second vaccine if still unwell (ear ringing) after first?

[ThatsnotMyNameAgain]

i ve had my first AZ about 6 weeks ago and got my appointment for the second early next week.

i ve also had 6 weeks of on/off headaches, had a weird rash with tiny tiny prick like red dots but my worst symptom is non-stop ringing in my left ear. It s constant.

I got checked for D dimers and platelets and this was ok, so was told to just monitor and it could get better. I may get an ENT referal some time in next 3 to 6 months. It s not so far getting better, is stopping me sleeping well, and is very irritating during the day.

I m not sure i can have the 2nd jab now - the anxiety is breaking me and the idea of making symptoms worst is terrifying.

Has anyone got ear ringing or hissing? has it improved over time?

I’ve pm’d you

@ThatsnotMyNameAgain - one other thing, I found when my tinnitus was bad that antihistamines reduced it significantly, enough that I then didn't bother taking the other meds I'd been given to manage it. (Then not needed when my thyroxine was increased.) If you've taken antihistamines without any problems before then it might be worth trying.

@JS87 - really sorry to hear about your hearing loss, it must
be terribly disorienting. You probably already know, but there are several types of special hearing aid that do something to the sound especially for people who have tinnitus. It might be worth getting an audiology referral for a hearing aid and asking about the options, if you haven't already.

I had pulsative tinnitus three times now since apr 2020. It went away with some oil drops.

Covid and vaccines affect iron lebels though.

Antihistamines haven’t helped me. You can get tinnitus with blocked ears but I’ve had mine regularly checked and clear.
Gp wouldn’t check my iron or vit b12 as done within 3 years and ok. I might do a private test then to rule it out as also got insomnia which can be linked to low vit b12

part of my work is to travel between countries. I also have family abroad. Without full vaccination, i can see issues arising. Before this, i always considered doing the full course of vaccines - now i m not sure anymore.

My best friend has suffered tinnitus since the vaccine. I actually feel bad reading this as I've not really thought about how much it must be impacting on her. She and I are unsure about our second doses of AZ - she because of this and me because of the blood clot risk.

@ThatsnotMyNameAgain I think it was on one of Tim Spector's YouTube videos that tinnitus was mentioned. Not sure he said much more than the proportion of people reporting it.

No help in regards to the vacc but I would just like to say that I developed sudden onset tinnitus 9 months ago, cause hasn't been found. It's been pretty hellish - hardest period of my life so far. I'm starting to 'live with it' better than I was and hopeful I'll be able to cope better with time. The main reason for me posting is to say I've not been vaccinated yet as I'm absolutely petrified that the tinnitus will get worse, just when I'm starting to claw my way out of the dark hole I've been in for the last 9 months. I know covid can also worsen tinnitus, so really, I'm stuck about what to do for the best. Hard decision.

@CrappyBirthday2Me your friend will need lots of understanding and support if she is struggling - not everyone has a hard time with it but a lot of us do. Send her in the direction of the British Tinnitus Association, lots of helpful info and people on hand to chat to her if she needs it.

@remmy6

Why are you getting vaccinated? Are you particularly vulnerable?

I only say this because, you have a choice. You do not have to get vaccinated, despite what you are told; there are risks with Covid, and risks with the vaccine, and it is up to YOU which one you'd rather take. The most recent government report (Google 996740 - the first PDF that comes up is the govt report) actually confirmed that 62% deaths from the Delta variant (in over 50s) have been vaccinated people - look at the final line in table 4.

The media won't have told you this, since they were busy thrashing Matt Hancock.

You. Have. A. Choice.

I think you've misunderstood the figures. The most vulnerable in groups 1-9 used to make up 95-99% of deaths, but the proportion they make up of those deaths have reduced dramatically since vaccinations started.

"The latest Public Health England (PHE) figures show there were 92,029 confirmed Delta cases between 1 February and 22 June. Of these, 58% were in completely unvaccinated people and only 8% were fully vaccinated."
Bear in mind the UK has fully vaccinated 43,877,861 adults by 22nd June, that's 64% of the whole population not 8%!! So all those people who might have otherwise caught covid didn't, so then they didn't get hospitalised and they didn't die.

Oh, and there isn't any medication that can help with tinnitus.....

@Pinkpowderpuff

Oh, and there isn't any medication that can help with tinnitus.....

There are some medications that can help some people, I already named them.

@Grimbelina

There are actually a lot of tinnitus cases reported and I am in a group (with another condition which may be auto-immune) who have sadly had a nasty reaction to the vaccine and many on the group have reported tinnitus and balance issues. However, things seem to get batter around the 4/5 month mark for many so hopefully things will settle for you. It is very hard to decide whether to have the second or which one for those of us with issues after the first.

I developed tinnitus after my first Pfizer. The thought of this getting worse is horrendous. I am seriously considering not having my second vaccine at things currently stand.

Two other people I know also developed tinnitus within days of their first Pfizer vaccine. I have yellow card reported it, as have many others.

@MRex None of the medications you mentioned have a direct effect on tinnitus. Tinnitus can of course be treated if the underlying issue is found e.g. wax, ear infection etc but there are no drugs that can treat tinnitus itself. Sometimes the cause is found but isn't treatable. Anxiety medication doesn't help with the ringing, just helps you cope with it better. But most, if not all, anxiety medications have tinnitus as a side effect.

@Pinkpowderpuff - I've noted drugs that were actively prescribed for and helped with my tinnitus, caused by autoimmune Meniere's disease. Antihistamines also helped a bit. A friend had hers relieved a bit by anxiety medication. Other people are helped by specific hearing aids. These drugs or hearing aids may not have helped you if your condition was caused by something else, they might help someone else though.

@MRex I have no idea what caused mine unfortunately but glad you found something that could help. Probably unlikely to help OP if vaccine induced though.

That's a shame. Vaccines can kick off autoimmune issues (there are known links with vaccines setting off flares for other conditions), that's why there could be similarities.

Why don't you wait the full 12 weeks OP, and then see if side effects settle down by then?

You don't need to have it so early

I realise you said you want to travel, but in your case I would wait

part of my concern is whether this ringing gets better or even goes, i ll also be scared to trigger it again with a second dose / booster.

i m calling the GP again tomorrow- not expecting much, wither in term of test or recommendation...

You do have some protection with one dose. I can't recall the difference between one dose and two.

Also, I have concerns that if I do have my second Pfizer - then there might be boosters to follow .. .. and the decision becomes never ending.

Tinnitus is horrendous :( :(

@Theonlyoneiknow It is pretty horrendous but it does 'get better' but can sometimes take a long time for you to feel like this. As I say, I'm 9 months in and only now having times where it isn't consuming me and I'm hopeful it'll keep getting better. You aren't alone.

Hi OP, I've had lasting side effects from my vaccine, though not the ear ringing you describe. I found that I was starting to feel much better around the 8 week mark. Not 100% but well enough to convince myself that I will get back to normal, because I had been feeling pretty down about the whole thing.

I've been told that I'm not eligible for a Pfizer second vac, and I've decided not to have the second AZ for now, though I'm worried about being unvaccinated because of my line of work and because I'm asthmatic. Lots of people seem to disagree with my decision, so I tend not to discuss it in real life.

Nothing to stop you waiting until 12 weeks for your second one, though. Gives you more time to consider it.

@ThatsnotMyNameAgain
Goodness knows why it happens but dds friend is now medically retired after she tried to take her own life as she could not cope with deafness/ tinnitus after 1st jab