Remeron Started My Tinnitus

My psychiatrist started me on Remeron on May 20,2015. I stopped the 10 mg of Elavil and went to Remeron the next night, 15 mg. 5 days later my ears started having a high pitched sound that to this day has not gone away.
I stopped the Remeron after day 6 and resumed my 10 mg of elavil but my ears ring constantly.

I also take 1200 mg of Neurontin a day,2 mg of Klonopin a day,1 regular aspirin a day, 25 mg of Metroprolol ER a day and I wear a 25 mcg/hr Fentanyl Patch.

I had no issues until I started the Remeron. The other drugs listed above I have been taking for years for chronic pain,Anxiety and blood pressure.
This is difficult. Will it stop since I stopped the Remeron? What can I do to help myself?

 

That is interesting, Smackman. I´ve been on Remeron for about 4-5 years(30mg), but that was really the last thing I thought would be the culprit of my condition. I also suffer from extremly high pith T. I was on Atenolol, for HB, and was surtain that was the reason for mine, after reading tons of users experiences. I have come off of it now, and even if my T is slightly better, I really don´t think that was it. Its really hard to tell what could be the cause, since I am also on many different drugs and some I just cant taper, like Remeron. It would just make me really sick. You are of course aware of that aspirin is a known drug to have T. as a sideeffect?

 

Aspirin is notorious for inducing tinnitus, especially if taken in high doses or regularly. It is even a method of choice to induce tinnitus in animals for research. That would be the first thing to stop IMO.

 

I am now but I never experienced Tinnitus until I stopped the 10 mg of Elavil and went to the Remeron for only 6 days but the ringing is horrible; High pitch constant.
I already have Anxiety issues from Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome.
Depending on whst site you look at, several of the drugs I take can cause Tinnitus but it came to life in my brain from the Remeron.
I just pray it goes away since I was only on the Remeron 6 day's.
Does any alternative drugs work?
Will a daily 325 mg aspirin cause Tinnitus? I have one heart stent.That is why I take the aspirin.

 

No

 

Maybe try taking Nac tablets?

 

Remeron..AKA mirtazapine did not make my T worse. I took it a long time. Now, I did have hell getting off of it. It was as bad as any benzodiazapine. I would recommend never taking Remeron again but I don't think it would make T worse. Many people on this board take Remeron for sleep (a bad idea since Remeron is as bad as any sleeping pill... if not worse) but they do not report making T worse. Are you sure you did not have any other events that could trigger T? Noise for example?

 

The only thing I did was change from the low dosage Elavil 10 mg to 15 mg of Remeron for 6 days. Maybe stopping the Elavil caused it?
All my other medications I have been taking for over 2 years. I have been wearing a Fentanyl patch for 9 years.
I know it has kicked my Anxiety up which does not help with the high pitch in my ear.
I am praying it goes away.... I did not need this piled on top of my other issues like Anxiety from Chronic pelvic Pain syndrome.

 

Have you read "A Headache in the Pelvis?" -- did more for my CPPS stuff than drugs or doctors ever could...

 

Now, that statement really unsettles me! Im currently experiencing very tough benzowithdrawl symptoms. Its actually second round for me and more severe than the first. I thought I could enjoy alcohol again when the wd symptoms faded. But I was wrong. But when it first hit me this time, I was actually tapering off of Remeron. Maybe that had something to to with it? Anyway, are you talking from your own experience when you compare Remeron- to Benzo-withdrawls?

 

I was on several ADs, some of them made my T explode (Venlafaxin)...
Im taking Remeron / Mirtazapin 15mg since months and it seems to be one of the drugs which dont worsen your T. Maybe its the mixture of all the drugs you've been taking.

Damn, those tapering-off stories do not sound good :X

 

I've been taking Remeron for over a year and have had no severe side-effects aside from the occasional hangover. My only concern is eventually getting off it; I have no plan for that yet.

How is it a bad idea? Sleep is all I use it for and even then I just need 1/6th of a tablet.

 

I have also been on Venflaxine for 15 years. But only had T. for 7 months. I just dont get it.

