Will You Get Vaccinated for Coronavirus (COVID-19)? Can It Make Tinnitus or Hyperacusis Worse?

I'll get the vaccine because the second time with COVID-19 has possibly left me with lasting damage. With all the mutations, taking the vaccine is the sensible option, but it's clear we'll have to take them regularly for them to be effective.

I still have concentration issues, breathing problems, lethargy, and I'm also having problems with my hands and wrists. It feels like nerve damage or something and I'd describe it as constant mild pins and needles with a numb sensation in my fingertips. I'm hoping this goes away as it's having a detrimental impact on my guitar playing. At the moment, I'm finding it difficult to play. I can also feel this in my wrists.

 

There's a lot of nonsense information out there and most people only "research" what they want to believe is true. In other words, nearly everyone has a significant confirmation bias problem.

Forget reading newspaper articles and social media. There's so much garbage out there that most will have their heads filled with complete and utter nonsense and many don't have the cognitive ability to realise this. Proper research is done in a lab by scientists and institutions with an expert knowledge of the subject at hand. Looking on Facebook or Google is not research, especially when one doesn't have the knowledge to comprehend and/or understand what they are reading.

For concise scientific information, it's best to read the journals where the most rigorous studies are published.

 

I am having the vaccine tomorrow and whatever happens happens. I think it's better to try and get protected rather than risk catching the virus without it. Some of the stories I have heard from people with long term COVID-19 and the way it's affected them. Quite startling.

 

Interesting...

Long COVID patients say they feel better after getting vaccinated

Daniel Griffin wasn’t sure what to expect when his patients with chronic COVID-19 symptoms started getting vaccinated. There was some concern that the shots might make things worse by triggering the immune system. Luckily, the opposite seemed to be true.

“I started getting texts and calls from some of my colleagues saying hey, are your patients with long COVID reporting that they’re feeling better after the vaccine?” says Griffin, an infectious diseases clinician and researcher at Columbia University. When he started talking with patients, he saw that they were. “It’s not 100 percent, but it does seem like to be around a third,” he says.​

 

Hello all,

I'm someone that works with a lot of people, so I'm advised to get the COVID-19 vaccine. I had COVID-19 back in March '20 and recovered within 3 weeks with no lasting effects whatsoever. I had breathing issues but no change to tinnitus last year during COVID-19.

I have been doing okay with the tinnitus - it's mostly somatic due to TMJ and I've been getting physical therapy, taking NAC and magnesium biglycinate. It's bearable. I suffer from anxiety and depression (I've been working with a therapist, the lockdown has been hell for me, mentally).

I've been reading around and I've been seeing lots of stories of people getting tinnitus or worsening of their tinnitus and even hearing loss linked to the vaccine and it is scaring me shitless. If I could, I'd refuse the vaccine but I'm afraid I won't get a job and the like if I do. I hate these dystopian times we live in.

I don't know what to do, but I thought... maybe we can do and know more? I know there are some really science oriented people on this forum and I wondered whether people were interested in trying to figure out what the pathophysiological process is behind those affected by the vaccine? I don't want to lose any dBs or get a tinnitus spike - I'm afraid it would make me so suicidal I couldn't handle it.

If we figure out what causes these issues - can we find ways of counter act it? Is it oxidative stress? Will a cocktail of anti-oxidants help? Is there any vaccine that is better than others? I'm so angry that ototoxicity is barely talked about in medicine! All these antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs where people know but lay people have no clue and barely any research into protection against this.

I've been thinking about the Chloe Sohl case - where the hearing loss was autoimmune in nature and partially cured by stem cell treatment. Is this COVID-19 and the vaccine problem also not a autoimmune one? Do you think for those affected, stem cell treatment could help/work?

I've read some studies where NAC had a small protective effect against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity, I think. Also something to ponder?

I ask you all to help me please with this because I am really scared and I just wish 2020 hadn't happened and I could go back to living in 2019 where life seemed to be slowly getting better for me. I'm so scared of the future.

 

What did you eventually decide? Did you get the second dose? Could you get more information on Tromethamine?

Are you ok now?

 

Hey there! I decided not to get the second dose. I'm currently in Thailand where COVID-19 is extremely, extremely rare. So I figured it wasn't worth the risk to get the second dose given how low cases are here. If I were in the US or somewhere with a really high case count, I probably would have risked it and gotten the second jab.

