Has Anyone Come Off Sertraline (Zoloft), Got Tinnitus, Went Back on It With Tinnitus Going Away?

Has anyone tried this and had success? Will the T go away if I go back on Zoloft?

 

Can antidepressants cause ringing in the ears (tinnitus)? If so, what can I do about it?
Answers from Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.

Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) can be caused by a number of medications, including some antidepressants. Not all antidepressants cause tinnitus. If your antidepressant is the cause of your tinnitus, switching to another medication may solve the problem, but don't quit taking your medication without medical guidance.

Antidepressants are a less common cause of tinnitus than are other types of medications — such as aspirin, anti-inflammatories, caffeine or some antibiotics — or underlying health conditions. Some causes of tinnitus include prolonged exposure to noise, blood vessel disorders, diabetes, allergies and other medical, neurological or mental health problems. Tinnitus can also be caused by age-related hearing loss or a buildup of wax in the ear.

You'll need to work with your doctor to determine whether your antidepressant or something else is causing your tinnitus. Your symptoms may go away when the underlying cause is treated.

If the underlying cause isn't clear — or treatment doesn't help — you may benefit from a device similar to a hearing aid that helps mask the ringing. A change in medication and counseling also may help you cope with tinnitus.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/expert-answers/tinnitus-causes/FAQ-20057804
There's alot of stuff going on with your ears right now; what makes you suspect this is the cause, or a cause? The timing of it getting even worse? Do you mean your T goes away when you take it?

 

So many things happened to me to potentially cause T. I came off these meds, then got my ears irrigated, then got an upper respiratory infection and ear infection, then exposed to loud noise, and finally got the fluid in my ears drained. I am at a complete loss as to what caused it, but it's so loud and I can't stop thinking about it. I wish someone would help me.

 

So where are we now with your anxiety meds and sleep meds? What are you taking currently, and what other meds have you taken for sleep and/or anxiety, and how long did you take them? Also, why did you stop taking Zoloft?

 

I'm on an antibiotic for the URI; it ends tomorrow. I take OneADay multi-vitamins, fish oil, lactose defense probiotic, and started magnesium oxide last night. I came off Zoloft because I was coming off my parents' insurance. It seemed like a good time and I didn't think I needed the drug anymore, and the tapering went well.

 

The good news is there are so many potential resolvable causes of your tinnitus; Take heart in that. How long have you had problems with anxiety? Do you feel more anxious since coming off the zoloft? My ENT told me anxiety is a possible cause of tinnitus. How are your URI symptoms doing other than the tinnitus?

 

I've had anxiety since I was 10. Being off the medicine has caused me to become very anxious and depressed, and the T adds to it. I still have fluid in my left ear, the ear without T. I'm going to the ENT Tuesday and having it drained, and hopefully that will be the end of it. But, I will have to get an MRI to determine what is wrong with my ear. I refuse to habituate and live with this.

 

That's good because there's still lot's of things to sort out that can resolve it. Being technically the head of your own household(insurance-wise), have you applied for medicaid? Some anti-depressants and I believe some prescription sleep-aids(are you sleeping?) are very inexpensive; you can still go after resolving the other issues while getting some sleep and not being anxious.

 

I live with my parents, so I'm not eligible for Medicaid. For now, they're gonna pay for an insurance for me; it's embarrassing. I'm going to a therapist Friday to ask for her opinion on anxiety meds. At first I wasn't sleeping well, but for the past couple days I slept fine, I'm actually really tired now. Tell me; what works for you in dealing with T?

 

Hi @Hotaru
I have had T for about 10 months, so can't advise you too much, but know exactly how you feel. There are many wise experienced people on here who will definitely support you through this journey. Their advice how the brain will filter out and start to neither focus on it, nor see T as a threat has helped me lots. In the meantime check out the success and positivity stories, they certainly show how there's light at the end of the tunnel. Although it takes time. Also try https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/back-to-silence.7172. Best wishes Phil

 

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...i-cant-tell-what-but-it-does-something.12665/
I took that stuff to deal with my hyperacusis and tinnitus; it did reduce symptoms. Being on an anti-anxiety med and sleep med has been wonderful; I don't feel like the sky is falling all the time(life-long problem). The interesting thing about my anxiety, is it didn't feel like an anxiety problem; everything just seemed much scarier. Things are much different for me now that I'm on paxil(took a few weeks for it to kick in; it may have made me even more anxious at first), and immediate release tabs of klonopin[clonazepam], which I cut up: I took a quarter tab once or twice a day while i was waiting for the Paxil to kick in, and a half a night(prescription was to take a whole tab, twice a day). Now I just take the half a tab before bed for sleep. The paxil is great during the day, as it is non-drowsy.
And certainly my faith in the providence of God, concerning what has been happening to me, and the hope of the resurrection, concerning a hope of the future, has meant alot in these times.
P.S. I am also currently unemployed and being helped by my parents.
And am learning Japanese:
蛍 (ほたる[hotaru]): firefly (Luciola cruciata), lightning bug, glowworm

 

I don't know but I did come across this story which you might want to read. Don't know if it will work:

http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11040086

 

I was on Zoloft for a year, on or off it I still had T. I would suggest trying a different antidepressant if you choose to take that route. There is some anecdotal evidence that Zoloft is ototoxic.

I'm not a doctor and since everyone is different I can't guarantee that this drug will help you as much as it did me; But that said I've tried dozens of drugs to help with T. I'd say try Remeron instead, it's the ONLY SSRI that I found helped me notice my T much less. It is not ototoxic and definitely helps you sleep, too.

 

Do medications cause ringing in the brain, or what if the ringing was there to begin with?

 

Hi. My husband has 2 noises from tapering off Sertraline. T is horrendous and has been continuing for 5 months. He was prescribed it again to try and trigger T to go again but this didn't have any change to T so he has tapered off again.
Coming off Sertraline is the only thing that has happened to him to cause this T (He has 2 other long standing T noises that he has controlled from a head injury). He is desperate to reverse the T and damage Sertraline has done.

 

I and so sorry for everyone dealing with this. We need certain medications but the potential side effects can be devastating.

I was on Zoloft for 3 years. It worked great. My anxiety was under control. I was so much happier. But I also put over 60 pounds. I became evident of my dosage was too high and I decided to taper off of the meds altogether. It took a long time and I had lots of discontinuation symptoms but no tinnitus at all. I should correct that by saying I had tinnitus when I started on the medication from a loud concert. Sertraline did not make it worse nor did I experience any increase in tinnitus when I came off the medication. As a matter fact by the time I came off the medication my tinnitus had resolved.

I wish you the best of luck.