Medications Used for Tinnitus

Hey Karen, for whatever it's worth, I am convinced weather and barometric pressure has an impact on my T. Just like an old grandma and her arthritis. Unfortunately, can't do a darn thing about the weather. But at least I know it will pass.

 

I have to say mine was also quite low these last few days, the little jedis having a laser saber fight in my ears for the last 4 months must be a little bit tired, maybe the battle is finished ... i hope so

 

I've just had a blip in my T levels after starting to learn to cope and move forward from the initial onset I've had this week my first bad few days after getting myself together. Im still on Anti D's and this week found the sleeping tablets were needed again to get me some rest. So maybe its learning the patterns this thing called T does to us - changes in the weather / atmospheric pressure /life style / seasons gosh everything changes how we feel react and deal with this invisible plague we all have - nice to hear we all go through the same stuff although we dont want others to experience this we are in it together hence this forum is here ! ~Without each other this T thing would be so much more scary

 

Hey Cher, hope you feel better soon. It's the up and down that bothers me. Last couple days have been really great, low T, even went to a yoga class last night. Today? I have this weird squealing pitch, and feel foggy and even a little nauseous. Is it the anxiety meds? The herbs I am taking from the acupuncturist? Just friggin' fatigued? Guess we all just gotta hang in there.
I am sending good energy your way, picturing you walking this weekend with your adorable dog and family.

BTW: I have been to lovely York. The countryside is beautiful. I would love to hike across England one day, following Hadrian's Wall.

 

What a lovely message @LadyDi well I deffo feel better I've somehow managed to sleep all night no meds no waking up and clock watching and annoying T in the early hours! Such a difference sleep makes ! How you describe your recent feelings sound similar to me when I was consumed with anxiety and starting meds r you in the early stages of the meds?

We don't appreciate our surroundings do we I take for granted the dales the scenery and I'm originally from the Lake District in Cumbria where I never explored the countryside but in my teenage years I think I was more interested in other things !

I love the USA went on hols over to Florida 2 years ago and I fell in love with the people you guys are deffo some of the most friendly people on the planet we had an awesome time ! If you do get to the UK again we must take a stroll together but I may leave it upto you to do the whole coast to coast thing ! Xx

 

@LadyDi my boy Dylan after a dip I'm the river at kettlewell North Yorkshire

 

That Dylan is one handsome dog! Thanks for the pic.

So yes, I guess I am fairly early to the meds. I started taking alprazolam exactly a month ago. But I was so afraid of addiction, I wasnt even taking the full amount of my very low dose. The doc said I needed to get with the program or they would never help me. So for all tactical purposes, have been taking them properly for two weeks.

I really am working my therapy hard, too, but still some days feel anxious, depressed and totally consumed by this. I just want to feel better.

 

Stick with it I'm guessing anti d tablets ? I'm on citalopram and longed for results I was in the docs after a week crying saying I didn't feel any benefit he told me every week would be better than the last and after 4 weeks I would start to feel a bit of the old me was back - and it took all of the 4 weeks and slowly a little each day things improved - I actually don't think the doc even considered the T aspect he was treating my mind my feelings and anxiety. Your describe exactly how I felt a few weeks ago and without any medical training I would say its anxiety try and keep strong take the tablets it will get better soon its just you don't see it happen its a slow gradual process - pls try to relax I fully support relaxation therapy to clear ya mind and have some 'me' time then you can start to focus on living and not on tinnitus. We can both do that walk one day for t research !! If Dylan still about he will come along too he is 3 now and a bit of a naughty boy ! I'm training him to sit and stay on mat for a piece of sausage to stop him bouncing at our visitors ! Keep up with the meds give them time and try to keep busy distract yourself from it and do something nice for you something special a treat to keep ya spirits up xx Cher xx

 

Actually, alprazolam is a benzo... Docs seem to go the benzo or the anti D route (or a mix) for T. I think mine tired the benzos because I was having rolling panic attacks in the beginning and the alz is fast acting. Which is good to remember... You know I AM feeling better than I was three weeks ago. I just get so frustrated on the difficult days and I am such an impatient girl when it comes to myself. Think I should be able to control, take charge and fix everything.

