If You Have Benzo Induced Tinnitus (Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, Ativan, etc.), What Does It Sound Like?

@BrianP, I went much slower but that's when my tinnitus started. It was very mild, I had to really listen for the cicada sound. It did not bother me. Now, on a good day my tinnitus has an electrical tone. It sounds more like airplane engines before take-off.

 

I already had tinnitus from Ménière’s and it sounds like a blow dryer on high with a ring. I don’t know if the Klonopin did anything negative really, because it was already very bothersome from the vaccine spike, which has not gone away since February. My immunity is still high as per spike protein test and my doctors say I should feel better when the level goes down. Needless to say I won’t be getting a booster shot.

 

@Brian P, that's good you have antibodies. I hope things calm down for you. I've felt cruddy since the shots. The vertigo/dizziness comes and goes. Fatigue, shakiness and just feeling really off is still going on. The thought of a booster worries me.

 

So, I've got all of the above. What now?

 

How long were you on the benzodiazepines for?

 

How much Klonopin were you on?

 

1/2 of .25 mg.

 

I was on .5 mg for about 2 years straight then mostly on .25 mg for around 4 years. I had a bad withdrawal due to previously undiagnosed dysautonomia, previous tinnitus, and body deconditioning caused by depression from tinnitus and by the sedating drug making me not want to exercise.

 

How much Klonopin did you start at? How many mg?

 

Ah so you had tinnitus before the withdrawal from Klonopin, correct?

 

Yes I did. That was the original reason I took Klonopin was because it used to lower my tinnitus but then basically stopped lowering it after a while. Then at some point I got this additional static type tinnitus which I believe was caused by Klonopin withdrawal.

 

This is why I don’t touch drugs... scary stuff. Stupid medical world that doesn’t have a cure for this.

 

I started at as needed 1/4 -1/2 of .25 mg. It was a very low dose.

 

Wow that’s a low dose. Did you water taper that over the 3 months?

 

Super low dose, but I am very sensitive to meds. I did a micro taper using a jeweler's scale.

 

I used Zopiclone (Imovane) 3.75 mg for years, but not daily. I would say 3-4 days per week. I'm starting to think that it could be the reason for my worsening tinnitus and hyperacusis. In that case it is a very slow process. It is very similar to Benzo as I under stand it?

Anyone else with the same experience? I will try to stop using Zopiclone for a couple of month and see if it helps.

 

Did the static tinnitus ever go away?

 

Yes it did.

 

That's interesting. How long did you take it for each time? I think I got really messed up coming off the third time after taking it 3 months.

 

How long did it take to go away?

 

I don’t remember. I was on it years ago and then I got a new prescriber who was actually concerned about how much I was being prescribed. So he slowly lowered my dose I had no problems coming off of it. Then I went back on it, then came off of it with a slow taper no problems. Then I went back on it. I’ve been on it for a number of years for sleep. But what my prescriber said is that the propensity to develop tinnitus from a benzo is due to the tapering process. It’s more likely to happen if you suddenly withdraw. Two prescribers and neither of them has had a patient get tinnitus following a taper and I get the sense they have many patients who talented after long courses of use.

I also believe research shows that it does go away for most people.

I would like to taper off of it now but my tinnitus has been so bad due to my TMJ that it’s raising my anxiety to out of control. Incidentally it does not lower my tinnitus at all.

I try not to take more than 1 mg a day.

 

To be honest, I can't remember but I remember Lamictal seemed to help reduce the static tinnitus which I believe was caused by benzo use and sleep. (Although, I had side effects from Lamictal.) I don't know if that would work for everyone because my nervous system is really weird due to dysautonomia.

 

Roughly how long did it take to resolve? A year or less? I don’t need an exact number.

 

Well to give you a little background, I used to take it before sleep so I think I would wake up with it but once I started taking Lamictal it would lower it some. Then I think I remember taking Neurontin at night instead of Klonopin and not noticing it anymore after maybe three weeks. I was also still taking Lamictal at the time. However, I remember certain things triggering the static tinnitus again, for example, I remember drinking alcohol at night and then sleeping caused it to come back temporarily.

However, I'm not saying you should take Lamictal and Neurontin, I'm just saying that's what happened with me. My nervous system can be really weird because I have dysautonomia.

 

Are you still using Lamictal and Neurontin?

 

No, I wish I could remember the exact date I stopped but I think it was at least over 2 and a half years ago. When I stopped taking the meds, the static tinnitus was gone.

 

Klonopin also gave me this sound like an angle grinder and a squealing. It’s maddening! Did it change any tones for you?

 

Well, it's weird... sometimes if I took Klonopin at night, it could cause a whistle tone, if I took it before sleeping, I could wake up with static tinnitus. I think it has to due with my dysautonomia unfortunately, which Klonopin withdrawal made worse.