Actually Safe Antidepressants? (Without Tinnitus as a Mentioned Side Effect)

[Tempest]

I'm just wondering is Mirtazapine the only antidepressant out there that is considered safe and doesn't list tinnitus as a side effect or are there other ones as well? Just checking out my options.

 

[GregCA]

There is no safe AD, or other medication for that matter, unfortunately. You have to educate yourself on the side effects of each of them, and understand the risks. Then you can make an informed decision.
I find that doctors have a higher tolerance to risk for their patients than the patients themselves (that has been my experience, YMMV), so it pays to do your own research.
Good luck.

 

[Aegyo]

Per the advice of @Michael Leigh, I'm considering contacting my GP to start an antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication. But which one is safe to take? The horror stories on the forum scare me...

My tinnitus was stress induced, I already suffered from untreated panic attacks after a prolonged period of extreme stress. I have no hearing loss.

It's been two months today since the tinnitus started. It seems to be directly linked to my emotions and focus, it fluctuates a lot and I have times every day when I suddenly come out of flight/flight and the ringing goes quiet.

But I am struggling so much with all this. I don't know what action to take. I can't objectively judge whether things are improving either. I struggle a lot with the sensitivity to sound...a car engine, laptop fan or cooker hood makes the tinnitus flare up.

I'm signed up for therapy, but there is a 3 month waiting list...

I want to feel calmer

 

[Allan1967]

Mirtazapine does not list ringing in the ear as a side effect according to my GP.

 

[sky_high]

All antidepressants have a long list of side-effects and among these side effects there is usually also tinnitus. However it is a very rare side effect.

I felt the need to reply to your post because I think I got tinnitus because of an antidepressant, Lexapro (Escitalopram). However up to this day I am not 100% sure if it wasn't another cause.

I'm considering contacting my GP to start an antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication. But which one is safe to take?

It's better to go see a psychiatrist, not your GP. A psychiatrist can prescribe the correct medication for your condition and monitor it, recommend something else if it is not working or if you have bad side effects, etc.

 

[Bam]

Mirtazapine is not safe. I'm sorry nothing a doctor prescribes you to alter your brain chemistry, without knowing exactly which easy it's gonna go, is safe and funnily enough they don't give a fuck and won't admit this.

For example there is a high prevalence of AD's turning people into psychopaths. The pilot who flew his own plane in to a mountain killing hundreds of passengers. Guess what?!? He was prescribed Mirtazapine a couple of weeks prior. And if you do a little digging you will find AD's are also often linked with high school shooters and all kinds of unsavoury acts of violence.

Couple this with the fact we have constant grating sounds in our heads driving us insane all day and night and some people are asking to be turned in to a Molotov cocktail of rage.

 

[Allan1967]

Mirtazapine is not safe. I'm sorry nothing a doctor prescribes you to alter your brain chemistry, without knowing exactly which easy it's gonna go, is safe and funnily enough they don't give a fuck and won't admit this.

For example there is a high prevalence of AD's turning people into psychopaths. The pilot who flew his own plane in to a mountain killing hundreds of passengers. Guess what?!? He was prescribed Mirtazapine a couple of weeks prior. And if you do a little digging you will find AD's are also often linked with high school shooters and all kinds of unsavoury acts of violence.

Couple this with the fact we have constant grating sounds in our heads driving us insane all day and night and some people are asking to be turned in to a Molotov cocktail of rage.

Mirtazapine did give me a good night's sleep but it also gave me a bad nasty attitude too.

 

[Red]

I find that doctors have a higher tolerance to risk for their patients than the patients themselves (that has been my experience, YMMV), so it pays to do your own research.

THIS. Definitely this. On every printed prescription card from the pharmacy it always says something to the effect of "Your doctor has prescribed this because they believe the potential benefits outweigh the risks."

...No they haven't. They didn't consider that at all.

Ironically, the only time I've seen my doctor do this was when I asked specifically for amitriptyline (because some here have had positive results with it). But perhaps she is right. Outside this board I see a lot of negativity about that one.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I want to feel calmer

@Aegyo

I advise you to work with your doctor and follow his/her advice on an antidepressant to take and refrain from asking questions about medications in this forum or any other, as you are bound to hear negative comments that will do you no good. It is important that a person's emotional and mental well-being is kept in check. Medication can help a lot in improving a person's quality of life with tinnitus especially in the early stages, when stress and anxiety tend to be raised. With time this will settle down.

Please read the post below.
All the best
Michael

Can antidepressants and other medications help tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a complex condition that comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. It can be: mild, moderate, severe or extremely severe. Because its intensity can vary considerably, it can be difficult to know what another person is going through. When it is mild or moderate, many people are able to habituate to it and carry on with their life doing everything that they want to and may not always need a referral to ENT or a hearing therapist for treatment.

Tinnitus starts to become a problem when it loud and intrusive. If this level of intensity is sustained for a period of time, life can become a very traumatic experience, especially for someone that is new to the condition. A person's once peaceful world has suddenly been invaded by an unwanted interloper, and it can seem there is no end to the nightmare that has befallen upon them. Insomnia, stress and anxiety are common conditions affecting such a person, which can often make the tinnitus, seem louder and more intrusive. Stress makes tinnitus worse and tinnitus makes stress worse. So, the more relaxed someone is the less intrusive the tinnitus will appear to be and often making life more tolerable.

If your GP suggests taking an antidepressant or a sleeping draft then I advise you to consider it. However, for various reasons some people are averse to taking medications, and when it comes to antidepressants or sleeping tablets they vehemently oppose the idea and prefer to deal with the problem without assistance from prescription drugs. Admirable as this might seem, coping with intrusive tinnitus isn't easy. The usual methods of keeping busy to distract one's attention from the noise or masking it with another sound so that it can't be heard often prove unsuccessful and at times exhausting, because tinnitus is quite resilient and will put up a fight.

Contrary to what some people believe, antidepressants or other medications to help cope with tinnitus, don't have to be taken long term and can act as a safety net, helping to prevent a person becoming too down. Remember, the less stressed and relaxed we are, the less intrusive the tinnitus will appear to be. This can go a long way in helping a person to habituate to the condition with time.

Some medications can make tinnitus more intrusive and this has been said about antidepressants. However, in many cases the effects are usually temporary. As we are all different it wouldn't be right to say everyone that takes AD will be adversely affected. My blood pressure medicine is listed as "can cause ringing in the ears". I haven't noticed any increase in my tinnitus and I have been taking it for quite some time.

Life can be problematic even at the best of times. With the added pressure of coping with intrusive tinnitus, my advice is to try and make things a easier on yourself. Talk to your doctor and if an antidepressant or other medications is advised then try it and give it time to work, at least six weeks.

Michael