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Conditions and Diseases > Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Forum > constant ringing in one ear for four weeks
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Q: constant ringing in one ear for four weeks
asked by: Kemp on February 19th, 2008
New User
Four weeks ago, on a Friday, I woke up with minor ringing/buzzing in my right ear. Over the course of that day/weekend it got increasingly worse and by the following week, it was so loud that I couldn't concentrate.

I went to an ENT who tested my hearing (it was fine, I'm 37 with no history of hearing problems) and did blood work (also fine). He concluded that it "must be a virus in your ear and will likely go away". He prescribed Prednisone which I took for 9 days and that's all I've done.

It's been four weeks now with little improvement. The ringing HAS subsided a bit (I've even had days of complete silence) and is no where near as bad as it was the first two weeks, but it's still exceptionally annoying (especially at night). I have NO other symptoms (no dizziness, no pain, nothing) and was wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. That is, constant ringing in one ear for a month.

I understand it takes a while for a virus to work itself out, I just don't want to be sitting idly if I'm risking long-term problems. I'm also trying to get some info on how long these things typically last so that I can keep myself from getting overly-anxious with thoughts like, "oh geez I hope this isn't forever!"

Thanks.
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yogahoneybunny
replied on March 6th, 2008
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Strange noises or occasional ringing in the ears can occur temporarily if there is an underlying cause such as a middle or inner ear infection, or a build-up of wax. These conditions are temporary because usually when properly treated the problems disappear. If the ringing re-visits you anytime soon, you might consider tinnitus as a possible cause. Tinnitus can be caused by noise damage, stress, hypertension, allergies or stress, or Meniere's disease.
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