Horrendous Tinnitus During Clonazepam Taper

I took 0.5 mg of Clonazepam from November 2022 to March 2023. I came off it too fast and quickly developed appalling tinnitus. My doctor advised me to reinstate the Clonazepam and come off it more slowly.

This seemed to work at first - after six weeks the tinnitus was right down and I started tapering, following the Ashton Method. I went from 0.5 mg to 0.3 mg in about six weeks. The tinnitus came back up but was still manageable. I held for a month, then cut to 0.25 mg. At this point my tinnitus changed completely - it went from a tone in my right ear to an electrical hiss and I also developed tonal tinnitus at a low level in my left ear. Not nice - it made it harder to find masking sounds to sleep at night - but I managed through that.

Another month later and I started what I thought was a more gradual taper. I went from 0.25 mg to 0.18 mg in about six weeks and then crashed really hard. My tinnitus went through the roof for a few days and I had a lot of other unpleasant withdrawal symptoms as well.

These resolved after a couple of weeks and I had a couple of weeks where I felt OK, tinnitus was not too bad and so on. Then, since mid-December, my tinnitus has been getting progressively worse. I went from having one or two bad days a week to it being terrible all the time. My right ear tinnitus is a distorted electrical hiss which I almost feel as much as I hear and which is really hard to mask at all, including during the night. My left ear is now a louder tonal tinnitus.

I'm starting to get quite desperate since it's pretty unbearable as it is and I still have 0.18 mg left to taper, which is going to take me a long time if I don't want to exacerbate the tinnitus.

I am wondering about reinstating to a higher dose (say, 0.25 mg or 0.3 mg) for a while and then tapering off super slowly, but from what I've read there is no guarantee this would work again, and I am only kindling myself further.

I'd be really grateful for any advice that others have to offer on this. Thanks!

 

I'm no expert with benzos, but my first guess is maybe you tapered too aggressively. I believe tinnitus caused by benzo withdrawal will eventually get better. The only question is how long will it take.

Talk with your doctor about maybe safely going back up in dose and trying again at a much slower pace and more gradual decrease in dosage. I would go slowly, listen to my body, and allow it to take as long as it takes to get off of it without negative effects rather than just stick to a strict schedule.

I wouldn't expect every doctor to have dealt with this kind of issue, so you may need to shop around for someone with the expertise.

There's also a support group called BenzoBuddies that also may be helpful with dealing with this.

 

I'm in the same spot. The only difference is my (severe) tinnitus was noise induced and you are further along with the taper. I've been wanting to quit Clonazepam since summer last year, but the tinnitus got worse while trying to and I got really scared so I put it on hold for many months after my initial attempt (down from only 0.5 mg to 0.4 mg). The tinnitus continued to worsen, but I didn't pay it no mind in the beginning, because my tinnitus is generally not stable and I thought it was just bad luck. I was happy even that the spikes didn't cause me anxiety with the Clonazepam as it did in the years before.

I've been on Clonazepam everyday for more than a year now. I just started trying to get off of it again at 5% every two weeks, but I don't know if I'll make it or if it would be better off staying put at the 0.4 mg dose indefinitely. I don't know what to do either.

My tinnitus is 8-10/10. I started taking Clonazepam because of tinnitus related anxiety, panic and sleeping problems. It worked wonders for half a year and I was happy I had finally found something. Now I am sure it was a huge mistake and that some of my worsenings could be well related to Clonazepam and drug tolerance.

For the time being I will continue with the restarted slow taper and hope for the best. There are users on Tinnitus Talk and BenzoBuddies whose tinnitus became better after they managed to quit the drug and had time for some healing I believe.

I wish you the best!

 

I think it's usually the case that Clonazepam was treating the tinnitus. Therefore withdrawing or reducing the dose reduces the treatment effect. Life happens (noise, infections etc) whether you are on medication or not and this can cause tinnitus, or worsen it.

You are on a low dose and if it helps, take it. People can be very insensitive in groups, and I advise you to avoid silly scare stories. You will read of people calling Clonazepam poison. That post may be being read by someone with epilepsy who needs 3mg/d to stop seizures. They are here because they also have tinnitus.

