I Now Have Tinnitus After Receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

Thanks, coming from another long hauler I appreciate it. Still praying for better treatments or a cure.

 

I’m still on the fence. My husband really wants me to get it. But I’ve noticed some worsening of the tinnitus in my right ear.

It’s a very bizarre presentation. It’s sort of a high pitched hiss. I developed it a year ago and then it went away after about five months and then it came back in March. It can go away for short periods during the day and then come back. I can have quiet days, loud days. It’s completely variable. But lately I’ve noticed it seems worse. This is different than my pure tone ring up my left ear where I have hearing loss. Lately it seems like it’s happening more frequently and it’s louder and more high-pitched. So the annoyance factor has just grown exponentially. I have no idea what caused it. No hearing loss in that ear. Potential TMJ/allergies/neck issues. So given all of that, I really don’t want to do anything that is potentially going to make it worse. Even if I got the vaccination and I didn’t have a problem with tinnitus worsening, we know that these vaccinations only cover you for a period of time and then you are going to need a booster. So what happens then?

Both my ENT and my otologist strongly urged me to get the shot and said that although they have heard of people reporting worsening of tinnitus or a new onset of tinnitus after the shot, they still do not feel like there is solid data to correlate it to the vaccine. My otologist said there are so many things that cause tinnitus, it is hard to correlate it to any one thing for any one person. Then he reminded me that tinnitus won’t kill you but COVID-19 can.

 

What?!? Don't use q-tips!

 

So how do I clean my inner ears lol?

 

Buy an ear oil like the one I suggested.

 

So I’m thinking of trying Flonase and Claritin-D. I feel on and off fullness in my left ear, the one that is semi red. I sometimes breathe and feel air going through it.

Maybe it’s ETD? I mean it can’t hurt to use Flonase and Claritin-D right?

 

The breathing and feeling air go through sounds odd, I have never experienced that. I’ve no experience with decongestant meds, but Claritin and Flonase have never bothered me. Definitely try to make a appointment with an ENT if you have only seen a general doctor. Or consider getting a second opinion.

 

Yeah I’ve seen an ENT but didn’t have the left ear tinnitus then, got it days after.

 

Certainly not with q-tips!

(your inner ear is past your ear drum, and past your middle ear too - you're probably thinking of your outer ear/ear canal)

More seriously: ears are self cleaning and wax plays a big part in this. Unless you have a condition that requires you to mess with them, I would just leave them alone.

 

Haha thanks, yeah that’s what I meant.

 

Yep. I had a similar experience after my second dose. I thought it was subsiding. Ringing was reduced to a slight hissing and was barely noticeable. But today it's starting to get loud all over again.

My sister is a DOM and she told me to try acupuncture. She had some patients who developed tinnitus post-vaccine and she said it cleared up after a few treatment sessions. I am hopeful that means this is temporary...

 

So a week ago I received my first Pfizer shot. Prior to the shot I had several weeks of my tinnitus ranging from mild to moderate to short periods of time where it was completely gone. The majority of the time it had been mild to the point were it was only audible in a quiet room or maybe barely audible around normal everyday noise.

The first couple of days after my shot I experienced mostly moderate tinnitus, which I would describe as somewhat annoying but not bad enough to prevent me from going about my life as normal. I think this could be attributed to the vaccine, but I can't be sure of that. Since then everything has gone back to how it was previously, which is mild most of the time. So I am pretty happy I got vaccinated and won't hesitate to get my second shot.

 

I'm glad I found this thread.

Background: I had severe tinnitus after a really loud music show in 2004/2005. It lasted about 8 weeks,, and then, thankfully, it went away for the most part! Then on I was much more careful about my hearing.

It kicked back up with the first dose of Moderna, for the first time since 2005. Then after a few days, when the side effects went away, so did the tinnitus.

However in the last week it's kicked back up again. I'm about 2-3 weeks from the second shot. The tinnitus is not as bad as it was in 2004 (thank goodness), but it's quite noticeable at times. Other times it's quite loud (still not as bad as 2004/5). Sometimes it goes away entirely but at least for the last week it's been noticeable.

I don't know that it's at all related to the vaccination, though obviously the side effect with the shot most certainly was given the timing.

Just wanted to share. I'm bookmarking this thread.

 

I was 2 weeks past the 2nd shot on May 4.

