Colds can cause a lot of unpleasant symptoms, including excessive mucous production, blockage of the nasal passageways, coughing, sneezing, headache, and a runny nose. Tinnitus is associated with dozens of different underlying health problems, including congestion. When someone’s nasal passageways or ears become congested with mucous, ear wax, or fluids due to a cold or infection, it can cause the perception of ringing, whistling, or buzzing sounds in the ears.
The congestion which is often times associated with tinnitus can become a problem for those who already have this problem. Those who have tinnitus may notice that the noise their hear because of their condition may become much worse because of congestion due to a cold. Usually the tinnitus which develops as the result of a cold is temporary and only lasts as long as the cold does.
There are a number of over-the-counter medications which can be purchased in order to reduce the congestion and therefore the tinnitus, such as Benadryl or Claritin. These cold medications tend to work well and can effectively treat the tinnitus which can become a problem under these circumstances.
Sometimes medications that doctors give patients for infections such as erythromycin can cause ototoxic effects which lead to tinnitus that can be either temporary or permanent depending on the severity of the effect which the medication has on the person. In the case of the common cold, usually the symptoms will go away on their own, though there are multiple ways for someone who has one to find relief in the meantime.
Those who have a cold will want to make sure to drink plenty of clear liquids and take a good over-the-counter decongestant to cut down on the mucous buildup. By doing this, one can reduce the intensity of the tinnitus during a cold. Nine times out of ten, the tinnitus which develops from a cold will go away within less than a week.
