Treatment (Depakote) for Palatal Myoclonus Cured My Tinnitus

I am a 74-year-old male. In early June, 2022, I began to have a buzzing noise in my left ear. I describe it as like AM radio static. It would come 6-12 times an hour, lasting 6-10 seconds for each wave. It occurred 24/7.

I could not detect any triggering factor, other than it sometimes seemed worse when stressed, especially when driving in heavy traffic. On occasion, the sensation would be sufficient to trigger a furrowed brow and some impact on vision in my left eye.

I received a full workup from an ENT. After tests ruled out a physical/mechanical issue, he ordered a brain MRI. This discovered a 24mm lesion in my upper left brain, sandwiched between the white and gray matter, but a neurosurgeon ruled out this as the cause of the noise. (Note: this neurosurgeon is now following the lesion periodically, thinking it is a non-malignant glioma or MVNT.)

The ENT then sent me to a neurologist. The neurologist almost immediately diagnosed palatal myoclonus and put me on 250 mg of Depakote. Within 4 days, the persistent noise of 5+ months went silent. I am so grateful for this diagnosis.

 

Great news! Glad it cleared.

Your condition, palatal myoclonus, seems to be exceptionally rare. It can result in objective tinnitus.

Glad you got the accurate diagnosis.