I have no change in the tinnitus. It remains variable in loudness, but mostly low and just the ringing. I have had a few episodes of the pulsating type, but they stop in a few minutes. Since I had both for years before the vaccine, the only "big change" is that it is 24/7 vs every few days or weeks for a few minutes to hours. Right now it's fairly loud, but I just finished blow drying my hair.

So I think whatever the vaccine caused is resolving, but loud noises trigger it.

I hope in a few months it's back to what it was.

Note: I did read somewhere (I need to start bookmarking!) that other vaccines have had reports of tinnitus, and some medications seem to cause it. So don't despair, I think it will get better and I'm supposedly safe from COVID-19. I do not regret the vaccine at all.

 

Hi y’all. I’m sorry I did not check back in and keep up with this thread.

The thoughts of discussing tinnitus actually stressed me, so I thought I’d better bow out for now.

I am seeing a little improvement so I wanted to peek back in.

Thank you to everyone who has responded and given help, insight, sympathy and prayer.

I am still suffering with the tinnitus 4 months later, after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. I have not doubt it was the vaccine because I was perfectly fine before I had it. I do wish I had never gotten the vaccine, but I work in healthcare and I’m in direct contact with patients on a daily basis, so after my co-workers got the vaccine and all seemed well, I decided to get it. I have tolerated all other vaccines in my life fine with no side effects including the flu vaccine every year which is required by my employer.

I do have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is an autoimmune thyroid disease, so I just throw that out there as a point of interest.

I do want to share some encouraging news and that is that, although the tinnitus has been constant for almost 4 months, I have had some quieter days and I praise God on those days on and off throughout the day. To even have the volume reduced some means so much to me and I am thankful for having strong and faithful praying friends who pray for me daily. I am just leaning on the Lord and praying for complete healing and resolution of this terrible affliction. I am now having, just this week, several quieter days in a row for the first time, whereas before I might have one quieter day, followed by loud days again.

What I have been doing; same as in my original post. When it is really loud, I take a whole Benadryl to sleep. You MUST find a way to sleep with this in my opinion or else it will wear you down. I have continued the Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar every single day for a couple of months now. I am continuing the Magnesium, Calcium, 5 mg sublingual Melatonin and Benadryl at night. I take a Vitamin B2 in the morning, which is Riboflavin, just because I think it is in some of the tinnitus concoctions you can buy online and I happened to have some in my medicine cabinet from a long time ago.

I tried Curcumin and it really spiked my tinnitus and freaked me out so bad, I prayed and prayed the volume would come back down to baseline and thank goodness it did.

Since then I’m scared to try anything else, so as to not rock the boat. I tried Fish oil initially and didn’t see any results with that. I bought Lipoflavonoid, but read reviews that it can spike tinnitus and again, didn’t want to risk it.

I have noticed I do have some hyperacusis, so I try to avoid loud noises, such as taking care to ease pots and pans out of cabinets, and wear earplugs when vacuuming, listening to worship at church, etc.

The ENT did detect some high frequency hearing loss on the side I had the COVID-19 vaccine and I can tell I’m straining some to hear what people are saying so I feel the hearing loss has gotten some worse. I will go back to the ENT in a few months for another hearing test and we will see if I’m right, but hopefully not.

I am praying for all of you today. I hope that sharing my experience has helped those suffering with tinnitus after taking the COVID-19 vaccine, to feel they are not alone. I know it helped me to hear of others out there. I’m truly sorry for anyone suffering with this affliction whatever the cause may be. I really hope they will invest more in research to help those suffering with this. Take care and God bless you all.

 

Hi @Mamabear.

Your post was helpful as I do not feel so alone. I am in a spike and I'm now 3.5 months post COVID-19 vaccine. I keep praying like you. I had only situational tinnitus like after flying or loud noisy days or concert. Never bothered me.

Do you think ours will resolve?

I'm struggling today terribly. I had about 7 to 10 days where it wasn't bothering me as bad. Now all of a sudden a spike.

It is hard for my husband to understand why I cry reading these posts. I'm not upset. I'm relieved. He thinks the forum makes me feel worse, and it does sometimes. But when I see people like you sharing a similar story, I get to see how you're doing.

Praying for you.

Take care,
Mary

 

@MaryA, you probably log on when you are having a bad day, so maybe he perceives the forum as making it worse.

