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What Causes Extreme Tiredness Along With Tinnitus?

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Posted on Tue, 30 Dec 2014
Question: Ears Nose, Eyes
I wrote this to my brother who is trying to help me diagnose my extreme tiredness on a daily basis. So I am thinking of everything I can and may be a little wordy, but I can think of no other thing to describe my situation. HELP, this condition is over a year, it's not recent and is consistant
Again I'm laying low (har, laying low as in "down"), sleepier than the day after an amphetamine trip. My ears are plugged )slight ringing, tolerable) and stuffed with soft Styrofoam, dragging my eye lids to meet half way. That type of fatigue and relationship to stuffed ears and slight pressure on t Get this pressure in the ears and wrapped around my head and across my eyes, my ears fill up with numbing filler and lose hearing. If I look up and pinch my neck like looking at a light bulb, the sensations get exacerbated as well as dizziness and slight ringing in the ears. When I stop looking up it takes a while for the sensations (dizziness, eye pressure) to go away, but the ringing stays for a prolonged time. Sleepiness can come upon me suddenly and sometimes overwhelmingly. It doesn't appear to be tinnitis or just ringing in the ears, but the dull but full pressure in the ears seems to be the fatiguing culprit. I feel the same loss of hearing when I'm asleep and woken up, takes a few moments for my hearing to clear the pluggedness from them. The HEAVY eyes always with the tired/sleepy feeling the same time as the slight pressure in the ears that FEEL like they are 80% filled with cotton or Styrofoam or THICK liquid, filtering the sounds from outside. There's the slight loss of equilibrium when the ears are full and the focus and sleep come upon me. Again, not tinnitis and just ringing, because the ringing is muffled a bit.
The "focus" AND concentration go in direct proportion as the fullness and heavy sleepy eyes. And I can obviously go to sleep, still doing it 11-13 hours per day/night/morning on top of laying down sometimes 3-4 times during the day and early evening, can't focus or do anything else.
I thought of the thyroid last year and had them test for a problem there, but there wasn't anything that came from that. I even took some thyroid supplements (ordered through Amazon) that I ordered when the symptoms I had led me to think the thyroid could be the problem. I took them faithfully because I was "sold" on that was the problem. After 60-90 days | didn't feel any change.
Now I'm back to the fullness in the ears and like a mask around the face like the Lone Ranger around the ears, eyes and the upper neck that is bad (has been major source of pain and instability for many years, feel like I can't hold my head on my shoulders, cracking sounds with x-rays to show vertebrae damage).
As I say if and when I'm forced to look up, either at stars or light bulb or ceiling/shelving and lift past 45 degree's I immediately get the symptoms fast and with great intensity. But if I don't have to tilt my head up and don't unless the situation calls for it because the affect is 100% guaranteed. Pinched nerve triggers it and all the symptoms come from there, but again I don't tilt it often on purpose and I get the symptoms almost daily, some days worse than others, but seldom do I miss a day.
I can sometimes alter the intensity with my favorite pill cocktail, the Tramadol remedy. Take 2 around 8-10 am to get me hopefully to become awake in a couple hours, at least to anticipate the wanting to get up and have the energy to do so, even if meekly. I can struggle to stay awake, sometimes more easy than others, especially if I have a good sitting session and I open my eyes and I feel a cleanliness and more crystal vision and less "fog". I stall until around 2:00 pm and used to take 2 then 1, and now back to 2 more 50 mg of Tramadol and that does more than anything else to get me through the day with as little sleepiness and forced "lay down" as possible. If I can stay attentive I can then go into the night til closing, 11pm to 12 AM if I'm lucky. I don't usually have to pass out as much in the evening than during the mid-day to late afternoon. Today I had 3 episodes of having to lie down for over 30min to an hour
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shafi Ullah Khan (3 hours later)
Brief Answer:
All symptoms are correlated, needs management

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for asking

I read your question and understand your concern. Lets start one by one.

