Bupropion (Zyntabac) Gave Me Tinnitus On the 4th Day of Taking It

So the story begins with this drug for smoke cessation. I previously used Varenicline and successfully quit a few years ago but since it became unavailable where I live, I was recommended Zyntabac (Bupropion) as an alternative to try. Being desperate with no possible ways to obtain Varenicline, I agreed to try Zyntabac for a few days.

I was instructed to take 150 mg pills for 6 days and increase the dosage to 300 mg on day 7 for 9 weeks. During this time I was not in my best moods but I was far from being "depressed". Just mildly depressed.

I started researching on the drug for a couple of days, I saw only positive reviews and happy people. Everything I read was quite good so I decided to give it a try hoping the it can help me with smoking cessation and maybe give my mood a boost as a bonus.

On the first day, I suddenly felt its stimulating effects, the boost in the energy and mood upgrade it was like a miracle drug. I couldn't actually believe the effects were so good that I felt stupid not knowing about it earlier.

On the 4th day, I felt that "buzz" or "ringing" in my head when I went to bed along with moving eyes. I stayed up and couldn't sleep easily but managed to sleep thinking it must be normal for the first few days to feel so.

5th day, it started to be annoying and I couldn't sleep and started googling it. I was shocked by the amount of posts about this particular drug and its correlation with tinnitus. I decided to go off the drug after taking exactly 5 pills only.

Today is the 6th day, only 1 day after I stopped. I don't feel any better but not worse too. I set the shower as the measurement level as I can hear it slightly under the shower.

Hoping that I noticed the problem early enough and stopped before having any irreversible condition and that it gets better in the next few days/weeks.

 

I really think you caught the cause early enough, there's a good chance of it going away. There are actually a few people on here that had the same problem from Wellbutrin and have almost completely recovered. I was on it for about a month after I already had tinnitus. It did the complete opposite for me and brought my mood way down. Hopefully it recovers quickly for you.

 

It could also be your severe depression that caused the ringing.

 

@Rockman, I hope so, I don't feel any improvments yet but too soon to tell.

@CC_16, I did not have severe depression.

 

A quick update, I started feeling some pressure in my ears with no reduction in the tinnitus so I went to an audiologist today to get my hearing tested after telling him the story.

He looked up the Bupropion online while I was there so probably he didn't know that it could be a side effect of this drug.

Turns out there is some damage @ 4kHz in the left ear. Nothing serious or alarming though and it still within the normal region. He said that he suspects that I had some tinnitus before taking the Bupropion too but that the it just made it worse or more alarming to me. I didn't believe it.

He said if I am sure that the damage wasn't there at all and only induced by Bupropion in the past few days, then I should try a short-term Prednisolone as a first line treatment for 12 days.

Dosages at 50, 40, 40, 30, 30, 30, 20, 20, 20, 10, 10, 10 mg then stop.

He also gave me Magnesium and B12 vitamins for 2 weeks and then to go and see him again.

I have read some relatively good stories with Prednisolone if taken early enough but for tinnitus induced from acoustic trauma but I have no idea if it should work for Bupropion induced damage. I decided to try it and got my first dosage a few hours ago.

Will report if things got better.

 

I took Prednisone and got way worse. So be careful not to be too stressed out on it, get good sleep by all means, and make sure you’re eating enough. Don’t taper too quickly, and do not stop the meds abruptly. Avoid loud noises. Your ears are more fragile on it. I’d only take it if I suffered actual hearing loss.

 

So, some good news and some bad ones. The tinnitus is now almost gone in the right ear, but it is higher in the left ear than when it started. The left ear volume fluctuates between 3 levels, let's say a low one, 2/10, a medium one 4/10 and an extremely unbearable 8/10 throughout the day.

I took a stupid risk yesterday, had some Ketamine around so thought it might help. I took ~100 mg intranasally when I was at 2/10, immediately sent to 8/10 for the day but it is now back again at 4/10 and I experienced it back to the lower volume too so I think nothing permanent. I flushed the Ketamine down the drain to not repeat any stupid mistakes again.

Been to a neurologist as well who asked me to continue on the Prednisolone higher dosage for a week instead of 4 days then tapering. He also prescribed me Cerebrolysin, Piracetam, Betaserc and Vincamine for 10 days.

