Tinnitus Gone After Starting on Parkinson's Disease Medication!

I joined this forum not so long ago after three years of suffering with high frequency tinnitus. Not long after I joined the forums I was diagnosed with Parkinson's and was put on a medication called Sifrol.

Tinnitus is not a symptom of Parkinson's but from what i understand many Parkinson's patients have it. Not surprising since many people in general suffer with this.

Remarkably enough, after one week on my Parkinsons meds I suddenly noticed out of nowhere that I did not hear the ringing. I was skeptical because on occasion i did have days when my tinnitus was less pronounced. But it was never completely 'not there'. I continued on through the week with no ringing in my ears. After two weeks, i noticed a slight ringing but nothing i could say was out of the ordinary. Not the least bit disturbing.

Now, two months later, for the first time in three years I can say that it is more or less gone. The only thing I can connect this with is the Parkinson's meds. Nothing else had changed. Nothing else I tried had ever done more than dampen the noise. I thought I would share this information and the name of the medication in the hopes that maybe someone else has had the same experience and just maybe there is a viable treatment option with this medication.

My doctor gave me a choice between Sifrol (Pramipexole) or Madopark. I chose Sifrol because I am in the early stages of Parkinson's and Sifrol has less side effects. I don't know why this medication worked for me. It is a dopamine agonist that stimulates the dopamine receptors in the brain which in turn helps control the body's movements. It is also a medication that is used quite often for restless legs.

I really hope there is something to this and that someone else can possibly get help. Tinnitus was literally the worst experience of my life and I had began to believe that I would never be without that damned noise. Thanks to this medication, I am free from this plague. Good luck to you all and i hope this helps someone.

As a side note, there are several studies that have shown that this drug is indeed effective in the treatment of tinnitus.

 

That’s really interesting. Thanks for posting this discovery. I’m sorry you ended up trading one horrible affliction for another. I’m an operating room RN and participate weekly in DBS surgery for Parkinson’s. It’s pretty remarkable to see. I wish you the best with your Parkinson’s treatment.

 

Where do you find those studies?

 

It is believed that thalamocortical dysrhythmia is the underlying cause of both parkinsons and tinnitus although the two are independent of each other. It makes sense that parkinsons medication would have some effect on tinnitus.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4460809/

 

Original cause of tinnitus? Do you have hearing loss?

 

Do you reside in the United States? Is this medication available in the US?

 

Very Interesting

 

It would be incredible if something this simple could work. For me, if I get false hopes today, it only sets me back tomorrow. So for now, I will just accept what I have and get used to it. But a cure in our lifetimes would be so wonderful. Knowing what caused your tinnitus, such as hearing damage, would be extremely helpful.

 

I have tried this medication along with other members of this forum.
There are many threads that talk about it, among others:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/very-new-here-—-pramipexole-actually-worked-for-me.943/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...onist-pramipexole-in-presbycusis-patients.84/

 

What dosage are you on?

 

What is the mechanism of this drug? What does it do that could be reducing tinnitus?

 

Hi @NurseJackie -- Congratulations on getting tinnitus relief!!!
-
Here's another instance where a Parkinson's treatment led to tinnitus suppression...

A stroke of silence: tinnitus suppression following placement of a deep brain stimulation electrode with infarction in area LC.

Abstract
The authors report on a case of tinnitus suppression following deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson disease. A perioperative focal vascular injury to area LC, a locus of the caudate at the junction of the head and body of the caudate nucleus, is believed to be the neuroanatomical correlate. A 56-year-old woman underwent surgery for implantation of a DBS lead in the subthalamic nucleus to treat medically refractory motor symptoms. She had comorbid tinnitus localized to both ears.

The lead trajectory was adjacent to area LC. Shortly after surgery, she reported tinnitus suppression in both ears. Postoperative MRI showed focal hyperintensity of area LC on T2-weighted images. At 18 months, tinnitus localized to the ipsilateral ear remained completely silenced, and tinnitus localized to the contralateral ear was substantially suppressed due to left area LC injury. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a discrete injury to area LC that resulted in bilateral tinnitus suppression. Clinicians treating patients with DBS may wish to include auditory phantom assessment as part of the neurological evaluation.

 

Isn't this similar to what the stimulation devices are doing? Further proves that there is something here. Thanks for the post!

 

Hi @Jack Straw,

I definitely think there's somethere here, although I'm not sure of the stimulation devices you're referring to (LLLT?). I'm currently doing some targeted reflexology to try to improve things for myselff. I started doing it after I read about deep brain stimulation suppressing tinnitus. First, a quick story which will explain how I got the idea to try reflexology for my tinnitus.

Many years ago, I read a book on reflexology, which of course had a number of success stories, one of which was particularly extraordinary. The author's client was a woman who had serious heart issues, and so the reflexologist would work on the areas of her feet corresponding to the heart. But those areas were extremely tender and painful, and the work was going slowly.

