Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

I developed tinnitus in Oct 2020 and it has been constant since. I had hearing loss in my left ear since age 20 (42 now) due to noise exposure which might be a factor and also I believe it might be linked to me taking minoxidil starting in 2018. I stopped Minox for long periods and the tinnitus doesnt go away. I still use a lot of vitamins and supplements in addition to topical minox (5%) . Lately my Tinnitus is worse and my hearing seems to be declining especially the high frequencies in the left ear. I was wondering if anyone has found any remedies for hearing loss or Tinnitus. I have mthfr and I know some claim low folate can cause hearing issues. Any info in and area is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Tinnitus and hearing loss can have various causes, and it's important to identify them before a physician can drive you crazy with any therapeutics, not have anything in common with your problem, but may potentiate it.
The areas worth mentioning are not limited to:
- eustachian tube dysfunction,
- ear infections,
- blood circulation issues,
- neck muscle tension,
- teeth and bite problems,
- TMJ joint dysfunction,
and brain infections,

All are potential causes, and usually, they are not single in origin. Tinnitus from the aspects of aging is really a path for hearing loss.

Depending on the cause, different treatment options may be available. For example, if an ear infection is causing tinnitus, treating it with antimicrobials may be helpful.
If neck muscle tension is a factor, physical therapy may be helpful.

I do not think folate has caused it, however, areas to explore are GABA systems, and correcting other nutritional deficiencies, specifically magnesium-calcium balance, and specific minerals such as zinc, etc.

It's important to keep in mind that tinnitus is a symptom and not a disease, and finding and addressing the root cause is key to managing it.

Lookalike,

I believe I made a thread on here a few years back about this which might have some good info on it. I had tinnitus a few years back around the same time as you. I became obsessed with it. I get these episodes a few times a day that I get a deep ringing that slowly dissipates. I became worried that it was causing more hearing loss.

Anyways, best thing I did was go to a legit hearing doctor and have my ears tested. Just so you know where you stand. I get my ears professionally cleaned twice a year. Its like maintenance for your ears and for me reduces anxiety around it. Almost like you have someone watching over your hearing. For me it was a combination of clearing the out ear wax which I produce a lot of and reducing the hyper sensitivity/anxiety towards it. Anxiety can do some really weird things. Meditation and yoga can be beneficial as well. Now I hardly notice it.

A common theme is this is when the covid saga started. There was a lot of anxiety going around and maybe you got sucked into it like I did.

This is the same concept for my eye floaters. If im hypersensitive to them I can see them all over the place. When im not preoccupied with it I hardly notice them at all. Your situation may be completely different but hope this helps.

Thank you very much for the info

Zaphod wrote:Tinnitus and hearing loss can have various causes, and it's important to identify them before a physician can drive you crazy with any therapeutics, not have anything in common with your problem, but may potentiate it.
The areas worth mentioning are  not limited to:
- eustachian tube dysfunction,
- ear infections,
- blood circulation issues,
- neck muscle tension,
- teeth and bite problems,
- TMJ joint dysfunction,
and brain infections,

All are potential causes, and usually, they are not single in origin. Tinnitus from the aspects of aging is really a path for hearing loss.

Depending on the cause, different treatment options may be available. For example, if an ear infection is causing tinnitus, treating it with antimicrobials may be helpful.
If neck muscle tension is a factor, physical therapy may be helpful.

I do not think folate has caused it, however, areas to explore are GABA systems, and correcting other nutritional deficiencies, specifically magnesium-calcium balance, and specific minerals such as zinc, etc.

It's important to keep in mind that tinnitus is a symptom and not a disease, and finding and addressing the root cause is key to managing it.

Thanks for the help. I feel the same way. Ironically I also have very bad eye floaters. Maybe theres a connection

bh1546 wrote:Lookalike,

I believe I made a thread on here a few years back about this which might have some good info on it. I had tinnitus a few years back around the same time as you. I became obsessed with it. I get these episodes a few times a day that I get a deep ringing that slowly dissipates. I became worried that it was causing more hearing loss.

Anyways, best thing I did was go to a legit hearing doctor and have my ears tested. Just so you know where you stand. I get my ears professionally cleaned twice a year. Its like maintenance for your ears and for me reduces anxiety around it. Almost like you have someone watching over your hearing. For me it was a combination of clearing the out ear wax which I produce a lot of and reducing the hyper sensitivity/anxiety towards it. Anxiety can do some really weird things. Meditation and yoga can be beneficial as well. Now I hardly notice it.

A common theme is this is when the covid saga started. There was a lot of anxiety going around and maybe you got sucked into it like I did.

This is the same concept for my eye floaters. If im hypersensitive to them I can see them all over the place. When im not preoccupied with it I hardly notice them at all. Your situation may be completely different but hope this helps.

I imagine there is. I would bet a lot more people have eye floaters just dont notice them as much. We may be more hypersensitive to whats going on with our bodies which probably correlates with anxiety.

On the floaters note there might be some decent treatments coming out within the next 5 years or so. Seems like that's been the same saying with hair loss but they were never seen as a major issue until more recently.

I have come to terms with them as just something that happens as we get older and therefore dont notice them as much. I do have one that never goes away and seems to be getting bigger. It could be worse. For me it was the first sign that im not invincible so I think that's where a lot of my anxiety began.

Let us know how it goes.