Sleeping Meds & Tinnitus — Suggestions for Best Drugs to Try?

Hi everyone... For the last months I haven't been able to go to bed before 2-3 am and I usually wake up around 8-9 am... not enough sleep...

I don't mind sleeping in once I'm truly tired... I mind the sound but I just play dead until I sleep... but it is so loud lately I can't get myself to go to bed... I keep doing things to distract myself.

Now I just need to have a push sleeping for some weeks to get my rhythm back...

-What sleeping meds are mild but help and are 'safe' to take?
-Which ones are strong?
-Which ones make the tinnitus worse?

Thanks for any input... also your ways to fall asleep are welcome.

Thanks,

nills

 

Hi Nills,

You're so far into this shit, I doubt if I can tell you anything you don't already know.

Benzos & Z-Drugs -- these will knock you out for sure, but sleep quality may not be great, dependence is a problem, and these drugs are known to cause tinnitus.

Antihistamines - dramamine and doxylamine succinate both have sedative effects, but may not work too well for really severe insomnia.

Melatonin - very subtle; safe, but probably won't help much.

Valerian - basically an herbal benzo; stronger than melatonin, weaker than Ambien.

Marijuana - indicas and other CBD dominant strains can be heavily sedating, but can cause spikes for lots of people, and may cause anxiety and additional insomnia if you're not already a heavy user.

Once in a great while I resort to an Ambien or something, but mostly I just deal with insomnia when it happens. Lying in quiet darkness next to my wife and/or cats is fairly healing for me, so even when I don't sleep, I don't tend to get very stressed by it these days.

When I was at my worst with insomnia, I was listening to 10 and 40 minute guided breath meditations off of YouTube; these helped me sleep to some extent, and definitely made me feel more calm about my insomnia.

For whatever reason my ringing doesn't seem to keep me up at night or wake me up, even though it drives me fucking crazy while I'm awake. I can loll in bed in the morning, and I'm aware of my tinnitus but somehow not very bothered by it until I have to get up and start doing shit. Thank god for small favors I guess; I hope you get back on track sleep wise pretty soon, I know that when I don't sleep well my tinnitus goes up to level 11.

For me, keeping a regular and stable bedtime and committing to laying in quiet darkness for the same 9 hours every night, is essential. If I start staying up really late, I get messed up for weeks.

 

Nice summary @linearb, I wonder if getting off of ambien would help lessen my tinnitus? I realize it may get worse before it gets better though. I've been on zolpidem for so many years, but I'm still not sure if it causes or makes worse your tinnitus?

 

I've seen speculation in both directions, but I really don't know. I understand why the withdrawal from these drugs can cause tinnitus; it's pretty straightforward -- downregulation of GABA receptors, drug withdrawal, glutamate storm. But it's a lot murkier how these drugs contribute to tinnitus if you're just taking a stable dose of them long term. Some of the benzos specifically mention tinnitus in the drug literature (Xanax, for instance) -- but the Z-drugs do not, as far as I know.

If you've been taking it for that long, it may not actually be doing anything helpful at this point, but if you decide to go off of it, definitely do it very slowly!

 

Has anyone in the community got any experience or comments on going down the pharmaceutical route to help with sleep?

I'm having real difficulties and think that the lack of sleep is actually increasing my anxiety and therefore my symptoms.

One day you think you're on top of it, then it bites back with a vengeance.

Cheers, Steve

 

I was on Zolpidem 10mg for 6 weeks but sleeping tablets are only usually given for two weeks and not many doctors will prescribe them long term as they are addictive and lose effect when taken daily...

lots of love glynis

 

Phenergan (promethazine) helped me greatly. Got a good sleep and the tinnitus quietens considerably for 5 or 6 hours after waking. Was taking it 2 or 3 times a week in the first months now down to once a week or once a fortnight.

 

Promethazine 50mg for me. It has got me regular sleep since I started taking it.

Do have the occasional rough night though.

 

I've tried several sleep meds and def agree that you should avoid benzodiazepines. The withdrawal is terrible and it's not something to take long term. My best results were with Lunesta though the effect decreases with time and I felt a little foggy the next day. In the beginning 2 mg knocked me out cold after just 20 minutes. By the time I stopped using it 3 mg took up to an hour to put me out.

