Yes, persistent tinnitus can absolutely cause brain fog, leading to difficulty concentrating, memory issues, and slowed thinking, as the constant noise overwhelms mental resources, disrupts sleep, and increases stress, making the brain work harder and leading to mental fatigue. This cognitive impairment is a common experience, often described as "tinnitus brain fog," where the brain struggles to filter the internal sounds, affecting focus and clarity.
The symptoms of tinnitus can vary significantly from person to person. You may hear phantom sounds in one ear, in both ears, and in your head. The phantom sound may ring, buzz, roar, whistle, hum, click, hiss, or squeal. The sound may be soft or loud and may be low or high pitched.
The latest tinnitus treatments focus on neuromodulation, primarily through devices like Lenire, which combines tongue stimulation with sound to retrain the brain, showing significant promise and FDA approval. Sound therapy, including personalized soundscapes and smartphone-based modulation therapies that disrupt brain activity, are also advancing, aiming to reduce tinnitus perception rather than just masking it, with some research showing lasting effects. These newer approaches complement established methods like CBT and masking devices, with a trend towards at-home, customized, and digitally delivered treatments.
High doses of amitriptyline have been reported to cause neurological side effects including tinnitus. Tinnitus has been reported to occur 2 days after a dose increase of amitriptyline to 150mg per day. In this case, cessation of amitriptyline caused com- plete resolution of tinnitus within seven days (Feder, 1990).
Tinnitus has been found to be associated with various cognitive disorders. Studies have shown a higher prevalence of tinnitus in individuals with cognitive impairments such as memory problems and mild cognitive impairment (Jafari et al., 2019; Chu et al., 2020).
When mental resources are consumed by the discomfort of tinnitus, it can result in reduced cognitive function. Moreover, sleep disturbances caused by tinnitus can negatively affect memory and concentration, deepening the experience of brain fog.
There's no known cure for tinnitus. Current treatments generally involve masking the sound or learning to ignore it. NIH-funded researchers set out to see if they could develop a way to reverse tinnitus by essentially resetting the brain's sound processing system.
Common antidepressant drugs used in relation to tinnitus include:
Common side effects
Permanent tinnitus is often linked to more persistent underlying issues that result in a continuous or long-term presence of tinnitus. Key contributors include: Prolonged Noise Exposure: Continuous exposure to loud noises can lead to irreversible damage to the auditory system, resulting in chronic tinnitus.
CBT gets you started on the path toward habituation, a form of neuroplasticity through which the brain gradually reduces its reaction to tinnitus. Through habituation, tinnitus becomes less important, more in the background, the same way we automatically learn to ignore road sound, a fan, the wind, and so on.
In a quiet setting, a fan, soft music, or low-volume radio static may help mask the noise from tinnitus. Manage stress. Stress can make tinnitus worse. Stress management, whether through relaxation therapy, biofeedback, or exercise, may provide some relief.
Tinnitus retraining therapy.
This type of therapy is done by an audiologist. A device is inserted in the ear to generate low-level noise and environmental sounds that match the pitch, volume, and quality of the person's tinnitus. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, treatment may last one to two years.
Tinnitus is usually caused by an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury or a problem with the circulatory system.
Use a noise machine.
Things like white noise, nature sounds or ambient soundscapes can help distract your brain and reduce your tinnitus symptoms. You can purchase noise machines for this very purpose, but many fans and humidifiers emit white noise that can help with ear ringing, too.
But if it makes you anxious, you can take medication for anxiety problems. The main recommendation for dealing with tinnitus is to see an audiologist and get fitted for a hearing aid. Sound therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could also be helpful if the tinnitus is persistent and bothersome.
Amitriptyline is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to amitriptyline or any other medicine. have a heart problem – amitriptyline can make some heart problems worse.
The low dose of amitriptyline won't treat depression, but it should reduce your pain, relax your muscles and improve your sleep. You may feel a bit better after one or two weeks. But it can take four to six weeks for amitriptyline to work as a painkiller. You'll probably take it for as long as it helps your condition.
It's best to take it before you go to bed because it can make you sleepy. If you still feel drowsy in the morning you could try taking it earlier in the evening. Amitriptyline does not usually upset your stomach.
Some patients with hearing loss and tinnitus have improvement with the use of hearing aids, with or without built-in ear-level maskers. Sound therapies that involve simple things like background music or noise or specialized ear-level maskers may be a reasonable treatment option.
In fact, most drug classes have tinnitus-causing drugs sprinkled throughout. For example, antibiotics, painkillers, anti-anxiety, and anti-depression drugs, antimalarial medications, anti-cancer drugs, and blood pressure-controlling medications – to name a few – can all trigger tinnitus.
According to Kari, there is a myth that Vick's VapoRub alleviates tinnitus, but she says that there is no evidence that it works, and, in fact, it can be dangerous. "I have not heard this to be effective, and I would be careful because applying it in your ears can lead to toxic effects," Kari says.
Rather, severe tinnitus represents a fundamentally different condition, involving multiple brain regions and systemic dysfunctions far beyond the auditory system. It is now evident that severe tinnitus is a complex multisystem brain disorder.
Things you can try to help cope with tinnitus
Corticosteroids may alleviate tinnitus by suppressing irritability or sensitivity caused by cochlear hair cell damage, increasing vascularity in the inner ear,19 and protecting hair cells against tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secretion.