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Dear Dr. Roach: As a 69-year-old female, when my cholesterol reached 250 mg/dL, I was prescribed and started taking 10 mg of rosuvastatin daily. I soon noticed a constant ringing/buzzing in my ears. Six months later, my cholesterol was down to 183 mg/dL. Another four months have passed, and the tinnitus is worse than ever and keeps me up at night. I'm also experiencing daily headaches.
Realizing coincidence isn't causation, I do wonder whether a link of any kind between statins and tinnitus has been investigated. I saw an ear, nose and throat doctor and an audiologist; my hearing is normal. The doctor told me that tinnitus is very common, and there's no real treatment for it, suggesting I try a "white noise" machine. I've also read about biofeedback therapy, but there aren't any available within hundreds of miles where I live.
With tinnitus being such a common condition, I find it odd that there doesn't seem to be any medical research into possible treatments. Am I missing something? -- F.D.
Answer: I found 11 studies that examined the risk of tinnitus with statins. I found a few studies suggesting a possible link; however, it's clear that elevated cholesterol itself is associated with hearing loss, so one has to be cautious in interpreting a possible link.
I found several studies supporting a protective effect of statins, one of which identified a 25% reduction in the risk of tinnitus among statin users. Among all statins, rosuvastatin would be among the least likely to cause tinnitus because it doesn't penetrate the brain or the organ of hearing -- the cochlea.
By far, the best evidence-based treatment for tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy, which improves a person's quality of life, minimizes tinnitus-related distress, and reduces anxiety and depression. This therapy has also been hard to find, but recently, this is changing.
Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.