2 Months with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Caused by Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) and Loud Club

Hi everyone,

I'm a 33-year-old guy who developed intrusive tinnitus about two months ago. I had been struggling with anxiety and depression for a few months prior, and had decided along with my psychiatrist to get on some medication (Pristiq). Immediately upon my first dose, I noticed the emergence of a high pitched tonal tinnitus in my right ear. I didn't think much of it at first, but developed other side effects that made me want to stop the medication (intense anxiety and sleeplessness). It all culminated after a night out four days into the medication, when I went to a club with loud (but not ridiculously loud) music. I did not stay long as I felt very anxious but once I got home the tinnitus was super strong. I discontinued the medication the day after. My doctor then switched me to Cipralex (escitalopram): I tried four days of that as well, but it felt as if it made the tinnitus louder and also made me very anxious so I stopped that one too. The ringing in my right ear has persisted ever since, along with strange distortion, fullness and sensitivity to sound in that same ear.

I was initially hoping the tinnitus would subside after a few weeks. After two months, I must admit I'm a lot less hopeful of it going away. I was also not aware of the concept of hyperacusis when my tinnitus started. It seemed to have further developed in the weeks following onset.

I took a hearing test with an audiologist: I have slight hearing loss (about 25 dB) in my right ear at 6 kHz, but otherwise my hearing is in the normal range up to 8 kHz. Both the audiologist and the ENT I saw seemed to think it was no big deal, but my right ear definitely feels wrong even today.

I was already dealing with depression and anxiety before all this ear stuff started, so now my psychological distress is worse than ever. I have a hard time functioning. I work in research and concentrating on my tasks has been very difficult. I've also had more and more trouble being social with my friends and family, as I feel very alienated. I'm afraid of worsening my situation, and my hyperacusis is causing me ear pain which takes the pleasure out of a lot of activities.

I guess I'm just looking for some positive thoughts and strategies about how to go forward from here.

Thanks for reading my story, and thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give me.

 

Hello. I'm sorry you have found this site due to the tinnitus. I knew little of this condition until I got it. I also have been in it for 2 months and have reactive tinnitus as well. I have multiple tones and it's tough.

Best I can say is that since you know the cause and it's out of your body, that's very good for recovery.

Now protect your ears as much as you can (don't overprotect and wear earplugs 24/7) and let them heal. The sensitivity and ringing may go down. Everyone here has told me protecting your hearing and allowing time to heal is the best you can do for yourself.

Can you work remote on your research or do you have to report into an office or university? Keeping your work going is important in having a routine to stick to right now. See a therapist as soon as you can to talk out the stress and anxiety.

I'm sure others will add their tips and knowledge as some have been handling this for most of their lives. You will get through it too! Sending you love and support!

 

Thanks for the kind words and advice Max.

I'm trying as best as I can to keep a routine going, but it's been tough. I'm slowly getting back towards it though. I'll be able to work remote until September. Wishing you the best in your own tinnitus struggles.

 

How are you doing? Feeling better I hope! Remote work is nice right now for you.

 

Hey Max,

Thanks for checking in Tinnitus has been stable (I think) but my ear pain and hyperacusis seem to just be getting worse and worse despite me doing my best to lay low and rest my ears. I've been having a hard time dealing with it. I'm meeting a neurotologist at the end of the month to rule out any fixable conditions but I don't have much hope for that. How are you doing?

 

Hey,

Hang in there. Two months is about the crunch point when it starts to feel like it's here to stay and you can't control it. But you will learn to protect yourself and promote your own recovery. The tinnitus may be around in some form for a while, but many people find their hyperacusis starts to ease in anything between 6 months and 2 years. Avoid loud sounds where possible, but try not to rely too much on earplugs. We can still find enjoyment in life despite our afflictions.

 

Hi there! I also have super sensitive ears and myself just had a pretty bad set back.

However, I'm hoping rest and time will get back me to the level I was at before. As of now, my ears are cracking at every sound and I had made good progress there. So, get used to ups and downs. Even with protection it is a tough recovery. I think it's possible though.

Are your ears in pain with most sounds or just certain ones? Do they crack also or just pain? Are you seeing a therapist? I'm trying to find one I can afford.

