by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady wrote:
I took 800 mg of Ibuprofen for pain relief for dental work and found I got tinnitus after that. As soon as I stopped taking the Ibuprofen, which was almost immediately following getting the side effect, the tinnitus stopped as well. Now when I need to use Ibuprofen, I keep the dose to 200 to 400 mg at a time and I don’t get tinnitus. Have others had the same experience?
Good question. Ibuprofen causes tinnitus in 1% to 3% of the people taking it according to the PDR and CPS. Since a lot of people take Ibuprofen each day, that translates into a lot of people getting tinnitus just from using Ibuprofen. However, I don’t have any information on the dose needed to cause tinnitus when taking Ibuprofen.
With a number of drugs, higher doses can cause tinnitus, whereas lower doses of the same drug don’t. Aspirin is one example.
I’ve not heard specifically that tinnitus is dose-related with Ibuprofen, but it may well be. So readers, have any of you found that you can take Ibuprofen at low doses without tinnitus, but tinnitus kicks in with higher doses? Let me know your experiences.
I have taken Ibuprofen three times in the last nine years – and after the instant tinnitus problem caused by the first occasion I only took the drug in error – thinking it was paracetamol – on the second and third occasions. Tinnitus has remained with from the first occasion to today and increased in intensity on the second and third occasions.
I would dearly love to sue the makers!
Hi,Was your tinnitus treated? Or how did you spend your life?
Hi Terry:
Obviously you are particularly sensitive to Ibuprofen (and also probably other drugs in the same NSAID class of Propionic acids of which Ibuprofen is a member).
For those that might not know, Paracetamol is the name used in most of the world for what we in the USA and Canada call Acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Hi Dr. Neil,
A few years ago I had some terrible dizzy spells, and my left ear is all but deaf now.
I did some research on Ibuprofen and found that it can cause dizziness and hearing loss. I quit using Ibuprofen a long time ago and I’ve never had those dizzy spells since.
Is there any legal action I can take, or is that a stretch?
Hi Jim:
One of the side effects of taking too much Ibuprofen is dizziness and tinnitus. And hundreds upon hundreds of people report hearing loss as a side effect of taking Ibuprofen.
Taking legal action is your right–but WINNING the case is next to impossible. You have to find expert witnesses (doctors) that will testify on your behalf and they are hard to find because they believe in the drugs they prescribe so don’t want to admit they’ve been wrong all these years. And besides, the drug companies have enormously deep pockets. Thus, although you may have a valid case, the cards are really stacked against you from the get go. I’ve never heard of anyone winning such a case.
Cordially,
Neil
Hello, Well I’ll be! I am sure that Ibuprophen must be the cause of my hearing loss in right ear, tinnitus, vertigo drop attacks and now PPPD. I have a long history of headaches related to allergies, particularly to dust mites. I regularly resorted to ibuprophen to deal with head aches. I got allergy tested and started taking allergy shots to deal with the sinus headaches which I suspected came from the allergies. But the hearing loss was probably the result, not of the sinus infections but the Ibuprophen. Why is this not out there as a big warning? Class Action?
Hi Laura:
Ibuprofen can certainly mess up your ears. Thousands upon thousands of people have reported tinnitus and various balance problems, and hundreds and hundreds of people have reported hearing loss, not to mention a bunch of other ototoxic side effects.
The PPPD could be the result of the migraines, or it could be triggered by the vertigo attacks.
If they put big warnings on Ibuprofen, to be fair, they’d have to put similar warnings on hundreds and hundreds of other drugs that are also quite ototoxic. I guess no one has the well to take on the FDA, NIH, the drug industry and the federal government to have truth in advertising of all the drugs out there.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Laura:
Ibuprofen can certainly mess up your ears. Thousands upon thousands of people have reported tinnitus and various balance problems, and hundreds and hundreds of people have reported hearing loss, not to mention a bunch of other ototoxic side effects.
The PPPD could be the result of the migraines, or it could be triggered by the vertigo attacks.
If they put big warnings on Ibuprofen, to be fair, they’d have to put similar warnings on hundreds and hundreds of other drugs that are also quite ototoxic. I guess no one has the well to take on the FDA, NIH, the drug industry and the federal government to have truth in advertising of all the drugs out there.
Cordially,
Neil
Well in the past I had always taken Tylenol and since we didn’t have any on hand I resorted to Ibuprofen and now I’m sitting here typing with no hearing in my left ear, and it is actually painful at times, but gotta go to work in the morning. So I guess I can’t leave a great testimony about dosage being the effect, being as I never use it but here I sit, so I’ll try to keep Tylenol in stock.
I took large doses of Ibuprofen to relieve severe tooth ache. Within a two days Tinnitus started and have persisted for the last two years although I have not taken any more ibuprofen since the orignal dose. Consulted my physician who says nothing can be done to repair or reverse the damage. is there any treatment available?
Hi Aslam:
That is one of the problems of taking high doses of ANY drug, especially ototoxic ones like Ibuprofen–you never know when a side effect is going to be permanent.
There are a number of things people have tried to get rid of their tinnitus. I outline most of the main ones in my book “When Your Ears Ring” (which you can see in the right margin). Some work for some people and not for others. Overall, I think one of the best things is to learn to ignore your tinnitus by focusing on other things and keeping a positive attitude. Then tinnitus doesn’t bother you–although it is still with you day and night.
For example, my ears are ringing away as I write this–and as they have done constantly day and night for 35 or more years–but I don’t let it bother me. Nothing I have tried has gotten rid of my tinnitus, but I can live with it with no problem (like I have any choice?)
In my case (unknown cause) I had had a history of Tinnitus for awhile….and was finally able to 100% reverse this by means of a liquid Hawthorn preparation (some ten years ago). Yet, just a week or two ago, I found this pattern to return “in spades” (along with significant changes to my BP (which had been low and very stable for MANY years)). I was baffled, but finally determined that both seemed associated with Ibuprofen intake. EGADS!! I’m currently TOTALLY off the pain med, and have increased the dosage of the supplement liquid (along with some acupuncture). Hopefully, both “crazy, new patterns” will abate…and I’ll return to normal. My prayers (and emotional support) are certainly with the rest of you, and I hope I may have yours in return. ; )
Hi Dr. TCH:
I have not seen anything that indicates that Hawthorn works for people with tinnitus. The British Tinnitus Association states, “There is no evidence available regarding this treatment for tinnitus”.
However, since Hawthorn increases blood flow, IF your tinnitus is a result of poor blood flow in your inner ears, then Hawthorn, if it improves blood flow to your inner ears, may help tinnitus from this cause. But I would not expect it to have any effect on tinnitus from other causes.
Now, in your case, it seems you have been using Ibuprofen somewhat regularly recently. Since Ibuprofen can reduce cochlear blood flow, taking any herbals that are natural vasodilators (such as Ginkgo biloba (and possibly Hawthorn), or Vitamin B3 (Nicotinic acid) may counteract the effects of Ibuprofen and restore proper blood flow to your inner ears–and thereby reduce tinnitus from this cause.
Much better to just dump the Ibuprofen as it also causes hearing loss and you don’t want that either.
Cordially,
Neil
I have found that after taking 500mg. daily of magnesium..it has relieved my tinnitus…try it…hope it helps…
Did this really work for you , mine is bad 24/7
Advil gel caps have been my pain reliever of choice for many years – Tylenol just does NOT work for me. I usually take 400mg (2 capsules). Tinnitus, in my case, is related to hearing loss, I believe due to Meniere’s tho I have not been officially diagnosed – in testing now. The problem is complicated by the fact that other pain relievers – NSAIDS and acetominephin do NOT relieve my arthritis pain. So where do we go from here. Like you said, learn to live with the tinnitus. JOY!!!
Have you ever tried CBD’s? They help with my back pain and there are salves that help too. They actually work best when the pain is real bad with the THC added( I only use with low dose THC)
I used ibuprofen 800mg for several nights in a row for sholder pain, and have had a high pitched ringing sound ever since, for the past month or so now. It’s very loud and wakes me up at night. I have moments of panic at the idea that this will never end. What can I do?
Hi Hyancith. This is years later now. I am hoping your tinnitus has gotten better and you’re doing better as well nowadays. I will be praying for you
i’ve had the same thing happen to me and it hasnt gone away it’s been two days of this and i can’t handle it please just pray for me i could never handle living like this and i wish i would have never taken the advil o begin with. this company should be sued for not having a warning on their label but thats not important plz jst say a prayer for me cause thats all that will help and i will do the same for those in a siilar situation
Hi Joe. I’m Reading this now and it’s years later. I hope your tinnitus went away or that you’re feeling ok with it. I said a prayer for you too ✨
Joe, I will pray for you, have had the condition for over 12 years, and am dealing with it. There are tests and therapies that may help depending on the cause and personal situation. You can get some helpful info off of the Cleveland Clinic website, and try to find an ENT who specializes in Auditory Nerves. About to try Cranial Osteopathy and Acupuncture with Tens therapy. Don’t give up the ship.
Joe, try not to worry about it. Eventually you will be able to handle the situation. Mine started 1 year ago and I thought I wouldn’t be able to cope. I was really depressed. All I kept thinking about is that it might stay with me forever. The trick is to try not to think about it. Don’t obsess over the noise. Eventually your brain will ignore it, and you won’t hear it unless you think about it. Mine hasn’t gone away, but I’m coping with it. I don’t notice it anymore, unless I concentrate on it. So when you wake up in the morning, don’t check to see if it’s still there by paying attention to it. Otherwise your brain will tune into and focus on it. Also, anxiety can make it worse. My advice is to get checked out by a GP, neurologist and ear nose and throat specialist, just to rule out if there is an underlying medical problem that’s causing the tinnitus. If all the tests come back clear, and the noise is still there, seek counselling. There are some good programs out there to teach you to stop your brain from focusing on the noise and to reduce the noise. A fantastic website is http://www.tinnitus.org . Take care and have a little faith in the human body, it’s amazing what it can adjust to and cope with. When the noise first started I was a nervous wreck, I thought I couldn’t go on. But I did get through it and I’m getting on like everyone else who’s giving life their best shot. My prayers are with you and with everyone else who is going through this. So keep going on with life, don’t dwell on the tinnitus and whatever you do, avoid quiet places and stop blocking your ears to check to see if the noise is still there. Cos as long as you keep making sure it’s there, it will be.
Just wanted to say that the advice of some about “not focusing on the problem” is ABSOLUTELY sound in my view. Yet, you might–at the same time–explore some “alternative/holistic” solutions, which have helped some patients plagued by Tinnitus…such as Acupuncture and herbs (like Hawthorn). The “herb approach” for many years seemed to pretty much 100% abate the symptoms. Hopefully, this new onset can be handled in the same way. ; )
i know this was years ago, but i just wanna say thanks for this comment. my tinnitus has just recently started, and i think its permenant, from use of ibuprofen. Its really depressing and i have severe anxiety already and now especially over potentially living like this forever. BUt you’re right, the times when i can not focus on it is much better, almost even normal. Its so hard not to focus and obsess over it but i hope i am able to better as time goes on. your positive outlook helps. thanks and hope you’re doing well in life
I’ve been taking 1 tylenol/codeine #4 daily for the past 2 years and didn’t ever notice any problems with tinnitus.
A couple months ago I did an MRI and the tech gave me both foam ear plugs and music headphones on top to drown out the MRI clanging noises.
That night I found I had loud tinnitus. It is my theory that while the music didn’t sound loud, it had to be at least 25dBs louder than normal because I had the foam hearplugs in, and perhaps some frequencies got through that I couldn’t hear and tell were hurting me.
While extremely upsetting, I’m not wondering if either my daily tylenol/codeine could be making it worse now, or have set me up for what happened in the MRI that might not have happened to someone else?
A doctor told me that ibuprofen does not cause tinnitus! I knew he was wrong; thank you for the article. And, with a little research, I see naproxen is also a culprit. I took Asprin for years but only recently did this develop. Tylenol is just not the same for my back/neck pain; I’m not sure what I’ll do now.
I took 800 mg of IB for lower back pain as directed by my doctor for 2 weeks. Nothing happened, but 3 days ago (after stopping the IB 5 days previous) I woke up to severe Tinnitus. Don’t know if it is related to the IB, my wife yelling in my ear to feed the baby, or just dumb luck. My ENT says it is probably caused by fluid in my eustachian but no amount of blowing my nose clears it out. Here’s hoping it goes away.
I have had tinnitus for a few months now and always wondered why until I got the bright idea to look up in my drug book the side effects of the OTC meds that I take. Sure enough, one of the first ones listed for ibuprofen is tinnitus!! Also, swelling of the extremities is another side effect, which I have been experiencing for longer than the tinnitus! How about that. This is really awful because Tylenol and other NSAIDS don’t work to relieve neck and back pain I’ve had for almost 8 years!! I never thought of this being a permanent thing until I read some stories on here. But, like one person said, the body is an amazing machine, and is capable of healing itself beyond belief. So, here’s day 2 without ibuprofen… we’ll see.
This happened to me when my orthopedic surgeon had me on 1800 mg of ibuprofen for 6 months. I was diagnosed with Meniere’s but this was revoked when they gave me prednisone. In a matter of days the screeching was gone and the fullness (pressure) slowly cleared up. My hearing came back. It was so wonderful. The whole thing came back after a month. But we repeated the treatment and I have been good for a month. My Dr. said that am having an autoimmune response. I am also trying an anti-inflammatory diet.
Just a question- 1-3% doesn’t sound like much but it was horrible and if I had known the possible side effects I would have stopped ibuprofen immediately. I think this should be a warning on the label.
Hi Lori:
The 1% to 3% is just what the researchers found in the study they did. In my opinion it is always much lower than the true figures as only the reported incidents get compiled.
According to the FDA only about 1% of side effects are ever reported. Thus you have to take any reported figures with a grain of salt (maybe the whole salt shaker!) as the known results are like the tip of an iceberg–only 10% visible.
Fortunately for you, the ototoxic side effects of Ibuprofen can be temporary, but this is not always the case.
Regards
Neil
After having a crown put on a molar and a lot of lingering pain, I was taking Advil PM. Then I realized I had a high pitched ringing in my ears. After months of ringing I finally went to the doctor when the left side of my face started aching. My ENT doctor suggested an MRI just to “rule out the bad stuff”. A tumor was found in my brain but the neurologist didn’t think it had anything to do with my ear ringing. I got the tumor taken care of with the Cyber Knife procedure but the ringing is still there. On one hand I’m thankful for the ringing because it led to the MRI and which led to the tumor but on the other hand I’d really like the ringing to go away now. The only medication I take is Advil PM and after reading the side effects on the internet I’ve decided to stop taking advil PM. I’m crossing my fingers that the ringing will stop!!
I got tinnitus through Ibuprofen. Of course the doctor said there was nothing he could do. 6 months later I still I have it. I went to a naturopath doctor. She said Ibuprofen settles in the kidneys. In chinese medicine she said. ” to clear your ears you must clear your kidneys”. So I am on a kidney cleanse/stone diet. I have to drink nasty tea. Lots of Pineapple juice. Lemon and warm water for breakfast. I have been on it a month and still the chirping. I think I need to go more hard core with it. I keep you updated. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.
