Antidepressant Sertraline — Anybody Have Any Experience?

[DonaldDuck75]

My GP prescribed me sertraline for my severe depression (not caused only by my tinnitus)
I read on the little paper inside the med that one of the common side effect is ringing in the ears.
I just want to ask, did anyone had any experience with this drug? Ty

Note that my GP said that my tinnitus is 90% caused by anxiety and depression.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@DonaldDuck75
I took sertraline many years ago when I first had tinnitus and didn't increase it. My blood pressure medicine can cause ringing the ears but I haven't noticed an increase. Everyone is different. It is true, some antidepressants do cause ringing in the ears but this usually fades away after a while.
Michael
PS: An alternative to prescription antidepressants is ST John' Wort. Used to treat mild depression and it's herbal

 

[MikeP505]

Note that my GP said that my tinnitus is 90% caused by anxiety and depression.

Wow. I would get a new GP immediately. 90% of from anxiety and depression?? Did he actually go to medical school? Can he actually read? lol

 

[Michael Leigh]

@MikeP505 Unfortunately Mike, many Drs believe 90% of medical conditions are all in the head. Caused by anxiety and stress if the condition cannot be measured or seen on medical equipment.
Strange but true.
I was once told by a Nurse (family member) whenever going to see your GP, try not to mention too many things that are wrong with you or, to visit the surgery too often with different complaints. As soon as you've left the Drs consultation room they write on your notes: hypochondriac.
Michael

 

[MikeP505]

hypochondriac

Thats alright. After leaving many doctor and specialist appointments, my note on them are " Quack" Easy to make notes on others. Just because the guy or girl went thru medical school is no reason to believe everything they say. I saw a few "quacks" while trying to find out why I was getting sicker and weaker. Needed to be on my death bed before they finally found it! I care less what they might or might not write in my file. I know myself much better.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I care less what they might or might not write in my file. I know myself much better.

Very true.

 

[MikeP505]

hypochondriac

This is the problem today. These "professionals" feel like they are some form of God now!

 

[DonaldDuck75]

Wow! Lol is well know that anxiety and stress can cause tinnitus then if you prefer to believe that 3 GPs are assholes. Is up to you guys.
Strangely my T became worse after I read HERE that anti anxiety can make T worse and I stop taking it.
Maybe my GP is right I should stop google my symptoms and reading this forum.

 

[glynis]

@DonaldDuck75 ,
Anti depressants will help your low mood and anxiety and can take 2-6 weeks to start noticing the difference.
The first 2 weeks you might get a dry mouth and feel sleepy round the clock and slight increase in your tinnitus as your brain adapts to the new drug but hang on in their as they are worth coping with and increasment as you go along to get the correct dose for you.
I take 150mg venlafaxine.

It's so important to get talking therapy also and have the gold star treatment from both.
I have had fantastic support and you will soon be back to your old self.
Trust your doctor to put you on the right ADs and give them time....lots of love glynis

 

[DonaldDuck75]

Glynis as usual u are the best tyvm

 

[undecided]

SSRI's (like sertraline) and SNRI's (like venlafaxine) can certainly be effective for one's mood but I believe that they are inferior to Mirtazapine (there have been studies on the matter, you can find them on it's wiki page).
So if you have decided to go on an AD, you should choose the better one of the lot (since all are potentially ototoxic).

And as far as my limited knowledge goes, severe depression (which your GP claims) is usually treated by targeting two neuro-transitters at least (like an SNRI). A drug acting on serotonin alone is usually prescribed for milder cases.

 

[MikeP505]

Never quit a treatment your doctor prescribes unless you feel it's doing more harm than good. Not all doctors are poor doctors. The problem with a General Practitioner (GP) is they study a broad range of the human anatomy and do not specialize in just a few areas. They will not know everything about one issue unless they treat that type of issue often and get feedback from the patience.

Yes you must be careful what you Google and read anywhere. Here is a little anti-google message for all. Most who know me have already seen it. Enjoy and get better!!


http://johnhartstudios.com/ckennelstrips/2016/october/ckn100616dc.jpg

 

[tinnitube]

Hello , I try sertraline , but spikes my T . Although It makes me dont care for it , it spikes it . So I have to suspend the use of it . I guess not everyone will have the same reaction . I think one has to try because many persons feels a little different on it , but in general it helps mood .

 

[tinnitube]

PS: Im a doctor also , but im here as sufferer and to give my direct experience of the real world and try to help as much as possible . Other thing I try was one that inhibits noradrenaline and serotonin , this give me more energy but also my T spikes . If you go to GP nothing wrong , but he must have vast experience of what he is treating , not only text reading , but real world .