Take deep breaths and know you are not alone in this. Your ENT will hopefully have some follow up for you. You saw another ENT but maybe this one will be more thorough. Sending more love and support!

 

Hey Mister Muso,

Thanks for your message. That's definitely how I'm feeling, especially with the hyperacusis getting more and more pronounced. I'm trying to stay hopeful but 6-12-24 months feels like forever... honestly I don't see how I'll be able to manage it.

Especially since I'm supposed to be starting a new job as a postman in a few weeks, which is likely to put me in a bunch of unpredictable noisy situations. I have an appointment to get custom earplugs made next week, hopefully having those will help me function.

 

Hey Max,

Sorry to hear about your setback, I hope you manage to recover quick.

My ear reacts painfully to sharp or loud sounds, but the main problem is that even if I'm protecting/avoiding those, it gets tired/sore/painful just from normal volume as the day goes on. Even something like a conversation with a friend at home will leave me with pain in my ear canal, in my jaw and a headache. Dealing with constant nagging pain and fatigue is really tough physically and emotionally.

Yes I'm seeing a therapist (he's a psychiatrist but trained in CBT), but I feel he doesn't really understand what I'm going through. He's all about applying CBT techniques like problem-solving, but that's hard to do when I can't understand how to get this pain and sensitivity under control. He also keeps pushing for drugs that have ototoxicity risks, and that's a big no-no for me right now. Hopefully the specialists I'm seeing in the next few weeks can help me a bit more, or at least give me a proper diagnostic.

Sending good vibes back your way <3

 

@Mister Muso, I forgot to ask you, can you tell me about your personal journey with tinnitus and hyperacusis?

 

I just came and read your introductory post. I wasn’t sure of your backstory. It sounds like you suffered hearing loss from being out at the club. From what my ENT has said, medication related tinnitus is always bilateral And neither of those meds are known to be ototoxic in that they damage your hearing mechanism.

I have a few frequencies that I hear only at 25 dB but I’m 56 years old and that is considered normal hearing for my age.

I am really sorry that you’re going through this because I know exactly how you feel. You don’t know a lot about me but I actually got tinnitus the first time after an AC/DC concert in 2015. I didn’t really lose hearing but I did develop tinnitus which ultimately resolved but it took a long time. Maybe a couple of years. But I could mask it so a lot of time I wasn’t even aware of it and that I think helped me habituate. So much so that when it went away I didn’t even really notice. So I may be off in terms of how long it actually took to resolve. After that I religiously took care of my ears.

Then I lost some hearing in 2020 in my left ear. Got new tinnitus. They thought it was viral. I had a 35 dB hearing loss. It got back to 25 dB and my tinnitus resolved. I also got better about habituation.

There is hope.

 

Thanks for reading my story and for sharing yours. I hope my symptoms resolve like yours did after the 2015 incident. I just got back home after my first intratympanic steroid injection. My ear feels blocked and my tinnitus feels sharper than before but I'm staying calm and telling myself this is a normal and temporary side effect of the shot. I am keeping you in my thoughts and hope your current spike resolves too.

 

So they’re doing the injections even though it’s a few months out from the concert? Or I should say when they diagnosed your hearing loss? I may have the order of things mixed up. I know all you ever hear is that time is of the essence and if treatment isn’t started almost immediately, all hope is lost. My ENT specialist wouldn’t even consider that. When I had my 35 dB loss they were resistant to even giving me Prednisone. All they would give me was a Medrol pack which is useless.

About 10 months later I managed to convince my primary care physician to put me on Prednisone and she did like a three week taper. Interestingly when I had my hearing retested two months after that, my hearing had improved 10 dB. I think several people on Tinnitus Talk have noted every person is individual. Who knows? I might’ve healed all on my own. But there was definitely a difference between my February hearing test and my May hearing test.

I’m hoping that the two weeks of steroids I just completed prevented any permanent hearing loss.

I could actually live with tinnitus if it would just simmer down. Lower frequency would be nice too.

Thanks for the kind words.