I wonder if the kidney cleansing worked for you. Please share your feedback.
My son was in a car accident and the doctor prescribed a pain killer and ibprophen, first he was given 500mg and next he was given 800 mg. in the beginning of Nov. 2009 he experience no hearing.
He has had a MRI and a hearing test. The MRI ruled out that there is no tumor. His hearing comes and goes and he has ringing in his ear. He is 23 year old male and he is married. He has not been able to return to work dued to his hearing loss.
My doctor recently prescibed me 800 mg of advil three
times a day for ten days. On the tenth day I noticed
sudden hearing loss in my left ear tremenous roaring and ringing too. He said he didnt see anything wrong with my middle ear but prescribed me Sudophed Pe to clear my sinuses. 5 days later with no help on the hearing he added Steroid nose drops to my regimen. 5 days later he finally refers me to an ENT who diagnoses SSHL.Sudden senserial Neural Hearing Loss.
He did’t ask me if I had recently been prescribed any
drugs and was defensive when I asked him about common ototoxic reactions to Iburopin and was unaware what levels of medication had lead to sudden hearing loss. I am to see the inner ear specialist next week but the impression I got from the doctor is very pessimistic regarding regaining my hearing.
Thanks for all this information. I have been taking Ibuprofen and started to have ringing in my ears. Thought something major was going on. Called the Dr. They are clueless about drugs and their side effects…..
I am soooo glad i found his website and everyone’s posts here. My son had tonsillitis and i had to giv him ibuprofen. I will never do that..never never,
Add me to the list. 3 weeks of Ibuprofen and my ears are ringing constantly. Been off it for 4 days now – no sense of diminishing symptoms. If anything, it seems louder!
Did the ringing ever stop for you?
MINE HAS BEEN HERE FOR 15 YEARS NOW.
Took one 400 mg Ibuprofen yesterday, and it got worse 😛
cannot win. Tylenol is useless, Ibuprofen is scary with its heart attacks and ear issues.
And they wont give up tramadol in case I think it is fun as it kills the pain. FFS.
I have “ringing, ringing” in my left ear since a year ago last September 2008. I can’t hear in a crowd of people or when there is a lot of noise. I took Advil for many years at high dosages and it gave me gastroenteritis so bad I started using plain ibuprophen, extra strength tylenol. Then my back got worse and I was in the hospital and received a diagnosis of spinal stanosis. I then started using Darvacet and not wanting to get “hooked” I use Arthritis tylenol when I am not using Darvacet. I have had hearing testing and it said I have nerve damage…Sometimes the noise is so loud I think everyone else can hear it. But I also noticed that if I am interested in something..TV, ball game, or a conversation 1 on 1 I don’t notice it. I am going to try to take less and less pain killers and I pray that my hearing will return. I am 70 years old.
I just started searching the internet when I heard on the news that ibuprofen could cause hearing loss in young men. Found this site and I will tell you I am a women in my 50s and took Advil for a few weeks last year and started getting the tinnitus. From what I see in this site, it has been reported in 2008. I also asked my doctor about it and told her the only drugs I was taking was Advil for my arthritis. She did not have any comment that it is related to Advil. Of course, I went through all of the hearing tests. Now I know – does anyone else have any other recommendation to handle arthritis in the knee and hands besides Advil?
I’ve had ringing for years (I’m 53 now) and always assumed it was from loud music when I was younger. In the past year, I’ve started having noticable hearing loss. I assumed music was the culprit (I plass bass guitar.) I read in the Wall Street yesterday an article about Ibuprophen and hearing loss. When I was younger, I hurt my shoulder and took max dose of IP for months (better part of a year) and still occationally take 800mg tabs for various aches and pains. Now I’m wondering if >this
I was diagnosed with SSHL in my left ear on Jan 26th, was prescribed steroids right away, got some of the low tones back since. Steve Smiley, you should get your ENT to help you right away. I took a course of Advil for two weeks for hip pain in 7 years ago, maybe that was the culprit for me? The dosage was 2 every 4-6 hours.
Yes, get off Ibuprofen asap…and tell EVERYONE you can, especially those who are giving it to their kids! Docs don’t seem to know about this and the drug companies sure aren’t going to tell you.
For some reason I grew suspicious that the Advil I took for back pain about 6 months ago caused the rather loud tinnitus that I am suffering today. Just did a web search and here I am. I’m sure that many people fail to make the connection, which helps to explain the low reported incidence. I bet it is much higher. The more important question is in what percentage of cases is it temporary versus permanent.
I had an injury to my foot and took ibuprofen for the pain. Shortly thereafter, the ringing in my ears started. I had no idea this could happen! I would never have taken the ibuprofen. I have been off of it about a week, but the ringing continues. I think we should all do a class action law suit and bring it to the public’s attention! No one should have to go through this, unnoticed. I have called all my family and told them. The company that produces this drug should have to find a cure for the ringing in all our ears and pay us everyday of our lives for the annoying discomfort!
I have been using ibuprofen for 6 months for groin pain which has finally been diagnosed as deterioration of my femur head. I have had hearing loss for about 10 years, but now I have loud, constant ringing in my years that started about 3 weeks ago. My doctor said that ibuprofen would not cause this — I’m so glad I found this website.
Hi Louise:
Your doctor is totally ignorant if he doesn’t think that Ibuprofen can cause the loud tinnitus you now have after taking it for 6 months. Ibuprofen causes a lot of ear problems including tinnitus.
Neil
If a person stops advil or Ibuprofen wither they have been taking it 6 months or even 2 yrs . I was told the ringing in the ears would go away after you stop taking it. Is this true?
Hi Pam:
The answer is “yes and no”. In other words, for numbers of people, stopping one of these drugs can result in the tinnitus fading away whether completely or in part. However, for other, the tinnitus can prove to be permanent–even if you only ever took one pill!
The only way to know for sure is to get off all drugs and see whether you tinnitus fades away in time.
However, don’t forget that your emotional state of mind has an enormous influence on whether your tinnitus fades into the background or gets worse and worse. The difference is–if you consider tinnitus as a threat to your well-being in any way, it will tend to get worse and never go away. On the other hand, if you do not consider your tinnitus as a threat to your well-being in any way, and thus you treat it as an unimportant background sound, you typically will find that your tinnitus fades into the background and no longer bothers you. And that is one thing over which you have total control. That is another way of saying that whether your tinnitus bothers you or not is mostly up to you.
Cordially,
Neil
Thank you for the information that tinnitus can be caused by anti-inflammatories. It would appear that the main culprit is ibuprofen. With a combination of frozen shoulder and tendonitis at my ankle I have developed tinnitus after taking 1500mg daily of anti-inflammatories for the past three months. If I stop taking these, I hope that this will ease when I opt for the pain rather than the noise!
I have taken ibuprophen for years for headaches. I take 4 at a time, that’s 800mg. I also have insomnia and take generic sleeping pills. I was taking 2 or 3 at a time. I am 54 years old and do not take any other meds, OTC or RX. I have noticed hearing loss over the last year. I didn’t think much of it until people thought that I was ignoring what they were saying, and I couldn’t hear the TV or on my cell phone. Then about 7 months ago I thought I was going crazy when I started hearing what sounded like a flock of birds in my right ear. A friend who sells hearing aids told me about the ibuprophen and hearing loss.
I am fit and well, and hardly ever take medicines. However I took the maximum permitted dose of ibuprofen for about ten weeks just over a year ago while having a bad time with dental implants (all three failed and had to be removed over that period). With the last implant out, the dental pain went away, but I realised I was left with tinitus. It’s now always there: mainly just a hissing noise, which is fortunately annoying rather than particularly distressing. I’m pretty convinved after checking it’s side effects, that ibuprofen was the cause.
Took Advil years ago. Now I have ringing in my right ear. Took a couple of Advil last year and both ears began to ring. I quickly stopped taking the Advil and the noise in the left ear stopped but the right ear continues. I don’t think it will ever stop. At night, I sometimes use a little fan to drown out the sound. It works really well.
I was diagnosed with hypermobility as a child and it causes me a lot of problems – injuries don’t heal very well and I’ve already developed arthritis in my hands at 31. The #1 thing doctors always say is to take ibuprophen, which I have done for years at varying doses. My ears started ringing about a week ago and it’s been getting steadily worse. After talking to a pharmacist and checking these sites, it seems to me that Ibuprofen is a very likely cause. I’m already prone to depression and anxiety, and the last few days have been exceedingly difficult. I am very very worried about this condition, and it’s happening at the worst possible time – my first child will be born in about a month. I agree with the guy who said class action lawsuit, it is totally unconscionable that there are no warnings about this on ibuprofen bottles.
I agree with a class action lawsuit.
Can one prove that they even have tinnitus?
Hi Mike:
Although taking Ibuprofen may have caused your tinnitus in the first place, your anxiety and depression can make it become much worse. It is normal to be anxious with the birth of your first child–I know I was. However, if you focus on your tinnitus–and your anxiety at this time almost guarantees that you are–this makes your tinnitus seem even louder and more intrusive than it need be.
Therefore, you need to learn how to control your anxiety. At the same time, ignore your tinnitus by focusing on the loves of your life. When you do this, you will find your tinnitus tends to fade into the background and becomes less and less intrusive.
On the other hand, if you focus on your blankety-blank tinnitus, it will just get louder and more intrusive, and make your position even worse.
Neil
Hi Dr Neil
I have arthritis in my back, but also drug induced Tinnitus (from taking 15 mg daily Mobic for 12 days). It’s about 2 months now, and unfortunately no reduction in the noise or pressure, so I think I’m stuck with it.
Do you have any suggestions for pain killers that don’t cause Tinnitus? The back pain is awful, but I think the Tinnitus is worse.
Thanks so much for your site.
Hello,
I found this site while trying to find out if tylenol caused ringing in ears. I am to the point where I am at the end of this road. I first developed ringing when I was 23 after having a sinus infection for a month. I woke up and my head was completely clear but, my ears were ringing so loudly (didn’t happen until I woke up that day, hearing was perfectly fine until then) that I couldn’t hear anything else. My hearing gradually came back but, the ringing was still there. Fast forward to 2005, I had Bell’s Palsy and was told everything would be fine. I felt great for the first 3 weeks (except a droopy face) then I woke up and was in so much pain where the nerves had woken back up and was so dizzy I couldn’t lift my head without vomiting. I was put on Neurontin (sp?) for pain and the last week I took it I could tell some slight ringing then about 3 days later I woke up and was almost completely deaf and my ears were ringing horribly loudly. It also ruined my eyesight. I immediately quit taking the medicine. I gradually (months) was able to see colors again (especially since I wanted to get a degree in art) but, still had Entoptic Phenomena horribly. The ringing lessened some. When I went to the doctors they told me ‘not to ever expect to be able to walk again’ (because the nerve that controls my balance had been pinched off), my eye damage was permanent, and that I had the hearing of an elderly person and they could fit me with hearing aids to help but, the loud ringing was permanent. I was 29 and in perfect health when this happened. After 2 years I was able to start walking again even though I constantly felt dizzy. I found out that huge amounts of niacin cleared up my eyesight. I went for testing and was told I had the hearing of an 18 year old and that the ringing was just distracting me. I found a med combo last year that gets rid of the dizziness. I felt great for the first time in years and went back to college…
Sorry this is so long but, I am getting to the problem now. I never thought I would ever have a life again. But, since last year… Things have gotten better and better. Until 2 months ago. The beginning of the year I began taking aspirin in high doses because I thought it was safer than tylenol or ibuprofen. I’ve never had a problem with ringing because of taking it. Tylenol doesn’t work for the extreme neck and headaches I’ve had since a car accident. I’ve switched it up with Ibuprofen because it works the best but, I was starting to get ringing again and went to the ENT again who put me on Adderall which is what helped with the ringing last year. Well, this year it didn’t mix with the combo of meds I was taking and I’ve fallen into a deep depression. I was starting to feel better within a week and had to take Prednisone for a pinched nerve. Everything was still improving, even though. Then a month ago I woke up with no sense of smell. I’ve since gone back into a deep depressed hole and had to drop out of school. Then 2 of my pets died. And, now the only person I consider a true friend, a few days ago we had a major fallout. That I highly doubt will be fixable.
Now, to add onto that…. My hearing has been coming and going for the last month (ever since I was put on Preds again for my loss of smell), I’m beginning to have dizzy spells, the thing with my friend is the worst part of the whole situation because I really did care about this person. I don’t know what to do. I’m seeing Psychiatrists but, they and the meds aren’t helping. I feel like there is no more hope for me. I’ve felt empathy and compassion for people ever since I was a child. I was actually majoring in Psychology and Art when I went to school previously. I don’t know how anyone can live like this. I’m terrified to go to sleep at night because I don’t know what’s going to be taken away from me when I wake up. Sorry but, I have noone to talk to who understands.
My dad is on Trental Pentoxifylline 3x a day for radiation scarring, and it really helped with his tinitus also. Now it just rings when it starts wearing off.
Hi Tom:
Pentoxifylline is a blood-flow drug. Since it is presumably increasing the blood flow to his inner ears, and if the cause of his tinnitus is lack of oxygen in his inner ears, then this drug could reduce his tinnitus.
I would expect much the same effect if he took vasodilators such as Niacin (vitamin B3) for example as it also increases blood flow to the inner ear.
However, most cases of tinnitus are not the result of reduced blood flow to the inner ear, so it won’t help most people with tinnitus–but for those with this problem, this is one solution.
Regards
Neil
DR Neil
if you’re still out there
my girlfriend has this pretty bad. We are trying to sort out what could be the cause…she has a neck injury , do you think that this could cause it at all? Also – i have read studies claiming that Cadida / inflammation to the body could also be a cause, and could diet help? do you know what type of doctor she could see for help ? It seems that there are so many things to read that cause it but so little on what can help ..other than the obvious don’t drink, eat chocolate , and sugar..or caffeine sort of things ..
Hi Gloria:
The most common cause of tinnitus is exposing your ears to loud sounds. Probably the next most common cause is taking any one of the hundreds of drugs that can cause tinnitus. And tinnitus almost always accompanies hearing loss.
So there are three good places to start. It often helps to figure out what she did different in the weeks before her tinnitus started. Knowing the cause often gives insight as to what treatment will work best.
Cordially,
Neil
Yep, I got the tinnitus from Ibuprofen after having wisdom teeth pulled 4-5 years ago. Still have it. I rarely take any medications and the least necessary, so I’m glad I did not take as much as doc recommended. H’mmm…class action lawsuit?
Hi,
I am 22 years old, male. I took Ibuprofen 400mg for some pain in my body. and next day I’ve tinnitus. Its been almost six days now…. 🙁
Will it be permanent for my whole life ?
Is there anyway to stop this buzzing (it’s like flowing water….)
WOW I didn’t know you can get tinnitus from Ibuprofen.