As far as my spike, it eventually subsided. It took almost a month, but it did return to baseline, or something very close to it.

 

Help! My GP practice texted me to get me vaccinated in a center in London, but I'm worried of the effects on my unbearable tinnitus. I push through hours these days in full survival mode. Already reaching the site would be an effort, if the vaccine were to worsen my tinnitus I would be dead. From what @Jack Straw posted as an anecdotal statistic from the other thread (thank you for the summary), the Pfizer vaccine seems to be the safest for the ears. Given its mRNA mechanism this is plausible, although the negative experience reported here by @Isabella 123 (I hope you are better now) worries me.

What to do... to complicate matters, I don't know what vaccine they are planning to administer here in the UK and I don't know if I can ask for a specific one. I'm 50+ of age, but that probably doesn't mean much. I wouldn't want the AZ Oxford one, I would avoid the Moderna to avoid Tromethamine, which leaves me only with the Pfizer.

Assuming I can request the Pfizer (not sure), what should I do? I think I got COVID-19 last year after a trip (3 weeks of high fever, bone pain, nausea... could have been a normal flu too) and since then my tinnitus has been worse, it worsens constantly but at that time it had a significant jump in intrusiveness. I suspect COVID-19 can damage ears and worsen tinnitus, and then there is long COVID-19 that honestly terrifies me.

So all in all, in the balance of probabilities, I would try the Pfizer vaccine if I can get it, but what if I am offered the AZ one? Any advice? Comments? Any help/direction from the medically savvy here would be very much appreciated. I'll call the practice on Monday to find out if I can choose the vaccine but then I'll have to decide whether I want to have it administered or not. I also read of some cases where the vaccine improved the tinnitus symptom, although it happened very rarely.

Thanks in advance to anyone who may want to chime in and comment on possible choices.

 

I would take the vaccine as your risk of catching COVID-19 and ending up with significant health problems - including a worsening of your tinnitus - is far more of a concern. It will also reduce your risk of being hospitalised down to around 5%, and there's no way of knowing if you will be one of the unlucky ones that ends up in a coma on a ventilator.

I think there's now enough data to say that the vaccine is by far the better option than waiting to acquire COVID-19.

 

Thank you for this suggestion. Do you think different vaccines are similar or should one try to get a specific one? I heard Pfizer's might be more expensive so perhaps it is reserved for medical personnel more at risk? I have no idea.

 

I think you should try to get Pfizer and get it. I have read people getting back side effects from COVID-19 that I don't think are worth it.

 

I found out that AstraZeneca is the vaccine I would get. I'm glad it hasn't affected you negatively. I'll go to the other thread to see if there are any statistics. I'm also trying to find out if there is any way to get the Pfizer one instead, but I fear there won't be.

 

Sorry if this has already been posted.

Tinnitus reports grow amid COVID-19 vaccinations

The U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database cites 152 reports of tinnitus among 25,072 COVID-19 recipients of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna. The database also has 11 reports of sudden hearing loss and 39 reports of hypoacusis (loss of hearing acuity).

A U.K. database cataloging adverse events related to AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNtech vaccines also lists a number of cases of tinnitus. In a summary of adverse reaction reports for the 54,180 recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, there were 320 tinnitus reports. For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, there were 196 tinnitus reports among 33,207 recipients in the same time frame.

At present, there is little data that could shed light on the possible connection between COVID-19 vaccines and tinnitus, although researchers have considered how COVID-19 itself can exacerbate the condition.​

Based on this sample AstraZeneca has 0.6% probability to trigger tinnitus, but what about people with pre-existing tinnitus?

 

No, that would assume that in a group of 50,000 people over a 2 month period there would otherwise be 0 incidents of tinnitus. 1/10 of the general population has tinnitus, and they have to develop it at some point...

COVID-19 itself appears to be more substantially connected to hearing problems than any of the vaxx's.

 

Good point, you are saying some of these people might have developed tinnitus anyway on their own. Still, the article said that tinnitus appeared after the vaccination. Correlation is not causation but the timing is suspect.

I'm also confident I got COVID-19 one year ago. Where would that place me with regards to vaccination?

 

Hi @ZaneBerry -- You may want to read the this post on how sodium thiosulfate can help protect a person from getting Cisplatin induced tinnitus or hearing loss. -- Regarding your major concerns about getting the vaccine: If I was in your position, I'd stay away from it for now. If a potential future employer requires it, just cross that bridge when it comes.

