Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOs, TCAs, TeCAs)

[Lulubug69]

Thank you Erik.
I was once told by an ENT that nearly 80% of people who are put in a quiet room, heard some type of noise. Same idea.

 

[Relic Hunter]

Yes, I have tried and currently take buspar. It had no affect on my tinnitus whatsoever. I'm not convinced it's that great of an anti-anxiety drug though, as it did not seem to touch my panic attacks. It is a non-benzodiazepine drug though, which makes it desirable in that you will not become addicted to it, or suffer withdrawals much when you discontinue it.

Thank you for your reply..I will be seeing my neurologist next week and will be trying to get him to put me on a new anxiety drug..I took benzos (knopolin) for several years but came off it last year. Since them my anxiety is up as well as the tinnitus.

 

[Cher69]

I know I needed help to deal with the anxiety I found myself riddled with - I couldn't rationalise the sounds and needed help - I have hardly ever been to the docs - having babies was a walk in the park for me - but dealing with anxiety and lack of sleep was a nightmare - I need AD's and citalopram has helped me and now I am also taking a low dose Ad for night time to help me sleep better - and I feel great - bit scared about coming off the tablets but hey one step at a time

If ya need help ask and get a Doc on-side you trust and can follow your progress - cher x

 

[jmccombs82]

I started an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety med yesterday with hopes that it would reduce my anxiety. I took 20mg of Celexa and found myself screwed up. On top of that...I was unable to sleep last night. It was horrible. It brought back nightmares of the prednisone days when I had insomnia. I am NOT willing to sacrafice my sleep for the sake of anxiety. I am wondering if anyone had this struggle in the beginning of their ringing.

How did people find ways to cope without medication or is it when you accept the ringing that the anxiety decreases. I find that when I am anxious my ears gets a lot louder. When I am calm I just have a silent ringing in my left ear.

I feel like this month has been up and down for me. While lying away last night I realized "I have to find a way to cope without flipping medication. I don't want to be a slave to an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety med and need meds to sleep too. It seems like you are a slave to meds.

Can anyone offer any advice on the anti-depressant/anti-anxiety realm and discuss their journey and if it helped or not. More importantly, were the side effects worth the nightmarish weeks that your body is getting used it them?

 

[Scubadude]

Stop the meds now my friend and seek council with your doctor. Celexa is a big no no, I copied a link for you to check out Arches Tinnitus Formula | Ototoxicity: Medications that Cause Tinnitus
I'm sure your doctor could be able to prescribe a non ototoxic (ear damaging) medication.

Get a Doctor and overrule him by asking for auditory test etc. Your not crazy we've all got the T in some shape or form
it's how you deal with it. I'm here and so are many others..

 

[attheedgeofscience]

If you haven't tried Melatonin yet, then give that a go first. You need to take 6 mg, ½ hour before bedtime. I generally don't have problems with sleeping, but when I was in Thailand for stem cell therapy, I was given steroids also, and so I asked for sleeping pills. However, the doctor suggested I try Melatonin instead. It worked.

I am not a huge fan of using medication for long periods of time - especially sleeping pills and anti depressants. So try Melatonin first.

 

[Markku]

or is it when you accept the ringing that the anxiety decreases.

Yes, I think so. Acceptance is key.

Our personality types also may play a part in how perceive tinnitus: The distressed (Type D) personality i... [Psychosomatics. 2010 Jan-Feb] - PubMed - NCBI

Many, many people need medication early on with tinnitus, there's no shame in that at all.

The early adverse effects in the beginning might only last for a few days / a week, not necessarily weeks.

attheedgeofscience has a point about melatonin though. Of course it's better if you can avoid SSRIs or benzodiazepines.

And as you said, sleep is very important, so try not to let anything negatively affect that if possible.

 

[jmccombs82]

I feel that everyone becomes so afraid of anything that will increase the ringing. You almost become a hypochondriac. This cannot be something that paralyzes a person and there are people on here that seem to be frozen because of this issues. I have a doctor appointment on tuesday to test my hearing. I also made an appointment with a psychiatrist to see about anti-anxiety meds. I am trying to stay postive. I can understand how our personality types influence our perception of the ear ringing.

My question is this...are the first few months the most difficult?

 

[Markku]

My question is this...are the first few months the most difficult?

Yes. Only relatively few say that their reaction to tinnitus hasn't improved in 6 months since onset, for example.

As a general rule that applies to the majority, the first months are the most difficult. Then it gets easier to handle.