 

You got it right, my otologist agreed to injections even though I'm a bit over three months since onset. He agrees it's a Hail Mary treatment but understood my distress and felt comfortable trying it. He is also of the opinion that injections are more effective than oral steroids, both timewise and concentration wise. The problem with injections is the intrusiveness of the procedure, but I didn't mind it.

I'm due for two more injections over the next weeks. I understand my hopes for improvement are slim to none but at least I'll be able to tell myself I tried everything I could. If treatment leads to even a bit of hearing back or some degree relief from tinnitus or hyperacusis, I'd be beyond happy.

As for the cause of my ear problems, everything points towards acoustic trauma but some of the professionals I've seen think the medication could have played a role in heightening my sensitivity to noise damage. I don't know how that works in practice, but I do know that Pristiq has hearing loss listed as a side effect so there must be something there.

 

I honestly think that there are so many factors in the development of tinnitus that we never really know why. My otologist out of Mass Eye and Ear said there’s over 200 things that cause tinnitus and you’ll never really know what caused yours. He didn’t think it was in my best interest to try to figure it out either. He told me I had a damaged ear and had no plausible reason for the decreased hearing with the exception of potentially a virus. But I recovered. And I didn’t have steroid shots. So I totally encourage you to pursue every avenue you can. Because like you said, that way you know you did everything you could.

I started a CBT app today.

 

We sort of concluded this within our many past discussions. We discussed what could have caused a virus infection.

"Inflammation from ear infections can also cause tinnitus symptoms. When the infection goes away, the swelling diminishes, and the ringing or buzzing tends to disappear."​

In the last months, since we talked last, you had mentioned the AC/DC concert as first time cause. It's possible that noise just upset your ears per a virus infection, causing some hearing loss, but not hair cell death. The timing of a possible virus infection cause and/or the timing of a tooth crown placement with discomfort may be important, unless I'm getting events mixed up. I read many histories about this. We also talked about this within the Frequency Therapeutics thread.

You appear to have sensitive ears/hearing, but you may be experiencing just a spike. Hopeful it will settle.

 

@Forever hopeful, what is the app?

 

The Oto app. It is a subscription. It has CBT exercises and masking sound therapy sounds and a bunch of other features. I am still trying to find something that blends and masks for me. Sound therapy has been a real challenge given how high pitch my tinnitus is. I keep floating back-and-forth between different apps trying to find the right blend. Pink and violet noise just irritate me after a while.

 

No, you have it correct. The original sound assault was in 2015. Tenderness resolved, and hearing remained unchanged, which was perfect. The hearing loss happened in 2020. And you’re right; around that time I had my tooth done. That isn’t resolved.

What I’m dealing with now is an acute exacerbation of my tinnitus as a result of going to a concert with ear protection. It’s been almost 3 weeks with no improvement. I’ve taken 16 days of high-dose steroids. I know it takes a while to improve hearing. I think that definitely happened for me in 2021 when my hearing loss improved and my tinnitus resolved.

Suffice it to say, I’m an anxious mess. I’ve tried very carefully to only increase my Clonazepam ever so slightly to deal with this because I don’t want to end up having to go down that route and then having to get off of too much Clonazepam. But I’m literally sitting at my computer right now physically shaking from the anxiety.

 

I believe it will settle down again for you. I know all too well how a spike can untether the fragile reigns we use to navigate this condition. Like you've done before, you will placate the nervous system and gain a more acceptable tolerance. Do whatever it takes to distract your mind so as not to dwell on it.

It's been almost 4 months since my spike and I'm just starting to get my wits back and hopefully building will power.

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. Be patient and breathe. I've been using the Oto app for a couple of months. It has been somewhat helpful for me. I hope you have good results.

 

Thanks. I have been meaning to start Curable to help manage feelings around this and other stuff. @CindyCR thinks it is really helpful for it.

Keep looking forward. Do what you can to focus on other stuff and to keep your body as calm as possible.

 

Thank you for all the support.

What do you like/use most from Oto?

 

At the moment my curiosity has me listening to ASMR. I used to hate that stuff, but interesting enough some of those random sounds can have a soothing effect on tinnitus. I'm going to start over on the daily sessions soon. It's hard to say if the Oto app has really done much. It has a lot of potential though. A lot of the sessions just seemed pretty short. I guess that's my only concern.

