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Tinnitus in left ear only

Posted , 19 users are following.

finlay13
finlay13

Hi there

I have had tinnitus in my left ear since last year and it has become louder/more noticeable. it is quite high pitched and constant. Never wavers or goes away.

Went to ENT and hearing test shows slight hearing loss in left ear also. I can hear for phone calls but I've noticed I find it hard to make out what people are saying if there is a lot of noise.

i have also had periods of lightheadedness and slight dizziness but I wouldn't go so far as to call this classic vertigo, more a spaced out feeling.

I also get regular headaches but not sure if these are connected. ENT is sending me for an MRI to rule out an acoustic neuroma. I'm pretty freaked out as I feel all my symptoms point to this.

Anyone with similar symptoms found another cit use??

2 likes, 44 replies

44 Replies

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  • neil59590
    neil59590 finlay13

    Posted

    Hi Finlay

    You have accurately described what i seem to be suffering from, ENT sent me for an MRI scan and found nothing. I have had a few falls in the past in the sports that i do which resulted in landing on my head, also i had a car battery explode in my face about 4 years ago i'm wondering if all that may have had an affect on the tinnitus i'm suffering from, not sure what to do next, i think i can learn to live with the tinnitus but the pulsating breif dizzy spells/headaches i hate. I hope all goes okay Neil.

  • barbara72354
    barbara72354 finlay13

    Posted

    It started in my left ear but now it's in both ears. This all began after my doctor prescribed a high dose of generic lipitor. I was on it for several months and then devloped tinnitus and some balance problems. I'm going to an ear specialist now and will be getting mri's of my ears. I also have some mild hearing loss in both ears, with the left one worse than the right. It's all very upsetting. I try to get treated for high cholesterol and I end up screwing up my ears. Very upset and depressed about all of this and would like to sue my doctor and the drug company.
    • amy75782
      amy75782 barbara72354

      Posted

      Mine is now in both ears and getting worse. I keep getting the really high pitched ringing for a few seconds a couple of times a day, but they sound funny all day. I notice it more at night it's better if I am out and about. My hearing is really hypersensitive I'm sure it's the citalopram!
    • barbara72354
      barbara72354 amy75782

      Posted

      That sounds pretty much like what I've been experiencing. Have you checked all of your meds for ototoxicity. You can google that and find lists of medications that cause ear problems, including tinnitus and hearing loss.
    • amy75782
      amy75782 barbara72354

      Posted

      No it's not on a list, but it does say ringing in the ears is an uncommon side effect on the leaflet.
    • barbara72354
      barbara72354 amy75782

      Posted

      Same thing with the generic Lipitor I was on. They consider uncommon to be 1/1000 people, but when millions are taking the drug, you're talking about a lot of people.
    • maggi7
      maggi7 barbara72354

      Posted

      I have constant tinitus in left ear. Had gamut of tests; no cause found. All appears normal. Except, I have no hearing in left ear! Constant whining in that ear, too. I started on course of statin three months ago. Lipitor, as it happens. BUT hearing problems began a LONG time before I started using the statin......
    • amy75782
      amy75782 maggi7

      Posted

      Does everybody who gets tinnitus go deaf?
    • barbara72354
      barbara72354 maggi7

      Posted

      I've never had tinnitus or hearing problems before. Two months after I'm put on a high dose of Lipitor - tinnitus, hearing loss, and balance problems. When I see all the people on that drug who have tinnitus, it's no coincidence to me that this happened. I'm talking to a professor of pharmacology on Wednesday who participated in a research study in 2012, which dealt with the problem of hearing loss associated with generic lipitor (Atorvastatin). This has been a highly guarded secret by the manufacturer, and unfortunately there will be many more victims before something is done about it. I just pray I don't lose my hearing completely. I'll just have to learn to live with this ringing in my ears, which is not pleasant at all, and all I wanted to do was treat my high cholesterol. So much for trusting doctors and big pharma!

       

    • barbara72354
      barbara72354 amy75782

      Posted

      The statins are really it for now. Maybe one of the other statins would be ok - I think atorvastatin is the only one associated with tinnitus and hearing loss. I am in the process of changing doctors (for obvious reasons) and I will discuss that as I know I have to treat my high cholesterol - it's hereditary and heart disease and stroke are on both my sides of the family.
    • barbara72354
      barbara72354 amy75782

      Posted

      Thank you Amy. I hope you will get some relief from the tinnitus as well. Hopefully, your new doctor can help.
    • Guest
      Guest amy75782

      Posted

      I have had tinnitus for 22 years. Besides the small amount the noise itself removes from hearing, I have not, as far as I am aware myself, lost any hearing.
    • barbara72354
      barbara72354 Guest

      Posted

      Well, that is somewhat reassuring to me with tinnitus in both ears and some mild hearing loss in both ears as well. My greatest fear at this point is losing my hearing altogether, which would be devastating. Thanks for sharing that info with us.
    • eggbiscuit
      eggbiscuit barbara72354

      Posted

      Statins are not your only option. I know this was 6 years ago but you can try red yeast rice to lower cholesterol.

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