Any Success Stories on Medication Induced Tinnitus?

[Lesly]

Hi everyone

If your tinnitus improved after medication with tinnitus listed as an uncommon (0,01-1% chance) or common side effect or you know of stories from other people, please do share with me.

Most of the stories I come across are from people with noise exposure.

Thanks!

 

[Anima]

Hi, Lesly!
My first tinnitus on set was antibiotic induced and it was severe. It happened 13 years ago. From the very beginning, I was in agony and suicidal, my life was absolutely turned upside down, nothing seemed to help: doctors, laser therapy, you name it… Consequently, I had to leave my profession. My life became miserable from a day to another, I couldn't believe that it was happening to me. Only Melatonin helped a bit. I did my best to keep away from benzos and antidepressants because I knew , as we say in Spain, they are "bread for today but hunger for tomorrow". Four years after that, during the following years, I started experiencing a progressive amelioration, which took me to a point that I could ignore the ringing most of the time, even at night, so I could take my life back. Finally, things got better on its own only with time.

Doctors and drugs did it again though. Last April, I was injected Propofol to induce me to sedation for a gastroscopy. Three days later, my tinnitus awaked me at night, it was screaming full blast. Since that night, my tinnitus increased and became even more severe than the previous on set. Once more, I was in misery. Agony and suicidal thoughts were back in my life. Sadness and despair, sleepless nights, food avoidance, anger, panic attacks, social withdrawal, etc., took over my life and put me in a destructive spiral that was addressing me to death. My family helped a lot, can't say the same about doctors or friends. Exceptionally, I accepted Benzos (Lorazepam + Diazepam) as the only way to have some sleep at night, Melatonin alone was not enough, I couldn't care less about becoming addicted to medication if that was the price to pay to get KO during a few hours. Seven months after that fatal event, I feel a little better (cross my fingers) so I only take a low dose of Diazepam (2.5 mg) + Melatonin. My life is still rough though and I have a lot of ups and downs which are typical of tinnitus like mine (very loud, changeable and extremely reactive to noise), but the horrible attacks and spikes that plagued me during the first few months seem that have decreased, although you never know; this condition is treacherous, and unexplained changes happen very often. I hope though that time will make things easier again.

Best regards.

 

[Lesly]

@Anima thank you so much for you're response and sharing your story. It's amazing what medications can do to our bodies. It seems like you had a really bad experience. Would you say your tinnitus eventually went away the first time(if so, after how long) and did you do any hearing tests and OAEs? I really hope you get better with time.

 

[Anima]

Lesly, yes it's amazing and very sad. Most of the drugs like antibiotics, anaesthetics and anti-inflammatory, are absolutely necessary when you go for a surgery, but they can potentially harm hearing or induce tinnitus. I live in a dilemma, I should go for eye surgery and I'm terrified, only two drops of the anaesthetic they used to explore my eye gave me a Spike that lasted till next day, I couldn't sleep that night. I'm very sensitive to all those drugs and I've no choice: just take it or live it. I really feel hopeless because my eyesight depends on that surgery.

No, my tinnitus didn't go away, but it diminished a lot. That happened gradually and started about four years after the first onset . Yes, I did a lot of hearing tests, OAEs and all you can imagine and saw a myriad of doctors.

I'm deft in my left ear and have lost 60% hearing in the right one, but my hearing problems already existed long before the toxic medication . 25 years ago I was diagnosed of otosclerosis in my left ear, then the problem started in my right one. I've lived all these years thinking I had otosclerosis. Guess what? I don't have otoesclerosis, a high definition CT scan they took from my ears recently proofs it. No sight of sclerosis in my middle ear, the problem is in the inner ear, due to a chronic exposure to loud noise during many years, now I see it clear. How can this be possible after all the hearing tests I went through? I'm a living proof that it is possible. After the scan the doctor sent me for an OAE, but I refused because the emissions are about 90db loud, and my tinnitus would spike badly. Why should I have it? I know it's to confirm that my problem is my inner ear, but I already know it is. Why should I go through that? No way.

I never had tinnitus before the medication, it began with a hum two days after I started with the antibiotics, which I stopped immediately, but it was already too late. I assume that my ears were already in a bad condition, but I didn't have tinnitus. Why was I given a ototoxic medication then? That's a question that I keep asking to myself since then. I could think it was bad luck, but it was not, it's just that some doctors don't have a good knowledge of side effects when they prescribe a drug, and mine was one of them.

Thank you for your good wishes, I wish you all the best and a soon recovery too.

Warm regards.

PS. Excuse the long post, I usually make them too long, I know.

 

[fishbone]

Harsh antibiotics raised my old baseline to a new, louder one. It never went back to my old baseline. It is, what it is. We accept it and move forward...

 

[jjflyman]

@Anima thank you so much for you're response and sharing your story. It's amazing what medications can do to our bodies. It seems like you had a really bad experience. Would you say your tinnitus eventually went away the first time(if so, after how long) and did you do any hearing tests and OAEs? I really hope you get better with time.

Lot of people experience T as a side effect from certain drugs. You did not mention the drug, or the amount of time you were on it, but most times the T eventually fades away, but it can take many months. It would appear the member Anima had the worst case scenario and has other issues with her hearing, but for a vast majority, the T will fade in time and you will get your life back.

