Do Beta Blockers Make Tinnitus Worse Or Are They Safe?
I was concerned that taking a beta blocker would increase the loudness of my ringing ears. Are you feeling the same way right now? You need to keep your heart safe from harm, and at the same time, you don’t want to have an even louder buzzing, hissing or ringing noise in your head.
Beta blockers are very commonly used as heart medications, and also as blood pressure medications. They may also be prescribed to people who experience migraines, tremors and sometimes anxiety.
Tinnitus is the term for the sound you hear in your ear(s), such as ringing or buzzing, when no external sound source is causing that sound.
The main concern you might have is “do beta blockers make tinnitus worse” (the sound in my ears) or am I going to be okay using this medication since my ears already ring? This is a major concern when you are hesitant to start on any new medication.
Below you will learn what has been learned thus far, what is still unknown and what you can discuss with your doctor to ensure that your heart remains healthy while protecting your hearing. The goal is to give you the information you need so you know how much of a risk you are taking and feel comfortable enough to confidently attend your next doctor’s visit.
Understanding Beta Blockers and Tinnitus Before You Panic
When you begin taking a new heart medication and notice ringing in your ears, the fear can be overwhelming. Your brain instantly goes into worst-case scenarios. It is only natural to consider do beta blockers cause tinnitus to worsen; what does this possibly mean for you?
It will help you to calm down and review the basic fundamentals of the medications and tinnitus before you panic. Once you have a better understanding of how these medications work and what tinnitus really is, do beta blockers make tinnitus worse will likely become a less daunting, and less mysterious, question that you are able to manage.
What Beta Blockers Are and Why Your Doctor Prescribed Them
Beta blockers slow down the beating of your heart by lowering your blood pressure and decreasing the amount of stress hormone (adrenaline) in your body, thus reducing the oxygen your heart is using.
Doctors have prescribed beta blockers to help patients with the following conditions:
1. High blood pressure
2. Fast or irregular heartbeats
3. Heart failure or angina (chest pain)
4. Migraine headaches
5. Tremors
6. Performance or Social Anxiety
The most commonly used beta blockers are Propranolol, Metoprolol, Atenolol, Bisoprolol, Carvedilol and Nadolol. Beta blockers can literally save lives and dramatically improve a person’s quality of life; therefore, you should never discontinue their use without consulting your doctor about whether do beta blockers make tinnitus worse for people like you.
What Tinnitus Is and How It Feels in Everyday Life
Some individuals experience tinnitus as an internal or external sound that is present in either their ears or head, without any audible source. The sounds of tinnitus can take the form of:
- Ringing
- Buzzing
- Hissing
- Whistling
- Whooshing or pulsing
Tinnitus can disrupt sleep patterns, concentration levels, and moods. There are times when the tinnitus is more in the background, and times when it seems to be directly in front of the individual.
Tinnitus is often described as a sign, rather than an illness. Therefore, tinnitus can be caused by a variety of factors including hearing loss due to excessive noise, age, wax buildup, infection of the middle ear, emotional states (such as stress), and certain medications. Many people have experienced changes in their tinnitus after starting a medication, which leads them to think, “do beta blockers make tinnitus worse” and/or “is this a problem with my current medication.”
Do Beta Blockers Make Tinnitus Worse, or Can They Be Safe for Your Ears?
That is essentially what this is about. As you look at the medication in your hand, you are probably wondering, “do beta blockers make tinnitus worse,” or am I just overthinking things. I asked my physician the same thing: “can beta blockers cause tinnitus” for someone, like myself, who has a constant battle with hearing and listening to sounds.
The short answer is that responses vary among patients. Some report more tinnitus activity, while others report less, while a third group report no difference at all. Your reaction will be based upon your dose, any additional medications you are taking, and your overall ear health.
Why Do Beta Blockers Cause Tinnitus in Some People?
You may ask, “why does tinnitus occur in some people who take beta blockers, yet not others.” While doctors cannot explain everything regarding how beta blockers work in relation to tinnitus, there are several theories:
* Beta blockers can alter blood circulation into the inner ear.
* Beta blockers could possibly interfere with the manner in which nerve fibers transmit sound signals to the brain.
* Other potential contributing factors include fluctuations in blood pressure, concern over side effects, and drug-drug interaction.
While there are numerous case studies and individual experiences that indicate a relationship between the two, there is limited strong evidence to confirm this relationship. Thus, the reason for a simple “yes” or “no” answer to the question, “do beta blockers make tinnitus worse” is challenging to determine. For the majority of people, they do not; however, there is a smaller number of people who will claim that “do beta blockers cause tinnitus” is true in their own body.
