighten me on this...i have never been sure about whether or not H2s can cause or aggravate tinnitus...its so hard to know cause and effect, but my recent experience is scary and makes me question...
   
   thanks
   mock turtle

 

Is benedryl and H2 antihistamine?

 

hi calin

i think benedryl is an H1 antihistamine, used for allergies etc (sleep aid sometimes) and has a diferent mode of action than the H2s...i have not had problems with the H1 s...i think

 

Oh good.... my T does not increase with benedryl.

 

Hi MT,

I dont know about the antihistamine question but I do know about stomach acid. Strangely, acid reflux can be caused through low stomach acid. When your stomach acid is low you cannot digest protein and this causes an acid reaction. I cured mine through a Betaine HCL supplement protocol (I had a Helicobacter Pylori infection that had caused my low stomach acid).

 

Hi MT,

The references I looked at cited tinnitus as less than 1 percent; with a number that low, it's hard to know if a cause/effect relationship exists. You might look the drug up in a book for ototoxic medications. Also, as you probably know, if the drug has vascular effects--e.g., constricts your blood vessels--that would irritate your tinnitus.

About gastric reflux and tinnitus, I do remember reading a relationship between the two. But I'm not sure where I read it.

Besides Pepcid, you might try some herbal teas for your reflux. Tums also works and I use it frequently with no adverse effects.

 

I do not have gastric reflux but I experience some LPR symptoms that I take H2 for (ranitidine, I believe?) occasionally.

I don't think it has ever made my tinnitus worse. I have checked the drug inserts of many H2 drugs on the market in Poland and none of them mentions tinnitus as a side effect (it doesn't mean it doesn't cause it, maybe we are just misinformed).

PPI drugs, however, is another story. The first time I tried PPI drugs I was tinnitus free. Two weeks into PPIs, whistle in my ears appears. I consider it one of possible causes of my T.

 

Here's a reference to GERD and ototoxic drugs:

http://hearinglosshelp.com/weblog/gastroesophageal-reflux-disease-gerd-and-your-ears.php

I've been to this website before, but the author seems to think everything causes tinnitus.

 

I would be cautious with some of the info on here. Some of the info is not bad but in the end he is trying to sell books and nothing sells books better than fear

 

I have the book Ototoxic Drugs Exposed. Shows all references to ear effects of all drugs. References are from Practioners desk references and other such. It shows %s of people who report T in testing. Unfortunately most drugs are in there showing OT effects.

Does anyone else have this book?

Would it break copyright if I posted it somewhere here for all to see? I guess it would.

 

Louise, I don't know if it would violate copyright laws. There's something called "fair use" of copyright material. But better safe than sorry.

I agree with Eric about the site I posted. And it exemplifies the problem with many ototoxic references. We all know some, or many, drugs may cause or aggravate tinnitus, but what drugs are the most likely to produces such effects--there's the rub. I've not looked at a Physicians' Desk Reference in several years, but I believe it categorizes a drug's side effects by probabilities, such as less than 1%; more than 20%, etc. That's the information people need and about all they can expect.

That said, I miss the days when I could take any OTC drug I wanted or eat anything I liked. Now, I always have to consider my tinnitus. I'm grateful MT talked about his experience with Pepcid. We all need to post these experience on the board. But oftentimes, we will never be sure of a cause/effect relationship.

What we need is a cure for tinnitus!

 

Amen brother!! (Sister?)

The book looks pretty good.

MARKKU! Can I post the book somewhere for all to see?

 

thanks everybody for your responses...i read them all and will follow links too...in time...just having an awful week

lately it seems like more than half of all medications and food coloring spices etc etc that i come in contact with makes my tinnitus worse...very bad time

Jazz...very true about how hard it is to know cause and effect relationship...very true

 

I find that all meds make my T worse. I have acid reflux also and cannot take any meds for it. I do take primadophilus, 80 billion strain. That has helped me a lot.

 

cookie

me too...it just seems like so often, when a med indicates tinnitus as a rare side effect...i get it

funny thing, aspirin, one or two tabs a day..or none for a week, seems to not have any effect on my T and for so many others aspirin is problematic

tinnitus is very strange and clearly it isn't a "one size fits all" ailment

best wishes
mt

 

Aspirin doesn't bother my T. Sometimes it actually makes it better. I have 50 different vitamins in the house but can only take 4 of them since they all make my T worse. I discovered Quantum Nutrition which is very pure and they work for me.

PS Love your photo. I have something similar I took in Angkor Wat.

 

thanks, my youngest daughter took it when we were hiking around mt rainier national park

is that you in front of the taj mahal !

 

Sure is. Went there in July.

 

Has anyone taken Venlafaxine? Did it ramp up the tinnitus?

 

I was taking Prilosec for gastric reflux, but stopped it because it causing osteoporosis. I then tried Zantac at the advice of my GP. It did not do the job. My gastroenterologist put me on a very large dose of Famotidine, 40 mg 2x a day. I started it about three days ago and my tinnitus is awful. I'm stopping the drug now! Last year I was put on Atenolol for what turned out to be white coat hypertension,and my tinnitus ramped up with new sounds and volume. I went off the drug, and after a year the sounds had just started to lessen. Now they're louder than ever.

 

Prilosec and Zantac both make my tinnitus much worse. It’s awful. I have terrible acid reflux and can’t even take anything for it because it destroys my ears even more than they already are.

 

I take Venlafaxine but my hearing and tinnitus were already severe due to Meniere's so I don't think it has.
Love glynis

 

I used to get spikes in the form of an extremely high frequency hiss over everything when I took antihistamines in the past, the same spike I would get from stress or when I took citalopram, I use antihistamine cream now but luckily I dont have the skin issue as bad as I did before.

 

Wow, just found this thread! I've been on prescription Famotidine (Pepcid) --40mg morning and night, for about 4-5 years. I'm going to cut it down or out and see if my tinnitus (left ear) of 1.5 months goes away. Thanks!