Hi there
I am curious to know if yo have heard from others complaining of tinnitus after using minoxidil. I had used finasteride for some 10 years, it seems without any side effects. I stopped the finasteride and had a break for about 18 months from any treatments and then started using minoxidil 5%.Within 3 months i began to be woken with tinnitus. It is now constant in both ears.
Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can be a warning sign for many serious medical conditions not related to medications, but it is also a known rare side effect of minoxidil. You need to see your doctor if you have such a problem. While it may be a potential side effect of the medication, you cannot afford to attribute the symptom to a side effect without a medical examination.
I have been having the tinnitus ringing after hair restoration surgery around 4/2008. I also am concerned about the post-surgery medications: Finasteride and Minoxidil. I have continuous ringing in both ears and feel a sense of fullness or pressure in the ears. I have stopped taking the Finasteride and only use the Minoxidil once in the morning. Should I stop the Minoxidil until I see the ENT Dr.? Is there anything to take to stop the ringing? thanks, GREG
Wow. This is very interesting. I began using Rogain foam in mid August of this year. A month later, I begain hearing ringing in my ears. Now, two months later, the ringing has gotten worse and I feel dizzy. I went to a specialist yesterday and he attributed the tinnitus to a possible hearing problem. However, I hear just fine. After reading these comments, I am going to stop the Rogain usage immediately. I have a feeling tht the use of Rogain is causing the tinnitus and dizziness.
Interesting! I too have constant ringing in my ears and it started about three weeks after using Rogaine foam. I’m going to stop using it and see if it goes away.
I also started having tinnitus suddenly about 18 months ago. I had no idea what caused it and consulted my personal physician and an ENT specialist, but could find no cause. It suddenly occurred to me that the ringing started about 2 months after I started using minoxidil once a day. I googled the two words and here we are: evidently the cause. This should be better-known by doctors and users, as these products are widely used. So now I don’t know which is worse-the ringing or a bald spot. The stuff definitely works! I hope Stephen and Joe provide feedback as to whether stopping the minoxidil stops the ringing.
@ Carl, I quit using it on the 12 and now 4 days later the ringing is going away. It’s still there, but much quieter. I’ll keep you posted.
The ringing is finally gone….
Thanks, Joe. It’s good to know it’s reversible.But is your bald spot coming back?It sounds to me like this is much more common than the “extremely rare” side-effect of minoxidil that the manufacturer admits to.I’ll try to find a widely read medical clog or two to post this information on.
hi Everyone it’s incredible to read your comments here…i use “rogaine” in Germany called “regaine” since 4 months and i’ve got tinnitus too.i tought my tinnitus depends just because i’m drummer but i’m drummer since 20 years and i’d never some kind of problems before, (just only in the last 4 months)…why right now?i’m gonna stop the cure and i’ll see wot is gonna happend.Take care ,please stay in touch
Hello, I used REGAINE (thats the German name) for about 2 weeks. Now I have tinnitus on both ears. I was at my doctor but she didnt know anything.I went to special doctor for Ears and she said it is possible that REGAINE caused my Problem. I never had problems like this before.Sonetimes I had weak pain in my ears too since I used REGAINE.Now I take Cortison which the Ear-Doctor gave me and hope the tinnitus will go away.
i have been using rogaine for six months and have noticed the tinnitus. i have hearing issues but not ringing before rogaine. i stopped using it 3 days ago. Ringing not quite as bad but i think too early to know for sure. glad i found this site. will try to remember to repost in a couple weeks if ringing goes away.
I too used Hairagain (minoxidil) and got a constant hissing sound in my ears. I’ll probability stop using it now and hope there’s no permanent affects/damage. I think a lot of people wouldn’t notice this kind of side effect because so many people don’t take care of their hearing in the first place.
Propecia and topical rogaine X 3 years. Tinnitis and hearing loss for about 3 years. Complete Ent work up negative. Will stop and see if it helps. Ear ringing is bilateral and NOT subtle
Oh and yes, my hair grow back a lot and looked way better after about 6-9 months. No other side effects for me
I noticed tinnitus from the first time i started using monoxidil. Only problem was that i was also really desperate for a solution to my hair loss. But now it’s slowly getting worse and worse (and I still haven’t found a woman!) so it seems I might have to choose to lose my hair and save my hearing. Guess the plug shop’s an option too.
Well I am glad I found this site. I started using minoxidil back in October of 2014. the ringing sound started about a month later. It is funny how I didn’t even think of minoxidil as the cause. I just stopped using it and will keep you posted. I hope it is not permanent because I rather have no hair but get to experience silence again.
I too used Minioxidil for about 8Months and then have had tapping in my ear and feeling awful. Stopped Minioxidil.
I started using rogaine last year and found I had tinnitus 3 months later. It was really bad and I had brain scans to see if it was any other problem. I stopped using rogaine and after about 5 weeks the tinnitus stopped. I’ll never use that stuff again, I figured its better to go bald than have that happen again..
I think some of the side effects listed by regaine include high blood pressure as being one of the more common symptoms.
In regards to tinnitus, it can sometimes be caused by a constriction of the blood vessels, a symptom of high blood pressure. If you stop using regaine, and tinnitus persists, maybe go to get a blood pressure reading from your doctor who can maybe prescribe some tablets to reduce it…or give muscle relaxants to ease blood flow.
One minor point is that sometimes cutting salt from your diet can reduce blood pressure (and if this is the related caused – the tinnitus) without the need for often expensive medication.