 

It sure depends on the person and the kind of T you have...I guess drugs and ADs can change (worsen) your T if its more of a brain-T than something ear-related after a trauma.

 

I take Remeron for 20 months now.
Has no effect on my T, but gives me a great sleep.
I took a long time 30 mg two hours before bed time (then I sleep 8-9 hours without any interruption).
Two weeks ago I switched to 15 mg in the evening and 15 mg in the morning.
My sleep is still good and I have the impression, my mood is a little bit better during the morning hours.

 

smackman just for the record. I am also suffering from chronic pelvic pain (almost 2years) and recently i saw for first time a psychiatrist who suggest me cymbalta and remeron

 

I guess it could have been coincidental but my ears started ringing when 5 days after taking 15 mg of Remeron. The ringing high pitch sound gets worse in the afternoon.
I went to a ENT last week. They had a audiologist check my hearing and I have hearing loss in the upper frequency range.
ALSO I was put on Amoxicillin for 10 days due to to sinus infection and plugged Eustachian dysfunction on both sides. I also use Nasacort. I have 1 more day of Antibiotics.
Could the Amoxicillin cause my ringing to be louder?
Could these plugged tubes be causing my Tinnutitus?
Thanks in advance

 

Yes, the withdrawal is hell. You will get insomnia, anxiety, and...since it is a weak antihistamine on some receptors (H1 receptors), you will get what is called histamine intolerance. That is not a drug to play with lightly. It is a SNRI type drug. It is one of the hardest to get off of. You may have to do a 10% taper. Look at a website called "survivingantidepressants" and look at all the stories of mirtazapine. It is a pure hell drug. Good luck!.

 

Unfortunately, yes. I had to come off of Xanax once. Piece of cake. I did a taper but jumped off in a week's time. Mirtazapine is a whole different story. I did a 10% taper. I had an average of 2 to maybe 4 hours of sleep while tapering off. It took me two months before I got my natural sleep back (still not like it was). I also have itchiness all the time (histamine intolerance). Look at the binding profile from Wikipedia:

5-HT2A receptor 69 The S(+) enantiomer is responsible for this antagonism.[6]
5-HT2B receptor ? ~20-fold lower than for 5-HT2A/5-HT2C[72]
5-HT2C receptor 39 inverse agonist[73] The S(+) enantiomer is responsible for this action.[6]
5-HT3 receptor ? similar to 5-HT2A/5-HT2C (mouse neuroblastoma cell)[74] R(-) enantiomer antagonises the 5-HT3 receptor.[6]
5-HT7 receptor 265
α1-adrenergic receptor 500 [75]
α2A-adrenergic receptor 20 The S(+) enantiomer is responsible for this antagonism at autoreceptors.[6] Heteroreceptors are blocked by both the S(+) and R(-) enantiomers.[3]
α2C-adrenergic receptor 18 The S(+) enantiomer is responsible for this antagonism at autoreceptors.[6] Heteroreceptors are blocked by both the S(+) and R(-) enantiomers.[3]
D1 receptor 4167
D2 receptor >5454
D3 receptor 5723
H1 receptor 1.6 [76]
mACh receptors 670

The H1 receptor is like for antihistamine. When you remove this drug, that is why you get allergies. It also is what helps with sleep.

You may be able to substitute back an H1 type antihistamine to help some with WD.

 

I had my loudest spike ever after one 15mg Remeron tablet. I stopped using Remeron immediately and returned to baseline in 48 hours.

There is at least one other poster on TT who is certain that their Tinnitus was made much worse after taking Remeron fo 15 days.

Smackman, I think you are correct in suspecting Remeron might have triggered your Tinnitus.

 

To much negativity about this med,I used mitrazapine for a while and still do if I'm having sleep issues.(there was no more against meds than me) it helped me get my sleep back on track which is vital I took 7.5 mg as at lower doses it's more sedating.
the only sides I had was slight weight gain with I counteracted by running most days and weight training at least five times a week.

 

Negativity? Wtf? What do you expect? People keep their mouths shut if they get T from this drug and have a bad experience? Wake up.