No wonder I developed anxiety. My therapist (am working on the anxiety symptoms as well as the ears) says the problem is I keep objecting to the T rather than accepting it and moving forward. It's hard to reshape your thought patterns. That's what I so admire about you. You have bad days but you also are so positive and talk about the things that bring pleasure to your life: trips with your family, walks with Dylan, your garden, amusement park rides. I can almost see you doing these things and it makes me happy,gives me hope.

I have a lovely garden, too. One great thing about Florida; we are the only subtropical climate in the US down here and can grow amazing plants all year round. I am going to come home from church today and work in my garden, although its soooo hot right now. Then a good walk along the beach and dinner out with friends.

I feel lucky to have met you, Cher, from way across the pond. Maybe we will do that T walk with Dylan some day. I have two cats, so they'll prefer to watch from the sidelines. Have a great week.

Xx hugs Diane

Ps: glad you liked Floridians. Most of the folks in the US think we are kind of crazy especially down here in the southern end.

 

I am back to the brain drugs again as this author suggested. It may be dated, but I think this article still makes sense, as it does not have to be complicated. I think people with pre-existing anxiety/depression can have a predisposition to magnify their tinnitus more so than someone without. Sometimes a trauma of some sort from the past could also be a factor in keeping your noise entrenched in your brain..IMHO.

I had to change something, as hearing aids did not seem to help me much at this point and my headnoise was running wild again....very loud hissing sound. At the same time my head was hissing very loud, my neck and lower back hurt also. Again, I think my brain was focusing on these things, much like a panic attack. I talked my primary care doc into trying some of the seizure drugs such as Depakote, even though that drug has been shown to cause tinnitus in some cases.

http://www.healthboards.com/hearing-disorders/285.html

 

@just1morething;

Check out some of the Depakote info on this thread, too:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/depakote.1863/

Note as well that seizure med Trileptal has helped some individuals with tinnitus. Please report back as to how things play out if you try any of these.

I seem to recall that you were and advocate of the Neurontin/Klonopin combo at one point. Is this not working anymore?

-Golly

 

@Golly

Thanks for making me aware of your thread on Depakote, as I was unaware of it until now. I did see the thread by sugaboog on DS, as I am a member there also. That is where I got the original idea to try it.

I did start on generic Depakote 125mg extended release a few days ago. I can't really comment on it this early as my "fragile tinnitus brain" needs to have positive input..... but so far, so good. On this low dose of Depakote I did not think it was helpful to read about the side effects. I am backing off of the Gralise + Klonopin for now, but tolerated them fine. I think those meds do lose their effectiveness for T as the brain builds up a tolerance to them after a period of time. I also still take Nortriptylene 75mg at night along with Zolpidem 10mg. Perhaps too many meds at this time and will try to taper off of those if possible in the near future.


I know someone that takes Trileptal & Mysoline for their T, but I have not tried those myself. On a side note, I did have my right neck nerves ablated on 8-28-13 and will comment on the Chiropractor thread later on this. My appt. was about a month early because of a cancellation.

- just1morething

 

I may abandon the Depakote as I have high pitched piercing ringing today. Back to Gabapentin + Clonazepam for now plus ReSound hearing aids. I may also try the Widex Zen to see what the fractal tones sound like.

 

@ just1morething:

I am sorry to hear that you are having a rough day. Are you concerned that the Depakote is causing the increase in loudness? Quite possibly you are just having a bad tinnitus day that would have come about regardless.

I don't know what one should expect as far as seizure drugs are concerned. Ideally, one would have continuous silence or muted tinnitus. On the other hand, simply having a greater number of "good days" would be an improvement. My friend who takes Trileptal for his tinnitus says this is the case with him. Like me, he has noisy days and quiet days. However, with Trileptal, his noisy days aren't as bad; and he experiences a few more quiet days per week.

You posted above that you know someone who takes Trileptal and Mysoline. Is that McMurdo from Daily Strength? It would be interesting to ask her how these seizure meds have improved her tinnitus situation.

Keep us posted, Golly

 

@Golly

First of all thanks for your support! I did eat fast food today and maybe that made me spike. I went to a Menards store and felt abnormal (loud tinnitus and a general strange feeling). I then went home and took Gabapentin 600mg & Clonazepam .5mg. Sometimes I take Gralise which is a extended release form of Gabapentin (24 hours)

Now at 5:00 CST I feel very good. I got busy and let the old meds work and seem fine now. Maybe I shouldn't drop Depakote? I am always quick to drop a new med if I experience strange side effects. I was the same way in my pre-tinnitus days.

Yes, It is McMurdo. I think she does quite well on Trileptal & Mysoline. I have had some PM's with her in the past and could look at them again. She seems very knowledgeable on meds and how they work in the brain to calm down your T.

Do you take any meds for your T @Golly? I will try to find out the half life of Depakote and will look into Trileptal.
I seen in one of your posts that you thought Remeron was better than Nortriptylene......that could be true.

I don't think stem cell regeneration of hair cells in the cochlea is in the near future , so we have to do what we can to function by other means (seizure drugs and hearing aids in my case).... a formidable challenge indeed.

-just1morething

 

@just1morething: Sorry to read your hearing aids are not working as well as expected. But you are still early in your treatment. That said, keeping on your medications--or changing them around--is definitely something that could help. Like @Golly said, sometimes it is having more good days and less bad. Over time, you should see this improvement. I'm currently at 2:1 (good vs bad days).

Diet is so important for many people with tinnitus. I would watch foods with a high sodium content--like all fast foods. The sodium affects your inner ear functioning, which, in turn, can spike your tinnitus. I'm sure you've read the strict diet regiment of McMurodo: no sugar, no salt, no msg, etc. Keeping a food diary can really help you. At the very least, write down what you eat on your bad days. There might be a pattern. But tinnitus can also have a mind of its own. So you need to test a food several times before you know if it increases your tinnitus.

 

Meat Loaf - Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

@jazz


Congrats on your 2 out of 3 ratio. That ain't bad! Thanks for the diet advice - pass the pizz......I mean carrots please. I sure wish we could eat & drink anything we want, but that is a sacrifice we may need to make for quieter times.

 

@just1morething Nice use of my success ratio! Just think how great life would be if you achieved two-thirds success in all of your endeavors. Hope you're having a quiet day!

 

@just1morething:

I have had problems signing up at DailyStrength, so I have never had direct communications with folks over there. I have, however, perused the DailyStrength threads and am particularly interested in McMurdo's use of seizure meds as well as Sugaboog's success with Depakote.

I take 15mg of Remeron nightly and it does wonders for my sleep. My understanding is that tertracyclic Remeron is akin to an improved tricyclic (such as Nortriptyline). That is, its side-effect profile is much lower. Like Nortriptyline, sleepiness is one of the happy side-effects. Unfortunately, as with many tricyclics, weight-gain can be an issue with Remeron. If anything, however, I have lost weight since being on Remeron!

The only other drugs I take currently are Xanax and Klonopin. But I use them sparingly. If I have a couple of bad days in a row I take 1mg of Klonopin at night (about once a week). And if I wake up in the middle of the night and am restless, I take 1mg of Xanax (about once a fortnight). I find these benzodiazapines very helpful in calming my body down and locking in a good day after sleep. I should probably take them a bit more often (and my doctor has encouraged this), but I am being extra cautious given the possibility of building a tolerance.