 

[Carlo]

I feel that everyone becomes so afraid of anything that will increase the ringing. You almost become a hypochondriac. This cannot be something that paralyzes a person and there are people on here that seem to be frozen because of this issues. I have a doctor appointment on tuesday to test my hearing. I also made an appointment with a psychiatrist to see about anti-anxiety meds. I am trying to stay postive. I can understand how our personality types influence our perception of the ear ringing.

My question is this...are the first few months the most difficult?

After 4 months my reaction to T has improved. But I had too a anti-anxiety treatment - the first days were terrible.
My advice is first to protect your sleep (melatonin, drugs, whatever that works for you), and it's really good you are trying to stay positive, it's really important.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

I feel that everyone becomes so afraid of anything that will increase the ringing. You almost become a hypochondriac. This cannot be something that paralyzes a person and there are people on here that seem to be frozen because of this issues. I have a doctor appointment on tuesday to test my hearing. I also made an appointment with a psychiatrist to see about anti-anxiety meds. I am trying to stay postive. I can understand how our personality types influence our perception of the ear ringing.

My question is this...are the first few months the most difficult?

I have earlier today commented on this forum's inability to understand ototoxicity (not directed at yourself, but at those who contribute to the hype, by misinformation). Ototoxicity is something that develops over time (= weeks/months - even for the really ototoxic stuff such as chemotherapy and antibiotics ending in -mycin). I am not an expert on SSRIs, but as far as I know, any tinnitus which may develop, does so when withdrawing from these (and then only if you have been on the stuff for a while). I keep reading about people thinking they get tinnitus from taking a couple of semi high doses of ibuprofen. That's not how ototoxicity happens...!

If you have anxiety, then take anxiety medication. But if you have sleeping problems, then anxiety medication may not be sufficient (even though it is mildly sleep inducing). Doctors prefer to prescribe anti anxiety medication for insomnia because it is less addictive than sleeping pills. But if you have loud tinnitus it will not do the trick. Try Melatonin first. That is my advice.

 

[jmccombs82]

I am having a really difficult time. I find that I am anxious all the time. Today I feel incredibly brittle and scared. At this point it does not seem like things will get better. I find that I have to keep sounds to a minimum in my left ear otherwise I feel the ringing competes with the sound. I feel like I am on the verge of crying. I feel like medication would help me but don't know if losing sleep is worth it. I feel utterly alone and sad at this point.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

I am having a really difficult time. I find that I am anxious all the time. Today I feel incredibly brittle and scared. At this point it does not seem like things will get better. I find that I have to keep sounds to a minimum in my left ear otherwise I feel the ringing competes with the sound. I feel like I am on the verge of crying. I feel like medication would help me but don't know if losing sleep is worth it. I feel utterly alone and sad at this point.

I need to grab myself some dinner (it is 9 PM here in Germany and I still haven't eaten yet). I will respond to your post shortly.

 

[Cher69]

Hey - had to jump on this thread - I know how you feel jmccombs82 - I have had good success with Citalopram and trazadone combo at the moment - but this route isnt right for everyone and I have read some people just dont handle AD's well. You should advise from the doctor about which ones have a better track record on side effects but even then its still a personal thing how our bodies react to meds.

If you are sleeping OK then do protect that - my biggest problem was the lack of sleep and anxiety over not sleeping so for me the AD's was the right road to combat both.

I think its a matter of weighing up the pros and cons - I remember saying to the doc I was worried about increasing the T volume if I take the AD's but he said it depends on what I feel I needed most at that moment - the meds that will help the anxiety and aid sleep and the benefits that would bring - or the risk of increasing my T - statisically the first option won, how I felt at that moment I need help to get the old me back then I new I could deal with T if I could have those things.

So fingers crossed and meds persribed - the only down side is it does take 4-6 weeks to get the full effect of AD's

I hope you can talk things through with the doctors then make a decision what to try - you can alway try another route if it doesnt work - reading the experineces on here lots of people have tried different things to get the right combo for them. Its now all about time to try the things to help you cope.

You will get there - be kind to yourself little steps - remember all the positive points and improvements and confidence will come again

Keep us posted - Cherx

 

[jmccombs82]

I just don't know what to do. I work in the mental health field and my anxiety and own personal struggles appear to get in the way of my job. It is so terribly difficult.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

I just don't know what to do. I work in the mental health field and my anxiety and own personal struggles appear to get in the way of my job. It is so terribly difficult.

You need to take sickness leave. Now.

 

[Markku]

I just don't know what to do. I work in the mental health field and my anxiety and own personal struggles appear to get in the way of my job. It is so terribly difficult.

