Hello from a New Sufferer

Hi, WHSM, and welcome!!

Thanks, @billie48, for all the great advice, as always. We have a lot of resources here on Tinnitus Talk, and a lot of helpful people, like Billie, who will be glad to provide support as needed.

I have pulsatile tinnitus, too, (right ear only), that began shortly after I started taking blood pressure medicine for the first time. Before that, I did have mild tinnitus in my right ear, but it got a lot worse after taking the blood pressure meds, and I also ended up with pulsatile tinnitus within a couple weeks of taking the drug.

I have heard of other people who have high blood pressure, for whom blood pressure drugs actually helped their pulsatile tinnitus to become milder, but I wasn't one of those people.

What type of blood pressure medicine are you taking? I started out with an ACE inhibitor, and then my doctor switched me to a beta blocker (first Propranolol, and then Toprol XL).

I've had my pulsatile tinnitus for almost exactly five years now, and I have gotten myself off all blood pressure drugs. I'm taking a natural supplement to control my blood pressure (Carditone), plus exercising and watching my diet. However, the tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus remain. The good news is, it has gotten easier to live with. I've had various tests, including an MRI/MRA, CT scan, Doppler of carotid arteries, and gone to several doctors. None of them could find a physical cause for the pulsating.

My suggestion to you would be to give it a little time to see if it stabilizes, or even goes away. If it doesn't, you could try going to a specialist (I went to a neurotologist) for further testing. Most likely, there is no physical obstruction causing it, but it might be good to get checked out for your peace of mind.

You could then try experimenting with your blood pressure medicine dosage to see if a higher dose would help. Are you under the care of a cardiologist? You could ask your doctor if other patients have this same symptom as a side effect of the medication. I suspect there are many of us!

Best wishes,
Karen