Prozac Caused My Tinnitus — I Need Some Help for My Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

I have generalized anxiety disorder. About 5 years ago, I was prescribed Prozac. I was feeling good, but within about 3 days I got really loud tinnitus. I quickly stopped taking the drug and whilst the tinnitus did go down, it’s never gone away.

I should say that I had previously taken Citalopram without issues (I didn’t have any tinnitus back then) but had discontinued it for other reasons.

Since trying Prozac, I have tried other SSRI and SNRI drugs and the all make my tinnitus much worse, to the point it’s unbearable and I can’t hear properly. I have tried CBD too but again my tinnitus gets too bad.

Usually after about a week of not taking a medication, the ringing calms down to a more manageable level.

I really need something to help with my anxiety. It’s ruining my life, but everything I’ve taken since I took Prozac makes my tinnitus unbearable.

I’ve had CBT and it hasn’t helped. In fact, they told me to try more medication.

One of the problems is that the GP just keeps throwing different meds at me, hoping one will work. There has to be a better way. Should I ask to be referred to someone else?

If anybody has any suggestions, I’d be grateful.

 

I suffer with GAD and have done since as long as I can remember. I've tried multiple antidepressants and beta blockers over the years but never felt they helped too much and the side effects were just not worth it for little benefit. Wary of ever trying anything again as I had a bad reaction to Amitriptyline which made my tinnitus louder.

Maybe you can get refered to or see a psychotherapist to find out the reasons as to why you have GAD? That is the route I'm taking as other options I think have been exhausted.

 

I have been anxious all my life about every little thing and thought it was normal and that this must be my personality. I didn't realize this was anxiety until recently.

You mentioned you tried CBT, have you tried different therapists? A good therapist can really make a difference with CBT.

 

Check out the following post on something that works well for me. -- All the Best!

Tone Pacer PRO App — Has a Very Soothing Effect on My Auditory Cortex

I'd also suggest you look into castor oil packs.

 

Pristiq caused my tinnitus. It's been two years with the tinnitus hell.

I stopped taking Pristiq after 3 weeks and it's clear it caused permanent tinnitus.

It seems like you're on year 5 so it means mine will never go away either.

 

CBT has helped my GAD even on self-help mode. Perhaps try write down your worrying thoughts and counter them with more positive and realistic ones. Paradoxic approach to invite panic attacks or anxiety symptoms have been helpful too. I had GAD for decades prior to tinnitus. Mindfulness and deep abdominal breathing have helped me a lot. Having hobbies have helped a lot.

Take good care. God bless.

 

My tinnitus is much lower than it was when I first took Prozac. Hopefully yours will quieten over time.

 

During the third week of taking Pristiq I got severe tinnitus, and that's when I stopped taking the drug, because it was obvious that it caused it.

All I want is to know what happened to my brain that caused the tinnitus. I'm guessing the drug was ototoxic and damaged my auditory system somewhere, but I don't know and no doctor knows.

Now, 1.5 years after onset, the head pressure is less, but the tinnitus is still buzzing and ringing 24/7. Maybe at a little bit of a lower volume, but I WANT IT TO STOP, and I want to know what happened to begin with so I can figure out how to fix this issue.

Tinnitus is usually a symptom, and hearing loss seems to be the only thing that the internet knows causes long-term tinnitus, along with something that has to do with the limbic system. The antidepressant clearly caused some type of dysfunction in my brain, resulting in tinnitus. I'm much more depressed now. I can't focus. I lose sleep.

It's even worse that I knew the antidepressant wouldn't help which is why I never took them for over a decade while struggling with depression, but I gave it a try to see how it would affect me, and it gave me tinnitus that won't go away.

I don't want to live my life struggling with another mental condition. Tinnitus has already taken 2 years of my life away with stress, anxiety and more depression.

I need the tinnitus to stop, I don't want to have this for the rest of my life. It's criminal that antidepressants are prescribed like candy. I can't handle this constant ringing.

 

Hi @PeanutButter -- Sorry to hear about your continuing struggles. You may want to consider nebulizing glutathione to see if it might repair some of the dysfunction you feel in your brain. If you're interested, here's links to two videos on the topic. All the Best...

Glutathione: the most powerful antioxidant in your body

Unlock the Benefits of Nebulizing Glutathione