Omicron Infection — Did It Make Your Tinnitus Worse? Post Your Experience

Hey everyone,

Just wondering, since I wasn't able to find any information on this topic: Has anyone of you had an Omicron infection? If yes, did it affect your tinnitus?

I would also be interested if you had prior vaccination or infection.

I currently have been vaccinated once (causing my tinnitus to worsen) and potentially been infected with Delta (self-test was probably a false negative because I had a fairly high antibody count on a recent test). This infection had no effect on my tinnitus at all, but it was just two weeks after my vaccination.

This is mostly to gauge to what extent I should take precautions or not, since all the media says it is "mild".

 

Yes, and didn't notice any difference. It fluctuated like always. No loss of taste or smell, either.

 

I've recently recovered from Omicron. There were times when I thought my tinnitus was worse but it was similar to what I already had so I wasn't always sure. I had one vaccination and that definitely made my tinnitus worse.

 

Had what I think was Omicron (didn't lose taste or smell with very mild symptoms) in the beginning of January. Tested negative January 10. A few days before testing negative I developed ultra high-pitched tinnitus. It has been up and down since. Not very happy about it.

 

If COVID-19 could improve tinnitus, that would be amazing! Have you actually heard of this happening @Sevv?

 

Unfortunately the only reports I have read of COVID-19 affecting tinnitus is of making it worse.

 

I have Omicron at the moment. It's my 4th day. At first my tinnitus became a bit quieter but now it's back on its usual level of loudness. Headache became more severe.

 

Always nice to get a few quiet days. Hope your tinnitus remains stable, and the headache subsides.

 

I had COVID-19 in January. My symptoms were the chills and a blocked nose and an itchy cough. It had no effect on my tinnitus. I was fully recovered in about 10 days. I had no vaccination and I am 45 years old.

 

I’ve been hesitate to post because my problems seem trivial compared to some, but wondering if any success stories are out there.

I’m 37, no history of ear issues, tinnitus, etc. Nothing. Vax’d ~8 months ago. No issues there. Diabetic but manage through Januvia and exercise. A1C stays lower - sub 6.5.

Around the first of the year I got COVID-19. Not bad actually, but the craziest stuffy nose I’ve had in quite some time. It only lasted a few days, and when the nose worked itself out, it felt like it almost went into my ears. They both started ringing, popping, feeling full. Blowing my nose was like I was shot to another planet. The popping is nuts. My Eustachian tubes hate me. The ringing was/is constant. Was very sensitive to sound. My baby crying was painful.

At first it was unbearable. The ringing was so loud and popping hurt my ears in every swallow. I’d wake up in a sweet and freaking out. It was so loud. I always slept with a noise machine but I was sleeping literally on the machine for the first two weeks.

When I was diagnosed on January 3, my doctor didn’t think I had COVID-19. My ears were inflamed but not infected. Amoxicillin was the the best bet he said and off I went. Well a few hours later I got the call I was COVID-19 positive. Amoxicillin didn’t do anything so the next step was Prednisone. No help there. It was viral.

Next step was off to the ENT. Hearing fine, no fluid. Quick exam and he says it’s viral. Sit and wait. Turn on a fan, should go away... Thanks pal.

Back to the family doctor. Take Nasacort and Xyzal. Too soon for more steroids. Gotcha.

Next step: Long shot - kooky chiropractor. Align the spine, nerves open up, I’ll fix ya. Sure. Four weeks into that, nothing.

Somewhere in between started trying LipoFlavonoid and Clear Tinnitus. Also did tinnitus exercises found on YouTube.

Nearly 8 weeks later and the ringing is still there. Popping is still there. I hate the popping. Not quite as sensitive to sound tho. At times the ringing is lower. Popping isn’t bad when I first wake up but within 30 minutes it’s the snap, crackle, pop commercial in there. I’m sleeping better and at times don’t notice it, unless I swallow. At night it tends to ramp up. Over time I can’t tell if it’s gotten better, or one of the things I’ve been doing has helped. I suspect it’s just the time that’s possibly helped. Not sure. Another fun side effect is the stress has made my jaw clinch and I have to wear a bite plate because of the Charlie horses in the jaw muscles.

I’ve heard from people who know people that are experiencing post COVID-19 symptoms like this but never how it’s turned out because most have recently experienced it like me.

Just wondering if there are any others out there with similar situations and/or if there are any success stories?

Thanks so much. God bless.

 

I've been sick since Friday and I'm having my worst spike ever.

I haven't taken a test since you are not recommended to do that anymore if not working in hospitals or similar.

I've had fever, headache, horrible pain in throat and loss of taste, so I would guess this is COVID-19.

