Antidepressants and Hyperacusis

Street Spirit

Street Spirit

Member
Author
Benefactor
Feb 1, 2014
1,172
#1
Has anyone here taken an AD while having H and if so, experiences please. My doc wants me.on Cymbalta but I have heard horror stories and so she gave me lexapro ( even though I read horror stories on Neil Baumans site from person after person) I don't know how to deal with my depression anymore with H. Please help.me. I would rather stay as natural, I am already on clonazepam. I need something for.my GAD. I am dying here..I can't take much more...I have located a good audiologist in Toronto so I hope she can help as well.

My . doc . doesn't understand my fears with h. she doesnt understand my fear of having an MRI. She won't research H. ..I feel totally at a loss here...her answer is antidepressantsand I understand where she is coming from..lets rule out the preexisting depression and anxiety as cause..lets treat your depression. .but I could get worse. .if i get worse I couldn't handle it...I don't want worsened T. I told her I am petrified of MRI and she said "why?" Hello, I have decreased sound tolerance! she didn't even believe when I told her how loud they are!
 
#8
@Street Spirit

The generic version of Effexor (Venlafaxine) really helped to reduce the severity of my T and H by reducing my anxiety and depression. My H is only mild now on days that my T is loud. I have not been experiencing what I call "Raging T" since I've been on it.

Of course, there's no way to know if it would work for you as well as it has for me unless you try it.

Btw, this is the second time that I have used it over the years when I needed something. It is not addictive and coming off it was a breeze. You just need to taper off it gradually.

Good Luck, Lynn!
 
#9
A link about suicide is just what the doctor ordered when someone is asking for help isn't it.

The truth is that ADs help a lot of people. They aren't prescribed in their millions each year for nothing. There are posts on this site where people have improved to live a normal life taking ADs like Zoloft and Lexapro.

I too have T and GAD and have had H in the past which has thankfully largely subsided. I've never taken anything for it though have been prescribed a few things in the past. Life is hard and it's nice to hear success stories from people who have taken ADs to know that they can improve our life if we need them.

Hope you're feeling better now but if you feel you need to take the Lexapro, or whichever you choose, then give it a go without worrying about it too much. Experts like Dr Nagler say it is very unlikely that ADs make a persons condition permanently worse. If the drug isn't working for you then you can expect to return to as you are now after a few days to weeks after coming off it before trialling another drug that may work better for you.
 
#10
jimH said:
Effexor (Venlafaxine)
Click to expand...
Hey Lynn, this is the same AD John and Enza from H & T Facebook page has been prescribed.

But how to ask a psychiatrist for a certain AD, would he/she agree?
I mean it is our body. You can refuse an AD if you don't trust it?
Well that's my GAD too, always thinking in worst case scenarios.

I think I read that some H might be a shortage of serotine and that AD's indeed can help.
 
#12
Hmm effexor seems to be a winner so far! :)

Yes links to suicide really don't help my anxiety lol...anyways @Dr. Charlie I am aware of SSRI's and the possible risks along with benzos. I have heard of EFT but really don't know much about it.

SSRI's and suicide are probably not as common as depression and suicide.

With that said, I' ve tried the natural route since childhood. Now facing H, I feel natural just isn't cutting it as my depression goes deeper and deeper...Of course I want to try and gleam as much info regarding H and Ad's as possible before taking the plunge.

I really rather not take a pill that has been known to (possibly) cause H or T...but hey, maybe it will help? ! :)
 
#14
I also went the natural route all my life, had times of anxiety and depression before,
but not permanent and severe like I have since I got T and H.
I got that gut feeling in my belly. It's always the worst in the morning.
 
#15
I know that gut feeling. The best thing seems to be acceptance of it rather than try to fight it and figure it out. Going round and round in your own mind tying to figure out the answer to a question that has no answers is never a good idea for someone with GAD. Just try to drop every thought; it will get you nowhere other than deeper into a dark hole. Sure it would be nice to be normal but maybe that's the best we can do for now.

My anxiety is also worse in the mornings, as I assume most peoples probably is. I think that's because the mind becomes more dulled throughout the day and you just care a little bit less about things. I think dulling the mind a bit is something that SSRIs are good at, as well as raising mood.

Please keep us updated with your progress and best of luck!
 
#16
DutchGuy said:
I also went the natural route all my life, had times of anxiety and depression before,
but not permanent and severe like I have since I got T and H.
I got that gut feeling in my belly. It's always the worst in the morning.
Click to expand...

Same. Just a constant state of worry for me. (even on benzos) I was doing better but H and T bring such a level of uncertainty that for people like us who suffer with GAD its very hard to swallow..soooo CBT would also be great for us!

