Poll: Antidepressant Use/Depression at Tinnitus Onset

A number of Tinnitus Talk users seem to associate the onset of their tinnitus with antidepressant use. Still other users say antidepressants worsened their tinnitus. Others, however, say these drugs helped their tinnitus, or helped them cope with it.

It is speculated there may be a link between some antidepressants and tinnitus - https://www.audiology.org/news/ssri-and-tinnitus

Yet there is also an established link between depression and the onset of tinnitus. Of course tinnitus can cause depression, but it has also been shown that those suffering from depression are more likely to develop tinnitus.

That begs the question, are those suffering from depression more likely to develop tinnitus because of depression's direct effect on the brain and body? OR is it because those suffering from depression are more likely to be taking an antidepressant?

Of course that question cannot be answered with a simple poll such as this, but if a number of Tinnitus Talk users answer this poll the results may be interesting.

• Please pick ONE option, the one which most applied to you JUST BEFORE you got your tinnitus.
  
• Please take the poll even if your tinnitus had some other apparent cause.

 

There's a strong connection on SSRI's and tinnitus. And a strong connection on stress and tinnitus.

If there's a connection between stress and tinnitus, then I think there is a connection between anxiety and depression when talking about tinnitus.

I posted more information here: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-multisensory-circuit-pathway-specific.35907/

 

There's definitely a correlation between stress and tinnitus onset (and worsening). I was interested in the depression/tinnitus link which is not quite the same though obviously very similar. I wondered if it was possible to unpick this from the SSRI/tinnitus link. It is complex, because some will be on antidepressants for anxiety, stress, grief etc. But if enough Tinnitus Talk users answer this poll I think even the basic results will be interesting.

 

Antidepressants do different things so always make sure it's the best one for you.

Mirtazapine, Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline have a sedative effect, helps with sleep, anxiety and depression and can help tinnitus for some people.

Venlafaxine can cause insomnia and is not as kind on your ears etc.

love glynis

 

Four with depression pre tinnitus and six presumably without depression. That is a high proportion. Could be for a number of reasons though, would be great to see more votes.

 

Mine started about 5 weeks in taking lexapro for anxiety and depression. My tinnitus is fairly loud. I hear it all the time but for the most part have habituated and moved on with life. Just wanted to participate in this thread as I am curious to see the results myself!

Oh, also I decided to take amitriptyline a few months after onset to help stabilize my mood and it had zero effect on my tinnitus. In fact I believe it helped me habituated.

 

Definitely lots of accounts of onset after Lexapro!

 

Was taking an Antidepressant for OCD. Started like a week after starting the antidepressant.

 

So nine people with depression so far at tinnitus onset, thirteen without. That is much higher than the general population for depression or antidepressant use, which is something like very roughly circa 10%. Of course it could be self-selecting in who answered the poll, it could be that people with depression find it harder to adjust to tinnitus and so are more likely to be on the board like this, or it could be that depression or antidepressants predispose to tinnitus.

More people experiencing depression and not taking an antidepressant at onset than those taking an antidepressant for depression. That is interesting. Antidepressant use varies by country, but in my country it is fully one in five adults, in all likelihood higher than the incidence of depression in the general population.