Share Your Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine Experience: Any Impact on Your Tinnitus or Hyperacusis?

[teacher34]

I thought I'd make a thread where people can share their experiences with getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and whether or not it seemed to have any effect on your tinnitus or hyperacusis.

This thread is NOT a place to debate or preach about COVID-19 or vaccination in either direction. That would ruin the thread's utility, plus there is already another COVID-19 vaccine thread available for debaters.

Please only post if you've had the vaccine and are ready to share your experience. Any other commentary will be removed, or moved into the aforementioned thread.

Please mention when you got the vaccine, the brand of vaccine you received, and if there was any effect on your tinnitus or hyperacusis. If you did experience a negative effect, please share any other possible contributors such as other medications, loud noise exposure, personal history of random fluctuations, etc.

I hope this thread turns out to be helpful to our community!

 

[MrBungle]

I had the 1st Pfizer vaccine a few days ago.

It gave me a cracking headache the day after (seems to be a very common side effect).

I have had recent changes to my tinnitus, but I cannot say the jab amplified it beyond what I would expect a normal headache to do.

I'm a few days along and I seem to be ok, tinnitus is not worse (nor better!).

 

[Dubinvero]

I had my first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine injection at 2 PM on January 12.

Two hours later I noticed a significant spike in the volume of my tinnitus. By 5 PM I noticed that the spike was decreasing.

I was back to my normal tinnitus volume by 8 PM.

 

[Ed209]

My mom and dad have had both jabs; the second jab was given on the 9th of January. They both said they felt ill by the evening, and my dad also threw up. This was accompanied by a horrendous headache (their words).

My dad didn't notice any difference to his tinnitus, and they both feel fine now.

 

[sensualmosquito]

Anecdotal experience:

I got my first shot on 12/17/20 (Pfizer), and although I felt a bit fatigued and nauseous my tinnitus did not get any worse.

My second shot was on 1/6/21 (also Pfizer), and although that one made me feel a little bit more like crap (fatigue still, nausea, headache, general irritability since I was working the day after) it did not do anything to my ears. Of course, things could be different for different people, and some of the nurses I work with had some pretty adverse effects (vomiting, fever, etc.) but nothing really affecting the ears.

 

[Isabella 123]

I had my first vaccine (Pfizer) shot yesterday afternoon. By late last night I was noticing a significant tinnitus spike starting and when I woke this morning my head was screaming.

No other side effects other than a sore arm, no swelling or redness.

Hoping this spike subsides because if it doesn't, this is going to be truly intolerable.

 

[stev3po]

I had the Moderna vaccine, first dose last week. I did not notice any spike or change in my tinnitus.

Steve

 

[lymebite]

Two anecdotes from a friend who suffers from tinnitus and hyperacusis, one positive and one negative:

The positive one (amazing if the silence sticks):

"One of my brothers who suffers from tinnitus took the Moderna vaccine the other day. First shot and he woke up free from tinnitus. He can't believe it. I told him to let me know how it goes after the second injection."​

The negative one (pretty scary):

"My sister in law took the first Moderna vaccine last week. Three days later she came down with complete hearing loss in her left ear and a whooshing sound. She has decided not to take the second shot."​

 

[Ed209]

"My sister in law took the first Moderna vaccine last week. Three days later she came down with complete hearing loss in her left ear and a whooshing sound. She has decided not to take the second shot."

This is a message I received from a friend recently:

This is anecdotal, of course, and doesn't indicate causation, but I found it interesting that a relation of yours experienced the same thing.

 

[alexberger]

Wow, that is very scary. All 3 people need to report these adverse events. @Isabella 123, and both people with SSHL. The only way where we will get an idea of how this affects people with ear problems is by reporting to VAERS in the US. I assume there is something similar in the UK. Currently, they are investigating only 4 cases of Bell's palsy, so I imagine 2 cases of SSHL would get attention.

For the record, I had my first dose of Pfizer vaccine on 1/21 with no change to my tinnitus. I have also spoken with 4 people I know in real life who also had the Pfizer vaccine with no changes to their tinnitus.

