Are Tinnitus and Epilepsy Related?

[John-Forrest]

I would like to post a query and subject for research here. All my life, I have had ringing in my right ear, which is Tinnitus. I have a neurological hearing loss, which the MDs say was probably the result of a very severe illness I had when I was a young child. My mother told me I was completely deaf at that time. My hearing loss is in both ears, but the right ear is more severe and that is where I always hear the ringing.

When I am really stressed out, very tired or drinking too much coffee, this right ear ringing is far more acute. This is also the time when I am more likely to have a grand mal seizure.

I only have these seizures once in a blue moon, every couple of months, usually when I am stressed. (I seem to get them duing holidays for some reason, pushes my buttons.) They ALWAYS start with a loud high-pitched ringing in my right ear, and it feels like the ringing is "drilling" down my auditory nerve into my brain. Partial seizures are also a high pitched ringing where I feel momentarily incapacitated.

I was hitting on "epilepsy and tinnitus" on the net. One page I got said tinnitus is actually a seizure in the auditory nerve. So it makes sense that this tinnitus I have is where the focal point of my seizure is. One post I saw in a tinnitus forum said the person noted the ringing was reduced when taking anti-seizure meds.

This seems like a very significant connection. If I could learn to control the tinnitus, perhaps that will also control the grand mals that are such a huge inconvenience in my life (where I get captured by the ambulance and have to spend hours in a hospital until they let me go!).

Has anyone else noticed anything like this?

John-Forrest

 

[DayDreamer]

I remember being asked about anything I heard when I participated in a study with Columbia for Autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features.
I myself do find a pattern between the ringing I hear and my seizures. I do not track the ringings I hear. They don't last long and don't bother me. Hopefully it continues this way. Maybe my seizures will learn to take less time and not bother me also.

The page below mentions tinnitus.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1537/

 

[Starburst]

Could it be that the things that increase your tinnitus are also the things that lower your seizure threshhold? My husband often has tinnitus as part of a chronic ear problem he has. Caffeine definitely makes it worse, so he does not drink coffee or tea.

I joined the forum because two of my sons were recently diagnosed with epilepsy. I am new to epilepsy and don't know very much about it. However, I once experienced an attack of "something" that I now suspect may have been a seizure. Basically, I felt incapacitated...could not talk or move although I was conscious at the time. Near the end of the attack, I heard a very loud sound in my ear that was like a gushing waterfall. At the time, I was concerned that one of the kids had left the bathroom faucet on. Later, I realized that this was a form of tinnitus...and I still have very mild tinnitus to this day. Not sure if that type of noise is common with seizures.

 

[Starburst]

Forgot to mention that, besides caffeine, many medications exacerbate tinnitus as well.

 

[rory]

i have tinnitus in my left ear and left temporal lobe epilepsy so maybe. i developed constant tinnitus about 2 years ago it has never stopped since, its gets louder or quieter for no reason but its always there.

 

[Endless]

Hi, John,

I have tinnitus, both a very loud ringing, and a heartbeat/whooshing sound when I lay down. Mine are due to different causes - migraine aura, and intracranial hypertension (IH). Epilepsy and Migraines are highly comorbid. In other words, if you have one of them you are more likely to get the other. My seizures are pretty much under control now (with a few notable exceptions over the last few months). So I'm thinking it isn't that.

Q: does your water sound go in time to your heartbeat?

 

[Bobbi]

Since dec 2012 I have been diagnosed with epilepsy where my first episode was a grand mal and status epilepticus. I have been on medication since then taking generic keppra. Trying to be more aware of side effects or symptoms I'm told I have mini seizures that I personally can't detect but EEG can. I recently noticed my tinnitus and another person who doesn't have epilepsy mentioned they have it due to their herniated disc in their neck. I've had back and neck issues for years. I'm 58 now so having seizures so that in life is rare. Noticing the tinnitus now it may be new. I wasn't aware prior to recently.

 

[Bobbi]

seizures so that in life is
I meant so late in life

 

[sjconner]

While I was in the Navy, I developed tinnitus from working around aircraft. I noticed that topamax made it worse.

 

[C0urt]

I have always had it, but it got worse after i developed epilepsy.

 

[Bobbi]

This stinks!

 

[C0urt]

could be worse, could burn when you pee.

 

[Bobbi]

Oh boy!

 

[Zara-Newman]

Well nearly my whole family complain of tinnitus - and I suffered before my epilepsy showed itself.

 

[Emee]

I have had tinnitus in both ears 24/7. It & partial seizures started about the same time several years ago. My neurologist thought it would stop when I started taking seizure meds but it has not changed, only gets worse.

 

[C0urt]

yup

 

[bornova]

I had tinnitus and hearing loss in my left ear for 20 years before i developed epilepsy at 37, both on my left side. hearing got worse..noises in my ear didn't go away and seizures aren't controlled.. unfortunately.. and i think they are all related to one another.

 

[JeffD]

I don't think I had tinnitus until after my first seizure; at least I don't remember it. Now I have buzzing in my ears 24/7. Sometimes it's louder or more distracting than others. My neuro 12 years ago wanted me to have an ear doctor check it out first, which I never did... (shame on me)

I've adapted my life around it now, listening to music or white noise in bed, etc. I do feel it's associated with my seizures though... it's always been and gotten much louder before and after my seizures.

I read an article some time ago about how they're experimentally using something like neurofeedback to treat tinnitus but have never researched it.

 

[MrE]

I can't really tell if I have ringing in my ears...but I do have noticeable hearing loss...which I know is not just from health issues but the fact that I love music...but what can I say...I'm a musician

Not that I am listening to music at stupidly loud volumes...but I do listen to a lot of it...okay I confess I am a "music junkie" lol...but even on days I am not listening to music I still notice strange phenomenon...oh wait a minute...why does that surprise me??? Durrrh

 

[Bernard]

Tinnitus can be exacerbated by high blood pressure. High blood pressure can be an expression of low magnesium. Magnesium supplementation has been reported to help with both tinnitus and epilepsy (not all cases of course - YMMV).