Ringing In The Ears
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Tuesday, October 03, 2006 |
Q: "Is there a connection between ear ringing and diabetes? I have had type 1 diabetes for 27 years. And I recently started getting terrible ringing in the ears, about the time that I switched to Lantus®. Initially, I thought that it was just Tinnitus. But, when I saw accounts of similar experiences from type 1 forum posts, I started suspecting that Lantus might have something to do with it. I read somewhere that hyperinsulinemia can cause ringing in the ears. But we are all normal-weight type 1s, so insulin resistance is not an issue. Have you heard of anything like this? And can you enlighten us on what could be happening here?"
A: Ear ringing being due to Lantus would be news to me, as I have never heard or read anything relating Lantus-or any injected insulin for that matter-- to ear complications. By your question, I think you understand that hyperinsulinemia is related to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes-it does not refer to injecting too much insulin.
Naturally I must urge you to discuss this with your doctor as soon as possible. Also you can consider e-mailing the manufacturer of Lantus-sanofi aventis-if you go to the web site www.lantus.com, you'll see a link that allows you to contact them with your question. But I think it is highly doubtful that it is due to the Lantus. In general, diabetes is not a "classic" cause of ear ringing, although it is mentioned in the literature, related to either neuropathy or circulation problems associated with diabetes.
So again, please contact your doctor about this.
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