What Research and Patient Stories Say About Beta Blockers and Ringing Ears
Drug labels and smaller research studies occasionally have tinnitus listed on them as an adverse reaction. Some patient reports include tinnitus starting while taking a beta-blocker, or tinnitus getting worse. Other patient reports report tinnitus improving once their blood pressure and anxiety improved.
Even though there is no shortage of research on the topic, large-scale research on the topic remains in short supply. As such, researchers can not definitively state whether tinnitus is caused by beta-blockers, or if tinnitus worsens from use of the medication. This gap in research contributes to why physicians can not provide a definitive “yes” to the question, will beta-blockers cause tinnitus to worsen in the long-term.
When patients search for the same information online they typically ask other individuals do beta blockers make tinnitus worse for you. Patients’ responses vary greatly. I view it this way: each individual’s body has a unique response, and therefore your tinnitus may be different than anyone elses.
Do Beta Blockers Make Tinnitus Worse If You Already Have Ringing Ears?
Is it true that once you develop tinnitus (ringing in your ears) that your fear is specifically about worsening it? If you are currently experiencing tinnitus prior to using better blockers and the question will be “do beta blockers make tinnitus worse”?
Doctors observe several things when treating patients who suffer from tinnitus:
- Some individuals report that they experienced no difference whatsoever.
- Many report feeling better as their anxiety diminishes and their blood pressure remains stable; therefore, the perceived volume of the tinnitus diminished.
- However, there was a minority that felt the sound became more pronounced or more bothersome after increasing the dosage of the medication.
Again, we asked, “Do Beta Blockers Worsen Tinnitus if I already Ring.” Yes, sometimes; No, sometimes. There is an increased risk of developing worsening tinnitus with high-dose therapy, rapid changes in dosages, prolonged exposure to excessive noise, and/or using medications that affect hearing.
Maybe one last time you will question yourself, “Do Beta Blockers Make Tinnitus Worse?” The safest way to determine this is to pay attention to your personal symptomology and communicate with your physician
Which Beta Blockers Do Not Cause Tinnitus and How to Talk With Your Doctor
Your best option is to start searching for a “magic” list of medications (beta blockers) that will absolutely never cause tinnitus. If only that list existed.
When it comes to medication decisions, I view them as an individual team effort. Your part of the team is your personal history and experience with tinnitus; your doctor’s part of the team is their knowledge of how medications work and what they are designed to treat. The two of you can review your cardiovascular history, your ear health, and your fears about whether do beta blockers worsen tinnitus, and together determine the safest course of action for you.
Which Beta Blockers Do Not Cause Tinnitus: What We Actually Know
No beta blocker has been shown to be completely safe from causing tinnitus at this time. While some beta blockers appear to have lower rates of side effects related to the ears, there is still an element of risk associated with using them.
Beta blockers that are more targeted to the heart (metoprolol, bisoprolol, or atenolol) may be better tolerated by some individuals than those that affect all beta receptors in the body (propranolol or nadolol). Additionally, long-acting formulations of beta blockers may provide a smoother drug effect compared to their short-acting counterparts; however, the current evidence is insufficient to allow for the conclusion that certain beta blockers will never result in tinnitus for any individual.
Individuals often inquire as to “safer” beta blocker options based upon concerns that beta blockers may exacerbate tinnitus for everyone within the class of medications. The reality is that the safest beta blocker option for you will depend upon the nature of your cardiovascular condition, your hypertension status, and the health of your ears collectively.
How to Work With Your Doctor if You Think Beta Blockers Trigger Your Tinnitus
To find out if your tinnitus changed due to taking or switching a beta blocker, don’t just quit taking it because that could cause serious problems with your heart.
Here is how to easily prepare for your visit:
- Document when you first felt the tinnitus (or when you noticed a change) and document this date.
- Write down all of the prescription drugs and dietary supplements you are currently using.
- Keep track of your blood pressure, heart rate, quality of sleep, amount of caffeine consumed each day, and whether you were exposed to loud noises.
- Take note of any possible connection between your medication dosage (and/or any increase/decrease in dosage) and your tinnitus symptoms.
You may want to have a small symptom diary with you during the visit to allow yourself and your doctor to identify a potential pattern. With a symptom diary you will be able to ask specific questions, such as, “Can we determine if I am one of those people who has an adverse reaction of having tinnitus worsen on beta blockers?” or “If we think do beta blockers make tinnitus worse for me what would be the best course of action — do I need to decrease the dose, slowly taper off the drug, or is there a safer alternative?”.
