Tinnitus and the Coronavirus

The ATA is here for you during this unprecedented public-health crisis, which calls on each of us to take precautions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. To ensure the safety of our staff, we are operating remotely, but you can still contact us by telephone at 1-800-634-8978 or email at tinnitus@ata.org.

Caring Community: Call 800-634-8978 for help managing your tinnitus

If your tinnitus is causing you distress, getting help is crucial. Call 1-800-634-8978, if you need general guidance on tinnitus management and seeking care. If you're in crisis or thinking of harming yourself, call 911 immediately. If your depression and/or anxiety is overwhelming, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

The American Tinnitus Association does not provide medical advice or conduct its own research. For anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus and/or vaccines available in the U.S., it is critical to seek advice from your primary care physician.

In response to the many inquiries we are receiving about tinnitus and possible connections to the coronavirus and vaccines, please note the following:

  • If you contracted the coronavirus and it caused tinnitus or caused existing tinnitus to become louder, seek medical assistance to assess possible causes and treatment options.
  • If you received a coronavirus vaccine and your tinnitus became louder, report the side effect to the FDA/CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System by using the following link:  https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html
  • Side effects can also be reported to VAERS by calling 1-800-822-7967.
  • The CDC also has a smartphone app called v-safe, the after vaccination health checker, to report side effects, which can be registered for using the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html
  • If you’re experiencing heightened distress, including anxiety, depression, and/or insomnia, or thoughts of suicide, call 911 immediately or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

At present, none of the available coronavirus vaccines include information on tinnitus as a side effect. It is only through the reporting of side effects that adjustments are made in the list of common or rare side effects, so please report any adverse events that occur after vaccination.

COVID-19 Clinical Trials

If you have contracted COVID-19 and live near a research hospital or university, you might be interested in participating in a clinical trial investigating the disease. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are conducting 22 studies, and hundreds of other federally funded studies can be found on clinicaltrials.gov. Note that there are thousands of COVID-19 investigations currently underway that examine such things as its impact on the immune system, underlying genetic components, and its effect on the nervous system.

NIH studies: https://www.cc.nih.gov/recruit/search/covidsearch.html

Federally funded studies: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=COVID-19&fund=0&fund=1

To learn more about common coronavirus vaccine side effects, download the CDC’s pdf here.