No Wonder why my existing Ringing seemed WAY LOUDER after I took 1 400mg tab. Its so difficult to cope with. I have had Tinnitus for 2 years and have been going crazy everyday since i got it. I think I got it from taking a bath in Epson Salts and some of that salty water got in my ear canal because later that night when i was lying in bed, i turned my head and EEEEEEEEEEEEE. been that was ever since. Lipo-flavanoids and green tea seem to make the noise manageable
Support helps too 🙂
stay strong !!!
Hi Amber,
I had smth similar happening. Did you try having your ears ‘syringed’ ? It may be some salt ‘sticking’ and the syringe cleans it out. This can also happen with simple sweat coming into the ear on a warm day …
Iknew I was right! I have been prescribed Ibubrofen 3 weeks ago and the tinnutus which was always just there in the background – obviously from taking the Naproxen months ago for my back pain – got 10 times worse!!
This definately must be brought to the attention of the public – I am going to email my local current affair program and see what the response is – it has to be stopped or else a huge amount of people will have this problem!!
I have tinnitus for 37 plus days took two Advil’s last night and three hours later ringing was super loud… calmed down this morning Still head ache
I have intermitent hearing loss that goes away in a day of two) for several months now. I thought it was from Tramadol, quit taking that, but intermittently take Ibepropen for pain in neck and knee pain. Now today I have hearing loss again. Have been taking Ibepropen this past week. Perhaps this is the cause. If anyone starts a class action, let me know.
I to suffer with Tinnitus and this followed taking Aspirin and having an almost anapylatic reaction, the tinnitus has continued for the last 5 years. Aspirin as in disprin and Ibuprofen the contain a chemical called Salicylates, I now have been diagnosed with a Salicylate intolorance, Salicylates also naturally occurs in fruits, vegetables, spices, preservatives etc. For the people that got tinnitus from taking Ibuprofen you probably also have a salicylate intolorance and will need to be aware of the foods that contain high levels of salicylate. Until this was diagnosed through an immunologist I was not able to control the Tinnitus now through avoiding salicylate containing foods etc my Tinnitus is manageable almost gone. Salicylates occurs naturally in alot of fruit and vegetables. Hope this helps – is frustrating and time consuming needing to be aware and eat the Salicylate free diet.
Hi Sharon:
I just want to straighten out a bit of confusion you seem to have. Ibuprofen is NOT a salicylate. If you really want to know, Ibuprofen’s chemical composition is (RS)-2-(4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl)propanoic acid. It belongs to the sub-class of drugs known as Propionic acids. Notice, there are no salicylates in its formula.
Aspirin is indeed a salicylate. The generic name for Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid.
The salicylate sub-class includes drugs such as Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin), Benorilate, Bismuth subsalicylate, Choline magnesium trisalicylate, Diflunisal, Magnesium salicylate, Mesalamine, Methyl salicylate, Olanzapine, Olsalazine, Salicylic acid, Salsalate, Sodium salicylate and Sodium thiosalicylate.
Do you know what your tolerance level is for salicylates? People on the average Western diet ingest an estimated 10 to 300 mg. a day of salicylates. In comparison, a single adult aspirin contains a whopping 650 mg of salicylates.
If you could not tolerate more than 80 mg of Salicylates a day–equivalent to one baby aspirin, to get this much salicylate from foods, you’d have to consume at one time, either:
1.31 oz of pure curry powder, or
3 pounds of raisins, or
6 pounds of almonds, or
134 pounds of tomatoes, and that is just not going to happen.
Thus, unless you are truly intolerant to any amount of salicylates, it is hard to get enough from eating food to cause tinnitus.
The above figures were for just for the equivalent of one baby aspirin (81 mg). The conventional wisdom is that the average person (not someone intolerant to salicylates) needs to consume 5 or 6 adult aspirin a day to get tinnitus from aspirin–and that would be somewhere between 3,250 and 3,900 mg of aspirin a day.
Regards
Neil
I have experienced hearing loss for a few years but never had tinnitus associated with it as some do until recently. I was in a car accident in July of 2010 and was in alot of pain. I have in the past used Ibuprofen 800mg sometimes twice per day due to arthritis pain/surgery pain. After the accident I was taking much more Ibuprofen than previous and have now developed tinnitus possibly from the increased dosage. I have been trying to eliminate or reduce anything that I might feel is causing this including aspertame and caffeine. I was very distraught/depressed and my MD prescribed Lexapro and Ativan to help with my anxiety. I, like so many others suffered with the thought that nothing was going to help and didn’t know if I could live this way. The medication has helped immensely with coping. I also wear a hearing aid and am one of the lucky ones that can have it adjusted to drown out the high pitched noise all day. I never liked wearing my hearing aid but now look at it no differently than wearing glasses. It has also greatly reduced the “plugged” sensation in my ear from hearing loss. When I take it out at night I notice if I have had enough environmental stimulation during the day and especially just before bed the ringing is barely if even noticeable. I keep a fan going in the room also and this helps. Please, everyone suffering with this condition, don’t give up. Keep trying different remedies and working with your doctor to find a solution. I haven’t had the condition long and it does get better with proper treatment. I am looking forward to the future when it won’t have any effect on my life at all. The human brain is truly a magnificent machine and can be trained. One last thing, I do take Lipo Flavanoid Plus as prescribed and really believe this is helping me also.
I only took 200mg of ibuprofen for menstrual pains, and the night after I began experiencing tinnitus. It has almost been a week now and my ear is still constantly ring/buzzing! 🙁
It is extremely distracting at night when it’s quiet and I am trying to sleep. I really hope this isn’t a permanent side effect (though I am having my doubts), or lead to more serious complications like meniere’s disease! My heart goes out for the ones who has suffered this for years as it’s only been 6 days for me and already unbearable!
I’m a live sound engineer, so I work in a very loud environment (but I do protect my hearing as much as possible). I take 200-400mg of Ibuprofen on days that I work out, to reduce swelling or for related back pains. I’ve never once experienced any ibuprofen related ringing.
Hi Dan:
Not everyone by any means gets tinnitus from taking Ibuprofen, but a good number do.
New information just out last year shows that regularly taking Ibuprofen increases your risk of gradual hearing loss. So that is also something you want to watch out for.
Fascinating discussion. I used small dosages of Advil for 8 days after some dental work (200 – 600 mg) and noticed an increase in my pre-existing tinnitus on the 8th day. Concerned, I stopped taking the Advil yesterday and my tinnitus is improving. I’m shocked that there is no label warning about this side-effect and my heart goes out to the sufferers who have posted messages here.
So it’s the celebrex and ibuprofen that have caused my tinnitis! I had shoulder surgery six months ago and a really tough time with the pain. I was on percocet for about 4 months, but asked my doctor to switch me to something else. That something else was Celebrex. My ears have been ringing ever since even though I stopped the Celebrex after a week. This morning (before I found this website) I tried 2 ibuprofen for the pain. Louder ringing. I’m going to try tylenol tomorrow. Anybody had a problem with that?
Hi Kathy:
Celebrex (Celecoxib) can cause tinnitus in up to about 2% of the people taking it. I don’t have any information on whether the tinnitus is permanent or not. For Ibuprofen, the incidence is up to 3%. It seems that tinnitus from Ibuprofen is permanent in some people, but temporary in others.
Tylenol (Acetaminophen)is not listed as causing tinnitus, but it has recently been found to cause hearing loss if taken regularly for several months. So you want to watch it too.
Regards
Neil
I’ve had shoulder and wrist pain for quite some time now. I took two Ibuprofin 500 mg about 4 to 5 hours apart today. It is now 2:30am and I’m experience severe tinnitus tonight. It is quite annoying. I can’t sleep so I thought I would educate myself by Googling the subject. I’ve had tinnitus for several years but tonight it is really going ballistic. It’s got to be the Ibuprofin. I can’t think of any other reason. For you who have just started hearing this insidious sound, take hope. You should get used to it. Your brain will eventually block it out when you’re involved in something that takes your mind off of it. (Does that make sense?). Anyway, guess I’ll look for another pain reliever tomorrow. Oh, by the way, the American Tinnitus Association is a great source for help. Very compassionate if you call them. As I understand it, William (Capt. Kirk from the original StarTrek) Shatner used to be the spokesperson for the ATA. He evidently experienced an explosion on the set of StarTrek one day and has had this disease ever since. He found help via the ATA. Hopefully, you will too.
Blessings y’all.
Dr. Neil,
I have tinnitus and hyperacusis. My dentist used car?… (possibly, it was carmomide 3%) for a dental anesthetic during ozone therapy treatment.
24 hours later, I had vertigo. Is it possible for the vertigo reaction to happen 24 hours after the use of a dental anesthetic?
I have found many lists of what drugs not to use for tinnitus. Can you suggest some dental anesthetics, antibiotics and pain suppressants that are safer to use. I can then take this list to my doctor/dentist for his review.
Thank you, Louise
Dr Neil,
Finding this blog has really been an eye opener. In mid 2004, I severely fractured my right ankle, fibula and tore the anterior femoral ligaments in my hip due to a slip/fall injury when I stepped in some leaking oil from a fog machine, in the dark, while working backstage on a rock concert. I was given Morphine, oxy-codone (Oxycontin), hydro-codone (Norco) for many months to relieve the unbearable pain I was enduring and had to deal with the dependency and withdrawal effects with those substances.
Actually, not having a propensity for mental addictions, I learned to manage the physical effects so that I could effectively manage the chronic pain and not run any red lights when driving (That happened to me in the beginning when I got my cast of my leg). I started taking Ibuprofen and other NSAID’s to mitigate the negative effects of opiate pain medications and lessen the dosages of the opiates, necessary for acceptable pain relief. I was out of work for a year until I felt like I could return to the touring rock show circuit, although I still limp like Chester from Gunsmoke.
I then became reliant on NSAID’s for pain relief since I didn’t want to be using opiates while working in a professional environment. I began using NSAID’s exclusively for relief for my still chronic pain condition. I now realize that I started experiencing Tinnitus around this time in 2005. I attributed the Tinnitus I was experiencing to the fact that I was working in a loud, high SPL environment of rock concerts in stadiums and arenas. I became aware of drug induced Tinnitus when a physician gave me Celebrex which immediately caused severe high pitched ringing greater than that I experienced from high doses of Ibuprofen. I have also used Diclofenac, but I have no recollection of any adverse effects from it.
So now I have come to the reality that I have been living with Tinnitus from my use of Ibuprofen and other NSAID’s, which I have now discontinued completely, although i still continue to have to deal with the unrelenting chronic pain from my leg injuries. The severity of my Tinnitus has lessened to some degree, although still with me 24/7/365. I only hope it will disappear in due time.
Sincerely,
Will
Allan (#11):
I had tinnitus for about a week when my doctor decided to do a brain MRI to make sure there was no medically obvious problem. I wore headphones. Despite that, my tinnitus doubled in intensity after the MRI. It subsided a little after a few days but remained much higher overall since the MRI. For MRIs,standard ear protection, from my viewpoint, is not enough. This was about 18 months ago.
Thanks for the discussion Dr. Neil!
I’m a 48 y/o male who took 800mg of ibuprofen to relieve the muscle aches from a 90 day extreme video workout program. Immediately my tinnitus jumped from a 1 to a 3. That has happened before, but only for a few hours. I cut ibuprofen down to 600mg twice a day just after the tinnitus began (once to get through the program, once to sleep).
It’s been over a week now, with little or no relief. I used to notice tinnitus several times a month, now it’s several times a day. After reading this, I’ll stop the ibuprofen completely. Thanks again,
Good luck with this everyone!
Bill
I have been taking 800mg ibuprofen 3 times a day for the last few days as my back seized up yet again and the 400mg dose was doing nothing for it. My left ear has suddenly started ringing quite loudly…a good 10 hours or so since last taking ibuprofen. It didn’t come on gradually, it just started really sudden like. Now I wonder whether to stop taking the ibuprofen…it’s either ear problems or bad back…can’t win:(
As a kid, I constantly had headaches and migraines. For many years, I took Tylenol to subside the pain. I’m 19 now, and for this past year or so, I have been taking 800mg Ibuprofen pills for my headaches. Now I have a distant ringing in my ears. But, I also wear headphones regularly while on the computer. I cannot isolate the medicine as the cause for the ringing in my ears, but by reading other’s posts, it’s easy to make the assumption that Ibuprofen is a contributor.
I took Advil Liquid gels to control pain and inflammation from a work injury and developed reverse slope hearing Loss in my right ear. The noise from the Tinnitus in my right ear is irritating and it feels like my right ear is under deep water… pressure and muffled. I am trying to get Worksafe BC (Worker’s Compensation Board) to accept hearing loss from ototoxic drugs as compensatable when they are taken as a result of a work injury. So far there is nothing in their Policy and Claims manual that deals with hearing loss from pain medications. I believe that this type of hearing loss is more common than we think. I found the study on ototoxic drugs and NSAID medication published online (March 2010, American Journal of Medicine). I encourage you to read it if you haven’t.
Thanks, Lois
Hi Dr. Neil,
Came across your site while researching the symptoms I have been experiencing for the past week or so:
Severe hearing loss, hissing sound in both ears, loss of balance while walking, dizziness when standing up from a sitting position and occasional nausea.
WebMD led me to believe that I have vertigo or Menieres which scared me enough to see my PCP! After noting my symptoms and examining my ears and throat, he concluded that I had a viral infection in both ears that caused fluid to build up in the inner ears resulting in my symptoms. Since it was a virus, he couldn’t prescribe anything and said it will go away by itself in time. He also referred me to an ENT specialist whom I am scheduled to see in 2 weeks.
But the problem has gotten worse so, being 64 years old, retired, and with a lot of free time, I went back to the web!
This time I looked for the side-effects of the meds I take and, voila, here I am! I was taking Tylenol ES twice a day for arthritis until a week ago when I ran out and switched to 800mg of ibuprofen also twice a day. (I had a lot of these left over from an earlier multiple-tooth extraction. )
I was happy to find from your site that the ibuprofen is the culprit. I have stopped taken it and hope the problem goes away. By the way, I only remembered this switch today and therefore had not told my PCP about it. Would this have changed his viral infection diagnosis?
I am, however, not encouraged that my problem will go way based on the postings on your site. Is there any hope?
Thank you, Dr Neil, for listening.
I took Ibuprofen regularly for three weeks following a surgery. What are the chances that my tinnitus will get better? What can I do to improve my odds of recovery?
For those of us who get Ibuprofen-related tinnitus, do we have some underlying vulnerabilities?
Thank you –
Jean (and the crickets)
Dr. Neil,
Thank you for this website. Have you considered having a link so people can post it on their facebook accounts? If facebook can help with the spread of democracy in the middle east, maybe it can help save the hearing of millions of people around the world…
Hi Jean:
The more Ibuprofen you take and the longer you take it probably affects whether the resulting tinnitus will be permanent or not. Some people find their tinnitus goes away when they stop taking the Ibuprofen, and others are left with permanent tinnitus. I don’t know which group you will fall into–so its hard to predict your chances–but I’ll give you 50:50 odds.
Apart from stopping taking the Ibuprofen, I think the most important thing is to learn to totally and completely ignore your tinnitus. By that, I mean do not form any negative emotional bond to it–or else it can become even louder and more intrusive. Tinnitus is more common and more intrusive in people that tend to be anxious or depressed–so if you have either of these characteristics, you want to work on them to help keep your tinnitus in check.