Let me know what you think. After a week or so. Best of luck.

(Maybe the "growing forgiveness meditation".)

Also download Beltone Tinnitus Calmer. It's free and has some good sounds and meditations.

 

Man, does this sound familiar.

I was struggling with depression for over 10 years, I never wanted to take an antidepressant and I was always against any synthetic drug because I knew it wouldn't solve my problem in the long term, and not even short term.

I got prescribed Pristiq 50 mg by my mindlessly incompetent Family Medical Doctor. I asked her NOT to prescribe me an SSRI and I TOLD HER that I was extremely sensitive to medications. But she didn't listen and prescribed me Pristiq, a very strong drug, not even at the lowest dose.

I was reluctant to take it for a few months, but I said I will try to see if it would help my depression since I needed to behave better and be positive in job interviews.

I tried to take Pristiq 50 mg for 3 weeks. I didn't notice the buzzing/ringing in my brain until the 3rd week, and I'm not sure when it started, but I couldn't sleep because of this intense buzzing and ringing that was all throughout my brain. I stopped taking Pristiq after 24 days cold turkey, and I felt dizzy and uncoordinated when I went on a run, like dangerously uncoordinated, my feet felt like they were crossed trying to walk, and every time I looked up from the ground I felt like I was unable to walk without looking directly at my feet. This could be the ototoxic effects, or withdrawal. No doctor will tell me or help me.

I didn't even know what tinnitus was until 2 months after stopping the drug. The RINGING was driving me crazy and I diagnosed it as tinnitus, which I knew was from the drug and I was worried that it wasn't going away even after stopping the drug. My incompetent doctor doesn't think Pristiq damaged my hearing, or gave me tinnitus at all. All the tinnitus specialists denied the tinnitus is from the drug as well, saying it would have stopped after you stopped staking the medication if the "medication" was the culprit.

I tried everything for 6 months after stopping Pristiq to get the tinnitus to stop. I ran long distance, ate well, slept well, tried Fish Oil, Magnesium, everything. NOTHING HELPED. NOTHING STOPPED OR HELPED THE TINNITUS.

I was 25 when I tried to help my life long depression with an antidepressant Pristiq 50 mg. And only after 3 weeks of trying to take a drug that "takes 4 weeks to start working" I stopped because PRISTIQ GAVE ME TINNITUS.

I'm now 27. It has been almost 2 YEARS OF CONSTANT TINNITUS. It's loud and severe, every day I wish for the tinnitus to stop, but it never has. Not a single ENT has helped me. My hearing is perfect. I never went to a loud concert, or changed anything in my life. ALL I DID WAS TAKE PRISTIQ FOR 3 WEEKS and it gave me permanent tinnitus.

My depression is so much worse than before ever taking Pristiq. Every day I listen and measure the sound of my tinnitus in hopes that it will go away, but it never does. I can't sleep, I can't concentrate. I wake up ANGRY and my tinnitus has been SCREAMING FOR 2 YEARS. I was trying to help my depression, not make it worse and give myself tinnitus from a terrible medication i never even trusted or wanted to take.

Not a single doctor or therapist I have spoken to has helped me determine if Pristiq is the culprit that caused my tinnitus. BUT I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT PRISTIQ CAUSED THE TINNITUS. I also don't like to admit it, but I am almost certain that it is permanent, because how else would my ears RING FOR 2 YEARS after 3 WEEKS of trying to take Pristiq? It's CLEARLY DAMAGED MY HEARING. And it's all because I listened to my family and doctor who told the sad young adult that you need to start to get help. WELL THE HELP I GOT MADE EVERYTHING WORSE.

I hate to say it but, I have no hope in my tinnitus getting better. It has made me want to end my life, since I had already struggled with depression for such a long time, the tinnitus is just God laughing at me saying "here you go, you didn't enjoy life before so here is more misery for you to suffer in."

TAKING PRISTIQ FOR 3 WEEKS WAS THE WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE.

And here is another person who is going to suffer the effects of antidepressants being pushed onto depressed people like candy.

