Is Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine) Safe for Someone with Tinnitus?

So I have been prescribed Oxcarbazepine for my palatal myoclonus, and I'd like to know if it's ototoxic.

Google search doesn't suggest so, but I was wondering if anyone here has taken Trileptal and if it has affected their tinnitus.

Thank you.

 

I have neuralgia, so I was prescribed it. To be honest it made my tinnitus more harsh and noticeable. But I get that with every drug except for Ketamine and Keppra. I didn't give the Oxcarbazepine enough days honestly to see if it would calm down. I just went off the drug because I was on such a low dose and didn't use it for more then two or so days. When I got off it, the tinnitus would go back to it's standard. I have read people online say it has helped them though. Everybody is different.

 

Also by the way, have they talked about botoxing the muscle? I know a lot of people on here and everywhere hate the idea of botox because it is a toxin. If I had Palatal Myoclonus I wouldn't mind trying botox. I have had it before for other reasons and didn't have any side effects.

 

I really don't want to try botox, it's very expensive, and you have to inject it every 5 months. I want to try and stop the myoclonus with meds. It was medically induced, so I don't have organic damage of the CNS. I was really hoping that the Trileptal wasn't ototoxic...

Thank you for the reply.

 

Give it a try. Every med is different for every person. When it was thought that I might have myoclonus in my mouth, the movement specialist in Boston at Bringham and Women's wanted me on Keppra. Give that a try maybe as a second med. I don't know if I have ever seen anybody say that increases their tinnitus. I found out mine was more of a subconscious tic so I didn't end up really using the Keppra for long. Just learned to live with it. I have OCD so that is how I found out mine was a tic that I was controlling.

 

So today I don't have tinnitus problems, but I am worried that the myoclonus is not slowed down by the medication. Maybe it's too soon to see the effects.

 

Palatal Myoclonus is notorious for not responding to one specific med. Multiple have to be tried. Unfortunately sometimes it is stuff like Klonopin that works. Do you know if it happens while you are sleeping?

 

I already tried Klonopin for the myoclonus, it didn't stop it. Baclofen controlled it, but it brought back the tinnitus. I take Klonopin 1 mg for sleep now, but unfortunately it doesn't control the myoclonus. I have no way of knowing if it is moving while I sleep, but my guess would be that it keeps going even when I'm alseep.

 

It gave me brain fog for a month, then on the last day of brain fog, the tinnitus began. I wish I never took it.

 

It had no impact on my tinnitus but I only took it for a couple weeks.

 

Please see my related post here as it's easier than just repeating everything here. Be well.

 

An old post, but I wanted to say that I've been on Oxcarbazepine for only two days for neuralgia, and it drops my tinnitus significantly. It's almost scary, because I'm so used to the noise. I do worry about worsening tinnitus if I ever come off it, but I have no choice. The neuralgia is horrible.

 

Hi @tracyNYC. I've just read through your post history. You're a tinnitus veteran who worsened a couple of years back?

To look at whether Oxcarbazepine could be useful for me, could you describe your tinnitus? In terms of sound, if it reacts to noise, is it stable/unstable etc...

I read your have trigeminal neuralgia, ouch!

Extended moderate noise sometimes gives me a dull pain which seems to shoot from my ear to behind my eye. It then leads to a headache behind the eye/side of the head. Anything similar with you?

 

Hi @Nick47. Yes, my tinnitus suddenly ramped up a couple years back. After that, I tried hard to protect my ears with earplugs, etc., even moving to a quieter part of town, but it continues to worsen, and so does my hearing.

My tinnitus is a screaming hiss in both ears. I don't consider it reactive. I do consider it unstable in that it can react to certain supplements, stress, salt, and even certain food and drink. And as my hearing goes, I expect the tinnitus to worsen. Noise does not give me the pain you describe.

The medication still lessens my tinnitus, but not the entire day. I'll take whatever I can get. Your mileage may vary.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions on the medication, its side effects, etc.

 

Thanks for sharing. It gives me an idea of your situation. I thought the medication was for nerve pain you have and as a secondary effect it reduces the tinnitus. What dose are you on?

 

Yes, I take it for nerve pain. The reduced tinnitus was an unexpected bonus. Currently I'm on 300 mg twice a day. I need to increase it, and will do it slowly. Too much too soon, and the side effects are rough on me.

 

Can I ask what side effects you experience?

 

My starting dosage was 300 mg 2x daily for seven days, then increase to 600 mg 2x daily. When I started the 300 mg 2x dose, I had mild drowsiness that resolved after a couple of days.

When I increased to 600 mg 2x, I had a constant throbbing headache, lack of appetite, extreme drowsiness, and (sorry if too much info) urine retention no matter how much water I drank. Also, I already have double vision, and it was made slightly worse. After five days, I was put back on 300 mg 2x, and it all resolved.

 

Hi @tracyNYC, how are you doing? Have you maintained a decrease in tinnitus with Oxcarbazepine?

 

Hi @Nick47 - Unfortunately, I had to come off it for other reasons. It was good while it lasted.