I don’t know exactly why some people get tinnitus from taking a given drug such as Ibuprofen and others taking the same dose for the same period of time don’t. Perhaps it is body chemistry differences, or perhaps it is emotional differences, or both.
Recent research has revealed that certain parts of the brain are smaller in those people who suffer from tinnitus–thus there may be a physical component too.
Regards
Neil
Just an update from my post on “May 19th, 2011 at 8:36 pm “.
It took about 3 weeks, but the tinnitus is about back to where it was before I took the high doses of Ibuprofen. It faded over a period of 3-4 days. I haven’t taken Ibuprofen since.
Good news people! This is not always permanent!
I decided I need to add to this thread of comments. I took 800 mg of Ibuprofen for about 6 days and then ringing in my ears constantly. The two items are UNRELATED. I panicked and I was convinced after reading all 69 comments that I was going to be deaf in one ear. I got an appt. with an Ear Nose and Throat doctor and she discovered wax build up. It was a coincidence in the timing. The ringing was really, really bad and uncomfortable. It was relived immediately when she removed the was with a wash etc. Amazing. I just had to share so that some people understand it could well be wax and not 800 mg of Ibuprofen.
I have long suspected that ibuprofen was at least a contributing factor to my condition, but I never had any hard evidence to support that.
Several years ago I was using a lot of artificial sweeteners, not knowing that they can cause unexplained body pain. I started having intense, put-me-on-my-knees pain with no explanation. The doctors tested me for everything they could think of, including kidney stones, and found absolutely nothing. I was taking high doses of ibuprofen to counteract the pain, and went suddenly, profoundly deaf in my left ear. At the time moment, loud tinnitus and hyperacusis “switched on” in that ear.
Eventually I was diagnosed with hydrops, which is essentially Meniere’s Disease without the vertigo. I’ve learned to manage the tinnitus through a variety of techniques including a very low salt diet, good hydration, and no caffeine.
I’m gratified to find out that my intuition is “on the money.” Unfortunately, it appears that I’m going to be one for whom the condition is permanent.
Hi Carolee:
While Ibuprofen could certainly cause your hearing loss and tinnitus (and likely did to some extent), you may not know this, but those artificial sweeteners (Aspartame) you were using to excess can also cause hearing loss and tinnitus. So your ear problems could be a combination of the Ibuprofen AND the Aspartame.
Regards
Neil
I took a 7-day course of doxycycline (100mg twice daily) and during that course, I experienced headaches and jaw aches so I also took 400-600mg ibuprofin at least once a day. It’s been 14 days since I completed the doxy course, but I continued to take ibuprofin until just before I noticed this unceasing tinnitus. That’s when I googled tinnitus and its causes and found that ibuprofin, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners (not to mention many antibiotics, yep doxycycline) contribute to tinnitus. This is day 5 of tinnitus life for me and I have avoided ibuprofin, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners. It keeps going strong and I find it very disturbing thanks to my anxiety disorder. I still hold out hope it will fade or go away. Tomorrow I will see a new ENT and hopefully hear some good news there. If this crud is here to stay I will be seeking hypnotherapy to deal me deal with it.
In August 2011 I began taking prescribed NSAIDs for ruptured disk/neck. Seven weeks later I have hearing loss in the right ear and diminished hearing in the left ear. The doctor and pharmacist claim that NSAIDs do not cause hearing loss. Doctor then checked my ears and told me that ears were blocked with EAR WAX. Taking Murine ear wax removal for the next few days. Next stop ENT if problem continues.I pray God, let it just be EAR WAX, HEAL ME Lord ! Please ! THANK YOU LORD, IN ADVANCE.
Dr. Neil,
This forum has been incredibly helpful, and I feel pretty confident that the recent high dosage of Ibuprofen for a dental issue has been the cause of my tinnitus. While reading over this forum, the one thing I haven’t read (possibly I missed it), is what to do for pain issues going forward. I’m just talking about the normal aches and pains of life. If I’m going to avoid Ibuprofen, are there other over the counter pain remedies that you’ve heard are helpful and not associated with tinnitus?
Again, thank you so much for creating this forum!
I have never put 2 and 2 together until receiently concerning the cause of tinnitus just as I don’t remember when I first noticed the ringing in my ears althought it was years ago. I took 800mg ibuprofen 1 to 3 times a day for 25 years and just in the last year switched over to celebrex 200mg 1x a day and it seems as though the ringing has intensified considerbly. I’m not sure what to do to aleveate the joint pain, but I think I will stop Celebrex and see what happens. It also seems as though the ringing is intensifed when I have caffine. I will also go decaff. It all sucks. Just hoping for it to lessen.
My tinnitus is constant – hiss and sometimes hiss with ring – in both ears, since 1990.BAck then I was brushed off by an ENT who made me feel like a mental case! I started to take notes. First, out with my family in gale force frezzing winds without a hat or ear protection, I cringed and almost cried holding my ears. I wanted to go back to the car and called out “My ears. Something has happened to my ears.” Not wanting to be a party pooper, I stayed there and waited for them. The next day the tinnitus started. But that’s not all. I was in taking courses at a college in a campus house that reeked of mold from the basement. Every day my tinnitus worsened while there. Same in my grandmother’s moldy basement. Then… when a storm was brewing, my ears told me so, as they do now, with louder tinnitus. Then, when in airplanes, my tinnitus increases greatly. Ear plugs help. Then, the hissing turns to a ring when I turn onto my side in bed. Strong coffee, especially espresso and certain brands will do it. Doctors say to increase circulation. After a work out, the hissing is worse! Most interesting is that back when it started, I was up at night late or doing all-nighters with my studies. The longer I stayed up past my normal bedtime, the louder my ears got! This still happens. Lastly, – when in Europe some years ago a team of doctors in Italy did a TV special on tinnitus. They insisted that the sleep/wake mechanism in the brain is off balance. They said that surgeons know where the spot is in the brain and can fix it. If that’s true, I should think that the U.S. would know about it too. They also said that an electrode device implanted in the skull behind the ear has been a successful remedy. So…. I wonder, with thes things circling in my mind, is it possible that tinnitus can be from multiple causes and triggers? WE long sufferers can tell new-comers that once you have it and it seems to be a life-long chronic condition, you will notice the spectrum. Somedays its hardly noticeable. Other times it’s maddening. Note-taking will help you identify your triggers. At bedtime I take a third tablet of Unisom 10 hours before I must wake up. Sometimes I add one valerian capsule. I am short and small. Perhaps larger people need more. I don’t like and don’t trust medications, so I keep doses as small as possible. This regimen works for me. I even wake up with little to no tinnitus. It starts again after I’m up and about. And, when I hae a tossing,turning night or a sleepless night, my tinnitus is screaming all the next day. A long, recuperative sleep the next night quiets it down to practically a whisper. Let’s not blame ibuprofen on everything. Yes, it’s the problem for some, but so are other factors. WE all might have multiple-trigger tinnitus.
Hi Kathy:
interestingly enough, tinnitus for a number. Some people gets worse as you get more and more tired, and in fact, if you get extremely overtired your tinnitus can become a loud roar–sounding just like a freight train is bearing down on you and is going to be smashing through the wall right you. It can be scary. Fortunately, the treatment is simple–go to bed and get some sleep.
As you have already hinted, tinnitus indeed arises from a number of different causes. Thus, the treatments have to match the cause in order to be effective.
Regards
Neil
I’d like to add that laying your loud ear onto a heating pad on a bed pillow might help. When I’m distraught, I do that and it helps a lot. The heat might help because tnsion in the area relaxes and fluids drain away or nerves calm down.
I did decaf for 3 days the ringing seemed to reduce I drank a regular cup this morning and ringing increased dramaticaly. I have been off of Celebrex for 3 days—we will see. So far caffeine seems to really kick it up. O yea, I am getting hearing aids Dec 2nd, hopefully it will mask some of the ringing!!
I have always taken ibuprofen. I don’t think it aggravates my already existing tinnitus that I have had due to hearing loss at birth.
Science proves that it will…..I’m having the same reality check. Lol.i don’t want to stop taking my celebrex BUT it legit might be making it worse!! :0
Tinnitus seems to be almost immediate after 800 mg intake for me.
Took 800 mg Ibuprofen for a few weeks due to severe jaw pain after two dentail caps. Pain worked, then was given Dexamthasone for 7 days. Stopped the Ibu. Tinnitus for 3 days now. Stopping all meds, caffeine, alcohol to see if anything improves. Saddened to think this could be permanent, am 38 years old.
Doing my latest daily activity of researching tinnitus on the web, and I ran across this comment board. I read every post from 2008, and was glad to see someone else posted today (waving at Frank). I’ve been perfectly healthy at 48, no meds. I had an accident in Sept & had to take Advil for pain for a week. I took it as directed, and got tinnitus; a constant high pitch inside my head. Blood pressure is normal, no ear wax, etc. 4 months has passed, and it has not decreased, rather it has increased a little. I am warning everyone now about ototoxic drugs. Ibuprofen & other NSAIDS are listed as ototoxins, so why isn’t this information printed on the label? I agree that there should be a class-action lawsuit. This side effect is a major disruption and change to normal life. Yes we can ‘learn’ to live with it, but if I broke someone’s knee, they’d have to learn to live with it, but I would have to be responsible and pay. Thank you for this message board, it blessed me to read other’s testimonies.
Wow, this is truly disturbing how many people have posted here. I hurt my ankle and took 1-2 gelcaps of Advil to reduce inflammation. 1 day after starting I noticed a pulse in my ears. I tried to ignore it because I was worried that like a coworker of mine did, that I had a spider in my ear. (She had to have it flushed out.) I almost NEVER take pain relievers of any kind and when I do it’s generally Tylenol. So when I realized the only thing that had changed for me recently was adding the ibuprofen I started to wonder if there was a connection. I should add that my first reaction was to bawl because I found a site that said it could be a tumor or something, which I suppose it could be. But sounds like ibuprofen is more likely the culprit. It is ridiculous that this information is not more commonly known!!!
I went to the dentist and they prescribed me Advil’s for the pain…2 days later my ear started to ring..Now seeing this…The amount of Advil’s per day prescribed must of done it. 4 times daily!
I can’t stand it and at times..I get really frustrated with my surroundings some days I even forget that its there and other days it rings so loud…I hope they find a cure for their own mistake!! I find I have 2 type of ringing..one deep in and one in my ear..The one in my ear I can somewhat control but the one in the background is permanent!
I work as a caregiver for a patient with M.S. All of the lifting and repositioning takes a toll on my arm muscles and back. To relieve the pain I always took Advill several times a week without any problem. Then one evening last week I increased the dose to 3 tablets. Within an hour I started experiencing a noticable ringing in my ears.
I haven’t taken Advil since that happened but the ringing never went away. It is worse in my right ear, and that ear even feels a bit clogged with the same sort of sensation one would get from swimming and getting water in your ear. The ringing and hissing seems to be getting worse. I had no idea Advil caused ringing or I never would have taken it, not ever! Why is there no label warning! I can only pray this is not permanent and will try a few of the suggestions I read here to minimize the discomfort. Thank you, doctor, for providing a resource for people with this problem.
I was told to take Ibuprofen after an arm injury. Tylenol has too many bad side effects so I agreed. I never had a problem, would take it for headaches etc., and a month ago developed a cold which lead to an ear infection. Once again I was told “take Ibuprofen”. Well my ears have been ringing so loud for the past 3 weeks that I could scream! Went back to the doctor (saw a different one) and was told the Ibuprofen caused it and to stop taking it and it would go away in a few days…….well it has not gone away. I have sensitive hearing to being with, I hear literally things that people are shocked that I could hear so you can imagine how this loud ringing is driving me crazy. No label warnings, no doctor warnings – honestly there should be a class action suit agains the makers. Some people are lucky and the ringing goes away when they stop taking it – others like me are not that lucky and are suffering as a result.
With all of these comments complaining of tinnitus with Ibuprofen, I would guess
the incidence the side effect is higher than the 1-3% mentioned in the beginning of the article. I took 800mg Ibuprofen for shoulder pain…have taken it for various ailments throughout the years with no problems, and later asked my husband what” the white noise was in the room.” It wasn’t until a few hours later, that I realized I had a constant “rush” in my R ear. I have also been experiencing a bit of dizziness, and attributed it to the progressive lenses in my glasses….but now I suspect the tinnitis. I hope it goes away soon!
Hi Jackie:
Of course the incidence is much, much higher than the “official” figures show. What is reported is just the tip of the iceberg.
That is why you need to use “due diligence” before taking ANY drug. And when you do this, you’ll probably opt for NO drugs, but try some of the herbal and alternative remedies that work and don’t cause all these unwanted side effects. That’s what I’ve been doing all my life. It works for me. It can work for you too.
Regards
Neil
I, too, have contracted tinnitus after taking 3 doses of IB , spread out over a number of days, 400 mg. each. There is no warning on the bottle or the package. My intuition was to not take the medication, as i am leary of most medicines, but my Dr. insisted on my taking it for tendonitis after it had not significantly improved in 6 mos. How I wish I had followed my intuition and NOT taken this drug. I agree that there should be a class action law suit for this damaging drug ! Having tinnitus has changed my life as i am a creative , artistic person whose art craves silence. Out of the silence comes the art and the music. Fortunately, I am a meditator as well, but it is very sad to me to feel that I will never experience the sounds of silence again. Any suggestions besides the usual ? I have tried herbs, supplements and such. Best to all !
Indeed, Ibuprofen can cause tinnitus. i took it for pain in my neck, 400 mg for 10 days. After reading some horror stories on this message board i expected the worst bus still hoped for the best. The noises i heard in my right ear were very low-pitched, deep like machines in the distance. After 2 weeks i am finally relieved of the side-effect. I guess it was cardio-vascular related, due to a temporary higher blood pressure. Being an audiologist now i can warn my clients about this drug. Also, reading too much on the internet can be bad for your health, in my case it really scared me and made me feel down since i knew from my studies about tinnitus and was allways extra prudent with my ears! (the major cause for T still being noise-exposure)
For me it was a good lesson about being extra careful when taking medication, on the other hand now i know i worried too much and it was only temporay.
I’ve had tinnitus that lasted more than a day four times, and at the end of the saga I had a question about what might be a safe dose to see if I’ve developed an intolerance for ibuprofen.
The first was after using what called a powder hammer to put nails into concrete in the basement. In retrospect there’s no such thing as a good enough hearing protector if you’re going to fire a gun a few hundred times in a concrete room. The ringing faded out over the next month or so.
The second was after a single dose of Asacol, an ASA-5 NSAID. I had been unlucky enough to get a C-diff infection from the Bernaise sauce at an upscale eatery, or perhaps some upscale MD left it on the table. The resulting infection looked like ulcerative colitis to the gastro and he prescribed before he got any labs or pathology. I called the gastro when the ears rang and he said it was vital to stay on it. I was dumb enough to take a second dose… I’ve heard steam whistles, this was louder, and lasted two years. Called the gastro again… then got another opinion. It seems c-diff has a unique foul smell, but it’s a specialty that favors the olfactory challenged. Oh, since I didn’t see it On this page, that ASA-5’s are an entire class of patented molecules, that are in essence presenting 5 prongs with the business end of aspirin. I hadn’t been aspirin sensitive before, but I am am now. The ringing is mild and seems to clear up in 3 to 10 days.
