The Hissing Tea Kettle and Me

My tinnitus started about 6 weeks ago... during this time I was under extreme stress. I was diagnosed with intracranial hypertension....they prescribed diamox 1,000 mg a day. I was on diamox for 6 weeks....my symptoms got worse and after a second spinal tap I found out that I didn't actually have intracranial hypertension so I stopped the medication.

I'm wondering if my tinnitus started due to the diamox or the severe stress and anxiety I was under for two months straight......the day I stopped the diamox my doctor prescribed Meloxicam and Flexeril for the pain in swelling in my shoulders and neck from the stress......

My T sounds like a hissing high pitched tea kettle that seems to be more pronounced at night. two weeks ago was when it was at its worst and I could literally feel my ear drums vibrating .......

My ears also feel like they need to pop a lot....I'm not sure what to do next and I worry that the meloxicam will only make things worse even though my pharmacist said that less than 2% of people on meloxicam get tinnitus......so I'm kinda stuck....I haven't taken meloxicam in three days because I'm afraid to but I do think it helped with my head and neck tension and I'm thinking that plays a role in my T.....

I asked my doctor if meloxicam is ototoxic but she hasn't written back yet.....like do many others I struggle with feeling overwhelmed by a noise that doesn't seem to go away but does range in intensity ...

Any thoughts would be comforting- Nichole

 

Welcome to the forum. You mentioned seeing some doctor(s) but not sure if you have seen an ENT. The ears popping may suggest ear drum or Eustachian Tube issue which may require an ENT to check out. Your T is relatively new. So it may fade after the problem of the ears got fixed. If the problem is from ototoxic drugs, no one can be sure if T will stay long or not. But we know stress and anxiety can definitely make things worse. So try your best to stay calm and positive. Here is an excellent thread by this TT forum to help out a new T person step by step, with links to ATA & BTA, also to sleep thread and comes with an audio player. Check it out.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic/

Looks like you hissing kettle T is high pitch. I have very high pitch T too. But don't worry or panic. It may fade or you will habituate to it like me and many members. Check out the success stories. Here is my story with ultra high pitch T and severe hyperacusis. You can get better. Believe it. Take care. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

Hi @Nikki11111 , and welcome.

First, I am neither a doctor or pharmacist, so I have no authority or training to say what I am about to say. But, some research led me to the following:

NOTE: Diamox is a brand name for the drug Acetazolamide


Acetazolamide Precautions
Serious side effects have been reported with acetazolamide including:

• paresthesias, particularly a “tingling” feeling in the extremities. Occurs most often early in therapy.
• tinnitus (noise or ringing in the ears)
• hypersensitivity (severe allergic reaction). Signs of a hypersensitivity reaction, which include the following:
  • chest pain
  • swelling of the face, eyes, lips, tongue, arms, or legs
  • difficulty breathing or swallowing
  • fainting
  • rash
• loss of blood sugar control. Caution is advised in those with impaired glucose (blood sugar) tolerance or in those with diabetes.
• electrolyte imbalances. Electrolytes are minerals in your body that help your body function normally. An imbalance could lead to abnormalities such as arrhythmias (with low or high levels of potassium), a change in body fluid (due to low or high levels of sodium), and altered acidity levels of your blood.
• anaphylaxis, fever, rash (including erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis)
• decrease in blood counts

Acetazolamide may cause dizziness, drowsiness, or blurred vision. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how acetazolamide affect you.

The above was form the following website https://www.rxwiki.com/acetazolamide

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information on the website, but it does seem to answer your question.

This site ( http://www.sanuthera.com/drugs-that-cause-tinnitus-ototoxic-medications/ )lists it as a drug that can cause tinnitus (listed under Diuretics).

I hope this helps.

 

Hello, I am new here, but not new to the world of interacranial hypotension, as it often relates to those in my community...that of Chiari malformation, ICP and all things CSF. I know many people in my groups that have T already but it is significantly worsened by diamox...And, has returned to their baseline after discontinuing diamox. I'm sorry you are experiencing this heightened kettle whistle T, I myself hear 24/7 kettle whistle/lightbulb filiment in my ear 24/7...and I do empathize with the medness. I obviously cannot say it IS definitively the diamox, but your question was the first question that jumped out at me as I just joined, because of the nature...being something I've heard many in my Chiari community say, about diamox.