Still hoping this gets better.

 

2 Weeks Update:

Things are worse, ringing is back in the right ear as well, and left ear is ringing much higher. I can't sleep unless I take some Alprazolam. I am trying to take it only when I need it, it helps me sleep but the screaming comes back soon after it wears off with vengeance.

I will probably stop all medication for now, even those prescribed by the Neurologist, because apparently they are not helping at all.

 

I believe it is called Wellbutrin in America. Lots of stories of it causing tinnitus. Honestly a lot of people say it goes down later after quitting. Like up to a year, but it is gradual. So better as you go, until silence, if it is the cause.

 

3 Weeks Update:

I decided to try both HBOT and intratympanic steroids injection in my left ear after finding an ENT who would do it. He was very honest with me and told me that after almost 3 weeks the probability of steroids helping is relatively low, he said it could be 25% so it is a shot in the dark. He said going for both HBOT and the injections will give me higher chances of remission or reduction but nothing guaranteed.

I decided to take 10-15 HBOT sessions as they are relatively cheap where I live, like $10 per 90 minutes session and can even claim them back with insurance.

I took 4 HBOT sessions as of today, plus two steroid injections out of total of 3. I take one injection every other day.

I was also prescribed Cinnarizine, it is an antihistamine, calcium channel blocker and D2 dopamine receptor antagonist. I take 25 mg two times daily. It is a risky medication as it can induce Parkinsonism but with higher dosage and long durations as per the ENT. I don't plan to try it for more than 2 weeks anyhow.

I find that as of today, things are slightly better than last week. I can sleep now without any medication or masking. It is still there and still hard to ignore but it is like 10% better.

I am taking my chances and hoping for a full recovery, even it it will take a year. Just doing everything I can do at the initial period that can help even with a small percentage and time will tell how this will progress.

 

@ma7555, sorry you are here. So great you've documented all of the treatments that you tried. It seems that something may have worked when it stopped in one ear, and then returned?

For me one ear stopped after a few months (I wasn't taking any meds) - but in your case maybe the Prednisolone worked.

You only took it for 5 days which is great - although your dose 150 mg was (to me) high. My theory is that some people's brains take longer to recover from this.

Please keep us posted with the meds you keep taking, my hope is that they are working!

 

Hey pal, Thank you, I read your story and was inspired by it as well. I am curious to know how are you feeling now?

I will for sure keep this thread updated for others if I find progress or any medicine to be working. I am currently taking:

1. Cinnarizine 25 mg x 2 (gives me headache, so I also take Paracetamol)
2. NAC 600 mg x 2
3. ALCAR 500 mg x 1 (things got slightly worse since I started it, will give it a few more days then stop if not helping)
4. Magnesium + Zinc

I will do another hearing loss test on Monday to see if the intratympanic injections made a difference in the mild 4 kHz loss in the left ear but I doubt it. As of today, right ear tinnitus comes as strong as 6/10 on some days and sometimes goes so completely that I cannot notice it, like a 1/10. I still can't point out why this happens or if it is related to some medication or diet.

 

1.5 Months update:

TLDR, 15% improvement. Tone is softer and volume is reduced.

Shortly after my last post, I tried Carbamazepine (Tegretol) for 5 days which made things much worse and I made the decision to stop trying any medication regardless of the recommendations of any doctor.

A few days later my girlfriend abandoned me without giving much reasons or any fights, probably it is related to my new situation although she denies it. That put a lot more stress on me and sent me on a very bad spike. I had a full-on panic attack a week later due to the volume being so loud. I managed it without taking any medication.

I also went to a psychiatrist, to see if she has a theory on how Wellbutrin tinnitus can be reversed. She put me on Fluoxetine 25 mg (SSRI) + Olanzapine 3 mg (antipsychotic). I didn't take it although I think Olanzapine may offer some help. I preferred to wait first and see if things can improve naturally.

I came across the ACRN protocol, which so far is doing a relatively good job at masking and providing some relief which seems to be long-lasting. I will stick with it for 3 months.

