Low-Pitched Hum That Throbs Only in the Middle of the Night — Is Gabapentin Causing It?

Hi all,

I have high-pitched tinnitus in both ears, and situational TTTS in the left, but over the past month some new stuff has started up and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts.

I've always had a very faint, central low hum but I almost never heard it. This past month though has been a very stressful one, and I already have anxiety and PTSD. My psych prescribed me Gabapentin, since SSRIs make the ringing worse, and I liked what the Gabapentin did for my anxiety, which in turn made the ringing much more tolerable.

But there are times now where not only is the low hum quite loud, but in the middle of the night, it starts to "throb" on the right side. Not in time with heartbeat (though I sometimes get that too, and am able to lessen it with slow breathing), but rather just a steady throb that doesn't stop.

My own two thoughts are that the Gabapentin might be contributing to the low hum suddenly being very loud, and also that something in the cervical spine might be contributing to the throbbing -- I have moderate, chronic neck issues (again from stress and tension) and frequently get a bulging disc on that side. That might explain why it only occurs after I've been laying in bed for several hours, and then stays there the rest of the night.

After I get out of bed, the throbbing goes away after a half hour or so.

Does anyone have any experience with Gabapentin bringing on new ringing symptoms? If so, did they subside after tapering off the drug, and how long did that take?

And would anyone have any insight into this very weird throbbing that starts to accompany the low hum in the middle of the night?

Thanks!

 

@Henry Fool, did you ever get an answer to this? It almost sounds like Eustachian Tube Dysfunction.

 

Out of interest, what makes it sound like ETD?

 

The throbbing thing. Mine does this pretty constantly too.