Accutane (Isotretinoin) Induced Tinnitus

I took Accutane (Isotretinoin) and 3 weeks after my last dose I started experiencing this noise in my head. It all started November 20, 2022 so I am still early (it'll be 3 months on February 20th).

It has wrecked havoc on my life, as I'm sure it has yours too, especially within new onset. I am hopeful for a full recovery but chances seem pretty slim. I am prescribed Amitriptyline 50 mg so I can at least sleep and Xanax as needed. Xanax takes the volume from about an 8 down to a 3 but I just can't take Xanax every day. Both medications are ototoxic but I just can't seem to cope right now.

Shoot me some HOPE stories! ❤️ I know that I need to habituate.

Who has had medication induced tinnitus? Please tell me how it's getting BETTER!

Thank you and God bless.

 

@SarahMLFlemmer, I'm sorry you are dealing with this. I took Accutane a few years ago and while it did not cause my tinnitus, I absolutely think it contributed to damage to my ears that led to my susceptibility to getting tinnitus. It left me with some other problems - I wish they made it more clear before taking it what the risks are besides birth defects. My doctor was very non-chalant about it.

Have you gotten your hearing tested? I feel like that's a first step to see if it damaged your hearing at all. I don't have medication induced tinnitus, but from what I've seen it is one of the types that has a great potential to improve or heal. Check the success stories. Know that most people either heal or habituate in time so there's no reason to think you won't be one of them at this time. Make sure you protect your hearing going forward. Hope you feel better soon!

 

Hey there @SarahMLFlemmer - Did you happen to get your hearing checked by an audiologist? (Ah, I see that @Ngo13 asked you the same question.) Often, tinnitus onset is associated with having a loss of hearing.

One thing that's really interesting is that Xanax brings the volume of you tinnitus down considerably. When I find things that reduce my tinnitus volume, I really take notice and try to understand why that might be. Perhaps your tinnitus is related to anxiety? What's your tinnitus like in the morning vs. the day vs. the evening?

 

@Joe Cuber, IDK, it seems it's consistently an 8/10 all day long. I can't figure out if Xanax lowers the volume or just my reaction to the volume. I highly suspect ototoxicity from Accutane as I am not the only one who's gotten tinnitus from it. 9/11 people I've talked to who got tinnitus from Accutane still have tinnitus.

I'm still in early onset so I still have some hope, but not the most confident that it'll go.

 

Be careful with the Amitriptyline and Xanax combo! Notorious for causing horrid "head buzzing" tinnitus.

Can Drug-Induced Tinnitus Get Better? Mine Started After Clonazepam and Amitriptyline

Not trying to scare you, if you need it, you need it!

 

Does Prozac and Xanax cause 'head buzzing'?

 

Hey Ken,

I am just going off of what I have read through endless hours of BenzoBuddies as I slowly withdrew myself from Clonazepam.

From what I have read, when someone withdraws from a benzo and antidepressant, that's when problems can occur. I've just seen about a dozen cases where somebody does this, and for whatever reason the antidepressant masks the withdrawal and when they get off the antidepressant, they get this unmaskable electric buzzing as described in the post above.

All anecdotal though!

 

Tinnitus either improves or becomes less noticeable for most people. Chances are it will improve for you as well.

When I saw an ENT for the first time, he told me that I needed to learn to live with it. I waited weeks to see him and that was what he told me.

Turns out he was right. I knew it wasn't going away and I either had to accept that fact and attempt to make do or not. Mind you it took time, too much time for me, but I did get to the point of accepting that I have it. And I did learn to live with it. I have my good days and my bad days. I've come to the conclusion that I have no choice but to make do with the bad days. I often say what gets me through the bad days is the hope for a better day tomorrow. I hope you have your better day soon.

 

I think that's what did it for me. I don't remember the louder head buzzing till I was 4 days into 25 mg. I stopped it and still have it, but some days it feels less. It's either lowering in volume or I've stopped caring.

 

My husband just started with a loud heartbeat sound in his ear after taking Accutane. It started about a week ago and it’s driving him crazy. He went to the hospital 2 times thinking it may be a problem with his heart. He has not been sleeping or working.

Do you have any tips on how to lessen the sound or live with it?

 

Tell your husband to get off the Accutane! <3 it's not worth it! It sounds like pulsatile tinnitus! His may go away.