I agree with attheedgeofscience above. It's best if you took sick leave.

I also get the impression that tinnitus is currently a significant problem for you, and that some counseling sessions with a therapist/psychologist might help.

You are stuck in the highly destructive phase of tinnitus, and talking things out with a professional could help. Well, you know this already as you work in the field.

Rest assured though that one month old tinnitus is still considered acute, and you will most likely not feel the same 3 months from now. This is not the end of your life.

 

[jmccombs82]

I am afraid of that.

 

[jmccombs82]

why did this happen to me? I am so terribly upset.

 

[Beth]

I started an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety med yesterday with hopes that it would reduce my anxiety. I took 20mg of Celexa and found myself screwed up. On top of that...I was unable to sleep last night. It was horrible. It brought back nightmares of the prednisone days when I had insomnia. I am NOT willing to sacrafice my sleep for the sake of anxiety. I am wondering if anyone had this struggle in the beginning of their ringing.

How did people find ways to cope without medication or is it when you accept the ringing that the anxiety decreases. I find that when I am anxious my ears gets a lot louder. When I am calm I just have a silent ringing in my left ear.

I feel like this month has been up and down for me. While lying away last night I realized "I have to find a way to cope without flipping medication. I don't want to be a slave to an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety med and need meds to sleep too. It seems like you are a slave to meds.

Can anyone offer any advice on the anti-depressant/anti-anxiety realm and discuss their journey and if it helped or not. More importantly, were the side effects worth the nightmarish weeks that your body is getting used it them?

Hi, I took antidepressents when I'd had tinnitus for about 3 months because I was in a real state about it. Lost loads of weight, couldn't sleep or eat and felt suicidal. I took Zoloft for about 8 months and the first few weeks were awful but apparently that is to be expected and is no indication that the drugs will not work, it's just an unfortunate side effect that they 'stir things up a bit' before having the right effect. Zoloft has quite an anti anxiety effect so within 6 weeks the tinnitus was absolutely no problem whatsoever, yet the sound had not decreased at all but I just couldn't have cared less. I came off them with no problem because I used the help of a kinesiologist to do so but after about 8 weeks the noise gradually started to bother me again. I realized that I was covering up the real problem by taking the meds and that anxiety was obviously the problem not the tinnitus because that didn't change. Getting rid of my anxiety had changed my attitude to tinnitus totally and the tinnitus had not changed at all but my attitude had. I then realized that tinnitus is so often just a symptom of something else that needs sorting out. You may not have any underlying problems of anxiety, stress or depression so a few weeks on meds may sort you out but make sure you deal with any emotional issues while you're on the meds then when you stop taking them you will be fine. Often people with tinnitus are full of adrenaline, in the 'fight or flight' mode all the time so the subconcious is tuning in to every little sound, including the perfectly normal internal brain/blood flow sounds that you wouldn't normally be aware of. I have been through some pretty rough patches but at the moment I can hear my tinnitus because writing this has brought it to my awareness but it bothers me as much as I'm bothered that grass is green. You will be OK. Give it time and be kind to yourself. Sometimes tinnitus is telling us to listen to ourselves and sort out problems; we're often much better and believe it or not even happier than in our pre tinnitus days because we know we are strong and capable and when you get to the point where it doesn't bother you any more you will appreciate life all the more.

I know this is a difficult and traumatic stage you're going through but HOPE; Hang On, Pain Ends. You will be OK. XX

 

[jmccombs82]

why did this happen to me? I am so terribly upset. I cry at the drop of a hat. I took celexa for 1 day yesterday and was unable to sleep more than 3 hours (with 20mg amitriptalyine (spelling) and melatonin. I woke up at 3AM an starred at the wall. I don't know what to do. My work is suffering. My relationships are suffering. I felt better on the celexa during the day (I did not panic). I feel so utterly lost.

 

[jmccombs82]

it just keeps fluctuating in sound. i am not sure if it is anxiety or that i am listening to it. i was supposed to fly to Seattle today but cancelled my trip because I am not myself.

 

[Hudson]

While I'm not a health professional, it definitely sounds like your anxiety about the tinnitus is severely impacting your ability to function. Go see a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Perhaps a psychiatrist will have a good medication to help you regain your footing, and coupled with some counselling, you can dig yourself out of the anxiety hold. Nothing is worse than that bone crushing anxiety.

 

[jmccombs82]

I just don't want to lose my job.

