Ibuprofen for Inflammation?

This might seem counter intuitive, but if pulsatile tinnitus is caused by ETD / inflammation, wouldn't an anti inflammatory such as a small dose of ibuprofen actually help? Used in conjunction with a steroid nasal spray. In reducing inflammation?

What do people think? Or are all NSAIDS a definite no no?

Note....

I've suffered inflammatory, mainly joint, conditions for decades. I did use ibuprofen minimally as possible to manage the associated pain to keep on working etc. Things got better a couple years ago and I didnt use any for a long time. Now I've gone down with pulsatile tinnitus and ETD problems and just wonder if the inflammation has now moved to my ears. It started in one ear but has now started in the other. Sounds like the kind of thing inflammation does.

 

http://www.medicaldaily.com/miracle-tree-6-health-benefits-willow-bark-get-you-chomping-bit-330070

The bark of white willow contains salicin, which is a chemical similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). In combination with the herb's powerful anti-inflammatory plant compounds (called flavonoids), salicin is thought to be responsible for the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of the herb.


"2. REDUCES HEADACHES
The consumption of white willow bark may help reduce the tension from headache-related pain. It contains the chemical salicin similar to acetylsalicylic acid in aspirin. The University of Maryland Medical Center states feeling the effects of willow bark may take longer to experience, but the effects can last longer compared to aspirin.

3. EASES LOWER BACK PAIN
Willow bark supplements could be a natural remedy for lower back pain, neck, and muscle aches. Brennecke believes its fine to take white willow bark to help relieve some of that pain. “The components of white willow bark inhibit cyclooxygenase, which is responsible for the formation of prostaglandins, which is an inflammatory mediator. By stopping the formation of prostaglandins, white willow bark acts as an anti-inflammatory agent,” he said.

A 2001 study published in the journal Rheumatology found in a group of nearly 200 people with low back pain, those who received willow bark showed a significant improvement in pain compared to those who received a placebo. Moreover, those who received higher doses of the herb, specifically 240 mg salicin, experienced more significant pain relief than those who received a low dose of 120 mg salicin.

4. REDUCES ARTHRITIS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN
Willow bark can be an effective treatment for reducing arthritis and osteoarthritis-related pain by decreasing the swelling. By inhibiting cyclooxygenase and therefore, prostaglandins, according to Brennecke, it will reduce inflammation, thereby lessening the crippling pain. It's suspected white willow bark extract may regularly suppress the progression and onset of the disease. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Rheumatology found people with osteoarthritis who took willow bark extract providing 240mg of salicin reduced their pain by 14 percent compared to two percent in the placebo in a two-week randomized controlled trial.

5. PREVENTS HEART ATTACKS
The American Heart Association acknowledges a daily low-dose of aspirin a day can prevent heart attacks and stroke. The tablet has been linked to reducing the risk of internal clotting, which is related to these two health conditions. Since the effects of aspirin and willow bark have been comparable, it is believed willow bark extract may reap similar benefits.

“White Willow bark contains salicylates,” which means it has the same effect on the heart as aspirin does, according to Brennecke. Although drinking white willow bark tea can thin the blood like aspirin — making it less likely to clot — it’s important to know how much salicylates you get in each cup and monitor that amount.

6. SOOTHES MENSTRUAL CRAMPS
Typically, menstrual cramps are usually the result of inflammation of the uterine lining and the contractions triggered by prostaglandins. Willow bark is believed to regulate the production of prostaglandins and reduce inflammation, which helps soothes not only cramps but PMS symptoms. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, professional herbalists recommend willow bark for menstrual cramps although there are no scientific studies to show it works.

Brennecke disagreed and stated, “Ibuprofen is a better choice when it comes to PMS and menstrual cramps.” However, “It would be fine to drink white willow bark tea while PMS and menstrual cramps are occurring, but if taken while menstruating, [it] could increase the bleeding.” He advised pain killers are a better option because it doesn’t thin the blood nearly as much as salicylic acid does.

Willow bark is considered to be a safer and natural alternative for those who can’t stomach the side effects of aspirin."

 

What I did was effectively experiment on myself, knowing that I might have to deal with a spike.

For me Ibuprofen seems to spike my T, although my T is caused by TMJ, which means inflamed jaw joints. So I find this odd, but accept it. I instead use one does of Aspirin a day, which eases my TMJ jaw pain and doesn't affect my T. Aspirin is an NSAID, BUT in very high doses can cause T! (but it is one of the few drugs that T goes away once you stop the drug). But that is why I limit myself to one dose a day, although the aspirin T side effect is supposed to be in really high usage.

 

Like most things with tinnitus, it seems, there is a great deal of individual variation.

My tinnitus was almost certainly related to a (very mild) virus I had a couple of years back which caused an exceptional degree of 'bunging up'.....blocked tear ducts, Eustachian tube dysfunction (never resolved...have T-tubes) etc. I can take any amount of ibuprofen without affect on my tinnitus. No drug/food/alcohol/noise etc seems to affect it either. This is in sharp contrast to many folk who find their tinnitus is sensitive to a whole range of things.

Tinnitus is the 'final common pathway' for so many provoking agents that generalisation is of little value.

Fungus

 

As an update I took Aleve (naproxen) for a shoulder problem, and it actually took my T down a notch. Will keep up with it, hope this stays the same.

 

With hesitation and concern I took Ibuprofen for ear pain in my good ear that might be caused by TMJ(still not sure the cause) and it reduced my T for about an hour. My ENT says I have a ton of inflammation in my T ear still from a bad infection that ruptired my ear drum.

 

Thanks for these replies.
I've been taking turmeric as a herbal anti-inflammatory for years, but now that I'm having severe neck issues I need stronger anti-inflammatory medicines.

Diclofenac topical gel on the inflamed area asthma works okay and does not increase my tinnitus, but the relief is very slight.
Walmart muscle rub containing 30% methyl salicylate stings and burns when applied to the neck but it works amazingly well.

In Neil Bauman's book on ototoxic drugs, aspirin is listed is causing incidence of hearing loss and tinnitus in greater than 10% of the users. Ibuprofen on the other hand is listed as less than 1% hearing loss and 1-3% tinnitus. This results definitely vary depending on the person, but for me aspirin sends my tinnitus to the moon.

This is a very difficult place to be caught in, and I appreciate everyone's replies.
I'm wondering if Aleve and other variations of NSAIDs are better or worse for tinnitus.

 

From March to June 2020, my tinnitus have been loud everyday. For a while I was getting depressed and desperate because I thought my tinnitus was permanently loud now. I didn't know why it was suddenly spiking everyday until I came upon a list of ototoxic list, which is quite overboard as it includes pretty much all medicine. I realized that during this time, I had started taking 2 tables of Ibuprofen everyday to relive the locking pain in my jaw. So I stopped all meds. A week later, my tinnitus went back close to baseline. Although I still get spike once in awhile, it was no longer loud everyday.

In conclusion, I think the Ibuprofen did spike my tinnitus.

 

I’ve also given Ibuprofen a try for pulsation tinnitus with the underlying thought that it might affect inflammation and lower the PT. It did nothing, possibly made it worse. I’m presently taking turmeric and will give it a try for a few weeks to see if this has any effect. If nothing else, it has a lot of other benefits, or so I’ve read.