Am I the Unluckiest Person on Earth When It Comes to Tinnitus? My 6-Year Tinnitus Nightmare: How One Festival Changed My Life

[Kam75]

I've been taking Dayvigo (Lemborexant) for sleep for a couple of months, and it seems to work well when combined with 3 mg of Melatonin and 150 mg of Magnesium Glycinate. Good luck.

I haven't found any references suggesting that it causes or worsens tinnitus, and it hasn't affected my tinnitus so far.

Tinnitus Talk members often mention Dayvigo or Trazodone. Unfortunately, neither of them is available in France.

I've been taking Mirtazapine for almost five years. On some nights, I add Alimemazine, Quetiapine, or Melatonin, but sadly this combination no longer works for me.

My tinnitus is so intense that I can't sleep. My psychiatrist keeps urging me to try an SSRI-type antidepressant like Venlafaxine, but according to Tinnitus Talk members, SSRIs may worsen tinnitus.

I no longer know what to do to get any sleep...

 

[RunningMan]

I tried DORA medications Quviviq and Dayvigo over the course of a full year, though not at the same time, and they didn't help much, especially later in the night when I had the most trouble sleeping.

Ambien works much better for me. I just take a piece of a pill sublingually as needed during the night.

I also tried various doses of Melatonin and Magnesium Glycinate during that time, but they didn't help at all, just like many other supplements people recommend for sleep.

Venlafaxine is an SNRI, not an SSRI, but it can still increase tinnitus and cause insomnia.

Quviviq is apparently available in France. It's in the same class, DORA, as Dayvigo.

 

[kingsfan]

Tinnitus Talk members often mention Dayvigo or Trazodone. Unfortunately, neither of them is available in France.

I've been taking Mirtazapine for almost five years. On some nights, I add Alimemazine, Quetiapine, or Melatonin, but sadly this combination no longer works for me.

My tinnitus is so intense that I can't sleep. My psychiatrist keeps urging me to try an SSRI-type antidepressant like Venlafaxine, but according to Tinnitus Talk members, SSRIs may worsen tinnitus.

I no longer know what to do to get any sleep...

Have you always had some level of tolerance to Mirtazapine and Quetiapine?

Both of those knock me out for a full 24 hours. My psychiatrist said I have a sensitivity to those classes of medications. I can't take them for sleep, not because they don't work, but because they work too well.

 

[Kam75]

Have you always had some level of tolerance to Mirtazapine and Quetiapine?

Mirtazapine at 22.5 mg helped me get a halfway decent night's sleep, but that was before I made the mistake of resuming a social life.

I recently tried Quetiapine for the first time, but it did not work, so I stopped taking it.

Yet on Tinnitus Talk, I was told that the combination of Mirtazapine and Quetiapine was supposed to knock me out.

It really shows how intense my tinnitus must be if even that combination does not help me sleep at all.

 

[kingsfan]

Mirtazapine at 22.5 mg helped me get a halfway decent night's sleep, but that was before I made the mistake of resuming a social life.

I recently tried Quetiapine for the first time, but it did not work, so I stopped taking it.

Yet on Tinnitus Talk, I was told that the combination of Mirtazapine and Quetiapine was supposed to knock me out.

It really shows how intense my tinnitus must be if even that combination does not help me sleep at all.

A dose of 22.5 mg may be too high for the optimal sedative effect. Mirtazapine's H1 receptor antagonism tends to plateau at lower doses, while its noradrenergic activation increases with higher doses, which can actually keep you more alert.

I'd suggest trying 15 mg, or possibly even lowering it to 7.5 mg.

 

[Hyperacusis]

Mirtazapine at 22.5 mg helped me get a halfway decent night's sleep, but that was before I made the mistake of resuming a social life.

I recently tried Quetiapine for the first time, but it did not work, so I stopped taking it.

Yet on Tinnitus Talk, I was told that the combination of Mirtazapine and Quetiapine was supposed to knock me out.

It really shows how intense my tinnitus must be if even that combination does not help me sleep at all.

Hi Kam75,

I think you're French like me. I read your story, and I truly hope things will settle down for you. Why don't you consider going on sick leave and applying for an RQTH?

Also, I read that your hyperacusis improved over time and that you recovered from it. May I ask how you managed to heal? How severe was your hyperacusis? I'm currently stuck at home with tinnitus that mimics every voice message I hear, along with severe hyperacusis—car noises sound like airplanes, so I have to cover my ears.

Thanks in advance, and take care.

 

[Kam75]

A dose of 22.5 mg may be too high for the optimal sedative effect. Mirtazapine's H1 receptor antagonism tends to plateau at lower doses, while its noradrenergic activation increases with higher doses, which can actually keep you more alert.

I'd suggest trying 15 mg, or possibly even lowering it to 7.5 mg.

I'm aware of this particular use of Mirtazapine. The problem is that every time I've tried reducing it to 15 mg, I've had to go back up to 22.5 mg after about a week, because my sleep becomes catastrophic again.

Hi Kam75,

I think you're French like me. I read your story, and I truly hope things will settle down for you. Why don't you consider going on sick leave and applying for an RQTH?

Also, I read that your hyperacusis improved over time and that you recovered from it. May I ask how you managed to heal? How severe was your hyperacusis? I'm currently stuck at home with tinnitus that mimics every voice message I hear, along with severe hyperacusis—car noises sound like airplanes, so I have to cover my ears.

Thanks in advance, and take care.

Salut @Hyperacusis.

I already have an RQTH, but I'm recognized as a disabled worker with a disability rating between 50 and 79%, so it doesn't give me any meaningful rights.

I don't really want to go on sick leave, because work is all I have left. If I lose my job, I lose absolutely everything.

As for my hyperacusis, it has always been mild and only in my left ear, I think. I'm not sure it has gone away, but I believe I've gotten used to it over time. There are still sounds that hurt my ears, though, like the clatter of dishes.

Hyperacusis can improve. I've read many testimonials about that. I recently read Dr. Philippe Peignard's book Bien vivre avec des acouphènes (Living Well with Tinnitus), which explains that you shouldn't overprotect your ears if you have hyperacusis, because that actually maintains it and can even make it worse. It becomes counterproductive.

You have to gradually get used to everyday sounds that aren't supposed to harm your ears. He's not the only one who says this.

Best wishes.

 

[lostb1t]

Tinnitus Talk members often mention Dayvigo or Trazodone. Unfortunately, neither of them is available in France.

I've been taking Mirtazapine for almost five years. On some nights, I add Alimemazine, Quetiapine, or Melatonin, but sadly this combination no longer works for me.

My tinnitus is so intense that I can't sleep. My psychiatrist keeps urging me to try an SSRI-type antidepressant like Venlafaxine, but according to Tinnitus Talk members, SSRIs may worsen tinnitus.

I no longer know what to do to get any sleep...

There's a liquid form available for a lot of drugs, which could allow for a slow, gradual increase.

Mirtazapine is also an antidepressant, so it depends on how much the other medications help. I do agree, though, that lowering the dosage of Mirtazapine might be helpful.

 

[RunningMan]

A couple of people in this thread mentioned needing 30 mg of Mirtazapine to sleep, and then it didn't last.

Definitely use caution with Mirtazapine (and this).