Lyme Disease & Reactive Tinnitus — Anyone Else?

[Meinz89]

Hi everyone,

I could really use some help right now. Please consider reading my post if you have time.

I'm 17 weeks pregnant and have been dealing with sudden unilateral tinnitus since April 13, 2025, so it has now been over two and a half months. After seeing several doctors with no clear answers, I was finally diagnosed with acute Lyme disease, which may explain the onset.

At first, the tinnitus was a high-pitched ring with some beeps and chirps. Over the past month, however, it has become extremely reactive. It flares up in response to even soft sounds like the AC, TV, or car rides. The baseline ringing remains constant, but the beeping and chirping are unpredictable and distracting, which makes it difficult to cope or habituate.

I'm using sound therapy daily and trying to retrain my brain, but the reactivity is intense. Has anyone experienced this kind of reactive tinnitus that eventually settled down?

Also, if you've had Lyme-related tinnitus, I would love to hear about your experience. This has made pregnancy really challenging, and I'm just looking for hope and coping tools to get through this and stay strong for my baby, who is due in November.

Thank you so much

Meg

 

[MindOverMatter]

Hi everyone,

I could really use some help right now. Please consider reading my post if you have time.

I'm 17 weeks pregnant and have been dealing with sudden unilateral tinnitus since April 13, 2025, so it has now been over two and a half months. After seeing several doctors with no clear answers, I was finally diagnosed with acute Lyme disease, which may explain the onset.

At first, the tinnitus was a high-pitched ring with some beeps and chirps. Over the past month, however, it has become extremely reactive. It flares up in response to even soft sounds like the AC, TV, or car rides. The baseline ringing remains constant, but the beeping and chirping are unpredictable and distracting, which makes it difficult to cope or habituate.

I'm using sound therapy daily and trying to retrain my brain, but the reactivity is intense. Has anyone experienced this kind of reactive tinnitus that eventually settled down?

Also, if you've had Lyme-related tinnitus, I would love to hear about your experience. This has made pregnancy really challenging, and I'm just looking for hope and coping tools to get through this and stay strong for my baby, who is due in November.

Thank you so much

Meg

Hello Meg,

Sorry to hear about your struggles, especially while pregnant.

What treatment did you receive for Lyme disease? Do you know if the treatment completely eliminated the bacteria?

 

[Meinz89]

Thanks for reading my post. I'm currently being treated with Amoxicillin and will finish my two-week course this Friday. I also have an appointment with a Lyme-literate doctor on July 11 to be tested for any possible co-infections. In the meantime, I've been taking pregnancy-safe herbal supplements alongside the antibiotics.

About a month ago, I started working with Treble Health, using sound therapy devices to help retrain my brain and support habituation. However, I'm concerned that additional sound exposure might be making my reactive tinnitus worse.

Have you experienced sudden or reactive tinnitus caused by Lyme disease? I'm looking for advice and hope on how to calm this down. I've come to terms with the possibility of living with tinnitus if I have to, but the reactivity and constant fluctuations are very distressing.

 

[MindOverMatter]

Thanks for reading my post. I'm currently being treated with Amoxicillin and will finish my two-week course this Friday. I also have an appointment with a Lyme-literate doctor on July 11 to be tested for any possible co-infections. In the meantime, I've been taking pregnancy-safe herbal supplements alongside the antibiotics.

About a month ago, I started working with Treble Health, using sound therapy devices to help retrain my brain and support habituation. However, I'm concerned that additional sound exposure might be making my reactive tinnitus worse.

Have you experienced sudden or reactive tinnitus caused by Lyme disease? I'm looking for advice and hope on how to calm this down. I've come to terms with the possibility of living with tinnitus if I have to, but the reactivity and constant fluctuations are very distressing.

Sorry, I did not see your reply until now.

My reactive tinnitus started a long time ago, but I am much better today in that regard. I wrote a reply to you in your new thread about it.

I was asking about Lyme because I also received antibiotics for it last year. There was no change in my tinnitus, though I do know some people who have experienced both Lyme and antibiotic use as triggers for tinnitus.

Did you use Cryptolepis? Did they find any co-infections?

 

[Sydnears]

Do you have any hearing loss, @Meinz89?

I unfortunately developed bilateral tinnitus after a syphilis infection. It appeared rapidly after the infection, and I had no idea what was happening at first. Apparently, the pathophysiology of syphilis and Lyme disease is very similar, particularly in how they affect the ears. I do have some hearing loss, which is likely permanent, as the infection occurred in April. My tinnitus is also reactive, though it varies somewhat from day to day.

 

[Meinz89]

Sorry, I did not see your reply until now.

My reactive tinnitus started a long time ago, but I am much better today in that regard. I wrote a reply to you in your new thread about it.

I was asking about Lyme because I also received antibiotics for it last year. There was no change in my tinnitus, though I do know some people who have experienced both Lyme and antibiotic use as triggers for tinnitus.

Did you use Cryptolepis? Did they find any co-infections?

Thank you for your reply, and for your kindness in reading and responding to my other thread that I posted today. As it turns out, I received a false positive Lyme test. I was retested last week and got the results yesterday. Since I am pregnant, I have learned that false positives for Lyme are fairly common. I wish I had known that sooner, before I spent a month trying to find a way to cure my Lyme and ultimately resolve my tinnitus.

 

[MindOverMatter]

Thank you for your reply, and for your kindness in reading and responding to my other thread that I posted today. As it turns out, I received a false positive Lyme test. I was retested last week and got the results yesterday. Since I am pregnant, I have learned that false positives for Lyme are fairly common. I wish I had known that sooner, before I spent a month trying to find a way to cure my Lyme and ultimately resolve my tinnitus.

Both false positives and, last but not least, false negatives are very common with Lyme, unfortunately. The standard tests that are usually run are not sensitive or precise enough.