Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Caused by Wellbutrin — Made Worse by Zoloft

Hi all,

All my life I had flairs of tinnitus and had more difficulty with hard sounds from machinery. In 2019 I developed morning after tinnitus when I went to festivals, even when wearing earplugs. End of 2019 I took Wellbutrin and this triggered a permanent tinnitus in my right ear, also some hyperacusis. I think in the beginning of 2022 the tinnitus was a lot better than in 2019.

But recently I got Zoloft prescribed, I had been on it before and had no issues. But this time I noticed hyperacusis when dogs were barking and the sound of cutlery slammed in like a rock. So I immediately stopped the Zoloft. This all was 3 weeks ago.

Now I notice hard sounds will flare up my tinnitus which is already worse than before the Zoloft. I can still go to the supermarket or walk on the street, but some sounds are harder and my tinnitus is triggered way easier.

The question is, do I need to avoid hard sounds? Can that make my tinnitus permanently worse, even if they are around 80-85 dBA? I would like to work at a festival, where I'm standing in 95-100 dBA sound. I can wear 25 dB earplugs all day.

That morning after tinnitus I already had in 2019, even when wearing earplugs, was that due to hyperacusis, and does hyperacusis lower the maximum dB you can be exposed to?

 

I’d rather say, try to avoid those meds if that’s possible. Finding an alternative with the right set of supplements may be a better option. Under a professional supervision of course.

Other than that, there’s still bone conduction, so even with good protection you’d be risking it. In my experience even 80+ dB is a lot. It’s not worth the risk. Unless your life depends on that festival work, why would you put yourself at such risk?