Also, I just want to say that if you are at only 3.5 months and are already having strings of 7 to 10 days where it's less bothersome, that's great. The best advice a friend gave me was to remember that getting better is not a linear progression.

@Mamabear, thanks for the update and for sharing the supplements that help you. Sorry to hear about the high frequency hearing loss, but maybe that means a hearing aid will help you. Please keep coming back with updates when you can.

 

@MaryA, thank you for the prayers and for sharing your feelings. I completely understand where you’re coming from.

I am encouraged by having quieter days here and there. I am hoping this will be a trend and that it hopefully is a sign that this is going to resolve. My doctor said there is still some hope that it can resolve up to 6 months.

I forgot to post that I am also using Flonase nasal spray once a day. I still can’t put my finger on why some days are quieter or louder but since I’m at least having some quieter days every once in a while, I’m trying not to change anything I’m doing in case it’s helping.

I would like to share Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

 

Thank you so much. I really needed that today. I, too, am on Flonase. I think I forgot that. Anyways, if you see my posts, I talk about a post vaccine case I know where the woman presented with anxiety, panic, and Guillain-Barre-like syndrome. She is having trouble walking and needs a walker. It's so crazy.

Please keep me updated with updates or changes, as it seems we have a similar trajectory. I'd really appreciate it. I promise to do the same. I will see an ENT for next steps in treatment on May 27.

Thanks again,
Mary

@BuzzyBee, your comments are so appreciated today, too. You are right, it's hard to break away from the idea that getting better is linear. You have added to the hope today.

Thanks for filling my cup,
Mary

 

My two cents is that if you experience tinnitus issues after shot #1, stay away from shot #2. COVID-19 is both preventable and treatable but there is no cure for tinnitus. I deeply regret my decision to get the vaccines.

 

Just happened to stumble upon this thread.

I notice most people talking about what the vaccine could be doing to the ears to cause tinnitus, so I think it's important to emphasize that tinnitus isn't just a hearing symptom. Stress and heavy muscle strain (e.g. on the neck in my case) can trigger it just as well. Do not solely focus on the ears if you try to find your cause, too many ENT's already mess up when it comes to this fact.

Having said that: as someone mentioned earlier in this thread, only a small percentage of recently vaccinated people report getting tinnitus, and then we don't even know if it is related. Had I been vaccinated just before getting my tinnitus two years ago, I'd probably have jumped to that conclusion, but I would have been wrong, and I might not have found the true cause in that situation.

Not trying to downplay any experiences here, just giving a heads up to look further than the first possibility

Btw, I got my first shot two weeks ago, and the only side effect was a sore arm for one day.

 

Update: My tinnitus mellowed out a lot to the point where I could barely hear it. But I had already scheduled the appointment with the acupuncturist by that point, so I kept the appointment thinking I could fully nip it in the bud.

The tinnitus got worse after that, although she said I should expect that. After a second treatment, it got really bad to the point where I became irritable and annoyed with the incessant noise. Now, she wants to prescribe herbs and also referred me to an ENT. This feels like a losing (and expensive) battle at this point. An ENT can't do anything. So I'm stuck debating whether it's worth a few more acupuncture treatments and pricey Chinese herbs or whether I should just play the waiting game.

And yes, this is absolutely caused by the vaccine. I have never had tinnitus in my life and suddenly mere days after shot 1, I have stupid, annoying ringing in my ears. I understand the desire to downplay any adverse side effects so as to minimize vaccine hesitancy, but I prefer the cold, hard truth to any sugar-coated, "the side effects are minimal and short-lived" BS.

Do I regret getting the vaccine? I don't know. Honestly, I feel like a guinea pig. I knew the risk going in, but I took that chance because my dumb governor was in a big rush to open everything up and I felt unsafe. Frankly, I still feel unsafe a lot of the time. But apparently, my feelings are secondary to capitalism.

 

That really sucks. I'm really sorry. I think most of us here have been through this. We try something we think might help our tinnitus and it bites us in the ass.

 

I know that several of us have blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for our new or worsening tinnitus. I just found this list of drugs that can cause tinnitus. I have taken 3 of them during my life and I've had off/on tinnitus during most of my life.

