Want to Avoid Antidepressants — Not Coping Well with My Tinnitus

Hi,

I am 42. Three and a half weeks ago, tinnitus started in the morning. I remember the moment I heard it. I had put a LED face mask on and when I laid down a bit awkwardly, I heard it. I can't figure out why.

I have been to two different ENTs. The first hearing test showed very mild hearing loss in one ear and the second hearing test showed good hearing. So I am not sure what to think. The second ENT prescribed 6 days worth of Prednisone. It didn't help but I guess I am glad I tried it anyway.

So now what? The second ENT said the next thing to try is to treat my possible teeth clenching. The thought of wearing a mouthguard when I can barely sleep as it is upsets me so much. Every day and night is a struggle. I have four kids and I need to be well..I am really in a dark place. I constantly think about how amazing life was right before this randomly started.

I was on Zoloft for 6 months last year but haven't taken any since Christmas. I may need to go back on it but I am terrified of the tinnitus getting worse because SSRIs are supposedly ototoxic.

How do I ride out the really tough early stages? People on here say it gets better... but maybe some of us need antidepressants to get better. I hate the thought of going back on Zoloft but my anxiety/depression is scaring the heck out of me.

I bought a bunch of supplements: Lipoflavonoid, Zinc, and Turmeric. Might try Ginkgo biloba.

I just started trying pure CBD oil to help with anxiety/sleep. Sometimes I pair the CBD oil with Melatonin. I have some leftover Klonopin from last year that I also try to use sparingly for sleep. I am a big mess if I don't sleep but I want to be as natural as possible. It feels like I am grasping at straws here.

Tinnitus Talk provides me with some hope but at the same time it is so triggering. I obsessively check the forums and I think it is really affecting my mental health. The benefit to these support groups is it does help to know I am not alone. I would love some advice on some next steps.

 

Your experience thus far is so very familiar. And your concerns are valid. I'm about to turn 42 myself and I've had tinnitus for just about a year and a half. The first month or two is downright upsetting if not terrifying. After a couple months I ended up resorting to an antidepressant (Fluoxetine). I had completely bottomed out in my fight against the noise. I believe that was the best choice for me. I did not notice any change in the sound and I believe it calmed me enough to habituate to my current state. Not what I had hoped for but so much better the the constant fight or flight stage.

I wish I could just drag you out of that phase of it. It really sucks. Learning to live and accept it for what it is takes time and is an ongoing process.

Best of luck friend... do what you feel is best for yourself.

 

I'm in similar shoes, younger than you but with kids, mine started 5 months ago now. I was in a very dark place the first 1-2 months, doing the same obsessive checking. I thought my life was totally ruined.

Honestly, given where you've been already, there probably isn't much medically I would bother doing if I were to go back and do this again. Maybe get an intratympanic dexamethasone shot if you can; which I did get and am not sure if it helped. Otherwise it's time for CBT

Take the Klonopin, you're in a crisis and that's what they're for. Just be smart about it of course. I tried to limit mine to non-consecutive days. I would also highly recommend a trial of Trazodone. It's helped with my sleep immensely. It's the best drug I've ever had for sleep.

But hey, you're going to be ok. Mine is pretty loud but it's gotten better, because my mind has gotten better. And it honestly doesn't bother me that much anymore -- already! That's despite hearing it constantly, with increasing periods of not noticing it mind you. You just gotta get through this crisis / acute phase.

 

Don’t take antidepressants. Too many side effects. Hard to taper off.

 

And I say don’t listen to people who say this.

 

Sure then take it. lol.

 

Lol.

Imagine telling someone not to take anti depressants when they are on the brink of suicide.

 

But if later more side effects kicked in and the AD worsened their tinnitus, please don’t say I didn’t say so.

 

I’ll take my chances. Thank you very much.

I’m curious though since you oppose antidepressants, if someone was struggling immensely from a wide array of mental health conditions and were at risk of suicide, what would you have them do then? How would you go about relieving them from their symptoms? I think telling these people to avoid taking an antidepressant is dangerous advice. I’m going to need some clarity here.