After a few sessions, the reflexologist decided she had to move things forward a little faster, and so began to use more pressure. It was difficult for the woman, but she went along with it. All of a sudden in the middle of a session, the woman on the table lets out a bone chilling shriek, and totally startled the reflexologist who was working on her. She of course wanted to know what was going on.

The woman related that she all of a sudden experienced what felt like a bolt of lightening run from her foot to her heart. Here's what was even more interesting--and encouraging. Her heart problems all went away after that experience. Somehow, enough nerve energy was transmitted from the foot to the heart that it totally corrected whatever was not going right (could have been some subtle electrical activity in the heart, but I don't really know).

When I heard about deep brain stimulation improving tinnitus, I thought of that story. I thought that deep brain stimulation just might be accomplished by using reflexology instead of having to undergo some kind of operating room procedure. So I began massaging my big toes regularly (which corresponds to the head). I definitely had some very tender spots, and wasn't all that gung ho about doing it in the beginning.

But as I persisted, the tender areas worked out quite well, and I usually noticed a greater sense of relaxation settle into my body. I also got a subtle sense it was calming my brain as well. Both seemed to subtly improve my sleep quality as well. -- Nothing definitive to report on at this time, but I'm looking at the long view here. If I do this regulary for a year, could that be enough to make a difference in the overall intensity of my tinnitus?

To be honest, I may never know, as I'm doing so many other things at this time as well. I'm currently pinning most of my hopes on daily mHBOT combined with modified intermittent fasting. I've only been experimenting for a few short weeks, and haven't gotten a specific program down, but I do feel my tinnitus is beginning to ramp down a bit from its original mostly out of control screeching mode.

 

You have not heard of Mutebutton or Susan Shore?

 

Was your T noise induced?

Thanks

 

Sorry it has been a while since my original post. To answer a few of the questions, I am still free of tinnitus, though it does come back at very small levels if I use nose spray. (nose spray is notoriously ototoxic if i understand correctly) Otherwise i usually dont hear it at all, or if i do its at a very very low somewhat normal level for my age.

I honestly dont know why Sifrol worked for me and yes its available in the US. I suspect that the rigidity that comes with parkinsons disease may have been the problem. I was often quite stiff in my neck and shoulders. The medication helps with the rigidity, stiffness and tremors so I can imagine that could be the reason why my tinnitus disappeared one week after i began treatment. To be honest, with the meds i dont even notice my parkinsons symptoms anymore. But the most important life changing thing for me was when i suddenly stopped one day and listened and realised that for the first time in three years i heard no ringing in my ears. I could hear birds, the wind, all the things that this damned noise had interrupted. I was skeptical, because as we all are well aware, some days are better than others. After two months I can say without a doubt, its more or less gone. I do have occasional boughts with it when i get overtired, which might be related to working 14 hours shifts but these are very, very managable.

To answer another question, my tinnitus started after a bike accident. I had a helmet on but i hit my head so hard the helmet broke. About a week after that i started getting the ringing which over time gradually became so obtrusive I felt like I had lost my life. I avoided loud public places which was devastating for me because I am social. This went on for three years and i isolated myself more and more. I managed work, but it was often at a great price and i would just come home and cry. I dont even care right now that I have a parkinsons diagnosis because i actually feel like getting free of tinnitus gave me my life back.

Next question, the studies i read are online. Google 'Use of sifrol(pramipexol) for tinnitus patients', there are studies dating back to 2012. read a few and see what u think. Keep in mind that i found these studies AFTER i realised that my tinnitus had stopped when taking sifrol. It was plain curiousity, I wanted to see if anyone else had noticed relief after taking this drug and sure enough, its out there.

I firmly, firmly believe that there is not enough understanding of the devastating effects of tinnitus amongst the general population. I was watching a tv series the other day, stephen kings 'Castle Rock' i believe and the main character goes to the doctor about a ringing in his ears. The doctor replies, its probably 'just' tinnitus. I actually got angry! People do not understand how awful this 'just tinnitus' can be and its largely due to lack of knowledge or experience. Everyone at one time or another has had a little ringing in their ears and they all somehow think this qualifies them to judge people as weak who claim to suffer from this. I might have been guilty of this if i hadnt suffered myself. So to every single one of you out there who struggles with this, keep fighting for answers and dont be afraid to look in strange places to find them. I wish you all the best.

Almost forgot! As for dosage, it is said that tinnitus patients should be treated with the same dosage as a parkinsons patient. The drug schedule for me was like this:
1 tab 0,25 mg for a week
2 tab 0,25 mg for a week
3 tabs 0,25mg for a week
1 tab 1,05 mg daily and remain on this dosage.

 

that's awesome, please keep us updated on how you're getting on later down the road!

 

@NurseJackie
Thats really interesting...thanks for sharing.
Glad you have found some relief fro this Parkinson's targeted drug
Seems like it aims to reduce muscle stiffness...so a kind of CNS relaxant
I wonder why after some promising small trials back in 2011 / 2012 it wants pursued ?
Any nasty side-effects ?

