I would like to suggest very strongly that you do not listen to your therapist here. I was in the same situation, I took the drugs and it fucked me up badly. Getting off the drugs was really hard and I had to apply a great deal of discipline to do so. Anxiety is not dangerous, it's just really unpleasant. The side effects from drugs can be dangerous in the long term.
Try to snap out of the anxiety in a more natural way instead! Go for walks, breath fresh air, surround yourself with people who are positive for you, listen to music you like, use your willpower to take control of your thoughts. It is so much better than the drugs. The drugs would help you at first, but they could backfire later.
Hi @Ngo13, I hope everything is alright with you. Yeah I feel you, I hate this game of Russian roulette and wondering if a medication is going to make T or H worse. It’s so stressing and adds more difficulty to our already difficult lives. That said, I have no experience with benzodiazepines, but have been on ADs. Tinnitus was unaffected while trying Prozac and Nortriptyline. 1/3
I’m in the camp that believe antidepressants are not ototoxic. When antidepressants do cause or worsen tinnitus it’s usually temporary and reversible. There’s no structural damage to the ears being done. It’s likely the brain chemistry(ADs affecting serotonin changes in the brain) is just making the tinnitus more perceptible. Stop the AD and T will go back to baseline. I have seen that to be the case here. 2/3
But anyways, it’s totally normal for people like us to be afraid of worsening. It’s definitely best to take a non-drug route to see if we can safely ease up our limbic system and make dealing with tinnitus a bit more easier. But if nothings helping and your life is still a struggle, then medication should be explored. If you do decide to take medication, look for ones where the side effect profile are pretty low. 3/3
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