The good news is that, in the past 4 days things were rather good. The first 2 days were amazing, like I woke up with 2/10 tinnitus and it stayed like this. I even drank coffee and it didn't get worse or anything. Those 2 days were amazing. For some reasons I was having difficulty sleeping and thought about taking a pill of Xanax. I thought it would make me sleep and kill that remaining tinnitus. It did make me sleep but I woke up with a worse tinnitus (still better than last week).

My tinnitus is still fluctuating, but I am generally experiencing lower lows and lower highs that I assume ~15%.

I have also gotten used to it slightly. It still bothers me a LOT but is no longer my entire life. It's like 75% of my life now.

Currently I am taking:

1. Multivitamin/minerals tablet once per day.

Currently I am doing:

1. ACRN Protocol
2. Yoga/Meditation
3. HBOT (Did 10 sessions, planning for 15)

I can assume that ACRN is responsible for part of this improvement.

 

3 Months Update:

Unfortunately, no improvements since my last post. After my last post I started Piracetam, Ginkgo, Vinpocetine and Cerebrolysin. Nothing gave any remarkable improvement so far. I stopped the Cerebrolysin and Piracetam. I will experience with Naltrexone in the next few days but I just started Taurine and Bioflavonoids so will give them a few days. Shit is still hard.

Currently I am taking:

1. Multivitamin/minerals tablet once per day
2. Ginkgo
3. Vinpocetine
4. Taurine
5. Bioflavonoids

Currently I am doing:

1. Yoga/Meditation

 

Dude you totally went off the rails. This is drug induced tinnitus and its mechanism of being an SSRI as well as the history of people taking this and ALWAYS seemingly getting tinnitus definitely points to a gating issue moreso than nerve damage.

All you're experimenting is pretty wack for this kind, I'd honestly try maybe the serotonin antagonist, but otherwise nothing else but time and masking, maybe some light non-addictive sleepaids.

Steroids/HBOT is just... overkill and so risky. As well as any strong sodium blockers. Ginkgo I can get behind.

 

Hello @Matchbox, sorry for the late reply. I missed your comment. Wellbutrin does not work on the serotonin. It is a dopamine and norephedrine reuptake inhibitor. At first I was not sure if it was nerve damage or something else and I was put on steroids to avoid losing precious time at the early days of onset. It didn't work unfortunately. I also experienced some pain and ear pressure in the early days which made me think it cause some physical damage. Wellbutrin does have some bad reputation being an ototoxic medication.

I am desperate at the moment and decided to try Sulpiride + Hydroxyzine since blocking dopamine fits well into the Wellbutrin story. I might try something like Clonidine (alpha 2-receptor agonist) which lowers both blood pressure and plasma norepinephrine levels. My normal blood pressure is pretty low so I am cautious about trying it but will probably give it a try if Sulpiride did not work.

Currently I am taking:

1. Sulpiride + Hydroxyzine + Melatonin
2. Ginkgo biloba
3. Vinpocetine
4. Taurine
5. Bioflavonoids

Currently I am doing:

1. Yoga/Meditation

 

5 Months:

Ok so unfortunately, Sulpiride + Hydroxyzine did not offer much help as far as I can tell. It made me care less about the tinnitus but it did not improve the tinnitus itself. The first week I felt things were worse but it stabilized back to the original level.

I took 50 mg x2 Sulpiride and 25 mg x2 Hydroxyzine for a month before tapering. I got no side effects from this combo.

I had ETD and ear popping problems too, when doing Valsalva I would hear my ears squeaking. Those were completely resolved (knock on wood) in the past month thanks to taking Chymotrypsin and Trypsin. I only took it for 1 day and the second day all these ETD problems were just GONE. Hopeful I would get an improvement in tinnitus too, I continued for a few weeks but I wasn't sure it was doing anything so I gave up.

My tinnitus is now more manageable than let's say in the first month. It is still bothersome but I lost some of the symptoms including the ear popping and the reactivity is gone too.

I will continue taking some natural remedies for the next month before trying something else.