 

[TheDanishGirl]

I haven't received the vaccine (yet?), but I have spoken to a woman on a Danish tinnitus Facebook page, who had her tinnitus severely worsen after the first shot. It started with a bad headache, which moved from one side to another in her head, and nausea and then resulted in her tinnitus worsening. Just spoke to her yesterday and she still has the tinnitus spike now (it's been a couple of weeks since she received the shot).

 

[Ctw]

I had my second Moderna vaccine on 1/27. Tinnitus has always been in my left ear. Now I hear it in my Rright ear. Psychosomatic? Could be... I'm a nurse... I have no idea. People that get COVID-19 also say it worsens their tinnitus.

Who knows. Hoping it's just a spike and will settle soon.

 

[Alexandor Scott]

I got my first Moderna injection on Monday night.

I had a mild tinnitus spike start a few hours after the injection, but I figure that's due to having to drive 3 hours each direction to get it (my tinnitus always spikes after a long drive).

By Tuesday morning I was back to normal.

Going to bed Tuesday night I noticed it was a bit louder than normal in my right ear, but a bit quieter in my left.

This morning it is about the same as last night. Very slightly elevated in my right ear and quieter in my left.

I think this slight increase in loudness is due to wax rather than the vaccine. I usually get my ears cleaned out every 3 months, and they're full every time I go. It's been 7 months now, and I can feel that they're full, so I think wearing earplugs for 8-10 hours on Monday and shifting the wax around during the 6 hours drive is more likely to be causing my mild spike than the vaccine.

Both of my parents have tinnitus and got the Moderna vaccine a week before me, and neither of them noticed any changes in their tinnitus.

Worth mentioning, I'm also way more focused on my tinnitus now than I have been in the last few months so it may be that my tinnitus is quieter in both ears than before but I'm just noticing it more than usual. I can't really tell.

 

[Dubinvero]

I had my 2nd Pfizer vaccination at 2PM on Tuesday, February 2nd. It did not affect my tinnitus.

 

[Alexandor Scott]

Just an update... My spike has subsided and my tinnitus is back to baseline. I'm convinced the spike was due to the drive and/or wax.

 

[L34]

My colleague with tinnitus had the Pfizer vaccine, and she said it caused no changes in her tinnitus.

 

[Steph1710]

Hi All,

I had the Pfizer vaccine at 8:15am (GMT) today, and so far can note no difference in tinnitus.

I will update on Monday to let you know if things have hopefully stayed the same.

 

[Ctw]

I had the Moderna vaccinations. Personally my tinnitus is louder. It's been a few weeks now and still bad. Who knows. Psychosomatic??

 

[Liv613]

I had Moderna vaccine 2 weeks ago. I developed a bad tinnitus flare a few days later. Hoping it is just a coincidence and not the vaccine since I also had a week of not sleeping well. Fingers crossed it was the lack of sleep and not the vaccine causing it.

Not sure if I should take the second vaccine.

 

[teacher34]

I've love to hear from more people who got the second Moderna shot.

I got the first Moderna shot a few weeks ago and my tinnitus seems to have increased a bit but is tolerable.

I am a bit on the fence about getting the second shot. I feel like I have to get it though, because I work in a very high-risk job so I'd probably get COVID-19 if I didn't get fully vaccinated, and I've read that COVID-19 can worsen tinnitus, too.

 

[Steph1710]

Okay, so it's Monday morning 09:30 (GMT).

I am happy to report that since having the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday morning, that my tinnitus has not and did not increase.

All the best,
Steph

 

[Alexandor Scott]

Just an update... My spike has subsided and my tinnitus is back to baseline. I'm convinced the spike was due to the drive and/or wax.

Update on the above:

I got a worse tinnitus spike a few days after the initial tinnitus spike had returned to baseline. That spike is still ongoing. I'm two weeks removed from the first dose now. I'm concerned about some of the ingredients in the Moderna vaccine. Seems like Pfizer and J&J may be safer options. Wish I had done a bit of research before getting my first injection.

 

[lymebite]

Two anecdotes from a friend who suffers from tinnitus and hyperacusis, one positive and one negative:

The positive one (amazing if the silence sticks):

"One of my brothers who suffers from tinnitus took the Moderna vaccine the other day. First shot and he woke up free from tinnitus. He can't believe it. I told him to let me know how it goes after the second injection."
The negative one (pretty scary):

"My sister in law took the first Moderna vaccine last week. Three days later she came down with complete hearing loss in her left ear and a whooshing sound. She has decided not to take the second shot."