 

[tiniturtle]

This is an old thread, but mine was drug induced. It hasn't gone away in over 2 years now, but it's gotten much better.

 

[all to gain]

This is an old thread, but mine was drug induced. It hasn't gone away in over 2 years now, but it's gotten much better.

I hope to god mine gets better.

Has the sound level lowered or have you just gotten uses to it? Did you have a high pitched whining sound? What's it like now?

 

[tiniturtle]

I hope to god mine gets better.

Has the sound level lowered or have you just gotten uses to it? Did you have a high pitched whining sound? What's it like now?

Both. It seems to have lowered plus I got used to it. It's still high pitched and noticeable, but it doesn't really bother me anymore. Sometimes I don't hear it at all. I used to have sound sensitivity and some "beeping" in my left ear for a while, but that's been gone for a long time now.

 

[all to gain]

Both. It seems to have lowered plus I got used to it. It's still high pitched and noticeable, but it doesn't really bother me anymore. Sometimes I don't hear it at all. I used to have sound sensitivity and some "beeping" in my left ear for a while, but that's been gone for a long time now.

Did you stop the drug that induced the tinnitus?

 

[Star64]

This is an old thread, but mine was drug induced. It hasn't gone away in over 2 years now, but it's gotten much better.

I noticed your tinnitus started after Paromycin, I was always told anything that ended with mycin had the potential to cause hearing problems including tinnitus. I am glad you have noticed some change over the past two year period for the better, hopefully this continues for you.

 

[Star64]

I hope to god mine gets better.

Has the sound level lowered or have you just gotten uses to it? Did you have a high pitched whining sound? What's it like now?

It is very early days for you yet all to gain, you must not give up hope of it getting better, I have had a 50 percent reduction in the past two day period after having what I describe as level 10 tinnitus. It was deafening and I could not mask it...

My tinnitus from benzo use caused my ears to hear sounds like a fire alarm, plus whooshing and buzzing in my brain. Then I heard all sorts of horrible tones on top of that, plus I had hyperacusis.

The last two days I have just a high pitched whining sound and slight hiss, I can cope much better with this than fire alarms, and all the other horrid tones. Stay strong

 

[all to gain]

It is very early days for you yet all to gain, you must not give up hope of it getting better, I have had a 50 percent reduction in the past two day period after having what I describe as level 10 tinnitus. It was deafening and I could not mask it...

My tinnitus from benzo use caused my ears to hear sounds like a fire alarm, plus whooshing and buzzing in my brain. Then I heard all sorts of horrible tones on top of that, plus I had hyperacusis.

The last two days I have just a high pitched whining sound and slight hiss, I can cope much better with this than fire alarms, and all the other horrid tones. Stay strong

It's just that I'm still on one of the two drugs that caused my tinnitus (i.e. Prozac) and I can't get off of it.
I'm really worried that it is still causing untold damage to my ears as we speak.

 

[Star64]

It's just that I'm still on one of the two drugs that caused my tinnitus (i.e. Prozac) and I can't get off of it.
I'm really worried that it is still causing untold damage to my ears as we speak.

It is a worry when we take medications which could be the result of our tinnitus, where you on both medications at the same time when your tinnitus first started?

I know you have tried unsuccessfully in the past to cease the antidepressant, so this is a hard situation to find oneself in especially if you feel it is the cause of your tinnitus. I was given an antidepressant years ago for hormonal issues, it caused my tinnitus to get new tones. The doctor wanted me to take a higher dose as he believed this would stop the extra tones and louder ringing.

I decided to cease the drug, and my tinnitus returned to its normal baseline for awhile. Then the spikes got bad again and this time I was told try Clonazepam, as you know that was my downfall, so medications have done nothing to help my tinnitus, they have only made it worse.

I do not know what is the best thing for you to do, you could try again to come off the Prozac, but you would need to be closely monitored.

 

[all to gain]

It is a worry when we take medications which could be the result of our tinnitus, where you on both medications at the same time when your tinnitus first started?

I know you have tried unsuccessfully in the past to cease the antidepressant, so this is a hard situation to find oneself in especially if you feel it is the cause of your tinnitus. I was given an antidepressant years ago for hormonal issues, it caused my tinnitus to get new tones. The doctor wanted me to take a higher dose as he believed this would stop the extra tones and louder ringing.

I decided to cease the drug, and my tinnitus returned to its normal baseline for awhile. Then the spikes got bad again and this time I was told try Clonazepam, as you know that was my downfall, so medications have done nothing to help my tinnitus, they have only made it worse.

I do not know what is the best thing for you to do, you could try again to come off the Prozac, but you would need to be closely monitored.

Yes, I was on both medications. I feel they may have interacted with one another. Whatever, one or both were almost definitely the cause of my tinnitus.

I really don't know what to do! I fear things are just worse and worse.

 

[Star64]

Yes, I was on both medications. I feel they may have interacted with one another. Whatever, one or both were almost definitely the cause of my tinnitus.

I really don't know what to do! I fear things are just worse and worse.

Yes, both the medications you were on have been known to cause tinnitus, SSRI medications have been known to make tinnitus worse, not everyone experiences this though, I am sure you are probably aware of this study:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319077.php

Every medication I have ever taken to help my tinnitus ended up doing the opposite, antidepressants and benzos nearly sent me over the edge. I am sorry you are left in this predicament, it would be so hard to know what to do.