 

[randomuser]

Hi,

last winter I had a severe depression too. I don't know if mine was like yours, but I was feeling suicidal due to various factors, namely tinnitus, amplified by a hard clonazepam withdrawal that left me in a very bad place. Went to a psychiatrist who gave me sertraline, I started at 25 mg/day and now I'm currently taking 100 mg/day. It didn't had any effect on my t, you may feel anxious at the beginning but once it kicks in, you'll feel much better.

But I must say that everyone is different, I took sertraline because it's the AD that I find more effective for me after trying several ones during my life. If you're depressed, do something and seek help because it's a very dark place, once the depression lifts, even with tinnitus (assuming yours is not extremely severe) you'll cope better with it. As of today, mine is still the same as it was months ago, with good and bad days, but at least I can have a relatively normal life. I take care of my ears by not being exposed to loud sounds, avoid stress as much as possible and follow a healthy lifestyle, with plenty of vegs, fruits and avoiding excessive amount of sugars and salts/msg.

Good luck!

 

[Paulmanlike]

Hi guys

I've been on and off AD's for the last ten years or more as I suffer with another malady.

I quit AD's over 3 months ago, due to feeling okay within my mental health self and fear of making tinnitus worse.

Being off AD's and I feel my anxiety disorder has gotten more strong. My doctor has put me on a new antidepressant - sertraline 50mg for now with possible increase to 200mg for my anxiety disorder.

My question is, is that it says tinnitus is a common side effect of sertraline in the leaflet. I already suffer with tinnitus in my left ear. I don't want to make it worse yet I would want to try this medication to help with my issues.

There are conflicting reports on the internet, a search on google of tinnitus sertraline ehealthme shows that out of like 55,000 people, tinnitus incidence was 0.5% and 0.75% out of 70,000 people, that doesn't sound common?

There are also conflicting reports, with people claiming their tinnitus started or for a lot worse after being on the medicine. Then you have some websites claiming it doesn't cause tinnitus at all and the reason for it is because of the high number of people taking this medicine and the high prevalence of tinnitus.

Please anybody know any advice/information would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Nanny chocolate]

Hello Paul
I've had the most appalling change in T from Setraline. I've been on it for years, I had T prior to taking it, and had habituated. I started to withdraw, fine, on consulting with a GP it was decided to increase to 50mg again. Immediately I had a new noise in my T ear. Cue huge anxiety and depression. A different GP upped the dose and after one tab I now have crashing T in the other ear too. Also still the severe anxiety although the depression is slightly less. I've been suicidal and that thought doesn't go away. The painful noises are so hard to endure so please be very careful.
Eve

 

[just1morething]

I believe Kevin Hogan used Zoloft after stopping Nortriptyline due to side effects. He used Xanax also. I was a bit turned off by him when he was selling CD's though. Suggested retail prices vs his price sounded scammy to me. Otherwise he seemed to make sense.

https://www.kevinhogan.com/FAQ.htm

Why would anyone say anything like this? Totally inappropriate. Where does he derive his "List price" from? It seems everyone is into making money from tinnitus sufferers and then we lose trust.


List: $424.55
Your Price: $197.00
You Save: $227.55 (54 %)

Typical ENT evaluation. Then go home and live with it!!!

 

[Paulmanlike]

Hello Paul
I've had the most appalling change in T from Setraline. I've been on it for years, I had T prior to taking it, and had habituated. I started to withdraw, fine, on consulting with a GP it was decided to increase to 50mg again. Immediately I had a new noise in my T ear. Cue huge anxiety and depression. A different GP upped the dose and after one tab I now have crashing T in the other ear too. Also still the severe anxiety although the depression is slightly less. I've been suicidal and that thought doesn't go away. The painful noises are so hard to endure so please be very careful.
Eve

That's what I'm scared of Eve. Thanks for the reply. Are you certain it was because of the sertraline? I so wanted to try this medication for my anxiety disorder, but my existing T is bad enough and I've recently started to tolerate it better than I did in the past.

 

[Nanny chocolate]

Hi,
Nothing else was different!! I am now unable to work, spending money on hypnotherapy and homeopathy . My life is unrecognisable from how it was 2/3 months ago.
I would like to stop the sert but I'll have the severe withdrawal symptoms, I feel so trapped.
It's your call but maybe there are different options to try for your anxiety. Some people also experience unpleasant side effects when starting on sert.
I don't want to be a doom monger but I SO wish I could turn the clock back and do things differently. Eve