Pulsatile Tinnitus and the Possibility of Hearing Loss

Hi, @Roger1,

Some people with tinnitus do test in the normal range on an audiogram. However, when you have tinnitus, it can often make it difficult to hear what people are saying, due to the noise. I still believe that if you have tinnitus, there is some type of hearing damage, even if it is only in the highest ranges.

Do you mean that you have pulsatile tinnitus, or normal tinnitus? Pulsating can indeed seem to obscure one's hearing, so that it's hard to determine what people are saying.

 

@Roger1,

I'm sorry; I didn't understand. No, pulsatile tinnitus is different, in that it usually is vascular in nature. It is usually NOT caused by hearing loss, and if a cause can be found, it can be treatable.

Do you have any other symptoms, or have you had any health issues? Any sudden changes in weight gain or weight loss, or dietary changes? Are you taking any drugs, such as antibiotics or blood pressure drugs? Any of these could be potential causes.

Sometime, pulsatile tinnitus may be a venous hum, or caused by a dehiscence (wearing away) of the temporal bone. There are many other possible causes, as well.

 

Hi, @Roger1,

I'm glad to hear your pulsating is fairly quiet; you're very lucky! Mine is constant and not so quiet, but I think it has improved recently.

Since you have some issues with blood pressure, and since you are taking Zoloft, the pulsating could be due to either of these. I would say blood pressure is more likely to be causing it. Are you currently taking anything for blood pressure?