@Marcini spot on!!! I was just saying this last night. If I actually come to a place of acceptance, I truly think the depression would lift.

It's been a year of searching for answers and boards and reading all these stories and at the end of the day I may have learned alot but I have also read alot of very unhelpful things too.( but I do love TT :p)

Now I just want to focus on recovery- whatever that means for me.

I think antidepressants may help me adjust to "accepting" rather than trying on my own. My (anxious) problem-solving brain tends to want to keep searching until I find the answers- so I can fix it!

I'd like not to care for awhile. My mom use to take paxil, she called them her " I don't give a shit pills" hehe..

My doc said yesterday, forget the past, it's done. Focus on today, focus on the future.

It's a good point. But I still wish she'd learn more about Hyperacusis.
 
#17
@Street Spirit

Just want to add that it took about 5-7 days before I began to feel any improvement in my anxiety and depression. My doctor had told me to expect that. Anyway, it might vary from person to person. I just don't want you to feel that whatever you take is not working if you don't feel any improvement for a few days.
 
#18
7 days is very quick. The advice usually recommends at least 2 weeks before feeling any improvement with full efficacy not being realised for perhaps 6-12 weeks. It's important to try to stick them out even if they don't appear to be working immediately unless there is an immediate reason to quit.

I too used to search for cures on these sites as well but sadly there isn't one yet. We have to believe that one day there will be but stay positive in the meantime. With us having GAD we'd probably just find something new to worry about anyway.

Just out of interest has your hyperacusis not improved at all since its onset?
 
#19
@Marcini

It's been constant ups and downs..however I did make a massive improvement through summer but when my nerve pain returned in the fall, so did my H...then it just got worse and worse. I am not alone and some of us were thinking weather changes plays a role.

But, who knows ;) just have to roll with it, I guess. It was pretty rough a couple weeks ago and I am again making progress. Slow though. .I guess I'd probably be Cat 4 by Jastreboff standards.
 
#20
Winter certainly doesn't help. Exposure to cold or noise can give me mini setbacks ranging from a day to a couple of weeks but I seem to bounce back eventually. Not ideal though. If you do start to improve in the summer again then you'll just have to save up and move to the Caribbean.
 
#22
Remeron really made my H worse, it was very surreal about how much it turned the volume up, it took about 2 weeks for it to really turn it up, but it was almost overnight once it kicked it, couldn't even stand to shower it was too loud. It came back to normal after I got off though.
 
#24
With any anti-depressant, you're really not going to know how you respond to it until you try it and it usually takes several weeks and in some cases it can take several months to see any improvement. Patience is required. There is trial/error with ADs as no one can predict how your individual physiology will respond. Cymbalta is an SNRI so it's increasing not just Seratonin but also Norepinephrine.

I would also take a look at guided meditation. There are A LOT of great videos on Youtube and they have helped me with anxiety. I try to do 15-20 minutes of it every evening.

And I cannot emphasize the importance of exercise enough for both anxiety and depression. I do resistance training 2-3 days per week and aerobic-biking 25 minutes 6 days per week.

Focus on whole food diet: fruits, vegs, nuts, healthy/lean proteins, natural Greek yogurt (with Live Cultures!) is great for "gut bacteria" and immune system, true whole grain products if you like. Be sure to get sufficient Omega 3s too.
 
#25
Dr. Charlie said:
@Street Spirit

Please read the following before taking any anti-depressant medication.

http://www.breggin.com/31-49.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome

May I suggest that, in addition to seeking a qualified mental-health physician to oversee such medication, you also learn how to apply for yourself? It worked wonders for me.

http://EmoFree.com

Bless you,

Dr Charlie
Click to expand...

Dr. Charlie,

Suicidal cases have never been directly related to ADs and any association is very, very fringe at best. Many people with severe depression could not function without an AD. There is no question there are genetic and chemical patterns behind depression which makes medications necessary for some - although CBT and other means can also aid significantly.

Benzos in some cases can be problematic, but depends on individual profile and usage - and I agree a Psychiatrist should be overseeing anyone taking mental health meds.
 
#26
dh42 said:
Suicidal cases have never been directly related to ADs and any association is very, very fringe at best
Click to expand...
In fact broad evidence suggests that suicides fell since the introduction of the SSRI. Condemning them is ridiculous.
dh42 said:
"gut bacteria"
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention that. There have been a lot of studies linking gut health and mental health. Sadly it's very poorly understood but it is a very interesting avenue of discussion.
 
#28
dh42 said:
If I recall correctly, 95% of Seratonin is produced in the gut.
Click to expand...
The vast majority is certainly found in the gut. There have been all sorts of tests on poor mice and the use of probiotics to "cure" their anxiety. Maybe one day it will be better understood to provide help to humans.
 

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