Tinnitus and Diuretics — Can Diuretics Help Lessen Tinnitus Symptoms?

I have been diagnosed with sudden hearing loss twice. Once in 2013 wherein I received 3 ear profusions of steroids and after 5 months my hearing improved significantly but I cannot conclusively connect it to the steroid injections since my ENT wrote off the injections after 6 weeks of no improvement.

Four months ago (April 2019) I once again experienced sudden hearing loss in the same ear (right) but this time it was worse and included an explosion of tinnitus that has now progressed to both ears. Last week, my ENT performed another round of shots and prescribed Indapamide, a hypertension water pill (diuretic).

I research everything I am prescribed and for the life of me, cannot find any clinical studies that conclude diuretics help lessen tinnitus symptoms. I will tell you after 5 days of these pills I get up seven times a night to pee. I also experienced some pretty heavy duty anxiety that was already exacerbated by the tinnitus.

I called the ENT's nurse today and told her what my research found and the anxiety issue I was experiencing along with my decision to discontinue the Indapamide. Told her to call back if the Doc advised otherwise. No call back. All the clinical research I reviewed DID find statistical improvement in balance issues associated with Menier's disease but NO improvement related to associated tinnitus. I had seen another ENT before the shots by my regular doc and he suggested diuretics as well.

Has anyone else been prescribed diuretics for tinnitus and if so, any improvement over time.

My Doc told me I would likely be on Indapamide for life???? I am not much for taking pills for life unless research demonstrates evidence to support its use and more importantly, the associated good results. Anyone?????

 

A diuretic might help if you give it time.

 

It would really be nice to know (about) how much time to expect some improvements. I ended up taking it again this morning just out of HOPE!!

 

Isn't coffee a diuretic?

 

I am aware of diuretics being used to treat Endolymphatic Hydrops and Meniere's, but if your root cause is different, I'm not sure how they would help.

 

Did the shots improve your hearing? Did it go back to baseline?

 

Exactly, some Ents advised a water based diet and diuretics to lower hydrops. I tried but it did nothing for me

 

Thank you all for your insights. Never knew about the Endolymphatic Hydrops. I will stay on the meds for a couple months and see if any changes in hearing loss or tinnitus. Really glad I joined this site. BTW, for the person who asked whether the shots helped yet the answer is no but it can take up to six seeks to know for sure according to the ENT. As I said in my original post, I had sudden hearing loss a couple years ago and received the shots. 5 months later my hearing returned but not sure if it had anything to do with the shots at that point. My ENT had written the shots off after 6 weeks saying the loss was permanent. Boy was he shocked when I came back and showed him the dramatic improvement. This round of hearing loss is worse and came with a rather huge round of tinnitus that /i am learning to deal with. Sirens as I type

 

This is an approach for Hydrops, based on diet, steroids, psychopharmaceuticals, mannitol and possibly HBOT.

https://www.drlatorre.info/hydrops-eng

 

Anyone here have a bad experience with diuretics? I believe they can be ototoxic but I'm not sure if that applies to all of them.

 

@glennbama Did the diuretics help you?

 

I take Moduretic for Endolymphatic Hydrops - no adverse affects on my tinnitus.
In fact, I recovered my hearing and the horrible tinnitus, diplacusis and reactive tinnitus / hyperacusis resolved completely.

 

Congrats! If you feel comfortable, you should write a success story thread.

 

I'm not sure if I'm a success story.

Cochlear hydrops (if that is what I have) is a lifelong condition and I may have flare ups in the future.

I think I'll take each day as it comes for the time being, but happy to share my experience with others.

I do have regular high pitch tinnitus which I've habituated to. Maybe that's more of a success story than my recent battle.

 

Tell me more about your story! You said Moduretic helped your distortion and reactive tinnitus?

My ENT gave me Prednisone and Dyazide. I only took the Prednisone. I’m considering trying the Dyazide after your statement. I developed bad sound distortion and hyperacusis from lifting heavy weight with an earplug in.

 

So this might be why 3 coffees a day weirdly helps me.

 

Hi Brian,

I have/had cochlear Hydrops most likely because of hormonal IVF treatment. A diuretic will only work if your inner ear has Hydrops (excess fluid).

The weight training may have caused Hydrops for you, but I’ve not heard of anyone else who has developed it in this way. You could try it and see, just stay hydrated.

I had diplacusis — which was more of a robotic echo I heard after people spoke (I’d hear it clearly by then as an echo as well). Not so bad after men’s voices but high pitched voices — yuck.

 

Did you have any vertigo? And what were your other symptoms? I got a bad sound distortion from lifting heavy weights on top of my normal tinnitus.