Looking back, had I just done meditation it would've probably would've worked as well or better. These days I just take 3 mg of melatonin every once in a while and that's it. I want to avoid the sleep pill habit because they can be hard to get off of.

 

Sorry if I am sort of repeating the sleep thread but I need to know the answer to this specific question.

Lately I cannot sleep at all without Ambien. As I mentioned in a previous thread, part of the reason might be due to the steroids I am on right now but I don't think so. I of course will talk to the doc but I was wondering if others are on meds long term.

Are you on prescription meds to help you sleep?

Please help I am just desperate.

 

@spinnaker,

I take Nortriptyline 50mg for sleep on prescription.

love glynis

 

Is it addictive? How long have you been on it?

Does not sound like it will work for me.

You should not use nortriptyline if you have recently had a heart attack, or if you are allergic to certain medicines.

I had a mild one about 3-4 years ago. Do not know if that is considered recent.

And it says can cause depression in young people. I am nowhere near young , but still a concern as I have had those thoughts recently due to this recent flare up.

On my heart attack. I am in very good shape. Always been an avid cyclist which I am wondering is part of the reason for my tinnitus due to wind noise.

I just got finished with a bike tour of Oregon where I rode the Columbia River Hwy then rode up to the top of Mt. Hood. I felt invincible. Now this stupid noise is going to do me in.

 

Good summary, @linearb. I would add:

Anticonvulsants/anti-anxiety drugs: Gabapentin and Pregabalin (stronger).

Pregabalin helped me sleep and it was great when I had anxiety and nerve pain, and it should have calming effects similar to a benzo without the dependence, in principle. It was called the new improved valium initially. Its chemical structure is very similar to GABA, although technically it is a calcium channel blocker. However, it turns out a few people who try it get stuck with it and experience withdrawal symptoms that rival benzo's effect or are even worse. I have tried to come off pregabalin with a very slow benzo-like taper but failed. I am stuck with the drug and the drug has tinnitus among side effects. So I would not recommend it. At least benzo withdrawal is recognized by the medical profession. If you experience pregabalin withdrawal you are on your own and it's hell. The jury is out on whether it is helping or not with my tinnitus. When I tried to taper, my tinnitus went off scale and I was forced to go back.

P.S. Pregabalin is licensed for generalized anxiety only in the EU, not in the US.

 

In the US we just have prescribing guidelines, not licenses of this type, and basically everything is widely prescribed for things its not indicated for; this is called "off label" prescribing, it's controversial, people get in trouble from time to time, but it's the de facto norm.

 

15 mg Mirtazapine melting tablets are really good to kick you to sleep. Could be used long term if needed. Ask your doc.

 

One word on Mirtazapine:
It is a very good sleeping pill, even at small doses (3,75-7,5mg). It causes vivid dreams.
But many users will get overweight problems from Mirtazapine on the long run.
In case of being overweight Mirtazapine isn't a good recommendation.
Be careful with Mirtazapine.

 

Again:

Some people have thoughts about suicide when first taking an antidepressant. Your doctor will need to check your progress at regular visits while you are using mirtazapine. Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms.

I am already having those feelings so...

Plus says it could take weeks, I do not have weeks.

But thanks for the thought anyway.

 

I use Lipovlavonoid Night, it really works for me.

 

The antidepressant effects would be what normally takes weeks. The sleep benefits are normally immediate.

Unfortunately, most medications have a warning of increased risk of suicidality.

I take PPI’s for acid reflux. Suicidality warning

Singulair for allergies. Suicidality warning

Clonazepam for tinnitus and sleep currently. Suicidality warning.

 

I am in the same boat. Had occasional problems sleeping. I would take Ambian and t would fix me right up.

But now my tin is so loud it is ineffective.

Doc put me on 1 mg ox Xenex for stress. That got me some sleep but last night did not work at all. Wrled at first but my tin got the better of it and I stayed awake.


The tin causes me not to sleep. Lack of sleep cause the tim to get worse It us a viscous cycle that I am afraid has no end.

I am having trouble sleeping so I worry that I won't sleep. The worry then keeps me up/ Another viscous cycle.

To make matters worse I now have acid reflx probbaly do to stress from lack of sleep. But I think the catalyst was the steroids I was on/

 

Who hasn't thought of suicide that has tinnitus so bad that they are willing to take brain altering meds to get by?