The first days my tinnitus were really soft, but today has been horrible with loud ringing and muffled hearing. I'm getting pretty worried now.

 

This sounds similar to me. I caught COVID-19 in January. I had similar symptoms like you, but severe throat pain was the worst. Every time I would swallow, it felt like someone was stabbing the left side of my tonsil area with a knife. I also lost my taste for a week. My tinnitus also spiked significantly. It took about a week and a half post infection for the spike to finally subside. I recalled it took 2 weeks for someone else here for their spike to subside after infection. Should subside for you too. Wishing you well.

 

You are describing my throat pain exactly!

Thank you for sharing. It's reassuring to hear that nothing was permanent for you.

 

COVID-19 has been known to potentially cause hearing loss and tinnitus for a while now.

 

Has that applied equally to all strains of COVID-19?

 

I had Omicrom at Christmas, even though I was doubly vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. I was quite sick, sore throat and eventual loss of my voice altogether. Fatigue was extreme and body aches were present from beginning to end.

I did get a noticeable spike, which returned to baseline, once I recovered.

My biggest hurdle has been the much worse spike that I have had since getting the Pfizer booster. It has been relentless, with no signs of leaving me.

 

2nd day with COVID-19. I don’t know what variant I have.

Tinnitus is more in the background now, but I lost some taste in my mouth and it's a little hard to breathe and I have a sore throat.

 

I now have fever, around 103F or 39.5C.

Would you take Paracetamol? Is it safe for hearing/tinnitus?

 

How’s everything with you?

 

I'm not feeling sick anymore, I just have an annoying cough. Taste has mostly returned.

Tinnitus is still spiking though. I think I have fluid behind my eardrums, especially in the right ear where the hearing is very muffled. When I tilt my head I can feel something move.

I hope that's what it is. It's scary to think that it could be hearing loss.

 

Wow, you’re exactly describing what I experienced after I was not feeling sick anymore. My ears were also clogged and felt muffled. I thought it was hearing loss too, but that was mostly due to fear. It definitely felt like there was fluid behind my eardrum. I too felt strange movements happening in the eardrum area anytime I would make certain head movements. It was specifically annoying when trying to sleep. It took a while for these things to fully settle down after I started to feel better, so just hang in there... I’m confident everything will subside for you too.

 

My tinnitus is almost gone today. Just when I focus in a quiet room can I hear it.

Funny, I had a loud hiss and some other tones just 3 days ago.

COVID-19 could be my cure?

 

Interesting! We really must have had the same thing then. I feel less worried reading that. Cheers!

Did you take a test by the way?

 

Yes I did.

 

No idea honestly.

 

Paracetamol should be safe, or at least safer than an NSAID. That said, if one can ride it out without medication it's usually the best bet. A fever is a natural part of the immune system's response to an infection. 39.5C is pretty high though, so I don't blame you for resorting to Paracetamol. 40C and I'd probably be unconscious lol.

 

I actually heard of somebody who had his long lasting tinnitus cured by Omicron, and it seemed credible.

 

Starting to think Omicron has made my pre-existing mild hyperacusis much, much worse. I was well on my way to recovery from my diagnosis in June 2021. By December of 2021, hyperacusis/sensitivity to sound had become a non-issue and tinnitus was starting to make its way to the back of my mind.

12/21/2021, I was diagnosed with COVID-19. At the time, my symptoms were minor, and in fact my tinnitus was very faint and hyperacusis was still a non issue during my time with COVID-19.

Fast forward 3 weeks after infection, I start to notice reactivity/sensitivity slightly creeping back up with a new, very intrusive and sharp chirp that is constant, but also reacts to sound. In my 20+ years of tinnitus I’ve never experienced something so shrill. On top of this, my pre-existing tones (one that I haven’t heard in years) seem to have made their way to the forefront of my mind as well.

January & February have been extremely distressing. Loads of fleeting tinnitus, days where hyperacusis & tinnitus are a non-issue, but also days where hyperacusis & tinnitus are worse than they have ever been. Also developed TTTS that seems to have no threshold on what it will respond to. I could be sitting in a silent room and it will react/twitch. However, this at least seems like it’s starting to slowly dissipate.

Anyway, I voted that it worsened my tinnitus, possibly permanently as I do not want to draw any conclusions until at least next year. My experience as a life long sufferer of tinnitus is that when I have a worsening of my symptoms, I usually tend to get better and move on with life and forget I have tinnitus for months, even years. That being said, I don’t want to say that it has permanently worsened as I have recovered from spikes/setbacks in the past.

 

Omicron infection had zero effect on my tinnitus.

The Pfizer vaccine has also had zero effect on my tinnitus.

 

Hey @Vassili, how are you doing now? Hope you are well.