Currently I am taking:

1. Ginkgo Biloba (switched to EGB 761)
2. Bioflavonoids
3. Taurine
4. Arnica, Ivy, Dill, Chrysanthemum extracts and Lemon Balm from a local herbalist
5. Bacopa Monnieri

Currently I am doing:

1. Yoga/Meditation
2. LLLT (5mW from a cheap chinese source)

 

6 Months Update:

I had a few better weeks followed by a bad week that I am currently experiencing. As of today, my symptoms are not much better than when things started (15% improvement?). I noticed earlier that my neck and shoulder pain became worse which made me go to an orthopedic. He immediately asked for an MRI on the cervical spine because he suspected neck muscle spasm and disc bulges. Well, he was right. He wants me to do physiotherapy and neck excersies along with taking Dantrolene 25 mg + Gabapentin 100 mg before bed for the pain. I realised that bulges are more to the left side which is where I have tinnitus now. Could be something, could be not.



As I was travelling just after the MRI, I postponed the physiotherapy sessions that I will start next week when I am back into home country.

So far, I have taken the Dantrolene 25 mg for 2 weeks with no improvements either in neck pain or tinnitus. I tried the Gabapentin 100 mg for just 5 days, it made me sleep very well and maybe my tinnitus was ok for the first few days then I had a spike (could be unrelated to it) so I stopped.

Currently I am taking:

1. Ginkgo Biloba EGB 761
2. Dantrolene 25 mg

Currently I am doing:

1. Yoga/Meditation
2. LLLT (5mW from a cheap Chinese source)

This is the first problem that I could medically pinpoint so at least there is something to try treating for the next couple of months and we will see.

 

Hi @ma7555, thanks for the updates. 15% is still an improvement so please try to stay positive.

As someone who is 2+ years in, it's great you have all of these treatment options available to you (Europe is not the same) but if you're switching between the meds to fast - how can you know what's improving or making it worse?

I advise to stay away from anything that alters your neurotransmitters and anything that alters your brain chemistry. Let time do its work. It's possible you could have had this 15% improvement by doing nothing.

My right ear stopped a few weeks in and I didn't do anything..

Having said that, I'm not an expert, only have my own experience to go by - sharing as a fellow concerned sufferer.

Please do keep us all posted though - praying that WE ALL GET A BREAKTHROUGH. Or you're the one to discover the cure.

 

8.5 Months Update:

I will keep this as short as possible, I have been trying Abilify at 2 mg per day for almost 3 weeks. After just 1 week my distress about tinnitus almost vanished and my tinnitus also dropped considerably. This drug knocked it out by no less than 50% at this time. I will continue using it for a few months, fingers crossed. I am not sure if this improvement will be permanent or if it will come back if I stopped. On some days, if I become too stressed or do not sleep well, it goes a little higher but less than before the Abilify levels.

If you are suffering from Wellbutrin induced tinnitus, you might want to give this a try.

 

@ma7555, did you ever try Deanxit? Any experiences you want to share?

 

Hello bro, I did for 12 days. No change.

 

Did Abilify cure you or near-cure you? Also out of all the things you did, HBOT, steroid injection, NAC, etc, which do you think helped you the most?

 

Hi @ma7555. I've been prescribed Aripiprazole 2 mg along with Flupentixol, Clonazepam and LDN. I was also suggested Cyclobenzaprine for somatic component of tinnitus, however this is not available in the UK, so not sure how I could get this. Dr. De Ridder has recommended this cocktail.

How are you getting on with Aripiprazole, and when do you take it?

Are you taking any other medicines?

Basically I was told it's always a cocktail, but at low doses to reduce chances of side effects.

Good luck.

 

I have been prescribed Deanxit + Clonazepam before the Abilify. They did nothing for me.

I take the Abilify in the morning. Effects are not as strong as in the beginning but I am still doing better than before it and so I continue to take it. I have more good days now than bad days which are pretty rare. I also tried Cyclobenzaprine but with no success. Overall I am doing better since starting Abilify.

 

@ma7555, I'm pleased for you. Do you have hearing loss and what brought on your tinnitus?

 

I do not have hearing loss. My tinnitus was brought on with Zyntabac as the subject suggests.

 

Sorry pal, I missed your comment. No, Abilify did not cure me, it just made things better. After 1 week of taking it things were considerably better on all measures. Now, things are not as good as they were after starting the treatment.

 

Sorry to hear things are not as good. Did your tinnitus randomly get worse for no reason or did an event trigger it?