Some report ringing in the ears after COVID-19 vaccine
Q: I received the Moderna vaccine. After the second shot, I developed tinnitus that has lasted five weeks (so far). I haven’t found much about this side effect online in medical reports. However, I did find a forum with other people complaining of tinnitus that has not gone away. Have you heard of this?
A: As far as we can tell, the clinical trials for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines did not reveal tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as a side effect. There are, however, some reports in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database.
We have received a couple of similar stories:
“I’ve had both doses of Moderna vaccine.
After the second dose my chronic tinnitus, which was worked up extensively in the past, got louder and continues that way over a month later.”
Another person wrote: “I received my last shot of the Pfizer vaccine two weeks ago. I had COVID in June 2020, and it caused some ringing in my ears. I never connected it to COVID, though.
“Then after each injection, I got more ringing in my ears. It’s now worse than ever. Will it ever go away? I hope it is just temporary and will resolve with time.”
The possibility of tinnitus as a rare vaccine side effect should not discourage people from getting their shots. As our reader above noted, COVID-19 infections themselves can cause tinnitus. One study found that 6.6% of hospitalized patients developed this condition (International Journal of Audiology, online, July 31, 2020). Only time will tell if the ringing will fade.
Q: For the past few years, I have experienced varying degrees of pollen reactions in the spring. I live in the middle of an old Southern pine forest, with other hardwood trees mixed in.
I experience lethargy, throat tightness and mild nausea for several weeks when the yellow stuff starts falling. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms? I take quercetin for relief, but it only helps a bit.
A: Experts will sometimes tell you that pine pollen is too big to cause allergy problems. It turns out, though, that is not quite true. While allergies to pine pollen are less common than other pollen allergies, some people do suffer (Clinical and Experimental Allergy, September 2009).
You may need to keep your windows closed and stay inside, at least until the afternoon, to minimize your pollen exposure. Some people find it helpful to use a saline nasal rinse morning and evening. Others have told us that a daily shower with shampoo before bed during pollen season helps.
Quercetin is a natural compound found in many plants, including berries, fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, kale, onions and tomatoes, green tea and red wine. Supplements containing this antioxidant have been used to treat allergy symptoms and don’t appear to have serious side effects (Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology, May 14, 2020).
Other options include stinging nettle supplements or NasalCrom. This drugstore nasal spray was originally derived from a plant called bishop’s weed.
Q: I read your column about coffee being helpful against dementia. Does decaf also help?
A: Caffeine is not the only compound in coffee that may help protect the brain. Other potentially beneficial chemicals include caffeic acid, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and trigonelline (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Dec. 24, 2020). This suggests that decaf might be beneficial.