The third time was a couple years ago when 8-hour Tylenol was recalled and CVS filled the shelves with their generic version. I haven’t had any trouble with acetaminophen before or after, so I tend to assume that in the nidst of this unexpected bonanza the people who don’t put their name on the bottle were a little less than fastidious about their production line. Ironically that’s what got J&J’s Tylenol line in PA shut down, but brand names are traceable and accountable, and generics – well…
The fourth time was just last week. After decades of infrequent and unventful use of Advil, and some time with 800mg horse pill size doses for pain form a torn rotator cuff, a single 800mg dose of a generic ibuprofen at the famous home of the etherdome has left me saying “what did you say?” once again. I never did find out why I’d collapsed for no reason, but ruling out all the ischemias aneurism and bleed choices included CT contrast, MRI contrast, and a lumbar puncture all of which could be contributors. Still, the ringing started an hour after the ibuprofen. Silly me, I didn’t want any more morphine in the IV line because it makes me so blue. I should have just had the morphine and watched the comedy channel until I passed out. Anyway… with so many contributing factors, and the ever popular “what’s really in that generic pill” problem, is there a reasonably safe way to check if ibuprofen is now a no-no for me, or is this one of those things that can be a developed intolerance and there’s no safe dose to test. (a month after the ringing stops)
Please accept my apologies for the round about question .
I have recently developed tinnitus. What should I take for headaches now, since I have read that taking asprin and ibuprofen can cause tinnitus. I do not want to me mine more severe.
Thanks!
Hi Robin:
Not knowing your situation, my first reaction is to suggest you work at finding and eliminating the cause of your headaches, then you won’t have to worry about taking any painkillers!
Drugs are aimed at relieving symptoms (such as pain from headaches) rather than working to correct the underlying cause (which could be your neck out of whack, eyestrain, etc.)
To me, the much better and wiser approach is to eliminate the cause, then the symptoms will go away on their own.
Regards
Neil
I developed tinnitus after taking only 200mg.and after only one dose.
Do you still have it?
Hi! i have a hearing loss problem. I am trying to live with it but ther is a point where it lead me to feel like going away from people. i have been going to doctors seeking for medication that can relioeve the pain for inside the ear. my ear is being irritated by the noise from the distance.
Hi,
My sympathy to you all. I shall ignore the sdvice about ignoring the ringing. Around 15 years ago I suffered severe stomach pain(unable to get out of bed in the morning) from mixing ibuprofen(600mg dosage once a day) and alcohol – no warning about the possible effects of this in the leaflet accompanying the drug. I have since gone on to enjoy tinnitus which I am living with.
I am currently taking Warfarin following a TIA(stroke).
With a view to getting an alterative to Warfarin, I asked doctor, following unsuccessful DC cardioversion if warfarin could be causing CONTINUATION of my tinnitus. His answer was that warfarin WOULD NOT CAUSE tinnitus.
However I am hopeful I shall get an alternative and look forward to finding out if my suspicions are perhaps correct.
regards,
Duncs
I’ve been taking Naproxen for a number of years but only recently started noticing a pattern of tinnitis after taking a dose. It wasn’t much more than normal so I just wrote it off. Recently, however, I started taking Relafin for a neck injury and noticed a dramatic increase. I’m hoping it goes down once I stop taking it but it does lend credence to a dosing relationship.
I took advil in hopes of arthritis relief, one per day, regular strength and developed constant loud hiss-ringing. Stopped taking it but ringing continued. About a month later took one more caplet just to see and immediately developed an additional ring that would repeat on every external sound! Thought I’d go crazy. I only took one and after about a day, that repeat ringing stopped but the hiss-ringing stayed. I would like to sue the company too!
I just want to go on record that almost three months ago, I had to take ibuprofen over a period of ten days for dental pain. Since I don’t like taking medication, I always started with one 200 mg tablet then would take another, if the pain didn’t subside (never exceeding 400 mg/dose). On the tenth day of taking the ibuprofen, I noticed the start of my tinnitus, which hasn’t gotten better since. I don’t know for sure if the tinnitus was caused by the ibuprofen, but if not, it would definitely be one incredible coincidence.
I have taken Ibuprofen for a few years for minor arthritis in my shoulder. I am a golfer and it would help me a great deal with the pain while I played. I have had mild tinnitus for years. I worked in a loud factory for 32 years and figured that that was the reason. Recently I have been dealing with a bacteria (H Pylori), my Dr has me on the H Pac. Triple therapy treatment, before that I was taking Zantac. I am also taking Simethicone to help with gas pain. Last week my tinnitus has gotten much worse. After reading a lot of these posts I’m sure that medications are the cause. I need to finish my meds to kill the bacteria, then I will stay away from the drugs and hopefully my symptoms will decrease. I can relate to what everyone is going through.
I have been dealing with a stuffed and/or nearly stuffed eustachian tube for almost a year. Hearing loss and tinnitus goes up and down. I decided to try some ibuprofen recently because it felt like inflammation was contributing to the problem. The ibuprofen seemed to help at first, but now my ear feels more stuffed. Could easily be due to allergies and not ibuprofen. I see now I am very lucky my tinnitus did not get worse. My natural health practitioner cautioned me not to take ibuprofen since I seem to be susceptible to tinnitus. I did a little research myself and found this web site. I am posting because at its worst the ringing has been like a loud fire alarm. Those times have been frightening, disturbing, and extremely disruptive to my sleep and productivity. (Though now I trust they will pass, so that helps a lot.) I wanted to pass on that the only thing of the many things I’ve tried that impacts the ringing is constitutional homeopathy. The right remedy doesn’t make the sound go away, but it changes the tone to make it softer, slower (if that makes sense), and lower–much easier to live with. I’m interested that I don’t see this mentioned anywhere here. Since my tinnitus is not from ibuprofen, I don’t know that it would help any of you, but I thought I’d mention it in case it might.
I was injured over a year ago at work.my company’s insurance still withholds med care.So I have been taking tylenol & Advil everyday scenes. My girlfriend was the one who noticed it first, but now the constant “dog whistle”is defining, and especially at night..please, I need to know if this is going to go away..I’m feeling like a nervous wreak, any sound can jump so loud or be muffeled instantly ….Any answers? And why aren’t there any attorney’s looking at this?!
Thank you for your time.
M.G.H.
Hi Michael:
If you want to get rid of the tinnitus, you need to get off the Ibuprofen. I’ve had numerous people tell me that they got severe tinnitus from taking Ibuprofen. Unfortunately, the tinnitus may be permanent.
At the same time, you want to be careful with the Tylenol. Taking Tylenol even just twice a week over a period of a year can result in significant hearing loss.
Regards
Neil
I have had back and neck pain for years. Now at 56 I feel it is getting worse. Surgery in May of 2012 helped sciatica due to a herniated L5S1. I have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, cervical, thoracic and lumbar herniations, osteoarthritis and scoliosis. I took ibuprofen and tylenol for years. As the situation got worse narcotics and benzodiazepines were instituted. I became very addicted to the point of almost dying. I was able to recover from the addiction. Now on disability, i have lost about everything. Tinnitus now is excruciating. Being a medical professional I knew it was caused by the ibuprofen, but what alternative is there.
P.S. Thank you Dr. Neil for this post. I wanted to mention that it has been very helpful to me as i found the other causes mentioned that i was not aware of.
I have taken just 200mg Advil occasionsally for migraine and hip bursitis over several years, but only recently noticed intermittent tinnitus associated in time with this medication. I am generally very aware of tinnitus-producing drugs, as I have had it before in association with an episode of influenza during which I took aspirin, yet despite being in medical practice (minimal prescribing) I was not aware of this hazard with NSAIDS. In other words, it is not generally well-known.
So what pain relief is effective and safe for moderate to severe pain? I favour Digesic (dextropropoxyphene and paracetamol) which the Australian drug authorities are trying to have withdrawn. It is a very useful drug, with relatively few side-effects. My tinnitus seems to be gradually subsiding, as it did before, but my sympathy with those who are battling this most intrusive condition.
Idk wen my tinnitus started but i remember when i was young,i was popping some home made canyons.one explotion was soo loud my hearing stop for a couple seconds and suddenly came back slowly with a ringing in my ears.that was in middle school. When i got to freshmen yr highschool i started noticing my T. It wasnt really bad, i hear it only in quit places. And it grts very loud if it was dead silent. Got it checked had an mri and the ENT said it was tinnitus.. And i went on with my life, lived a normal highschool life. Lived a good young adult life..im now 23 yrs old, and a month back i started getting back and neck pains and mild sinus problem. My doctor gave me 3 different meds, including ibuprofen, 3x aday for 2wks. And i started noticing the loud ringing in my ears, and it got louder and louder until i get sooo frostrated just trying to go to sleep.my anxiety and my stress level is off the roof that i cry or i really get hot headed. I also get feelings like i think im dying lyk something is wrong with me. I keep thinking i have brain cancer,thyroid cancer, or highblood that caused it to get louder.. My doctor gave me diazpam and it works good for sleeping… Most important is i found a someways to take my mined out of it.sound therapy!!! I found this app in itunes, and it produces natures noise with white sounds..it takes your mind away from the very loud T….. Just to add on, form highskul tell recently when my tinnitus didnt spike up to a louder ringing noise, i aleays listen to loud music. Been to clubs where i went out and the ringing is very loud but goes down the same nyt or the fallowing day.but now the noise is loud and i think im getting different illnesses, everyday i find something in my body that will scare me..
Hello, I had some backproblems and my doctor told me to take ibuptofen for 5 months because he thought it was an infection, which it wasn’t…. Now I have peeps in my ears since 5 months now. Somehow I hope this will go away, but every morning I hear it again… Why do doctors make this prescriptions if tinitus is the. Result! I’m really really mad that I took this medicin, before I never took any medecin!!! How is it possible that ibuprofen breaks the hairs ??
Hi Laurence:
I think most doctors feel that ibuprofen isn’t a problem. Obviously, many people take ibuprofen without getting tinnitus. Unfortunately, significant numbers have similar experiences to you and end up with tinnitus. That is why you need to be cautious about taking drugs such as ibuprofen.
I’d like to comment on your question of how it is possible that Ibuprofen “breaks the hairs”. First off, the hairs don’t break. What happens is the hair cell dies and all the little hairs– technically stereocilia–die along with its underlying cell. when that happens, you lose a little bit of your hearing.
I think you’ll find that Ibuprofen does not damage the hair cells, but does other things in the auditory system, probably in your brain, that results in tinnitus.
Regards
Neil
Will taking magnesium help your tinnitus
Hi Ron:
It should. Or, to put in the opposite way, and I quote from my book on tinnitus, “a deficiency in magnesium has been linked with chronic tinnitus and to sound sensitivity. Magnesium helps to protect your ears from damage caused by loud sounds. At the same time, being exposed to loud sounds causes your body to lose magnesium, thus leaving your ears unprotected. Since tinnitus is often triggered by loud sounds, supplementing your magnesium intake could be beneficial.”
Cordially,
Neil
I recently had a pulled out back and was taking a HUGE dose of Ibuprofen.. sometimes 4-5 at a time for about 9 days. After that I got an ear infection and was on amox. for about 12 days. Everything was fine for at least two weeks after until I started getting inconsistent humming in my ear’s. Over that time came the holiday’s where I consumed some alcohol and chocolate.. along with taking Green Tea stimulants before I hit the gym. About 3 days ago after working out the hissing came back (like a really low freq) and has not stopped since. It has turned my life upside down over these 72 hours.. I have resorted to melatonin to sleep and my blood pressure has spiked along with chills and fevers from making myself sick over the noise.
I went to see an ENT today.. my hearing and pressure is fine so he suspects that the high dosage of ibuprofen has caused it. He told me he would be ‘shocked’ if it lasted more than a few weeks as it takes a while for the stuff to leave the system and I just took a small dose a few days ago for fever. I will now stay away from this and turn to Tyn. as he suggested. I really hope this does not linger around, because I’m not sure if I can cope! I still have many years of college left and an entire life to live.
I am 50 and have lived with tinnitus for almost 2 years. I finally went to an ENT. She recommended that I increase the amount of water than I drink daily to help with the inflamation due to dryness in my sinnus cavities. I did but no relief. Next step was to get a hearing test. The audiologist found that I had a “divit” in my higher pitched spectrum of hearing. She let me demo some very small hearing aides that were programmed to fill in the “divit”. They were not cheap but the hearing aides provided about 60-80 percent relief. I have taken 200mg-400mg of Ibuprofen for years. I am am going to try to stop. The audiologist suggested that my loss of hearing is most often associated with loud consistent industrial sound or a single traumatic noise event. None of these really applied to me. I do however fly a lot and that in combo with listening to movies with non noise cancelling head phones my have contributed. Like one of the other writers I noticed the tinnitus really after a long flight that I fell asleep on and then when I woke up and had a severe pressure release in my ears.
Neil–For those of us with tinnitus (20+ years in my case) who need anti-inflamatory meds to address back pain, nerve pain/weakness/impairment etc, and would like to take NSAIDS/ibuprofen, is there anything out there that would do the trick without adverse tinnitus impact?
Hi Roger:
I just took a look at all the NSAIDS listed in my drug book and all sub-classes of NSAIDS and EVERY one of them has tinnitus listed as a side effect.
So that makes it difficult to recommend anything, doesn’t it?
What I do myself is look for natural alternatives. For example, a couple of things I have done in the past few years as I found I was getting aches and pains) was to fundamentally change my diet. I stopped eating many foods that CAUSE inflammation (I should eliminate them all but I don’t have the will-power to do that yet) and started eating many more anti-inflammatory foods. It’s amazing how doing just those two things keep pain under control and all without ever taking any drugs (which I just won’t do).
If you don’t know how to get started, I suggest you work with a good Naturopathic doctor (N.D.)and also start following the principles laid out by Dr. Joseph Mercola (http://www.mercola.com/). He has an extensive website packed with information on good health.
Yours for better health
Neil
I take ibuprofen from time to time. I had surgery and did not want to take the strong pain meds so I took the ibuprofen. My ears are ringing loud today.
I have had this problem with aspirin in the past. The ringing stopped in time. I hope it goes away soon. jan/2013
White noise ap for iPads works great at night. The rain sounds almost block out the ringing.
Glad I found this site! I had/have Meniere’s my entire life, I’m deaf in one ear and my ears ring constantly. At times, the ringing becomes absolutely unbearable, and it often takes months for it to subside. I thought it might be due to the recent Advil PM’s I’ve been taking…and here’s my proof! Thank you, I will cease and desist all Advil immediately!
Also, I’d like to recommend Lipoflavonoid. It’s hard to say if it’s truely working, it takes time to build up in ya system, but I’ve noticed a mild improvment in the past. It’s 25 bucks a bottle at Walmart, it’s worth the try.