Wishing you continued T free days.

Nurses rock...I am married to one X

 

Okay, I have to disagree here. I watched this episode of Castle Rock last night and was wondering whether they'd make a thing about the main guy getting blasted in the ear by the shotgun noise from the end of last week's episode. Well... to my surprise, it turned out they made a big thing of it!

Please be aware, it was just the clinician he was talking to who made the "just tin-eye-tus" remark - probably a satirical commentary on the current state of the medical profession. But the poor bugger is deeply affected by it for the rest of the episode! He was getting those PTSD memory flashbacks that I'm sure those of us with sudden noise-induced hearing damage are all too familiar with. And he gets those attacks when he notices it.

Note also, this is a show about many different weird things going on, rather like Twin Peaks, so it's not necessarily going to dwell on his tinnitus so much that it'll grind the story to a halt.

I think they dealt with it relatively well. I'm now wondering whether tinnitus was covered in any of Stephen King's novels?

 

@NurseJackie could you please write an update how is your T now? I read another thread about this medication and someone there wrote this helped him with T but after couple of months it was back to previous state.
I can be a guinea pig and try to take it but setbacks are the worst thing.

 

This 2013 8-minute PBS segment "Constant Ringing" mentions some of the brain aspects of tinnitus. At the 4:48 mark of this video, it has some amazing information on how stimulating the basal ganglia part of the brain--normally reserved for Parkinson's treatment--can often eliminate tinnitus.

 

There is a very good study linking high serotonin levels with tinnitus. https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdfExtended/S2211-1247(17)31098-7 In this study it is stated, "Tang and Trussell demonstrate that the neuromodulator serotonin shifts the representation of convergent auditory and multisensory pathways at a microcircuit level, enhancing the potency of non-auditory signals in a classical auditory brain region."

As the brain tends to focus on the specific neurotransmitter that is highest in the ratio or axis between balancing neurotransmitters, any drug or substance which increases dopamine would shift the ratio away from serotonin and reduce the potency of non-auditory signal amplification (less tinnitus).

It would be interesting for some to experiment with dopamine enhancing supplements such as Mucuna pruriens or L-Dopa to see what they notice.

 

This is all very interesting. I´ve tried Pramipexole myself. I´t did not do to much for me, but I could have tried it more wholeheartedly I guess.

Just to further complicate things, I actually find tinnitus relief in an dopamine ANTAGONIST called Flupentixol (it´s an anti-psychotic at higher doses 3-10 mg). I take 1 mg a day.
As I understand it, the dopamine antagonist effect heightens the serotonin levels opposite to Parkinson'smeds.

It´s just really weird that both approaches can help alleviate this terrible noise.
Add to the fact, I´m on two different AD´s which might complicate and affect things even further.
BTW, Flupentixol is not available in the US for some reason.

 

Yes, very interesting.

I have pondered whether tinnitus may be related to low MAO levels due to genetic snips! I have snips in the two most prominent MAO A enzymes (RS6323 & RS1137070) which markedly reduce the amount of MAO A my body produces which is required to break down both serotonin and dopamine. A couple things touted to increase MAO (which would lead to lower levels of serotonin and dopamine) are high levels of vitamin B2 (100-400x RDA) and progesterone. I just tried both.

I had no tinnitus for about 3 days and then suddenly it is back today (likely from taking a valerian root capsule; I had not researched to see if this could affect serotonin which it does). I am so sensitive to serotonin that even cinammon toast or a large handful of almonds increases my tinnitus every time I eat either of them. I was unaware of cinammon being an issue until I researched it out and discovered it prevents the breakdown of serotonin in the brain. It's fascinating.

My tinnitus started while taking nitrates for blood pressure which increases nitric oxide which under unfortunate conditions can initiate a vicious ONOO- cycle that creates peroxynitrite and superoxide anions which can damage the brain and have been implicated in the root cause in the brain of tinnitus and other diseases. I just hope I did not fry my dopamine cells or something? I stopped taking nitrates so hopefully the tinnitus goes away permanently.

 

Has anyone ever read this article?
The NO/ONOO– Cycle as the Etiological Mechanism of Tinnitus

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1e...251.594595316.1577857467-798807934.1577857467

Very interesting!

 

What are the side effects? Would a doc prescribe them without Parkinson?

 

Anyone else tried Pramipexole? Can a doctor prescribe it if you don't have Parkinson's? Man, I'm desperate.

 

I am still on it from two years ago. Seems to change the characteristics of my tinnitus a bit and is also a good antidepressant. Worth a shot. Google pramipexole tinnitus study, find one and take it with you to the doctor - they will probably be more likely to prescribe if you can show evidence.

Tinnitus control by dopamine agonist pramipexole in presbycusis patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study

 

I'm still completely confused on the dopamine thing.

Pramipexole increases dopamine and yet Dr. De Ridder prescribes one that decreases it (Flupentixol) and sometimes Abilify, which I also believe decreases it?

So what do you do?