 

I had the AstraZeneca vaccine and it hasn't affected my tinnitus.

 

I saw that, Michael, and I'm glad it hasn't affected you negatively.

Some countries have suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine but based on flimsy evidence at best:

"Within hours Monday afternoon, France suspended use of the vaccine until at least Tuesday afternoon and Germany did the same indefinitely after newly reported cases of blood clots. Italy made a U-turn decision after its drugs regulator said Sunday the vaccine is safe, and Spain’s health minister announced a pause while waiting for an assessment by the European Medicines Agency, possibly for up to two weeks. Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden later followed suit.

Amid concerns over the safety of the vaccine, countries face a dilemma over whether the proven benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab outweigh any as-yet-unproven link to blood clots — and the growing consensus is to wait for firmer scientific evidence."​

The NHS says the cases of blood clots are within normal statistics and are not due specifically to the vaccine.

In my case I'm trying to understand the cost/benefit of the vaccine in terms of tinnitus and further COVID-19 exposure given that I'm almost sure I got COVID-19 one year ago.

 

HI Chinmoku,

I have heard some EU countries have suspended AstraZeneca. However, it's been on Sky News throughout the day, European health organisation, says there's no link with blood clots and AstraZeneca and says the vaccine is safe.

If you worry over a vaccine affecting your tinnitus, whichever one you take the tinnitus could increase due to the stress of worrying. Try to calm down.

Take care
Michael

 

I will most likely get the AstraZeneca vaccine, which I am not too satisfied with, as it's only supposed to have an effect of about 60% as opposed to for example Pfizer which has 95% effect.

I don't know if there is any data out yet whether AstraZeneca has a greater effect than 60% on protecting against long term side effects of COVID-19 (like hearing loss, and permanent increased tinnitus). Anybody know anything about this?

 

@Chinmoku -- You may want to check out the following article:

Some long-haul covid-19 patients say their symptoms are subsiding after getting vaccines

 

Vaccination with AstraZeneca has been stopped in most of Europe due to side effects.

 

The rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been paused by some European countries until Thursday as they are awaiting more information. The European medicine agency has said there is no evidence that blood clots are related to AstraZeneca. Apparently, there are concerns about the Pfizer vaccine and potential side effects but little is said about it.

 

@hans799,

My PCP told me yesterday I am at high risk. He said COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon. He said you have to look at which risk is higher. This is the doctor who would not tell me his opinion either way at the first of the pandemic. He said I need to be prepared to be at home for 1, 2 or 3 years if I choose not to vaccinate. I saw my specialist today and he said I should get the vaccine. I've listened to Dr. Sarah Ballyntine and her podcasts on the vaccines. Tonight, I'm listening to guidance from Dr. Meyers from the Meyer's Way. I have an appointment tomorrow.

 

Texas is a mess. My friend works in a local COVID-19 unit and 9 patients died last week. Several were younger males under 40.

 

I used to tell friends, "you know we are overdue for a pandemic". :-(

 

Regulators like the EMA have been incredibly irresponsible to approve vaccines without taking into account side effects. They just say that "benefits outweigh risks". Benefits for whom? For hotels? For airlines?

Certainly not for the ones that had the jab and afterwards died of unknown complications or got blood clots, or other serious side effects.

 

I’ll opt out of any vaccine for this year at least - given we don’t have 1 to 5 year safety data for any of these vaccines I’m not at all confident at this time.

 

You have to weigh this decision against catching COVID-19, which will be inevitable. Sooner or later, everyone will get it, and all those without antibodies will be exposed to many potential health problems.

The risks associated with it include damage to the lungs and vascular system, damage to the heart, damage to the kidneys, etc.

Here's a list of common longterm problems taken directly from the NHS website:

• extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• shortness of breath
• chest pain or tightness
• problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
• difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• heart palpitations
• dizziness
• pins and needles
• joint pain
• depression and anxiety
• tinnitus, earaches
• feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
• a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
• rashes

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/long-term-effects-of-coronavirus-long-covid/

There's also the possibility that it can affect the nervous system and cause neurological problems. And last but not least, some will die from it, and this is not just old people or those with underlying health problems.

You should try to look at this objectively. The risks from COVID-19 far outweigh those posed by the vaccines based upon what's known.

 

@Ed209, what's your view if one has already had COVID-19? Is the vaccine still needed in this case or could it be postponed?