I have a degree of tinnitus anyway (which I’d imagine is a by-product of my acute nasal allergy), but I find it is much more pronounced after using ibuprofen – it can becomes really loud. Any dosage can do it, but I find the tinnitus is worse if I’ve taken ibuprofen more than once in the day (two doses of 400mg for example.
In regards to hearing aids, I’ve tried that too. The company I was working for, (but eventually had to fire me due to the ringing) thought it might help. I still couldn’t hear (in my one/good ear) over the obnoxious ringing. I could hear doors slam down the hall, but couldn’t make out what someone was saying, right in front of me. Sounds were just loud and exaggerated, which made me extremely jumpy. Unlike Van, it wasn’t a pleasant experience for me. But I have hope. I keep reminding myself, I’ve had these “episodes” enough times to know, It’s not forever…just seems like that at times.
“This too, shall pass.”
(lol..but even THAT has it’s limits!)
Many here may want to try krill oil, not for their tinnitus, but for joint pain relief instead of taking so many NSAIDS. Some clinical studies show that it’s far superior to chondroiton, etc.
Wearing Ear Planes (ear plugs available at most drug stores) helps while flying…particular landing where the pain can be excrutiating. Also taking Sudafed an hour before landing…very important. Never fly with an ear infection or bad cold. Lorazepan at night in the smallest dosage quiet noise and body for better sleep. Advil and any aspirin or ibuprofen product will definitely worsen tinnitus. After 20 years of ear ringing I still made the mistake of taking it for pain and am paying the consequences. Hope beyond hope, right?
If you know a class action attrny, forward her/him this site.
I have had tinnitus (Menieres) for several years now, and have found that when it gets really bad, i take ibuprofen and for me it relieves it to a point. I have to say for me it has never worsened after I have taken it. I also get a lot of headaches. I was curious about ibuprofen and tinnitus so I looked it up and found this, very interesting to say the least. Wondering about tylonol and tinnitus.
I was reading an artical in RA Magazine and to my bewilderment I found that my severe hearing loss may be connected to the use of NAIDs. My first question is why havn’t my ENT, audiologist,neurologist,GP, and neurosurgeon ever considered telling me this and the second question is how such a large number of people can have a side effect to a household OTC and no legal action has been considered.
Hi Beka:
To answer your first question, most doctors are brainwashed that drugs do not cause ear problems, so they don’t believe it. Besides, they don’t want to admit that the drugs they prescribe damage their patients.
In answer to you second question, I think few people connect their ear problems with the drugs they take, and when they do and ask their doctors, their doctors tell them the drugs are not the culprits. In addition, in order to win a case against big pharma, you have to have proof AND deep pockets. How are you going to get absolute proof? And how many of us have deep pockets. Remember, the drug companies have billions of dollars at their disposal to hire the smartest lawyers.
Thus, you are just better off not taking drugs and using lifestyle changes and herbals to help keep yourself healthy. That’s what I do.
Regards
Neil
Thank you for your timely response. Taking your advice, I have stopped taking all NSAIDs. After 24 hours of ceasing all NSAIDs my hearing is the same but my double vision has cleared also. I seens I was poisoning myself. Without your website and reading that article, I may have inadvertantly hurt myself. Thankou Dr. Neil and all of you that have responded to this problem. May God bless all of you! Beka
What is frustrating to me is that I’ve seen quite a few doctors since the onset of my tinnitus and not once did they ask me if I had a large dosage of ibuprofen about the time it started. If they did I would have said YES!
I only learned about the connection because I had another large dosage recently and the ringing was so loud I was unable to block it out from my usual techniques.
I saw my GP on Thursday and he referred me to an ENT for tinnitus. I saw the ENT yesterday and he said that I had TMJ and to take as large a dose of ibuprofen as was legally allowed to relieve the TMJ. The tinnitus is much worse and now I feel pressure in my ears that was not there before. If ibuprofen is known to cause or exacerbate tinnitus, why the hell did the ENT tell me to take it?????
Some years ago I went through a series of events that caused continous high blood pressure that caused me to be rushed to the er twice. This probably had a bearing on my hearing loss and tinnitus. Also have TMJ off and on. The dentist made a small bite plate and it helps. But a half of a 5 mg of valium somehow relaxes something in my ear and it seems to almost go away. Have been to three ear doctors and they said there is nothing they can do. Something about the tiny hairs inside the ear. Also if you can find something like the noise of a fan, or window air conditioner something that is droning… it will sooth the ear. Have had this for ten years and it comes and goes… sometimes a loud commerical will set it off.. have good days and bad days but these have helped me tremendusly. I have very little hearing in that ear as well.
Hi everyone, i took the recommended dose of ibuprofen, 6 tablets a day for about a month to reduce the pain associated with chronic pelvic pain, my condition improved and I stopped taking the ibuprofen, after nearly two weeks being off the medication totally i have developed tinnitus, I went to bed 2 weeks ago and noticed my ears ringing, a very high pitch. I spoke with my Dr. and he has put me on Serc 16, this medication increases the blood flow to the inner ear so as to reduce the amount of fluid there which may be causing my tinnitus, I am 4 days into the medication (3 a day) and I have noticed very little change in the condition so far. I do take a sleeping tablet at night that helps me get through the nights(when its quiet and the T is most noticiable)I did suffer from T about 10 years ago and it lasted for many months before clearing up totally, this was caused as a result of what I believe was taking an ototoxic medication(Nexium)I will keep you posted on how the Serc 16 goes for my condition.
I have been searching but see no answer. I have unbearable tinnitus. I’m wondering if taking Ibuprofen caused it. If so, can that cause be reversed?
Is there a good site for tinnitus?
pamela
Hi Pamela:
A lot of people have told me that taking Ibuprofen caused their very loud tinnitus. For some people, the tinnitus has proved to be permanent. For others, it is temporary and goes away some days after they stop taking Ibuprofen.
I don’t know of any way to tell in advance whether your tinnitus will be temporary or permanent. But one thing is sure–if you take Ibuprofen again, your tinnitus will start up again (if it quits) or will get worse.
I have written extensively on tinnitus. You can read these articles, and see my books on Tinnitus and Ototoxic Drugs on the Center’s website at http://www.hearinglosshelp.com
Regards
Neil
Hi
i found out do to taken ibuprofen i lost my hearing in my left ear also my tinnitus was very laut, i have meniers, but do to the intake of ibuprofen it gotten so bad that i stoped taken them.
Now my hearing came back and my tinnitus gotten much less.
Good Luck everyone:)
I had horrible ringing in the ears so long. After going to the ear Dr and audiologist they tell me there’s no help available. Then I read an article in AARP magazine re. This. I had been taking lots of ibuprofen….600 mg dr presc. Due to a knee injury. I never knew the serious consequences. The ringing makes me very irratable. Wish I could take it back.
Huge amounts of ibuprofen Rx’d by orthos while learning my profession as a musician. They only warned against stomach problems suggesting I take milk. I never approached what they recommended, but still took appreciable amounts. Then used topicals for muscle pains containing salicilytes of the aspirin family in later years. Noticed sensitivty to running bath water that was uncomfortable and irritation from those 1st gen printers that had little high speed pins to create letters through ink ribbons (dot matrix printers). Put my printer away in a sound proof chest but all that hammering eventually took it’s toll, along with the drugs, and now, 15-20 years later, it keeps getting worse even though I avoid all these things. Music is no longer enjoyable and I’m in no position to shape sounds I make into something seductive and enjoyable. Big box Rx is a criminal endeavor. The Docs criminally negligent, the end users stupid marks. After seeing my Dad in hospital for a week this year, I say they too are dangerous institutions full of drug enablers. Only hope is to doctor yourself and stay away from mainstream meds and medicine. Never take medical short cuts, always do it the traditional way. What a mess our future is before us with all our youth on psycho drugs to get better grades. It is unimaginable stupidity.
I’ve been taking regular ibuprofen for years for neck and back pain, headaches, etc. No problems EVER. Just two weeks ago I decided to try Aleve, and one week ago developed tinnitus but didn’t make the connection until yesterday when I finally figured it out and found this website. It’s a constant EEEEEEEEE in both ears, mainly the right one. I’m going to contact my doctor tomorrow to see if I might have wax build up, etc. but just from reading the posts here I’m pretty sure it’s from the Aleve. I’m hoping and praying this goes away now that I’ve stopped, but it doesn’t seem likely. I checked and re-checked the label and there is no mention of this side effect anywhere. I’m all for a class action lawsuit as well. This is quite annoying and I wish I’d just stuck to ibuprofen!
Hi Tammy:
Aleve (Naproxen) can certainly cause loud tinnitus in some people. Wax in your ears shouldn’t give you the kind of tinnitus you are experiencing.
It’s “funny” how people react to these two medications. I actually have more reports of people getting tinnitus from Ibuprofen than from Naproxen–so one drug affects some people and the other affects others. So you have to be wary of both of these drugs if you want to avoid tinnitus.
Regards
Neil
I had some dental work done and started taking ibuprofen 800mg for one day and now I hear this ringing noise in my right ear so I’m praying now that I’ve stopped from reading these comments it will go away being that I’ve been on it one day.
For those of you who are upset and considering legal action, a class action may not be the only way to go. I haven’t researched the matter, but this may be the type of products liability case that can be litigated on an individual basis. It wouldn’t hurt to consult with a personal injury attorney (who will pretty much all do a free consultation, since they tend to just take about 1/3 of the recovery as compensation).
I will likely be doing this myself. There was no warning on the ibuprofen bottles I have that this could happen, and now it appears that it has, in fact, happened. I didn’t even suspect a connection between tinnitus and ibuprofen until my doctor identified it as a likely cause recently. This risk needs to be made known, and legal action could be a way to bring some change while hopefully getting some compensation to those affected worst.
(FYI, I have a legal background, but am not a personal injury lawyer.)
This is crazy so many people with this issue. No warning on the IP bottle?
Three weeks on 800mg ibuprofen and taken with 20mg omeprazole, I too have severe pulsating in one ear. Have stopped the medication and hoping it will go away. Any updates on relief from this?
Is there a page like this for Doxycycline? I have severe tinnitus in one ear, which was caused by my husband’s medication alarm. We got rid of the alarm 5 years ago, but the tinnitus remains. Now I may need to take a single 200 mg (a high dose) of Doxycycline as a preventive treatment for Lyme Disease. ( I was bitten by a tick. ) I don’t want to get Lyme Disease, but since Doxycycline is known to cause tinnitus, and it is a high dose, I don’t want to risk making the tinnitus worse. I am not sure what to do.
I took about 6 x 200mg tablets of IP over one night for what turned out to be my first gout attack. This was 16 years ago and my ears have been ringing ever since. It was horrible at first but I just got used to it after a while. It does stop sometimes or at least becomes less intense. I still take IP for headaches, but only 200mg. The gout is now well controlled by Allopurinol and when I do get the odd attack I take 75mg of diclofenac ( another NSAID). I’m not sure if stopping these drugs completely would cure my tinnitus but the benefits of the pain relief outweigh the ringing in my ears.
Hi Andrew:
High doses of Ibuprofen can and do cause tinnitus in numbers of people. And as you have found, some people have permanent tinnitus from the very first pill they take. Others, never get tinnitus, and then there are those in between that may have temporary tinnitus.
With some drugs, stopping the drug can stop the tinnitus. Aspirin is a good example. In other drugs, such as Ibuprofen, stopping the drug may or may not result in changes to your tinnitus. So the answer is, no one knows what will happen to your tinnitus if you stop all these drugs. It may go away, get less, or stay the same. You can only try it and see what happens.
Regards
Neil
I have been taking Ibuprofen for about 23 yrs to relieve neck and shoulder pain…sometimes taking 800mg daily and sometimes just one 200 mg pill at bedtime for pain relief at night. For about a week I have been experiencing continuous ringing in both ears and though I did take a couple of ibuprofens during the week not connecting the tinnitus with the pills, I took my last pill Sunday morning (its Monday night now.) I am only praying the tinnitus will not be permanent but having taking the pills so many years fear it might be. I also drink about 3 – 4 mugs of strong filtered coffee a day so will have to switch to decaf and make that weaker. May also give green tea a try (hate it!) and Lipoflavanoids. Good luck to all fellow sufferers and I agree the pharmaceutical companies selling all brands of ibuprofen should legally list tinnitus as possible side effects!
Dr,
I’ve got mild T… aspirin tends to increase it dramatically for 6-8 hrs…scared of it not going back down, so i tend not to take ANY pain meds anymore…never taken pain meds regularly anyway… today i burned my hand, 2nd 3rd degree… hurts like #@$@$$…Dr gave me iboprofen, motrin and percoset to take home… havent used any yet… but may have to break down and use something for next day or 2… is any of those better than another with Tinnitus? or tylenol?
whit
Hi Whit:
If you are sensitive to it, Ibuprofen is almost guaranteed to make your tinnitus much worse so I’d suggest staying away from it.
Motrin is a brand name of Ibuprofen, so same as above.
Percocet is a combination of Oxycodone and Acetaminophen. Oxycodone can cause tinnitus in a few cases, but probably tot very likely although there is no guarantee it won’t.
Tylenol is a brand name of Acetaminophen. Tinnitus is not listed for Tylenol so that would probably be the best bet.
So I’d try Tylenol first and if you need more relief then go with the Percocet and stay away from the Motrin/Ibuprofen.
Regards
Neil
My experience is somewhat the opposite of what others have posted here. I am a female in my mid-30s. Following a stapedectomy 2 years ago to restore hearing, I now experience occasional tinnitus. I always experience a few hours of tinnitus after taking acetaminophen (Tylenol), but never after taking ibuprofen (Advil).
Hey everyone!
So I was happy to find this site with all these posts, I was recently in a cycling accident with a scooter, so I took some Ibuprofen 200mg, 2 pills on the first day and another 1 pill the next day and I’ve started hearing this constant “ringing” sound in my right ear. I thought it was nothing and it would just go away so I slept the night away and woke up to find that it has gotten a lot louder, the problem I have is that I have Profound Unilateral Hearing Loss in my left ear, I was born that way. What I’m now worried about is will I have to live the rest of my life with one ear that constantly rings or has anyone really found an escape from it? Also do any of you know if anyone has actually lost their hearing completely because of this? I don’t want to be deaf in both ears, thanks in advance and if there’s anything I can do to make getting to sleep easier please do tell.
