hey all
just wanted some feed back if any! when i started this cycle about amonth and ahalf ago (second cycle ever) took pred taper and verap still on verap about 2 weeks into the cycle i started with ringing in my ear the right side where the beast hits! i feel it has soemething to do with it and when i mentioned the ringing i my ear to the new neuro i saw on mon who i really like who supports high flow 02 :) he didnt seem to think it was a major issue and said we could address it after we are off the meds and out of cycle completely oh im also on 50 mg of topomax just wanted to throw this out there for any input thanks all!!!
anthony

Anthony,

I definitely get a bit of swelling in my right ear.  It feels like little bubbles popping sometimes.  I never had any ringing though.  I was fortunate years ago to have a cluster in the GP's office and she looked in my ear canal and said, "my goodness it's swollen" along with the other visual signs I had with my droopy eye and the right nostril dripping like a sink.  Luckily it was a low Kip HA.  As much as I hate these HA's i'd be willing to have one in the neuro's office so he can observe.

I have Tinnitus and acquired it since my clusters started in 1994, but I contribute it to loud music for 30+ years.

I don't believe tinnitus is associated with CH but it may be aroused by excessive use of OTC pain meds, perhaps some Rx meds ??? In such cases, it generally resolves when the offending med is stopped. It's not, in itself, a serious problem although it's associated with hearing loss (not a causal tie).

At this point, I'd work at getting a good treatment program for our CH working and see what happens. It's one of those conditions which often disappear without any treatment but, no  uncommonly, developes into a chronic "gift" with age.

Personally, I put my bilateral tinnitus into the category of, "why is my nose draining today?"

I got me some exacerbated tinnitus right after my last episode - made me wonder if it could be a Neurontin after effect, as in triggered by going off the Neurontin, which if I remember correctly, is prescribed for tinnitus sometimes...

Anyhoo, it has eased since I started taking a supplement called "Ring Stop" (would it have eased without the Ring Stop? That's tuff to know).

I have moderate to severe ear pain in cycle.  Always think I have an ear infection, but I don't.

There are many different types and causes of tinnitus, but there are definite links to disturbances in serotonin and melatonin as well as blood flow and muscle tension in the jaw.  Not sure what is  going on with your case, or if it might be a reaction to a medicine (which might indicate a side effect worth noting).  The medical consensus seems to be that a little ringing in the ears is not generally serious.  I have lived with tinnitus for decade or so, and I don't worry about it.

Joni wrote on Feb 6^th, 2010 at 1:10am:

I have moderate to severe ear pain in cycle.  Always think I have an ear infection, but I don't.

That's interesting.  I frequently get ear pain when my CCH is at its worst.  Also, I have constantly have tinnitus, possibly as a result of having taken countless courses of antibiotics for sinusitis, or possibly connected with the Gabapentin and Verapamil that I am now taking, or my age, but certainly the tinnitus always gets worse when my CCH is at its worst.  I've also noticed that my tinnitus gets worse when I'm very tired.  I'm sure loud music and head banging wouldn't help my ears much, but it might take my mind off the pain in my head  ;D