Pregabalin (Lyrica)

Maybe, but probably not. It’s quite safe so give it a go.

You seem to be quiet anxious at the moment so I would ask your doctor about an antidepressant though as you may feel a lot better on that than lycria.

All the best.

 

I have noise induced tinnitus for about 15 years.I was recently prescribed pregabalin for neck pain and severe headaches which I found very helpful by day 3 my tinnitus had increased 10 fold now I have the sound of a jet engine in both ears I fear not taking the meds as the pain is excruciating but am so worried if I carry on the increase in my tinnitus will be permanent.
I would advise any one thinking of taking this drug to give it a lot of thought

 

Pregabalin is ototoxic. Stay away!

 

Can please someone tell me what medication is not bad for this horrific hell condition looks lake even water is not good for this hell and is not cures or treatment so what we supposed to do with this horrific very severe tinnitus and hyperacusis I’m sick and tired of people who have mild tinnitus oh TRT or CBT take time don’t worries 3 years now no changes got worse and when I say severe I’m taking about severe not from stress or depression or medication was from ACOUSTIC trauma

 

That´s what all us, severely affected, by T and H would like to know.
I´ve been looking to help myself for nearly four years now.

What I have come to as the best shot of getting relief is Gabapentine+ benzo(clonazepam is mostly used)
I don´t find it viable, but it may work for a number of years.
But, then what.........??? Tolerance, agonizing withdrawal and even worse T and H!

It´s a choice, so hard, no one should have to be confronted with it

 

No, relax, Klonopin is cut down very slowly in order not to get withdrawal, OK. However, it is quite strong. Why not Xanax as Benzo, it is milder. Also don't be sure that you will need larger quantities. It was not the case with me. Try healing and when you feel better, you may think about cutting slowly the dosage.

 

Cheese burgers are ototoxic according to @1MW.

 

With all due respect. You don´t know what you are talking about!

 

Really?
I have taken both. As a kid I took Rivotril for migraine and after my condition improved I stopped it. I take Xanax supervised by a doctor for anxiety and never had problem with it. The info I am sharing is from my doctor and from personal experience. There are a lot of horror stories in the Internet, so I share a different point of view.
Cheers!

 

I usually have a static sound in my ears/head when I awaken in the morning or from a nap. I started using Lyrica 150 mg plus Clonazepam .5 mg and within an hour or so my noise goes away pretty much. I have been busy also so the distraction might be part of it. It seems Lyrica works better for me than Gabapentin.

The Lyrica also seems to help with some spinal pain and neuropathy.

 

Be careful with Lyrica. I got stuck with it and when I tried to stop it even with a reasonable gradual taper I got crazy benzo-like withdrawal symptoms and my tinnitus went ballistic.

I was forced to reinstate because my tinnitus was suicide level. It is still quite bad even after reinstating, the doctor tells me I need to increase the dosage again.

Lyrica has tinnitus as a frequent side effect in clinical trials. I am stuck with it right now as I can't go down or tinnitus becomes suicidal again. Long term it can also affect your vision and the entire nervous system. Perhaps for you it's a risk worth taking to contain the tinnitus but be careful. 150 mg is not a large dose but it is enough to get stuck. Certainly the combined effect of calcium channel blocker and benzo will be creating a GABA festival in the brain, which explains the tinnitus reduction.

 

Yeah I got spinal problems and Lyrica seems to help those also. I’ve been taking Lyrica 150 mg twice a day. Noise always returns upon awakening. Doing nothing certainly doesn’t help my noise any so don’t know what to do?

 

I might offer some clinical advice as a pharmacist. Xanax is not “milder” per say and has similar therapeutic index or potency to Klonopin. Realistically why they are both benzodiazepines, they have different indications for conditions due to their different onset of actions and effective half life. If you’re under doctor's supervision and benefits outweigh the risks then that’s what is important. There was some clinical evidence that suggests long term use may increase the chances of dementia but I believe it’s not a clear or established link.

 

I know, it's one of the horrors of this condition, damned I you do, damned if you don't.

 

Xanax is milder. Klonopin (clonazepam) is known to be very powerful, one of the most powerful benzo.

They have same "actions" but not same properties. They are not the same molecules.

Also, you are right about dementia, there was some research that suggested benzo consumption could lead to dementia but it is for long time use (we are talking about years) and the link is not clearly established at all (no real studies) so it's more of a wild guess.

 

I think this helps with Tinnitus related anxiety (40% reduction) and Tinnitus itself (15%). Of course the Tinnitus component reduction could come from the reduced anxiety. I have been eating this now for two weeks with mild dosage 75mgs per day. I have no bad side effects. Perhaps I am more sleepier than before but I consider that a good rather than a bad side effect.