Ways to Protect Your Hearing and Calm Tinnitus While Using Beta Blockers
You aren’t powerless when it comes to managing the impact of beta blockers on your tinnitus. Whether or not you’re still unsure whether beta blockers cause tinnitus to get worse, you can reduce your overall risk for developing tinnitus by simply protecting your ears and your nervous system.
Simple Daily Habits to Reduce Tinnitus Triggers
There are many ways to help prevent tinnitus through small choices made each day:
- Protect your ears from loud music at concerts, loud equipment (like power tools), and traffic.
- Lower the volume on your headphones and give your ears a break.
- Manage stress with deep breathing, slow movements, or short walks.
- Stay hydrated and get regular, quality sleep.
- Limit or eliminate caffeine and nicotine if they increase the ringing in your ears.
Hormones related to blood pressure and stress can cause your tinnitus to sound louder than it really is. Good habits combined with the proper medication regimen can help stabilize your entire system.
When to See an Ear Specialist for Tinnitus and Medication Review
Not all tinnitus signs require immediate attention. However, you should seek the advice of an ear doctor immediately if you experience the following:
– Sudden hearing loss
– Tinnitus occurs in only one ear
– Dizziness or imbalance
– Pain or pressure in your ears
– Tinnitus occurs shortly after starting a new prescription medication
A visit to an ear doctor (ENT) or an audiologist will allow them to evaluate your hearing and examine your ears. In addition, your ear doctor will review your current list of medications and consult with your cardiologist, so you don’t have to decide which is more important to you – your heart health or your ear comfort.
Key Takeaways
- While beta-blockers may cause increased tinnitus (ringing) in some individuals, this effect is not universal among those taking the drugs; each person’s body and brain responds differently to medications, as well as to the effects of other factors, such as their level of stress, quality of rest, blood pressure fluctuations, and intake of caffeine and/or excessive noise.
- There are many reasons why tinnitus symptoms may worsen, and there can be multiple causes for these worsening symptoms. As examples, stress, inadequate rest/sleep, rapid fluctuations in blood pressure, excessive consumption of caffeine, and exposure to excessively high levels of noise, can increase the perceived level of tinnitus; thus, it is possible that worsening symptoms caused by tinnitus could be due to something other than the use of beta-blockers.
- According to some studies, certain types of beta-blockers appear to be associated with an increased incidence of tinnitus compared to others; however, the risk of developing tinnitus from using beta-blockers is still considered relatively low, and most people taking the medication report no ear noise side effects.
- If you experience a sudden spike in the severity of your tinnitus immediately following a change in your dosage of a beta-blocker or upon initiating a new prescription, then that timing will likely provide significant information for your physician regarding potential side effects related to tinnitus.
- Do not abruptly stop taking a beta-blocker, since stopping the medication abruptly can lead to an abrupt rise in blood pressure and heart rate, both of which can contribute to increased tinnitus and possibly increase your risk of cardiovascular complications.
- 1 Record your observations of your tinnitus and include the following items:
- 2. The name of the beta-blocker medication and your dosage, and when you take it;
- 3. When your tinnitus appears to increase/decrease in volume;
- 4. Information regarding your sleep patterns, levels of stress, caffeine intake, and exposure to excessive noise.
- Next steps would involve scheduling a discussion with your physician to explore options for managing your tinnitus, including:
- 1. Gradually adjusting your beta-blocker dosage;
- 2. Exploring alternative beta-blocker medications, or medications that belong to different classes of medications;
- 3. Evaluating your blood pressure, vascular circulation, etc., to ensure that they are being properly managed;
- How you feel now is not necessarily going to define how you will feel in the future. Through proper medical guidance, and through making a few modifications to your medication regimen, habits and your approach to stress management, you can learn to reduce the perceived volume of your tinnitus, and gain greater control over how you manage your symptoms.
Conclusion
So, do beta blockers make tinnitus worse? It appears that for most people who use beta blockers, they appear to be safe for the ears; however, there seems to be some type of reaction to beta blockers among a smaller population, resulting in some patients noticing a change in the amount of ringing they hear. The key is to monitor your own body and report your symptoms to your doctor, along with providing her/him with any information about your history, including your medicines.
You can protect your hearing, ensure your heart’s well-being, and ask as many difficult questions as needed regarding your medicines and how they may impact your life.
You are not alone with this issue. Using good information, working with compassionate physicians, and using consistent habits, you can identify a treatment plan that will allow you to achieve a level of stability in regards to both your heart and your ears.