You are not logged in.
I'm really surprised that you have suggested asprin--I've been told and read in several websites for tinnitus that painkillers--especially asprin & ibuprofen, make tinnitus worse or could actually cause it over a period of time.
Also, what is your theory on tinnitus being caused by sinus problems? I have a 1 cm air cell in my right sinus, plus a deviated septum. It almost feels like one of the pitches of ringing (I actually have two different ones going on at the same time) is coming from verberations in my sinuses than my ear.
Offline
Hi LFritz,
Welcome to the forum.
Yes, it is true that aspirin (and many other drugs) are frequently mentioned as a potential trigger for tinnitus, but this is really only an issue if you take it in large doses and over an extended period of time. For me (and several others I have spoken to) the occasional intake of painkillers in general have only been beneficial with regard to the tinnitus. I would consider this only logical, as painkillers are designed to suppress nervous functions and dysfunctions (e.g. pain) and tinnitus is just another nervous dysfunction (it is actually sometimes compared to the phenomenon of phantom pain, where one feels pain in limbs that don't exist anymore as they have been amputated).
And in this sense, I don't actually think that tinnitus has anything to do with sinus problems, nor with an inner ear damage (as is often claimed). It is simply a nervous condition.
Thomas
Offline
When you say low-dose painkillers, what mgs to you take?
Offline
First of all, I don't take any painkillers anymore specifically because of the tinnitus. That was only in the first few months when I had severe sleeping problems at night. And we are just talking about one tablet (500 mg) every couple of nights or so (as required). This not only momentarily strongly suppressed my tinnitus for a couple of hours, but also improved the situation in the long term. Once the tinnitus had weakened sufficiently, this wasn't really necessary anymore, apart from the occasional bad patch I had every few months (again, one painkiller for a couple of nights calmed it down again).
So I am by no means promoting a systematic long term intake of painkillers, which would only be likely to backfire anyway (people are for instance also sometimes getting headaches by taking too many painkillers (or after they stopped taking them)).
I made also good experiences with the occasional alcohol-free beer later on, which you might prefer to painkillers if you are nervous about taking drugs (although I think simple painkillers like Aspirin or Paracetamol are still very much preferable with regard to their potential side effects compared to some other drugs that people take against tinnitus and its symptoms).
Thomas
Offline
When you say paracetamol do you mean regular Tylenol?
Offline