 

I agree with you. Talk therapy and other methods outside of maybe Ketamine infusions take quite a bit of time before they begin having a positive impact.

I would think benzodiazapines would be the most fast-acting to help someone in crisis, then antidepressants (whether it be SSRIs, tricyclics, etc..) as they take several weeks for efficacy.

Are there any other alternatives I am missing? I'm not sure how quickly TMS treats depression, but I would avoid that at all costs since it's generally very loud.

 

If you're on the edge of giving up, I'd take them. I had to get on something because I couldn't sleep. So I take Mirtazapine.

 

All solid advice here.

I believe this is why this site can have a negative impact as you'll find a couple of people that report negative or harmful side effects, and all it takes is one person to say something and then you go avoiding all the damn meds out there lol.

@CC_16, I am sorry you had a negative experience them. I can also not take SSRIs but if someone is on the brink...

I see so many avoiding everything because of a reported instance of tinnitus. Almost everything has tinnitus listed as a side effect and yes I do believe we are more susceptible to worsen. Now if someone was asking about myocin drops in a perforated eardum, than yeah for sure avoid that lol.

 

I think the trick is to try any antidepressant in the lowest dose possible, even if that means cutting up a 25 mg Zoloft tablet, for example. Very slowly progress upwards in dosage while keeping aware of any changes in your tinnitus.

I've done this with a couple antidepressants and, even though I found they did increase my tinnitus, it was only temporary as I was very careful to start low and slow and taper down if I had reached any significant dosage. I have noticed that a lot of users who come to this site with AD induced tinnitus all have one thing in common - they stop the medication abruptly without any taper.

 

Try to root cause your tinnitus:

https://www.tinnitusresearch.net/index.php/for-clinicians/diagnostic-flowchart

 

Agreed. Slow taper and it’s fairly safe. There are no guarantees with tinnitus, some of us suffer or get worse without taking anything. Might as well try to improve QoL.

 

There's no rules with tinnitus. You do whatever you can to get by.

 

I took Pristiq 50 mg for 3 weeks and stopped. Do you think tapering made a difference when my tinnitus started on the second week?

I have had tinnitus for 1 year and 3 months now after Pristiq ruined my brain's connections and making them dysfunctional causing tinnitus. I'm guessing that this incessant high pitched ring/buzz in my brain now is from ototoxicity, especially since it hasn't stopped after a year.

 

Still on the Mirtazapine? Do you take it every night or as needed?

 

I take it every night. At first I felt a little groggy in the morning, but that went away after a week or so.

 

How much do you take and did it help with depression and anxiety too?

 

I started at 15 mg. Really helped with sleep.

 

I'd have to say in my opinion it's one of the least hardcore antidepressants to try. Are you currently taking anything?

 

Not taking anything. I tried Lexapro and Zoloft --- both experiences were bad.

Currently I just take Xanax as needed for sleep. That works great but I know I can’t use it long term. Maybe I'll give the Mirtazapine a try.

 

Ya Lexapro didn't work for me at all. Lay in bed with cold sweats.

 

I've been taking Trazodone for sleep. It's been working well for me. Have you tried that one?

 

I wonder if certain people (like us perhaps) have predispositions towards or against certain classes of meds and how one would go about finding that out through testing or something that wouldn’t require the try and wait method. I have not had any issues with Tricyclics (although I think I’ve only tried Nortriptyline). SSRIs pushed me to the brink though on the three separate occasions that I tried them.

I tried that awhile back and it seemed to help at the time I might give it another go. How much do you take?

 

I take 100 mg/night. I take it right before I lie down, and I typically fall asleep in about 20 minutes.

 

You can get blood work done that tells you which medication your body can handle or not handle.

 

Have you done this? Do you know the name of the panel to request?

Last night was miserable for me. My mind was still but my body couldn’t relax. Legs seem to be where all tension goes for some reason. I just can’t make them relax no matter what I think I do. The ONLY thing that helps is Xanax. I don’t even need much, just 0.125mg (half of the lowest dose) will do the trick. Can’t take that every night though... I need some help. I’m starting to feel really desperate for a break from the typical torture regiment.

 

Hey @Barry098 - Can you get any relief from masking at all?