 

What's with the attitude telis,I'm just saying how mirtazapine helped me at the height t not all of us have had a bad experience with it.

 

Well, if you thought benzo wd was a piece of cake, then I´m not so worried about the comparison anymore. And if tapering off of R. just gave you sleep deprivation and an itch Im not that worried about that either. My benzo wd is hell, going on for 6 month and I only feel a slight improvement from its initial symptoms which summarizes hardcore tremor, anxiety off the roof, sweating blitz, diarreah, dizziness, paranoia, feeling of unrealness, among others.
I could have added insomnia if it wasn´t for Remeron. In the mids of this I also had to taper off Atenolol(Betablocker) as I was convinced it was the culprit of my T. Now I don´t think so.

Bear in mind I have been taking benzo for over 20 years and probably suffering from what they call "protracted benzo withdrawls". Anyway, I really doubt getting off Remeron will be as challenging, but we are all different, when it comes to drugs. Still, I reduced my R. dosage from 30 to 22,5 mg yesterday and will continue on that for a month and then go down to 15 and so forth. I will report how it goes, if it does anything with my T. or regarding any wd-symptoms. Im still on 225 mg Venflaxin a day, maybe that will make it easier.

 

Did you read the side-effects information before taking it? Also, use campral to help you get off of it.

 

Q: Can aspirin cause tinnitus?

A: Yes. Tinnitus is phantom noise nobody else hears—such as ringing, clanging, or whistling. How and why tinnitus occurs remains largely a mystery, but it’s well known that some drugs, notably aspirin, can cause or worsen it. Tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss.

Aspirin’s potential effect on hearing was first reported soon after the drug was synthesized more than a century ago. In fact, tinnitus and hearing loss are among the side effects sometimes listed in tiny print on the label. It’s believed that salicylic acid, the active ingredient, can cause a variety of detrimental changes in the cochlea in the inner ear.

Aspirin is more likely to cause tinnitus at the higher daily doses often taken for chronic pain (for instance, the 8 to 12 tablets a day that some people take for arthritis), though there have been reports that occasional use may also cause it. Those who are very old, suffer from kidney problems, have a family history of hearing loss or are regularly exposed to loud noises may be at higher risk. It’s unclear whether the low-dose aspirin taken for heart health can cause tinnitus.

Tinnitus and hearing loss have also been reported in people who take other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) pain relievers besides aspirin, such as ibuprofen (brand names such as Motrin and Advil). Non-NSAID pain relievers may also increase the likelihood of hearing problems. A recent large Harvard study of middle-aged female nurses, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that those who took ibuprofen or acetaminophen (as in Tylenol) on most days of the week had a 20 percent increased risk of hearing loss. Aspirin did not have this effect, which is suprising since it is the only pain reliever that carries a warning about hearing loss and tinnitus.

If you take aspirin or another pain reliever and develop tinnitus or hearing loss, contact your doctor. If the drug is at fault, symptoms generally go away soon after you stop taking it or reduce the dose.

 

Yes, you were on benzos longer than I was. But do not discount Remeron. I used it for years. I eventually got to 45 mg. Remeron caused me MORE anxiety and to add to it OCD (and about 20 lbs weight gain and high blood pressure). But WD was only sleep deprivation and a bad rash that continues. Well...anxiety and depression got really bad for a month...to the point of almost suicide...but that is over now.

FYI, you only need 15 mg for sleep. Any more and the norepinephrine kicks in and you will get worse sleep. I would recommend going down to 15 to 7.5mg at least. Please refer to this website: survivingantidepressants.org and you will see the problems for Remeron (AKA mirtazapine). Good luck and all the best in your journey to better health!

 

Before bed, I take only 7.5mg of Remeron (i.e., I cut the 15mg pill in half). That low dose gives me a reliably deep sleep. -G

 

7.5 mg is all you need for sleep. But keep vigilant because you get tolerance really fast on this poison. Even some folks found getting off 7.5 challenging but they maybe were on it for awhile.

 

Thanks, buddy! They even have a slang name for my combination of AD´s. "Californian Rocketfuel"!. Doesnt seem healthy in the long run. Ill taper very slowly.