 

Anyone had any luck with this medication helping pain caused by hyperacusis?

 

I took this medication for nerve pain (back) almost a month not even aware some use it for their tinnitus and/or hyperacusis as well. Did nothing for back and nothing for hyperacusis and tinnitus. After reading some of the post and other threads on this med I am almost glad it did not work. I am not trying to exacerbate my tinnitus and hyperacusis or develop additional conditions resulting from its prolonged use as cited by some members. What is troubling, most of us need something for relief but it seems almost every med has a nasty side effect that makes us pause. Who would not want to start and continue using something that offers relief??? But at what cost. I know I still feel bothered by my last med choice. Landed me with tinnitus. Good luck with whatever you decide. But more importantly BE WELL!!!

 

I'm just recovering from a very bad bout of sciatica for which I was prescribed pregabalin + naproxen for the crippling leg pain. I'm currently taking 300mg per day. I also have unilateral (very loud) tinnitus. I'd previously found my tinnitus was responsive to very large doses of Iburprofen and, when it continued to be largely suppressed while I was on the meds for sciatica, I assumed it was the naproxen.

Eventually, time came to tail off the pregabalin and I stepped back on the dosage gradually over about two weeks. I kept the lower dose for a week (of misery) and then stepped back up to the original 300mg. Over another week the tinnitus declined...

I'm not saying anything except that I think it's working for me. I've had a chat with the doctor, and he's OK with me continuing to use it and experiment a little with the dosage to try and establish a minimum dose I can take in combination with ibuprofen.

I have to say that, other than the effect on my sciatica and (possibly my tinnitus) I can't say the pregabalin has had any obvious effect. I'm no less anxious, and, while my mood has improved, I think that's because I don't have a very loud high pitched whistling noise in my right ear...

Time will tell...

 

Yes, they do, but you have to put them into perspective. Read the notes carefully and try to weigh the percentage chances of bad things happening. Mostly, they aren't high for medicines regularly prescribed by doctors.

If you have a reaction to a drug (like headaches) it might be significant, it might not. Early on I was prescribed Betahistine and after about 2 weeks I had a series of really severe headaches. I stopped taking it, the headaches went away. Around 10% of people taking it report headaches. A month or so later, I tried it again. No headaches. So it was just a coincidence the first time.

Also, when you read here, what you'll usually get are people reporting when things have gone wrong. It's just the way things are, if you have problems you look, search, post, if you're happy, you don't.

A lot of this last year has been lost to screamingly loud tinnitus. I'm at a point where I'm prepared to take calculated risks to save my sanity and give the rest of my life a chance of being worth living rather than just an existence.

But, ultimately, you have to make the decisions for yourself...

 

I had Lyrica for a while, for a short time, and it did absolutely nothing for tinnitus or hyperacusis. I did not experience any side effects either.

 

I’ve been taking Pregabaline regularly for almost 2 years for anxiety and insomnia. My tinnitus/hyperacusis is recent (2 weeks), and Pregabaline doesn’t lower it, but it does help me a bit with the additional stress that tinnitus is creating.

 

Be careful when tapering down Pregabaline. It gave me serious anxiety attacks which were sleeping for the past 7 years.

 

How quick did you guys taper Pregabalin? I wonder how long is long enough to cause dependency in a dosage.

 

Has anyone's tinnitus negatively affected by Pregabalin returned back to the baseline level after tapering the drug?

I started it 20 days ago and now I am wondering if it's worth staying on it.

 

I am a bit scared. One hour after I took my third 75 mg pill of the day my tinnitus spiked really loud.

I am going to taper off this med, I have made my decision. I just hope and pray that this spike is only temporary and soon I will have the noise back to the baseline level.

 

Dude, they don't even target the same subunits or receptors. Unless you're using the logic of benzo GABA, go brrrrrrr.

 

Is Gabapentin less ototoxic? My psychiatrist suggested switching to it due to my complaints.

It's a bummer as Pregabalin is helping me a bunch with other symptoms from benzo tolerance/withdrawal.

 

@juliob, how's your taper going?

I've just been prescribed 2x50 mg Pregabalin per day and an worried it might spike my tinnitus.

 

I tried Pregabalin earlier this month, 150 mg a day, with the hope it would help chronic ear pain related to noxacusis.

Day 1 was fine. At the end of day 2, my tinnitus spiked. I discontinued after that, and the spike subsided. Disappointed I got that reaction, as several people have found relief from ear pain with Pregabalin.

Such doubled-edged swords these meds can be, sometimes helping ear symptoms, sometimes making them worse.