When you reduce a medication, then there are usually symptoms associated with that. Same goes for smoking, drinking, caffeine, or... you get the picture.

At the dose you are on, 0.18 mg, it's almost sub-therapeutic. When I spoke to my GP and told her I had been on 2 mg Diazepam for 20 months, she told me it's sub-therapeutic and I could just stop. Unless you are a 30kg old woman, it will do little. It becomes a psychological crutch at low doses. You are at a similar level.

 

My tinnitus has gotten better since being completely off of Clonazepam, but updosing will likely only lead to more severe withdrawals when coming off, as you have noted through "kindling", which is a very real phenomenon. The longer you are on it, the longer it will take your body to heal. It is also similarly "electrical" in nature, but it's illogical to compare noises as everyone experiences it differently.

Although I'm not trying to start any sort of argument here as I know Clonazepam can help people, there is no such thing as a small dose of a benzo, and people underestimate the strength of any medications in the benzo family. Clonazepam has ruined over 2 years of my life so far, but the positive is that tinnitus from benzos does usually heal or reduce to a manageable level.

Besides the tinnitus increase, these drugs can also cause severe hyperacusis, among with hundreds of over detrimental side effects, so if you are thinking about getting off, which is your decision, I recommend you switch to Diazepam and taper slowly, guided by your doctor. Hopefully he knows what he's talking about.

FYI, 0.18mg of Clonazepam can equal up to 3.6mg of Diazepam. Alprazolam and Clonazepam are the strongest benzos available.

 

I had never heard of kindling before. Really good information that sent me down a rabbit hole.

 

To me there is no general rule for benzos. We all seem to be very different. For me they were a lifesaver. Once I got my panic under control, it was ok to slowly taper. I still use a small amount and it is of no concern to me.

There are only a handful medications that might work for severe tinnitus. Do not feel too bad to try them out if you have a doctor you trust. You do not need that burden on top of the pure hell tinnitus can be.

 

I agree with you, David. People can have different experiences from using benzos.

I used Ativan many years ago when my tinnitus first hit with an ultra high pitch. Then severe hyperacusis joined in the misery. I had to survive with Ativan and Prozac initially to keep the anxiety and panic attacks to a manageable level. I took them almost daily for about 9 months. Then I slowly phased them out without any bad withdrawal effects.

Two years ago I lost hearing on my left ear suddenly. Then a new jet-engine like tinnitus came on 7/24 plus hyperacusis again. I lost my balance, the ears felt pressured and plugged often. My doctor prescribed Clonazepam to help me deal with the new challenge, which I used for a few months when needed. I phased it out later, also without withdrawal effect. So I count myself lucky. I sympathize with those members who have to deal with the tough withdrawal symptoms. I hope and pray that their symptoms will subside over time.

 

My experience is similar. I used Diazepam 5-10 mg/day and Clonazepam sporadically to reduce the tinnitus in between. I cut the Diazepam down to 2 mg after 6 months with no withdrawal or drama. I still use Clonazepam as needed, around 5 mg per month, but sporadically with varying doses. Again I have no issues.

Remember there are patients on benzos (+ add-on medication in some cases) for epilepsy at high doses for years. I wonder if they complain like we sometimes do?

 

I only regret ignoring the warnings posted on Tinnitus Talk early on. I thought people were exaggerating the risks.

I thought my bad tinnitus warranted drastic measures, and that I deserve some peace but here I am, a year later, and definitely worse off and unable to forgive myself that I fell into this trap.

 

Were you doing fine on Clonazepam but just wanted to get off of it just to be off, or was it causing problems?

 

I think in retrospect I just wanted to come off of it at first because it gave me cognitive side effects and then realized how difficult that was and how it made my tinnitus worse. That was ~6 months ago and I didn't taper any further after that (except for two small cuts).

The tinnitus kept getting worse and I thought that I am lucky that I still have the 0.4 mg Clonazepam, because imagine how the anxiety would kill me if I didn't.

I kept taking the pills and it's been downhill with my tinnitus really fast for the last year I was taking it and especially the past 3-4 month. Coincidence?

I can't say with 100% accuracy that it's the Clonazepam, but I read about people who had paradoxical effects or hit drug tolerance and I can't come up with another/better explanation for my situation. So yeah.