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Taking Zoloft And Xanax For Mitral Valve Prolapse And Anxiety Disorder. Hearing Heart Beating. Normal?

Posted on Wed, 27 Feb 2013

Question: I have been hearing my heart beating in my ear, especially the left ear and most often when i am lying down on my left side. It also happens in my right ear, but more so on the left. It is causing sleep disturbance. Also, when I walk up the stairs or exert myself I can hear the beating in my ears. What is causing this. I am a 54 year old female. I do have a mitral valve prolapse. My carotids are clear as of September 2012. My blood pressure is WNL. I do have panic/anxiety disorder. I take premarin, zoloft and xanax. Any ideas as to what could be causing this??

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (2 hours later)

Hi

Thanks for posting the query

Hearing of own heart beat is termed as pulsatile tinnitus.

Pulsatile tinnitus happens when there is balloning of a weak point in the blood vessel supplying the middle ear or engorged blood vessels or glomus tumor. It requires a thorough examination of the ear aided with certain specific investigations such as tympanometry, angiogram and CT scan of the temporal bone (if required).

The tinnitus worsens on lying down due to pooling of the blood in the peripheries and increase in blood pressure while climbing the stairs.

Do no worry! With appropriate measures this can be treated effectively. Consult a good ENT specialist for a thorough investigation and management.

Hope I have answered your query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

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