Tinnitus Caused by Meloxicam?

I was prescribed Meloxicam (the lowest dose) for arthritis in my knee. I tolerated it really well for a long time but eventually developed tinnitus. At least I’m fairly certain that’s what caused it as I hadn’t been exposed to any loud noise and it’s one of the listed side effects. Only 1 in 1000 chance but I guess I was unlucky!

I first noticed my tinnitus in early October 2020 and immediately stopped taking any medication of any sort. The high pitched ringing (left ear only) lasted for about 6 weeks and then slowly disappeared.

I breathed a sigh of relief and forgot about it until last week when it started up again.

Same ear, same two note high pitched sound. I hadn’t restarted the medication so I’m a bit baffled (and distressed) that it’s returned.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

It seems slightly worse this time but I’m not sure. It isn’t constant, I do have periods (varying in length from seconds to several minutes) when it’s absent. It’s affecting my sleep much more this time so perhaps it is worse, although that could be because I’m more anxious about it this time.

I’d love some reassurance that it’ll go again!

 

I also took Meloxicam along with Tizanidine but my tinnitus started days after I stopped. Although I did take the highest dose so maybe that's still the culprit.