PULSATILE tinnitus

Hello, I took Claritin, after all ENT testing was over with and nothing wrong was found, at the suggestion of my GP. Stopped the heartbeat in my ear almost immediately. When I was years later put on a diuretic 12 mg for high blood pressure the heartbeats started up again and I cut back on to 1/3 of dose told my Dr about side effect (also take other bp meds) and took Claritin again and they haven't come back. Just a suggestion- this worked for me.

@sjs1

The causes of tinnitus may be many, from low blood iron levels to vitamin D and B deficiencies, to medications, and to inner ears problems. It is better to see your PCP to do blood tests, and ENT to rule out potential problems with inner ears.
Medications known to cause tinnitus include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and certain antibiotics, cancer drugs, water pills (diuretics), antimalarial drugs and antidepressants per Mayo Clinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/symptoms-causes/syc-20350156

56huxley@sjs1. I've taken Claritin for years and it's never had any effect on my tinnitus that's mostly constant and steady but sometimes pulses with my heartbeat. When it pulses, I also am dizzy. No specialist has ever been able to say why it happens.

Jim

@sjs1 Thank you so much for your experience with Claritin....am going to try it.

@altabiznet
Thanks for you input. I go to Mayo every year for over 20 years and no one has yet been able to help solve this problem. It is not ringing in the ears, it is pounding sounds

@altabiznet
This type of tinnitus is basically vascular in origin. I had an MRI to rule out problems with brain vessels and tumors. I had ultrasound of neck vessels. I saw an audiologist . Claritin helped because histamine affects vascular tone and pulsatility. By blocking that, it reduced the vascular component of my pulsatile tinnitus, even though imaging showed no dangerous abnormality. It is important to get a workup by an ENT and discuss with your GP if this type of tinnitus persists. MRI not a CT scan -
What MRI shows that CT does not
1. Blood vessels and flow
MRI (often with MRA/MRV):
• Shows arteries and veins
• Detects abnormal connections
• Identifies vascular tumors (glomus, paraganglioma)
• Evaluates venous sinuses
CT is much weaker for this unless contrast is added — and even then it’s limited.
2. Soft tissue near the ear and brain
MRI can detect:
• Small tumors
• Nerve compression
• Meningiomas
• Subtle skull-base lesions

@morninglory

Did you have head and neck angiogram with CT scan done with contrast to rule out blood vessel malformations? Looks like you may benefit from a second opinion with ENT and Cardiologist focusing on blood vessel disorders.
Here is from Harvard on pulsatile tinnitus:
A. What you describe sounds like pulsatile tinnitus is a type of rhythmic thumping, pulsing, throbbing, or whooshing only you can hear that is often in time with the heartbeat. Most people with pulsatile tinnitus hear the sound in one ear, though some hear it in both. The sound is the result of turbulent flow in blood vessels in the neck or head. The most common causes of pulsatile tinnitus include the following:
Conductive hearing loss (ENT). This is usually caused by an infection or inflammation of the middle ear or the accumulation of fluid there. Carotid artery disease. The accumulation of fatty plaque inside the carotid arteries can create the kind of turbulent blood flow that resounds as pulsatile tinnitus.

High blood pressure (Cardiology). When blood pressure is high, blood flow through the carotid artery is more likely to be turbulent and thus cause a pulsating sound.

Blood vessel disorders (Cardiology). A variety of malformations and disorders are occasionally the source of pulsatile tinnitus. These include a blood vessel with a weakened, bulging patch (aneurysm), an abnormal connection between an artery and vein (arteriovenous malformation), twisted arteries, or a benign blood vessel tumor (glomus tumor) behind the eardrum.

By David M. Vernick, MD, Contributor: "If you were my patient, I would take a careful history (a patient's story often holds important clues), and then examine your ears. I would also use a stethoscope to listen to the blood flow through the arteries in your neck. If I did not find any obvious cause for your symptoms, I would likely recommend some additional testing, including a hearing test. If I heard a bruit (BROO-ee) — the unusual sound that blood makes when it rushes past an obstruction — in one or both carotid arteries, I would suggest you have a test to look for a narrowing in the carotid arteries or other malformations.

Most of the time, pulsatile tinnitus is nothing to worry about. If it doesn't go away on its own after a few weeks or becomes really bothersome, talk with your doctor about it."
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/is-it-worrisome-to-hear-a-pulse-in-my-ear

@sjs1

Based on your review, MRI is a better test to identify the root/cause of pulsatile tinnitus. If you do not mind sharing, what was the cause of your tinnitus? Were any abnormalities found on MRI to explain the condition?

@altabiznet
ENT had no explanation. Nothing found. No follow up appts. Went back to my GP and he said try Claritin. I took it only for a week. Took a few days to work and no more tinnitus for years - never came back until I took 12 mg diuretic. I cut back on it and took Claritin again and no tinnitus since. Not sure why it worked -GP never explained why. My hearing is poor and audiologist at ENT office recommended hearing aids -not causal to noises though. I do have managed HBP but managed by medication. Slight plaque in neck vessel but not enough to cause noises.

@sjs1

Thank you for sharing. The onset of my tinnitus coincided with me being on Spironolactone (diuretic) and multiple anti-hypertensive agents. All have been discontinued ever since, but tinnitus is staying. No relevant findings on CT scan with angiogram. I will try Claritin. Hopefully, it will make it better.