I read all this stuff, now going on 3.5 year of moderate-severe chronic “T”, so no novice. No doubt, a bad case of chronic T is a lousy deal. Like many of you who have it bad enough where it’s a significant impact on quality of life and misery index, I could also produce a long scroll of a list of things I’ve tried (and continue to), in just the 3 years. Like many of you, I want to get rid of it, or at least lessen in, rather than have to live and “get used to it” (which I imagine some people can, and some not so well, some of that clearly depends on the severity, and everyone’s unique brain in dealing with their “brand” of T. What I have learned through this horrible journey, is that what works for some, definitely won’t work for others (that’s why it’s “no Cure”….yet?) I’m in the class where it began for no obvious reason. Yes, did have some dental work few weeks prior, that’s debatable, some loss of hearing at the very high ranges outside normal hearing level, maybe, but also debatable as many people my age have similar, and no T. If all else fails, the stress factor is also thrown in. For me, it’s a frustrating who knows? No noise or trama incidents. As far as the Ibu vs. Acetam., it’s interesting to read all this. I have taken both over the years for regular and stress headaches, and still do maybe 2/week since the T it. I must say that, at least for me, I’m not convinced of any evidence that taking either was a main or any cause, and when I take it now for that 1-2/per week headache, neither seem to have any impact on the T at all. If anything, maybe a little better? My current “snowflake of the damn “I” is about 75% bad-severe days, and like some others, the minority of my waking hours I get (thank G-d) s drop-off, sometimes significant for a day where life actually approaches what it used to be. Doesn’t last of course, back with vengeance in a day or two, like it never eased off. Even more frustrating That’s my story. Good luck to all of us!
About 3 times in the last few years I experienced a high ringing noise in my right ear and a slight hearing loss (like having a bit of cotton in your ear), but it always went away after approximately a week. I never knew the reason and doctors were also clueless, so I thought it had maybe something to do with bad circulation and psychological stress or something.
However I take about 1200mg Ibuprofen for 1 or 2 days every month due to very intense period cramps and this time I noticed that the ringing started right after my second day of Ibuprofen intake. I really, really hope it goes away like the other times and I’m very wary now of the Ibuprofen, which I see as possible culprit. However I don’t see any alternatives, other NSAR pain medications can also cause tinnitus and Tylenol doesn’t work for me. I can’t go without pain meds or I would land in hospital every month. 🙁 So I’m caught between a rock and a hard place.
Hi Isabelle:
The amount of Ibuprofen you are taking can certainly cause tinnitus. I’ve heard from numerous people whose tinnitus is the result of taking Ibuprofen.
Maybe you should ask your doctor to switch you to a different drug in the Propionic acid family since that class of drugs seems to work for you. For example Benoxaprofen (Oraflex), Carprofen (Rimadyl), Dexketoprofen (Keral) and Fenbufen (Lederfen) are all much less ototoxic than Ibuprofen. Yes, they all can cause tinnitus, but it seems the chances of them doing so are very slim compared to Ibuprofen. I think it’s certainly worth a try.
Regards
Neil
HYPOTHESIS: IBUPROFEN FURTHER BURDENING WEAK KIDNEYS & CAUSING TINNITUS?
I recall having been told in the past that ibuprofen is mainly detoxified in the kidneys, and so people who have kidney challenges (those on dialysis) are not supposed to use it. In Chinese medicine (merely a hobby interest for me — I am not a licensed practitioner), the ears are related to the kidneys. There is a webpage that lists several imbalances — some of which include weak kidney energy — that are known to cause tinnitus: http://www.itmonline.org/arts/tinmen.htm
So, I might suspect that a kidney weakness (brought on by emotional stress and fear) might be made worse by ibuprofen and result in tinnitus among other symptoms. So, at least to me, that might be a reason why the ibuprofen makes tinnitus worse. What I wonder is if you do a kidney cleanse, can you improve kidney function? Anyway, that is some more food for thought.
Here is a link to a webpage with acupressure points for treating tinnitus: http://www.sanuthera.com/top-5-tinnitus-acupressure-points-all-acupuncturists-use/
If you are open to homeopathic remedies, you can find a list of possible treatments at: http://www.drhomeo.com/tinnitus/homeopathic-remedies-for-tinnitus/
So I’m 18 took some Advil earlier and noticed ringing for the first time 200mg please tell me its not permanent
had back fusion op in mid November and ringing since
Had taken lots of Advil 400 mg before for pain But stopped all pain meds during recovery
Read your blog and joined assoc
Still ringing in FEB
Fly for business any suggestions?
Any pain meds that work that don’t make the ringing worse?
Codeine or c3’s? Flying Monday this. Week and suggestions welcome
Hi, I was taking 400mg of advil 3 times a day for 3 days for pain. I noticed a loud ringing in my right ear then woke up with it in my left. I’m very scared! There’s so many people who commented on this question but never came back to response if their Tinnitus was reverses and how long it took?
Please give me hope 🙂
Hi Kristin:
As you know, few people write back to say what the results of stopping the Ibuprofen was. (I wish people would remember to come back and post their results. It would help if more people reported on how long they had their tinnitus until it went away or reduced in volume.
The truth is that many people get tinnitus (and hearing loss) from taking Ibuprofen (Advil). Unfortunately, numbers of them end up with permanent tinnitus. That’s the bad news. The good news is that for some people, tinnitus is temporary (for whatever reason). Therefore, there is hope that you will be in this group–but there is no way to predict if you will be or not.
All you can do now is stay away from Ibuprofen and learn to ignore your tinnitus as much as possible and let it fade into the background. If you are anxious and worry about your tinnitus, it will tend to get worse. Thus, remain totally neutral emotionally towards your tinnitus and let it fade away with time.
Cordially,
Neil
Since alot of people here also report other health problems like arthritis etc. you tinnitus and hearing loss is not related to ibuprofen. In fact your problems are caused by food intolerances which is activating IgG antybody response. Number one on this list of food intolerances which causes arthritis is nightshade family of plants (potatoes, tomatoes, paprika, eggplant, tobaco and a few more-google it). So all of you suffering from arthritis, tinnitus and sshl/menieres should in fact find your food intolerances. When it comes to nightshade intolerance it will take you months of diet free of nightshades before you will see any real results.
No doctor will tell you this.
I hope this helps some of you.
Hi K:
I think you have it a bit mixed up. Tinnitus and hearing loss IS related to taking Ibuprofen. However, as you point out, if you are taking Ibuprofen for arthritis, etc., this is not the best strategy. A much better strategy is to eat right for your body so you don’t have all the inflammation that leads to arthritis, etc. Then you won’t need the Ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation.
Cordially,
Neil
My mother suffers from tinnitus whenever she takes Nsaids. Even low doses. Ibuprofen, Alive, Regular doses of asprin.
She does take a low-does asprin daily, but her only pain med is Tylenol. She said that doesn’t really cover pain symptoms well, but won’t take the Ibuprofen unless she’s really really bad off on the pains that day (arthritus & suspected hip deterioration).
One of her doctors suggested to not take ibuprofen at all. I believe it is in fear that one day, if she takes it, the tinnitus will not go away. Usually, if she does take something that causes the tinnitus, if she stops that med, then the tinnitus will go away the next day.
I’ll see if she’s tried the magnesium supplement (along with ibuprofen ?) She needs something to manage this arthritus, but it’s all hips/knees/back and from what I hear, not something that she’d be able to try the RA meds.
Anyone else had luck with the magnesium ?
Hmmm, I just Googled, “Does Ibuprofen cause tinnitus” and ended up here. I started taking 1200 mg/day two weeks ago in addition to starting an exercise regimen for plantar fascitis, (heel pain). I’ve read that it takes 10 days for any significant anti-inflammatory effect to begin from taking Ibuprofen and I wanted to see if it might help with the pf which has persisted in my left heel now for almost two years.
My therapist says that it may take 90 days for the exercises to help…if they’re going to help.
I’m wondering if I should stop the Ibuprofen after reading the comments here. My tinnitus is infrequent, but definitely related to the Ibuprofen because I didn’t have it before. Also, I’ve noticed that I can eat an apple on an empty stomach now and launch an hour or two of tinnitus…also new.
Hi Tom:
The thing about ototoxic side effects from taking Ibuprofen is that you never know if they will be temporary or permanent. If it was going to be temporary, you might decide to take it until you get the pf pain under control. However, if you knew it was going to be permanent, you’d dump it right away before your tinnitus got worse.
I’ve never heard of apples causing tinnitus. Is it the sugar in the apple that is doing that? Or the hunger and the level of your blood sugar?
Cordially,
Neil
I found this site as I’m searching and searching for answers to my sudden hearing loss.
I had a hysterectomy in March and took tylenol/hydro plus 800 mg ibuprofen for 3 days afterwards. A week after surgery I woke up with a humming in my head and loss of hearing. Went to Ear Dr and audiologist 4 days after that and they found significant hearing loss, but ears were clean. Only explanation Dr gave was possible inflammation of inner ear and he put me on 2 weeks of prednisone. Only 1 week in at this point, it seems my hearing is getting worse. I can barely hear my husband, much less phone conversations, and practically can’t hear myself talk. This is scary. The only cause that makes any sense is the Ibuprofen. I go back to see Dr in a week – but it doesn’t seem very promising. Where do I go from here? How do I conduct business? How do I communicate? My ears are constantly humming, (not so much ringing, except for an occasional chirp) but the hearing loss is bad. Can’t hear my car run, wash machine, etc. So worried…
Hi Karen:
Ibuprofen causes tinnitus in numbers of people–especially when they take higher doses of the drug. I think this is what has happened with you. Ibuprofen can also cause hearing loss. But I hear from far more people that have tinnitus from taking Ibuprofen.
Your hearing loss could have been from the Ibuprofen, but there are other possibilities too. For example, many antibiotics cause hearing loss. And I’m sure you took some antibiotics after the surgery, didn’t you?
You should get a complete list of all the drugs you had before, during and after the surgery, including the Ibuprofen. Maybe one of them will stick out as the likely culprit.
I understand your fear about being a hard of hearing people. You wonder how you can exist in a world that is now so silent. (I understand exactly what you are experiencing because my hearing is so poor I don’t hear my car motor, or the washing machine, or the drier, etc.) What I do is put my hand on various appliances to determine if they are running.
If your hearing doesn’t improve in the 30 days after you lost it, then I think you should get hearing aids to help you hear better. They won’t work well in all situations, but they will really help you communicate better in quiet situations.
Cordially,
Neil
I too have discovered that Advil is part of the asprin family and may be the chief cause of my ringing of the ears. On the advice of my allergist, I’m going to detox from advil for 2 weeks and switch to Tylenol. I hope that eliminates or minimizes the ringing.
Hi Jim:
Advil (Ibuprofen) and Aspirin are both Non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but they belong to different drug classes. Ibuprofen is a Propionic acid, while Aspirin is a Salicylate.
Tylenol (Acetaminophen) is different from both. However, be aware that Tylenol also can cause tinnitus, although I think it is much less common than from taking Aspirin or Ibuprofen.
Cordially,
Neil
After breaking my ankle, I was prescribed 800MG ibuprofen three times a day which I did for a few days. Almost immediately, I developed a strong ringing in my ears, particularly the left ear, which appeared to be pulsing with my heartbeat. This after always having had excellent hearing and no tinnitus. It bothers me at night but as soon as I am up and doing things, listening to the radio or tv, I don’t notice it. I do not take any other meds so can only put this down to the high dosage ibuprofen. It has persisted for three months even though I have not taken any for almost all that time.
Hi Peter:
I get more complaints of Ibuprofen causing tinnitus that almost from any other drug. I’m sure your tinnitus was the result of the higher doses of Ibuprofen. In numbers of people the tinnitus never goes away unfortunately so it is a good thing that you are not letting it bother you. Ignore it as much as you can and let it fade into the background as you become habituated to it.
Cordially,
Neil
Just adding a note here to acknowledge that ibuprofen (800mg dosage 3x daily) for just ONE AND A HALF DAYS brought on both tinnitus and a sort of vertigo. I stopped taking it immediately, and the vertigo cleared up over the following day, but the tinnitus persists.
The ‘sort of vertigo’ I experienced was not the full-blown vertigo that comes with horrible nausea. It was more a weird sort of floaty sensation where I just didn’t seem able to orient myself or to move correctly in any particular direction. I would start off in a certain direction and then go off course and run into something – wall, furniture, other person, whatever. No head-spinning sensation or nausea though. Glad that cleared up quickly, but the tinnitus – not so much.
Thing is, the tinnitus happened before, many years ago, when I was being treated for a back injury and was placed on ibuprofen when it first became available in the US market. It faded over the years but never complete cleared up. Apparently I forgot that it had that effect on me. When it was prescribed for me after a hand/wrist injury over the past weekend, I took it, and hello tinnitus, sigh. I have a bad feeling about this.
Hello lethe,
How is your tinnitus now? Has it changed after 5 years?
Have anybody came out from tinnitus side effect after taking ibuprofen because I hardly took 5 dose of 800 mg for 5 days I am scared now
Hi Alisha:
Ibuprofen can cause temporary or permanent tinnitus. So just because you took some Ibuprofen doesn’t mean it is a life-time sentence. At lot of whether tinnitus fades away or persists depends on your emotional state of mind towards your tinnitus. If you perceive that your tinnitus is a threat to your well-being in any way, then your tinnitus will persist. However, if you treat it as just another unimportant environmental sound (like fridge noise), then in time it will fade into the background and not bother you much. So this is something you have to work on. If you are scared, your limbic system will perceive that tinnitus is a threat to your well-being and keep it at the front of your mind. So you have to calm down and basically ignore your tinnitus.
Cordially,
Neil
Does the same go for Motrin? I took some Motrin because my right ear was muffled because of fever and I think I took too much because my ear is ringing and I sometimes hear my heartbeat. I’m very scared because of this and I have no idea what to do.
Hi Eric:
Motrin, just like Advil are brands of the generic drug Ibuprofen. So anything I say about Ibuprofen applies to Motrin.
Sometimes the tinnitus from Ibuprofen is permanent and sometimes it is temporary. The best thing to do is stay away from Ibuprofen in the future and hope your tinnitus will fade away in time. Don’t worry about your tinnitus or you will only make it worse. Instead, treat it the same as you do any useless environmental sound and totally ignore it.
Cordially,
Neil
All the comments about, you will get used to it, I have had it with them…these are people who do not hear it 24/7. From the second you wake up (in the middle of the night) and cannot get back to sleep till when your body finally gives in and goes to sleep for a few hours… Sleep more, THEY SAY, I wish I could, tried every kind of non prescription supplement as I don’t want more chemicals in my body. Was a chronic headache case and took tylenol, till I quit that job. Stress ? Bad air ? Sick building syndrome…. but still have tinnitus…which there was a cure… so much junk on internet with fake promises… nothing works, no gingko, no magnesium, …
Hi Gil:
You can learn to take control of your tinnitus. I’ve had tinnitus for 60+ years now–24/7–but I choose not to let in bother me (although it surely tries at times–like right now as I type this).
The secret is largely how you think of and treat your tinnitus. Since tinnitus is a psychosomatic condition, taking various treatments, or taking supplements such as magnesium or ginkgo won’t do much if you have the wrong emotional attitude towards your tinnitus. I suspect that this is your problem.
You can learn how to gain the mastery over your tinnitus in my book, “Take Control of Your Tinnitus”, especially chapter 16. I’m not saying it will go away (mine won’t), but you can reach the place where your tinnitus no longer bothers you (and several hours may pass where you won’t even be aware you have tinnitus even though it is always there). This is success. This is called being habituated to your tinnitus. This is what you need to work towards. Don’t expect your tinnitus to disappear–it probably won’t happen. But you can live a happy, successful life in spite of your tinnitus. I’ve done it. So can you.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi everyone!
