Suggest Remedy For Tinnitus In A Person With Hyperthyroidism While On Effexor

Posted on Wed, 13 Jan 2016

Question: My daughter has suffered from Hashimoto's hypothyroidism since age 8 and she has managed well on Synthroid until about 3 weeks ago when she began experiencing troubling symptoms. Her GP said that her blood work indicated that she had become hyperthyroid and decreased the Synthroid. He also prescribed Effexor for anxiety (one of the symptoms) and my daughter experience severe ringing in her ears about 12 hours after taking the first pill. Her doctor then prescribed Cipralex and we wonder if there is a connection between the hyperthyroidism and/or the SSRI's. She is frantic because the ringing has been loud & unrelenting for 2+ weeks. She stopped taking the Cipralex yesterday. Is it reasonable to hope that the ringing will diminish when her thyroid level stabilizes and the SSRI's are out of her system?

Answered by Dr. Binu Parameswaran Pillai (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Drug induced Tinnitus

Detailed Answer:
Good day,
Sorry to hear about your daughter's problems. It is unlikely that the symptoms are caused by hyperthyroidism. It is possible that, drugs given for anxiety could have caused the ringing in ears. However, it is good to get her ears checked by an ENT doctor to rule out alternative causes like middle /inner ear problems.

If the ringing was caused by the drugs, then it would cease after few days.
Would apppreciate if you could attach the old and latest thyroid function tests.
REGARDS
Binu

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar