Will Lorazepam Help Tinnitus?

My GP described me Lorazepam. Will it help with tinnitus or decrease it?

 

Like many benzos one could expect a decrease in the level of annoyance from tinnitus over the very short term.

Lorazepam is a strong high-potency, intermediate-duration benzo. The US FDA advises against its use for longer than four weeks.

Withdrawals particularly with a high potency, short acting benzo is not something one should take lightly.

I would ask yourself whether your tinnitus is causing considerable distress at the moment. If not there are many potential strategies you might consider before you go down this path. Just my 2 cents.

 

Dude heed my warning. Don't take this more then you need. I'm trying to get off of it after 4 + years of taking this daily without any one telling me not to. It's a rocky road and don't think I'm better off for it. If you get addicted to things just beware.

 

It helps with your anxiety that comes along with tinnitus... If you're panicking and are anxious (not sleeping, barely socializing) then take it... It calms you down. Just make sure you're careful and take what you were prescribed... Just listen to your doctor.

These are life savers to me when I need them. For some it decreases the tinnitus hence less anxiety so take one see how you feel.

I know everyone says avoid them but if you're in a state of panic and nothing else helps then fuck it.

The way I look at it anyways... Just don't ever stop these cold turkey if you're on them daily...

PS. Does 2 mg of Xanax equal 2 mg of Klonopin? If so that's A LOT!!!!

 

Benzodiazapene should make you indifferent to your tinnitus as well as most other things in your life. It will surely take the edge off the frustration and anxiety that tinnitus may bring on; however, this drug in itself wouldn't "cure" tinnitus. I think it would psychologically "mask" your tinnitus for the duration that you're on it. Just use it responsibly since it can form dependency...withdrawal from benzos are not fun. With all that said, yes it will help you cope with tinnitus on a psychological level.

 

Grace my doctor told me to take it if it works and never told me to stop but why do you think the FDA advises against taking it for more the 4 weeks? Believe it or not if you take benzos on a schedule, you're addicted too. Just saying ... I've justified my taking Ativan with the whole if it helps you take it attitude.

I agree these are for times of extreme panic but if that panic is every day that how could you not want to take them daily?

 

I'm currently studying psych as an undergraduate, like any other pyschoactive substance Benzodiazepene needs to be carefully weighed with the benefit/risk factor. Perhaps the patient and the doctor reached a conclusion that the benefits of taking this CNS depressant far outweighs the risk of mental deterioration and the impact that it has on the patient's daily lifestyle. For some people the severity of anxiety is so intense that taking Benzodiazapene on a frequent long-term basis is the difference between life and death.

I know people that are crippled by physical pain to the point they need pharmaceutical heroine just to make it through each day, despite being a heroine addict at this point. So it comes down to the severity of your problem.

It is a shame that your doctor just left you hanging onto this drug without any followups, was he thinking it was like popping an ibuprofen or something?

 

She wasn't thinking, just dispensing meds like most psychiatrists tend to do. I know it's kind of a generalization but other than for asking me how my mood/concentration has been and giving me prescriptions that's all my psychiatrist ever did for me. She is a bad doctor and I need to find another. I want to confront her about how she could have let me stay on benzos for years but I don't even think it's worth it.

 

If you take it be careful...it will work, then loose it effectiveness quickly. It doesn't take long to get addicted and also to build a tolerance to this drug, I took it for about three weeks and really lost it after I stopped.

I had no idea I could be addicted so quickly. If you think your T stresses you now, wait until you discontinue this drug.

Also withdrawal can cause worsening of tinnitus, sometime temporary, sometimes permanent.

 

Yes, in the short term. Helped cut my sounds in half and helped me sleep.
Longer than 4 weeks on a daily schedule, and you run the risk of making your t worse in the long term, and disallowing its natural fade in the first year. Doctors are not aware or do not care about this. Benzos in the long term down regulate your natural GABA which inhibit the overfiring of t neurons.
Be very very careful. Do your research.
Benzobuddies is a good resource.

p.s. I was only on a low dose .5mg daily for 4 months, reached some level of tolerance, trying to withdraw. T has resorted to as loud as it was at first. Friends who developed t around the same time as me have all seen their t naturally fade in the first year. I now kick myself and the doctor for being on them longer than 4 weeks.
There need to be more studies on benzos and t.

 

So is it a bad idea to take lorazepam cause my tinnitus has been like 5/10. I don't want these pills to make it worse.

 

It's definitely helped me at night (my toughest time). I wasn't sleeping well at all, falling asleep for 2 hours, and then cat napping for the rest of the night, 30 minutes awake, 30 minutes asleep type of thing.

I started on .25mg of lorazepam yesterday... It definitely helps.. its almost scary how indifferent you become to the sound... Its as if you are temporarily habituated and I can see how this can ruse people into taking them for extended periods of time. After all the reading I've done on these forums, I'm going to tread this road very carefully and I won't be staying on them long..

It's not going to make it worse, in fact it will make it significantly better in the short term.. Just please make sure you take it easy and don't end up popping these everyday throughout the week. Use them when you need them and you'll be fine.

 

Don't take it unless you have to.

I wouldn't get into a habit of taking it every day. I'm sure most would agree here.

 

Just be careful man, 2 MG a day is a fairly high dose, especially for someone who hasn't been on Benzo's before.

 

Yea but I used to smoke marijuana so it doesn't hurt me one bit.

 

Don't get Marijuana and Benzo's confused.. Whole different ball game my friend, like I said, just be careful.

 

I stopped taking benzos about 2 years ago. I was up to a max. dosage of 6 mg a day. Even though I tapered off of these on a gradual basis of several months, final withdrawl was hell. Be very careful with these seemingly harmless but addictive drugs.

 

Yeah, I do believe Klonopin & Xanax are equal in terms of dosages.. I.E. .5mg of Klonopin = .5mg of Xanax

 

I think 2 mg of Xanax is like taking 1 mg of Klonopin so in his case he would be taking .5 mg Klonopin twice daily equaling 2 mg Xanax cause Klonopin is stronger... So actually 2 mg sounds like A LOT and for Klonopin it is but not for Xanax so that sounds like the proper dose prescribed for anxiety...

 

Possibly, but from the way he worded it, it sounded like he was taking 1MG of klonopin, twice a day. Which is definitely a lot, I was just prescribed this stuff myself a couple of days ago and my Physciatrist strongly urged me to take .25mg once a night and only bump my dose if I don't notice any significant effect.

I also wanted to comment on the Marijuana topic @Eric Fridley, The problem isn't how you will feel from the Klonopin, trust me I'm sure you feel fantastic. I just worry that at such a high dose, especially since you've just started them and will continue for the month you may get dependent on Klonopin and thats the last thing you want. You can smoke all the weed you want and quit cold turkey and nothing is going to happen, Benzo's aren't anywhere as friendly as mr.green when it comes to quitting.

Don't get me wrong, this is just my opinion, I just don't want to see you suffer in the long run.. I have a family member who has serious drug problems, and dependency and withdrawals suck as much if not more than Tinnitus.

 

Nah 1 mg of Xanax twice a day = 2 mg which equals out to .5 mg Klonopin twice a day (it's what I was prescribed for anxiety) which equals out to 1 mg of Klonopin. Xanax is weaker so you see 2 mg seems like a lot but in reality it isn't. 2 mg of Klonopin is a different story. Anyways still be cautious!

 

My understanding is that for Klonopin and Xanax, which have much different half-lives (Xanax is fast-acting, whereas Klonopin is relatively slow-acting), the doses can be compared one-for-one. See here, for example:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha01.htm

However, Professor Ashon admits that "[t]hese equivalents do not agree with those used by some authors."

-Golly

 

@Eric Fridley I can only speak for myself, but i used xanax everyday for the first 4 or 5 months. And did not have any negative effects. I think anxiety meds can be helpful but i would make sure as your using it you also take some steps to try and habituate your tinnitus. Otherwise once you stop taking them you'll be back to where you were. The meds wont get you over your t but they can be a helpful tool in trying to get better.

give this a look through.

http://stringplayer.websitetoolbox.com/post/words-of-wisdom-2964711

 

Stick with the weed... you can stop any time you want.

 

What is the difference of Lorazepam and Clonazepam? Thank you!

 

Clonazepam (Klonopin) and Lorazepam (Ativan) are both benzodiazepines with comparable, medium half-lives. They can serve as anti-anxiety medications, and are sometimes prescribed (with varying degrees of success) for people with tinnitus. According to this source: http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha01.htm, one needs twice the absolute dose of Lorazepam (as usually measured in milligrams) to achieve similar effects brought about by a dose of Clonazepam.

While chemically similar, there are presumably subtle differences that might make one drug preferable to another depending on the patient's needs and condition.

-Golly

 

Been taking 2mg of Lorazepam in the morning everyday for 3 years. My tinnitus is not gone but for me and again this is just my personal experience, it has improved my quality of life. I don't take more then 2mg every morning every day with my coffee.

I can't help but get frustrated with the fear mongering around Benzos. I am not a dr but rather a patient who has benefited from taking Lorazepam and to hear people who are not drs push people away from something that might help the person in need, is totally irresponsible. That decision is between the patient and dr.

I know that people can experience withdrawals from being on it. Everyone is made up differently, brian chemistry is different, tinnitus is different so to throw Benzos in the "stay away" category without knowing what the patients tinnitus and medical history is irresponsible.

Tinnitus is a unique problem and there is no catch all fix, so if someone wants to try a Benzo or some other form of medication please let them know Lorazepam know HAS proven useful for some, but they really should consult their dr and the risk/reward.

 

I could not agree with you more! Every (and I mean EVERY) drug is poison. Benzos are no different. Cholesterol drugs, blood pressure drugs, antipsychotics, antidepressants, narcotic painkillers, NSAIDs, proton pump inhibitors, etc, etc. I can go on and on. All of them, if taken long enough and at a high enough dosage, will alter body physiology and lead to possible dire consequences. Every drug needs to be evaluated on a risk/benefit basis.

Can benzos lead to addiction? Sure, if you have an addictive personality. Can they stop working after a while? Yes, but many people take them for years or decades and still receive therapeutic effect from them. Can they cause withdrawal symptoms? Of course they can and so can hundreds of other drugs. HOWEVER, in 2016, they remain the BEST pharmacological management for moderate to severe tinnitus symptoms AND with a relatively mild side effect profile. For some, they are the difference between having no life and living a full, normal life. We really should be grateful for their existence. I would be willing to wager that they have saved more than a few people from a far worse fate than some withdrawal symptoms, if it were not for their existence.

Having dealt with anxiety for the past 15 years and T for the past 9.5 years, I have used benzos on and off several times. I've never had issues with side effects, dependency, withdrawal or addiction. They work and work well for their intended purpose. For someone to make statements like "stay away!" IS irresponsible. Would you tell a diabetic to stay away from insulin? How about a hypertensive to stay away from blood pressure drugs?

Docs don't like to prescribe benzos because these drugs are far less profitable to big pharma than those sexy SSRIs that they seem to be pumping out and ramming down physicians' throats, touting their "non addictive" properties. Ha! Good luck going off an SSRI cold turkey!

The bottom line is when someone contemplates taking a drug for tinnitus, they are obviously in enough distress to do so. The last thing anyone on this forum should do is make them feel like their only (and possibly best) option is not really an option. Used responsibly, benzos are excellent and effective drugs! Period.

 

Hello. Long time lurker, 3rd time poster. Today I bring your attention to Lorazepam.

Occasionally to help my nerves I take around o.5 mg or 1.0 mg of Lorazepam. About 10 minutes after taking it I feel that my tinnitus goes down. This lasts for about 30 minutes to an hour.

My question is, does anyone take or have taken Lorazepam with the same results?

Any and all discussion is welcome.

 

I haven't tried Lorazepam, but I've taken Klonopin for a short while and it makes my tinnitus seem lower, as if its faded into the background. I've taken Alprazolam and it had the same effect. I don't know if it actually makes it lower, or it just makes me care about it less. I just think "who cares? It's just a noise," and my mind treats it like the humming sound from the fridge.

The ringing doesn't provoke the same anxiety and panic. I just wouldn't recommend taking it for a very long time. I wish there was something you could take long-term that had the same anxiety-reducing and soothing effect for tinnitus.