 

Hey man, I read your story before first posting here. I’m sorry you’re going through this like me. The latest neurotologist i’ve seen told me he also believes the medication probably played a role in my hearing problems.

Did you get a hearing test done? And have you shown any of the doctors you met that hearing loss is actually listed as a side effect of Pristiq? It won’t solve your problem but could give you some kind of peace.

I’m just as angry and regretful as you are. Not a day goes by where I don’t wish I could go back to my «regular» pre tinnitus and hyperacusis depression. Oh how good I had it back then, and how stupid I feel for not having understood and valued that.

 

I have had two hearing tests done. Apparently I don't have any hearing loss, but the test only goes up to 6000 Hz or 8000 Hz, which is just normal hearing. I know my hearing was way above average since I never listened to loud music, didn't go to concerts and was always grateful for how I could hear very well. I miss falling asleep listening to my heart beat, and the calmness that silence provided me. But now silence is gone, and my brain feels fuzzy.

I had an MRI done, and thankfully I don't have brain cancer and apparently my auditory structures are healthy, although I'm sure that the drug killed the small fragile little hair cells, that do not show up on MRIs.

I told my mindless and incompetent doctor that I was worried that the drug was ototoxic. She dismissed me and again ignored my worries as she did when she prescribed me the medication. She sent me to get blood drawn, which I assume is her justifying her incompetence. Which really just showed me that this doctor is a complete idiot.

Yeah man, Every single day I wake up angry. I knew antidepressants would not help my depression. I told my doctor not to prescribe me an SSRI and that I was sensitive. I even quit taking it after a week before I got tinnitus as I hated the way it made me feel, and that makes me even more angry that I went back on my own word and gave it another try for a longer period of time, 3 weeks, and now I have permanent tinnitus. I could have dodged a bullet, but I was dumb, and I tried to take Pristiq again, and now I'm here, in a much worse position mentally than before.

Yeah, I'm extremely stupid, I fell for the trap of pharmaceuticals thinking that they would help. I always hated taking any pill. I took Prozac for three days when I was 19 and it made me extremely ill with migraines, and that's why I never wanted to try an antidepressant ever again, and I was lucky i didn't get tinnitus then, as I'm sure it would have caused it if I kept taking it.

But here I am. Antidepressants got me. They ruined my hearing.

I don't understand how people go on with life with tinnitus. I have no hobbies, no goals, and I have no life. I had nothing to live for before. I can't concentrate or sleep because I focus on tinnitus. I used to struggle focusing on positives in my life, now all I can focus on is tinnitus. I have no supporting friends or family, it's just me sitting alone and being tortured by tinnitus.

I was extremely grateful for my health and body. Now I don't even want to be in my body. I can't escape this. Even playing video games is difficult because I'm just angry with my life. Therapy doesn't help, and I can't adopt a new mindset because I'm so dumb, I refuse to change, because I don't want to be alive. And the best part is, nobody wants to be a part of that, which is why I'm socially isolated and an outcast. Depression drove everyone away from me.

And now I'm complaining about tinnitus, caused by an antidepressant. What is the point? I genuinely hate being alive now. I couldn't accomplish my dreams before, now I can't even focus on my average job that is the only thing keeping me alive.

 

Hey man, I'm not sure if this helps but it might since it's only been 2-3 months for you. Apparently the faster you start to retrain your brain to ignore tinnitus, the better the chance of it going away completely is.

Guide to conducting tinnitus retraining therapy initial and follow-up interviews

Also this guy on YouTube managed to make his tinnitus go away completely with sorta the same technique.

How I Cured My Tinnitus

Unfortunately for me it's been almost 2 years of constant tinnitus, and I had severe depression before taking the antidepressant, so I'm basically screwed since my severe depression latched on the the tinnitus that was caused by Pristiq and now the emotional reaction and habit made my brain allow this shit to more than likely become permanent for me. Which is just another reason I'll probably end my life knowing it's my fault and my body's natural instinct to completely ruin the person I once was.

 

I am really angry reading all these stories about tinnitus acquired from these poisonous drugs. Lack of education about noise dangers is one thing, but getting this kind of damage due to doctor's ignorance and the greedy medical-industrial complex is another.

Sorry it happened to you.