I’m suffering with this too. Mine started a month back after the idiot dentist prescribed 600mg ibuprofen in spite of the fact I had high blood pressure – he knew that. So it was spiking my BP – 160 -190 and over 200 at points. Now I’ve had pulsatile T for just over a month. So I’m off to see the whole slew of specialists you do in these cases. And my BP is still abnormally high even with my meds doubled so they think there’s something else going on, so my hope is that it’s tied into this and that the ibuprofen only set it off and it’s reversible. Best you can do is warn others to be super careful when taking any meds, especially with any pre-existing conditions. Thanks for providing a platform to connect, Dr. Neil. Good luck everyone, keep the faith!
Woops, was going to say. While it’s been hard going to sleep. I notice when I wake and I’m really calm the T is almost entirely absent and doesn’t pick up until I start getting moving again so it’s definitely tied to my BP somehow. Also I notice it gets really loud when I yawn, or turn my head – intentionally – really hard to the left or right engaging the mastoid muscles. Could that indicated an alignment issue?
Hi Hal:
You may have tinnitus as a result of taking the Ibuprofen. (It happens a lot if all the anecdotal reports I receive are any indication.) However, you may also have pulsatile tinnitus from your high blood pressure.
Your tinnitus beginning in the morning when you get up could be the result of your blood pressure going up as you become mobile. If could also be the result of your neck being out of whack and the weight of your head pressing on your neck vertebrae.
The fact that your tinnitus gets louder when you turn or head indicates an alignment problem with your C1 and C2 vertebrae and/or your neck/facial muscles being too tight on one side (out of proper alignment).
Don’t just look for one cause for your tinnitus. You could have a least 3 different causes and need three different kinds of treatments.
Cordially,
Neil
I’ve been taken 800 mg of ibuprofen as prescribed by a doctor for lower back pain from an accident at work, not knowing that the ibuprofen could cause it! I put up with it for the first couple years but it was really getting to me so I went to a hearing “specialist” and was told it could be the void in my hearing loss? I got use to it since there was nothing they could do for me? Recently I was checking side effects on a couple meds I was taking and just thought I’d look at ibuprofen and well guess what I found out? I started taking 400 mg just twice a day and now I’ve stopped talking it all together but it’s only been 4 days at this point, is there anything else I can do at this point other than just wait? I’m not really expecting miracles but I’m really kind of tired of this and I’m sure my hearing would be better with out this ringing! Thanks for your article.
Terry
Hi Terry:
Tinnitus resulting from taking Ibuprofen can be temporary or permanent. So it is a wait and see scenario. In the meantime, one of the most effective ways to deal with tinnitus is to ignore it and focus instead on the loves of your life. If you treat your tinnitus as a completely unimportant and meaningless sound (like you do the noise your fridge makes) it will tend to fade into the background and not bother you anymore. Just the opposite happens if you focus on your tinnitus and worry about it.
Cordially,
Neil
Hello Dr. Bauman,
I was prescribed 800 mg tabs 3 times a day for a week and ended up with mild tinnitus. This was 25 years ago and it has only progressed. It is now serve and the resulting hearing loss is impacting all areas of my life: family, job, socializing. This drug causes harm to some and compensation should be made available to cover hearing aides and treatments.
Can 325 mg of Hydrocodone 4 times a day for 5 years cause tinnitus?
Hi Don:
Are you talking about pure Hydrocodone, or a combination of Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen as is often prescribed in brands such as Vicodin or Lortab or Norco?
Cordially,
Neil
Hydrocodone & Acetaminophen
Hi Don:
Taken regularly over several months, the Acetaminophen could certainly cause both hearing loss and tinnitus, but often the blame is on the hydrocodone. The acetaminophen is much more ototoxic than the hydrocodone in relation to hearing loss and tinnitus. Hydrocodone can certainly cause ototoxic balance problems though.
Cordially,
Neil
I have tinnitus after taking ibuprofen. I did not take more than the recommende amount. Has anyone hear of a class action lawsuit againt the manufacturer for not listing tinnitus on the warning label.
Hello Dr. Bowman
Following my car accident awhile ago, I was taking 500mg of Tylenol pm to deal with some pain and help falling asleep. About a week ago I woke up with tinnitus. Can Tylenol pm cause tinnitus and if I stop taking it, is this type of tinnitus reversible? My hearing is still fine.
Hi Alex:
Yes, taking Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can result in tinnitus. Hundreds and hundreds of people have reported this to the FDA. It is usually when taking higher doses and for a long time when problems show up, but if you are more sensitive to Tylenol than the average person, tinnitus and other symptoms may show up with lower doses and shorter use.
I don’t have any specific information that indicates whether resulting tinnitus is temporary or permanent. I’d definitely stop the Tylenol and see whether that lets your tinnitus fade away. It could take 2 weeks or more before you notice any difference.
Cordially,
Neil
I am diagnosed with Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, Vestibular Neuritis, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, Ear pain and Otitis Media. I was taking Goody’s Powders twice a day for almost 2 years, due to my hips and knee injuries incurred in the military. Could the Powders be the cause ?
Hi Jasmine:
Goody’s Powders contain Aspirin, Acetaminophen and Caffeine. The dose of aspirin is 520 mg, acetaminophen is 260 and caffeine is 32.5 mg. Thus by taking two a day, you are getting 1,040 mg of aspirin a day which may be enough to cause tinnitus and hearing loss, although for most people, conventional wisdom says that you need to take 6 to 8 adult sized (325 mg) aspirin a day (greater than 2,000 mg) to cause tinnitus and hearing loss. But this is for the average person. If you are more sensitive to aspirin, a lot less than that could cause you to have tinnitus.
Acetaminophen taken regularly for over a year can cause hearing loss and other ototoxic side effects too.
And caffeine can cause tinnitus in some people.
So the answer is that Goody’s Powders could indeed have affected your ears.
Whether it did so or not is the question. You have had other factors that could have also caused your problems (such as the various drugs you have taken over the years). It could be that these drugs had a synergistic effect with the Goody’s Powders and thus teamed up to cause your ear problems.
Cordially,
Neil
I have had tinnitus for years and have coped well. Last night I took 400mg of ibuprofen and woke up with this tremendous tinnitus. So deafening loud, I don’t know how I will function or hear normal sounds today. I took the advil because I was having sharp pains in my ear. Maybe kt’s my sinuses and fluid? Sure hoping it goes back to my regular tinnitus and doesnt stay deafening g loud like this.
Hi Kellie:
I have received more reports of Ibuprofen causing tinnitus than from almost any other drug. Furthermore, you can get screaming tinnitus from just taking one Ibuprofen pill. For some people the tinnitus proves to be permanent, but for many others it is temporary. Let’s hope you fall into the temporary class. And in future, now you know that your ears are sensitive to Ibuprofen, so you might want to choose another drug.
Cordially,
Neil
I took ibuprofen around 9pm, it’s 01:18 I’m still itching, ringing ears and I am using earbuds and fingers in my ears and they’re sore, I can’t sleep. My nose is dripping (not runny). The last time I took ibuprofen was in 2015 as it had caused me stomach discomfort. I’m going mad with pain.
Last night I took (for the first time) a small 2mg dose of valium to help me sleep. Within 20 minutes, the volume of my T went from 7/10 to about 2/10.
I told me doctor and she said ‘there you go, anxiety is your problem and causing yoir tinnitus’. I don’t accept that at all. I read that valium can reduce amplitude in salicylite induced T. I was taking 400mg of Ibuprofin 4 times a day in most days for 3 weeks for chronic headaches before my T started. I stopped taking the Ibuprofin as soon as I read is can cause T. I had no idea. : (
My last Ibuprofin was the 2nd Jan 2021. Today is the 23rd Jan 2021 and T is still there. It has gone from a 10/10 to about a 6 or 7 out of 10 but not going away. Would I expect it to be permanent now at 3 weeks after stopping NSAIDs or give it more time? Everything I read says T should go away as soon as you stop taking the drug.
On another note, the low dose valium was bliss in reducing my T. I want to ask for a regular script.
Hi Rebecca:
If the Valium calms you down, it can also calm down your tinnitus at the same time. But that doesn’t mean it helps you get rid of your tinnitus. It’s always possible that it was due to anxiety, but I’d say it is more likely that your tinnitus is from taking the Ibuprofen.
Ibuprofen is one of those “flexible” drugs. Sometimes resulting tinnitus is permanent, sometimes it is partially permanent and sometimes it is temporary. I sort of expect you might find it to reduce in volume some more, but then remain permanent.
Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. Those that say it will go away as soon as you stop taking it don’t know much about Ibuprofen side effects.
I would be very careful about taking Valium in the long term. It is a Benzodiazepine and you could build up a tolerance to it–and your end result could be much worse that the state you are in now.
Benzos are not drugs you should take for longer than 2 weeks or so.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil
I took ibuprofen for the first time on Saturday (200mg morning and 200mg at night) and Sunday (400mg morning and 400mg night). After that 2nd 400mg dose, I started experiencing a ringing in my right ear. What do you recommend I do?
Thank you so much
Hi Ermal:
Stop taking Ibuprofen. I hear from many people that get tinnitus from taking this drug.
Since Ibuprofen reduces blood flow to the inner ear, it seems logical that taking a vasodilator at the same time could help increase blood flow, and thus help prevent any ototoxic side effects. Natural vasodilators include the herbal, Ginkgo biloba, and Vitamin B3 (Nicotinic acid).
Cordially,
Neil
Thank you Neil.
Could you kindly attach a link for which brands you recommend. Also, i still have it after 1 week and 4 days 🙁
My doctor prescribed me nasal spray suspension – Fluticasone furoate. Do you recommend it?
Hi Ermal:
The only brand I recommend is the one that meets or exceeds the German E Commission standards for Ginkgo. That one is Arches Tinnitus Formula. You can get it at https://www.tinnitusformula.com/
I don’t know what your doctor hopes to accomplish by prescribing Fluticasone. Until you have concrete proof that it will help you, personally, I wouldn’t take it. I think the Ginkgo would a better solution.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi, I have been experiencing chronic migraines most days for the past 3 years. I try to avoid medications as much as possible due to a variety of extreme adverse reactions to most I’ve had in the past…but the migraines increased in intensity until I could no longer work and was in pain most days and often not able to function at all… For the worst ones I take rizatriptan, but try not to take it much as the side effects are pretty awful. My doctor told me it was safe to take ibuprofen long-term up to every day if I needed, to combat the migraines. I now have a loud squealing in both my ears that hasn’t stopped day or night for almost 3 months. Could this possibly be a result of long-term frequent use of ibuprofen? My doctor said the tinnitus is just another form of migraine. Is there a possibility that using ibuprofen for this long could be doing damage, even though it’s a low dose?? Kind regards, Kirsty.
Hi Kirsty:
Ibuprofen can cause severe tinnitus from the very first dose in some people. Other people have to take it for a week or so before tinnitus appears. I have more reports of tinnitus from people taking Ibuprofen than for almost any other drug–so it does cause tinnitus in hundreds upon hundreds of people–no matter what you doctor says. He sounds pretty ignorant of the side effects of Ibuprofen.
Also, be aware that long term use of Ibuprofen also causes hearing loss, so it wouldn’t be my choice of drug.
Incidentally, taking Ibuprofen inhibits cyclooxygenase and decreases prostaglandin activity, potentially reducing cochlear blood flow which can result in tinnitus and hearing loss
.
Therefore, if Ibuprofen reduces blood flow to the inner ear, it seems logical that taking a vasodilator at the same time could help increase blood flow, and thus help prevent any ototoxic side effects. Natural vasodilators include the herbal, Ginkgo biloba, and Vitamin B3 (Nicotinic acid).
I don’t agree that tinnitus is a form of migraine. Although headaches and migraines do not actually cause tinnitus as far as I know, they are often associated with each other so one may seem to cause the other because the same underlying condition that produces the tinnitus can also produce the migraine/headache.
What caused your migraines 3 years ago? Any ideas? What was different that might have caused them? Knowing the cause is often half the battle to effectively treating any condition.
Cordially,
Neil
I was prescribed Froben from about 1976 for arthritis by the approximately mid 1990s I was having stomach problems which was diagnosed as damage from the Froben I also mentioned the tinnitus which I was getting at the time and the doctor saiid it was possibly from the Froben(a brand name for an Ibufroben tablet) I still have tinnitus and my stomach has never recovered.
Hi Eric:
Your case is a good example why you don’t want to take a drug long-term. You want to deal with the underlying problem and not just drug the symptoms. Sometimes this is hard to do, but you should look for someone that can help you deal with the underlying problem–why you got arthritis in the first place and how to reverse this condition. Unfortunately, doctors just typically drug the symptoms, not deal with the underlying cause.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr.Bauman,
My name is Sophia and I was dealing with really bad eye pain over the summer. Although it was a contact lens related issue the doctors didn’t think so, so I took Ibuprofen for a short period of time maybe two weeks or so. The eye pain got worse and then I got a Ketorolac injection. My tinnitus has been bothering me for some time but it has gotten quieter. I still have my really bad days though. Have you ever come across a case like this and do you think i have a chance of fully recovering?
Thanks and Happy New Year,
Sophia
Hi Sophia:
When \dealing with tinnitus, some people have bad days and good days. For other people, their tinnitus stays at much the same volume and slowly fades away. You seem to have the former scenario. Over time, you may experience fewer and fewer bad days and more and more good days as you habituate to your tinnitus.
The key is not to think of your tinnitus as a threat to your well-being, but as a totally useless, unimportant sound that it is safe to ignore–then ignore it as best you can and focus on the loves of your life. In time, your tinnitus will fade away into the background most of the time.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil,
Thank you for your reply! Have you ever come across anyone that has recovered from their NSAID induced tinnitus? If so, about how long did it take? It’s good to hear that many people do better after a while and there’s hope for newer tinnitus sufferers!
Hi Sophia:
Numbers of people do indeed recover from their tinnitus after taking a NSAID such as Ibuprofen, but numbers do not and find their tinnitus is permanent. For some the tinnitus goes away in a couple of weeks, but for others it slowly fades away over a period of months.
If you want to reduce your chances of getting permanent tinnitus, take Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) as almost always tinnitus goes away in a few days after you stop taking it. The same is true for any hearing loss caused by taking Aspirin.
Cordially,
Neil
Thank you Dr. Bauman,
Thank you for your reply! Hoping that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for all of us.
Sincerely,
Sophia
Hello.
Wish I found this website a little sooner. I could probably have saved my ears.
I just had a pretty bad case of the Flu. I had high fever and strong headache, and took one pill of “acetaminophen” 500mg for two days. It did nothing to the fever or the headache.
I talked to a nurse who told me to take ibuprofen instead.
I took one pill 400mg, for two days.
The second day i took the pill at 5am, went back to sleep, and woke up around 8am with a loud ringing in my right ear.
I feel devastated that after just taken 2 pills, have gotten my ears ruined.
Hi Viktor:
You haven’t necessarily ruined your ears. Give it a couple of weeks and see then whether your tinnitus has gone away or dropped substantially in volume.
Don’t dwell on your tinnitus or you will just make it worse. Instead, focus on the loves of your life and let your tinnitus fade into the background.
Cordially,
Neil