An update on these ones:

Sadly, the tinnitus returned after a few days to the brother where it had gone silent. The vaccine temporarily activates the immune system, so my guess is this effect somehow silenced the tinnitus, but since the immune system effect is temporary, so was the effect on the tinnitus.

On the positive side, the sister-in-law that lost her hearing in one ear after the vaccine, it has gradually been recovering.

 

[spedgas]

RN here. I received both Pfizer doses without any tinnitus issues. What it came down to for me was concern that getting COVID-19 had a higher risk of affecting my tinnitus than the vaccine did. Others may not see it the same way.

 

[teacher34]

What it came down to for me was concern that getting COVID-19 had a higher risk of affecting my tinnitus than the vaccine did.

Yes, this is the way I see it, too. As an in-person schoolteacher, I am at very high risk of getting the virus if unvaccinated. I'm actually currently teaching virtually from quarantine due to one of my students testing positive, and that happens at least once per week at my school. It's a dangerous workplace.

The moderate spike I had after getting my first Moderna shot 4 weeks ago has subsided, and I plan to get the second shot later this week. I don't think there is any difference, tinnitus-wise, between the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, because I've read accounts (here & elsewhere) of people who have had either temporary new ringing or spikes on both, and people with existing tinnitus who had no issues with either. It seems to be luck of the draw, just like what happens if you get COVID-19.

 

[Bob Roche]

I got a very noticeable ringing in ears right after first shot of the Moderna vaccine.

After doing some reading realizing it may be related to a "jacked up" immune system.

I tried CBD paste since it can reduce brain inflammation. I noticed my tinnitus going down after each dose. After about three days (small morning and night dose), my tinnitus was almost entirely gone.

It could be co-incidental for sure; it's an n of one. I get it. But the way it reduced after each dose gives me the opinion that it was likely the CBD. I think it could be helpful for others to try for episodic tinnitus, especially after a vaccine and would be interested in others' experience if they try this.

Many thanks,
Bob

 

[rayofsunshine]

I received my first dose of Moderna in January.

I felt a little "woozy" within a few hours and had short bursts of tinnitus in my left ear. I've had this happen a time or two in my life but always came and went within a few seconds. On day 2 I began having constant high pitched tinnitus in both ears that has not stopped. That was 5 weeks ago.

I've been twice to primary care and have an ENT appt next week.

It is pretty awful. My PCP suggested I hold off on the 2nd dose until we understand what's going on.

 

[Southworth]

I had my first shot of the Moderna vaccine yesterday due to falling in over 70 age range.

It did not affect my long-term tinnitus at all. Sure gave me and my husband sore arms though!

 

[wwtsai]

For those in the US, I'd encourage everyone who either got tinnitus or had their tinnitus worsen as a result of the vaccine to report it to the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). There's been anecdotes of tinnitus resulting from COVID-19 and remaining in long haul COVID-19. All of these cases could help towards legitimatizing tinnitus as an issue.

My mom had her first dose of the Moderna vaccine last week and noted no changes to her mild tinnitus.

 

[Wende]

I had the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine a week ago. My tinnitus started getting worse a little while later and has not yet gone back to its pre-vaccine levels. I was always able to ignore it before, but since getting the shot, I'm noticing it all the time.

I often have a spike in volume when I get the normal flu, but it only lasts a day or two at the most, so the length of this spike is pretty concerning. I've read new reports that one dose of the Pfizer vaccine is almost as effective as both, so I am not planning to get the second one and chance that it will get even worse.

I have a friend who developed tinnitus and lost 50% of her hearing in one ear after getting a regular flu shot last year. The audiologist she saw told her that she has had many patients come to her with hearing issues resulting from flu vaccines.

It was only after hearing that that I started to wonder whether the onset of my tinnitus happened when I first started getting yearly flu vaccines. It wouldn't have occurred to me to make that connection, but the year of onset does coincide with when I started getting them. I wish I'd known about the risk prior to getting any type of flu vaccine.