 

[jmccombs82]

I was an anxious person before this. I am just having a difficult time staying present outside of the ringing. It has truly thrown me through a loop.

 

[Markku]

I was an anxious person before this. I am just having a difficult time staying present outside of the ringing. It has truly thrown me through a loop.

It is truly unfortunate. I am empathetic to your situation.

But you can't go in circles. You need to act on this and see a psychiatrist / psychologist like has been suggested.

I can't imagine you could lose your job over a sick leave and/or getting professional help.

Book an appointment, and go from there.

Do you agree? Or what is your game plan now?

 

[jmccombs82]

I booked an appointment with a psychiatrist and psychologist. I know my anxieyt is directly related to my response to the ringing. The ringing becomes my barometer for anxieyt. When it increases I know that I am anxious. We have two psychiatists that work in our clinic. I just spoke with them both and noticed my anxiety decrease dramatically. I think the most difficult thing about this job is listening to people in their own struggles and knowing that I am having my own difficulties. Right now I am calm and my ringing is manageable. I am cautious about noise though. I find that my ringing calms down if it is relatively quite.

 

[inadmin]

attheedgeofscience has a point about melatonin though. Of course it's better if you can avoid SSRIs or benzodiazepines.

Why would you recommend avoiding SSRI? After all they can help with the depression this condition can cause, it's not all about anxiety.

 

[Markku]

Why would you recommend avoiding SSRI? After all they can help with the depression this condition can cause, it's not all about anxiety.

I prefer natural alternatives to drugs if possible. That's my personal opinion, yeah.

But when push comes to shove, of course SSRIs - antidepressants and anxiolytics as a whole - are more than okay.

It's just that I think nowadays drugs are prescribed a bit too easily, and I'd rather not mess with my own serotonergic system unless the situation really was so bad that medication was needed.

Each to their own, and every situation is different.
I'm not saying that people should be unnecessarily and uncontrollably anxious and depressed or suffer from insomnia when there are working drugs available to take. Drugs are good in the right situations (like jmccombs82's does seem to be).

@jmccombs82, how are you doing today?

 

[jmccombs82]

@Markku I am doing okay this morning. I went to bed last night and slept for 12 hour straight. I woke up a few times with a splitting headache. I also woke up to a new sound. This has been happening since the ringing started. I can say that it has changed tone/pitch/volume every week. There are some moments when it is not there and some moments when it is all I hear. Today is a new sound that I have never heard before. Almost an electric sound. I still have the splitting headache. I am wondering if it is the side effect of stopping Celexa (even after 1 day). I go to a new ENT on Tuesday. I also made an appt. with a psychiatrist in a couple weeks. I don't know what will come of it but I am trying to be proactive.

I am still on the fence about work. I spoke (well cried) to my boss yesterday and she brought up the sick leave. I have about two weeks of vacation packed up and I might take that as well. There is a part of me that things the continual changing of sound means that something is happening. It seems that this condition is mysterious on all fronts. I have never had a high pitched sound in my ears (isn't that supposed to be noise induced). I also find that when I am nervous/anxious both of my ears start ringing. I rub them and they stop. It is a strange phenomenon. The other thing that I have to find is some noise that is perfect for my office. When I work with clients I cannot have distracting sound. For some reason, the acoustics sound strange in my office and any sound amplifies the ringing. When I walk out of my office it is a totally different experience.

I assume the first few months are the ones where we panic and try to run from the sounds. I have started to tell myself to focus on the outside noise. I have to remind myself all the time. I have many ups and downs it seems. I know one thing is for sure, my anxiety feeds into the ringing. I have always been an anxious person (since I was a little girl) and tend to fixate on things. I have gone back and forth for years about taking medication to help take the edge off. I have even talked about it with my boyfriend. Its funny because I have clients who are on medication for depression/anxiety/bipolar/schizophrenia and I find myself asking them objectively about their experience with meds. For some they say it is absolutely needed (schizophrenics take meds to reduce the chatter and bipolar take meds to stabilize their up and down moods).

I have almost equated our experience to that of schizophrenics. At first they are scared of the voices in their heads but they realize it is their brain making the voices. This video link I posted is an amazing TED talk about learning to live with schizophrenia and it makes me think of our situation as well.

Eleanor Longden: The voices in my head | Video on TED.com

I am going to get ready and take a walk in my favorite meadow. It manages to calm me down. I am still more on the side of running away from the sound but I assume over time our habituation is our brains way of accepting the noise. It is a crazy, frightening, courageous, daunting journey.

Thanks for the thoughts.