1) Ear ringing:
Ringing ear is a trouble you get when your inner ear apparatus also called labyrinth gets compromised. Now what compromises it? Infections, trauma, medicines specially antidepressants anxiolytics or opioid painkillers like tramadol can all cause that. Muffled sounds, clogged ear canals, loss of equilibrium and balance, difficulty hearing and buzzing sensations are all very likely of the tinnitus believe it or not. Your recent had aorta bypass surgery and a cardiovascular profile history is also one strong reason for this tinnitus. Aspirin is notorious in this regard even in low dosages. So name the cause and you have it for tinnitus literally. You predispositions to the diet and cola beverages and caffeine etc, nut shell there is no single good sign where i can omit it is not tinnitus. Your medicines, diet lifestyle and history of co morbidities are all playing together to cause this tinnitus. What should you do? You should just get an endocrinologist and let them be the judge of what is next.

there are wide array of managements options for this buzzing ear. Electrical stimulations like cochlear implants, rTMS, Neuromonics, COunselling, support groups, surgical correction of underlying disease, most like meniere's disease in your case, May homeopathic supplements like gingko biloba, antioxidant supplements, niacin and acupuncture also help.

2)Anxiety Depression Mood Swings
There is no doubt in that. Sedentary lifestyles, Disease, advancing age, slipped discs not treated by simple surgery or conservative approaches like physiotherapy or epidural steroid injection or decompressions, what do you expect. All it needed was slight intervention and there was no need to suffer for 30 years.

3)Correct the slip disc;
It will modify your lifestyle, make you active like before and help you focus on things other than depression and anxiety. will boost the moods and uncloud the judgement. Get psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy. VOcational And recreational therapy. Stay in touch with your psychiatrist. It should work.

Avoid tramadol at all. Stay away from medicines as much as possible. Try to combat by natural means. All your symptoms from fatigue to heaviness, sleepiness, mood swings are easily correctable needing slight intervention.

So what are you waiting for. Start with an Otorhinolaryngologist, get some aids for the buzzing ear and then move down to the list.

Trust me, you will be good as new in a few weeks of compliance.

I hope it helps . Take good care of yourself and dont forget to close the discussion please.

May the odds be ever in your favour.

Regards
Khan
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Shafi Ullah Khan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2012

Answered : 3613 Questions

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What Causes Extreme Tiredness Along With Tinnitus?

Brief Answer: All symptoms are correlated, needs management Detailed Answer: Thank you for asking I read your question and understand your concern. Lets start one by one. 1) Ear ringing: Ringing ear is a trouble you get when your inner ear apparatus also called labyrinth gets compromised. Now what compromises it? Infections, trauma, medicines specially antidepressants anxiolytics or opioid painkillers like tramadol can all cause that. Muffled sounds, clogged ear canals, loss of equilibrium and balance, difficulty hearing and buzzing sensations are all very likely of the tinnitus believe it or not. Your recent had aorta bypass surgery and a cardiovascular profile history is also one strong reason for this tinnitus. Aspirin is notorious in this regard even in low dosages. So name the cause and you have it for tinnitus literally. You predispositions to the diet and cola beverages and caffeine etc, nut shell there is no single good sign where i can omit it is not tinnitus. Your medicines, diet lifestyle and history of co morbidities are all playing together to cause this tinnitus. What should you do? You should just get an endocrinologist and let them be the judge of what is next. there are wide array of managements options for this buzzing ear. Electrical stimulations like cochlear implants, rTMS, Neuromonics, COunselling, support groups, surgical correction of underlying disease, most like meniere's disease in your case, May homeopathic supplements like gingko biloba, antioxidant supplements, niacin and acupuncture also help. 2)Anxiety Depression Mood Swings There is no doubt in that. Sedentary lifestyles, Disease, advancing age, slipped discs not treated by simple surgery or conservative approaches like physiotherapy or epidural steroid injection or decompressions, what do you expect. All it needed was slight intervention and there was no need to suffer for 30 years. 3)Correct the slip disc; It will modify your lifestyle, make you active like before and help you focus on things other than depression and anxiety. will boost the moods and uncloud the judgement. Get psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapy. VOcational And recreational therapy. Stay in touch with your psychiatrist. It should work. Avoid tramadol at all. Stay away from medicines as much as possible. Try to combat by natural means. All your symptoms from fatigue to heaviness, sleepiness, mood swings are easily correctable needing slight intervention. So what are you waiting for. Start with an Otorhinolaryngologist, get some aids for the buzzing ear and then move down to the list. Trust me, you will be good as new in a few weeks of compliance. I hope it helps . Take good care of yourself and dont forget to close the discussion please. May the odds be ever in your favour. Regards Khan