GoodRx.com: These 11 Prescriptions May Cause Ringing in the Ears

I was on a beta blocker for years and finally this year my doctor agreed that I could stop taking it (due to low pulse rate--related to the tinnitus?).

I then found a much larger list:

ATA.org: Drugs Associated with Tinnitus (PDF)

And, I read certain medical conditions are associated. High blood pressure and diabetes were at the top of the list.

There is also a report that Zostavax (Shingles vaccine made by Merck) is associated with tinnitus/hearing loss. I have not taken that and will need to do more research about it before I do. I even remember reading something a while back saying "several vaccines had reports of tinnitus as a side effect." Still looking for that one.

I also found an article dated March 22, 2021 about COVID-19 disease and tinnitus which included this data:

There’s also new research published in the International Journal of Audiology, which looked at data from 24 different studies and found an association between COVID-19 and auditory problems. The researchers estimated that nearly 15 percent of people infected with COVID experienced tinnitus, nearly 8 percent reported hearing loss and more than 7 percent developed rotatory vertigo, which leaves patients feeling dizzy like they’re on a merry-go-round.​

So to me it makes sense that some folks (me included) would have tinnitus after the COVID-19 vaccine. But I think after a while it will fully resolve back to the state it was before these vaccine. If we have to get boosters due to concerning variants, it could happen again I guess.

Lastly according to this article, tinnitus is more likely to be an issue in the auditory system/brain vs your actual ears:

Tinnitus Cure May Lie in the Brain

I hope this helps folks on this thread to not demonize the COVID-19 vaccine. I'd rather have some hearing loss--bad as that is--than get COVID-19 and have the resulting hospital bills, etc., I've seen on the news. Also long-haul COVID-19 sounds horrific compared to tinnitus and some hearing loss.

 

Is there anyone here that spiked from the first dose and decided to go ahead with the second anyway?

I had a moderate spike after my first Moderna dose back in February that lasted close to a month before reverting to near baseline. My doctor has recommended I go ahead and follow up with the second now, as I have some mandatory travel coming up, but I'm really not sure if I can do it.

If I spiked a similar level to the first dose, I'd be fine with that. But if the second dose is going to cause a significantly worse spike, I'd probably end up suicidal.

I worry about what will happen toy ears if I get COVID-19, too but I feel like with the one dose in my system I'm way less likely to have bad symptoms. I'd hate to find out I'm wrong about that though lol.

I feel so... stuck. It feels like I've got two bad decisions to pick from

If anyone can give their second dose experience I'd really appreciate it. Or if anyone can offer anything to help me make this decision that would be amazing.

 

Something is untrue?

'Some patients reported a sudden hearing loss after receiving COVID-19 vaccines. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine investigated the cases and published their results in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Their preliminary conclusions are that the messenger RNA vaccines (mRNA) by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna did not cause the hearing loss.'​

 

I'm sorry all of this happened to you . Hopefully things get resolved eventually...

 

@Alexandor Scott, I did not have tinnitus prior to the vaccine, so my experience may or may not translate. With that caveat, after the first dose, I developed very loud, annoying tinnitus within days. It stayed fairly persistent, but I went ahead and got the second dose anyways. (As noted earlier in the thread, so as to be a data point for others.) The tinnitus did not get worse, but it hasn't gone away either.

I'm now 5 weeks post second dose and still have this annoying ringing. It comes and goes in strength and volume, but it has been ringing fairly constantly since about 4/10.

I completely understand how you're feeling. It's so frustrating that this happened to us. I keep reading stats that some insignificant number of people have experienced tinnitus post-vaccine, but when you're one of that number it sucks bad!

 

You sound like me with the Pfizer vaccine. I have posted updates in this thread as things changed. I'm 6 weeks past my 2nd shot and I'm 98% back to baseline. The only difference for me is my tinnitus is 24/7 and not every few days or weeks for a few hours. I can live with this just fine. I already slept with white noise anyway. I cannot say what will happen to you, and it's your decision. As for me, I'm glad I got the shot.

 

I have tinnitus for the first time in my life. I am 64 and had both doses of AstraZeneca, in March and May. There seem to be many reports of tinnitus being a common side affect of COVID-9 vaccine. But it does not show up ("rare") in official statistics. This is very puzzling. I understand about confirmation bias and I don't jump to conclusions. But I am concerned that my new tinnitus and vaccine is not coincidental.