I have tried Gabapentin at low doses (100mg to 600mg, daily). It did not do anything for me. I understand that it can potentiate the effects of other drugs, such as Klonopin, and this is why it probably works for you in that combination. I am curious about Lyrica, which I have never tried. It should be noted that llily at TSMB claims that Lyrica had a profound effect in terms of quieting her tinnitus.

My goal is to reach @jazz's 2-out-of-3 ratio. I am almost there, but I usually fall short. Typically, I enjoy 18 or so quiet days a month. The others I am learning to live with.

Please feel free to discuss these or any other issues with me on this chat or privately. I believe it is important that we all share information and support each other in this way.

-Golly

 

Golly-

Thanks for all your info. I will digest it and get back to you. I am still taking Depakote and I find myself not thinking to clearly now, but I forgot to take my regular meds this morning and that could be why. Were in a tough situation with tinnitus and dealing with the side effects from meds to help it.......hard to balance out. I am going to try to wear my hearing aids more regularly and see if that helps.

Yes, I think it's great idea to help each other with our common problem. I know we are all a little different and could have different reactions to meds, hearing aids, sound therapy, etc., but it is a good idea to brainstorm a bit from another
person's perspective and experiences.

 

Hello all, I apologize if I am posting this in the wrong place or if there's already a thread about this.
I wasn't able to find too much.

Due to a neuropathic pain problem I've been having, I am currently taking 1600 mg of gabapentin daily. I've been taking it for about 5 or 6 months I'd say. I personally can't tell that it's done anything positive for my tinnitus, but I was hoping others here might be able to share their experiences? I have been undergoing a spike with my T my recently but I do not think it has anything to do with the gabapentin. However, I thought I'd try to gather some information anyway since I haven't been able to find much information regarding gabapentin and its effects on tinnitus.

I'm also currently taking Remeron (Mirtazapine). I've read a few posts that seem to indicate a positive effect on Tinnitus. Does anyone else have any experiences with Remeron as well?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

By the way, while it is true that Gabapentin did not lower my tinnitus volume as I'd hoped it might, it did help with my sleep, even at the very low dose of 100mg. If it's sleep you need, however, Remeron is a safe and reliable bet at low doses (15mg and less). I would recommend the latter. -Golly

 

I use Meellentonen at night to sleep. and I use Tinnitus pro for 10 dollars and listen to notch music at night it seems to help. but is still there. when i wake up. I feel every ones pain. I had no idea what i had when this first started. no help from 2 doctors. youtube was not much help. after 2 moutHS now i am dealing with it

 

i've been to my doctor, and i didn't get any medication. Not even some mild sleeping aid. i've had social anxiety and ADD my whole life, which could make my T worse at times.

 

What is the mg you're taking for the Clonazepam? I had been taking .5 mg on and off for years for sleep but got scared when I read horror stories about benzo addiction. Trying to stay away as I'm not sure it helped the T anyway. For me, it's all about getting to sleep because that's when the T roars. BTW, I'm using the Starkey Xino and it helps during the day but it's tricky to wear sleeping.

 

Hello Gene-

I am taking .5-1 mg Clonazepam + 25mg Nortriptyline twice/day. I think the biggest help for me is wearing a elastic mandibular advancer for sleep apnea and TMJ. It helps to keep your airway open by pulling your lower jaw ahead. CPAP works well also, but seems harder to get used to. It seems better sleep = lower T the following day. I am still experimenting though. I still take Zolpidem 10mg for sleep. As always, my advice may be free for a reason, but I give my best at the time.

I have tried ReSound Alera hearing aids, but they were not for me. Some people that I know have had good luck with the Starkey Xino tinnitus model that you use. I still may try them, or the Siemens rechargeable hearing aids that you could get thru ebay , Costco, or Sam's Club. On the benzo addiction, I personally have not had a problem and believe it is blown out of proportion a bit.

-just1morething

 

Hi Columbo ,

I have been taking Zolpidem too for sleep, have you found you are adapting to the drug or are you still getting the same effect on 10mg?