Citalopram and Existing Tinnitus

[SNK93]

I have had tinnitus for almost three months now and am still not coping that well. I had anxiety prior to tinnitus however this has now, understandably, got worse. In the last couple of weeks I have developed depersonalisation and derealisation from anxiety.
I have been given citalopram 10mg to help with anxiety however a common side effect mentioned is tinnitus and so I am very wary and unsure about whether to take this or not?
I really do need to get my anxiety under control to stop the DP and DR but don't want my tinnitus to get even worse?
Any advice and experience will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Atlantis]

I have had tinnitus for almost three months now and am still not coping that well. I had anxiety prior to tinnitus however this has now, understandably, got worse. In the last couple of weeks I have developed depersonalisation and derealisation from anxiety.
I have been given citalopram 10mg to help with anxiety however a common side effect mentioned is tinnitus and so I am very wary and unsure about whether to take this or not?
I really do need to get my anxiety under control to stop the DP and DR but don't want my tinnitus to get even worse?
Any advice and experience will be greatly appreciated!

Citalopram isn't damaging to the ear, it can make you hear your tinnitus more but if it does that for longer than a few weeks you can then just come off the drug and your tinnitus is the same as before

 

[SNK93]

Citalopram isn't damaging to the ear, it can make you hear your tinnitus more but if it does that for longer than a few weeks you can then just come off the drug and your tinnitus is the same as before

Thanks for the reply, that makes me feel a bit more optimistic about taking them. I was just worrying due to the leaflet saying tinnitus is a common side effect and as my tinnitus is already rather loud, the idea of it getting louder wasn't overly appealing!
Thanks again.

 

[Mike L]

When I got T the first time back in 2011-2012 area I also had anxiety issues from it. I was prescribed Xanax for the anxiety. Xanax did not increase mt T at ALL! It did decrease the volume of it substantially though. Everyone's body acts differently, but if you feel afraid to take the medicine you mentioned try to see if they will switch it for Xanax. Getting your anxiety under control is a major part of getting through this tough time.

You will make it through this.

 

[snow86]

Citalopram isn't damaging to the ear, it can make you hear your tinnitus more but if it does that for longer than a few weeks you can then just come off the drug and your tinnitus is the same as before

Citalopram made my T worse and after tapering off it wasnt the same as before. I would be careful with giving out guarantees like that

 

[InfiniteLoop]

@SNK93

I am taking 10mg/day of citalopram myself. It is a low dose to start with. I will recommend you taper up, a couple of days 1/4 pill, 2 days 1/2 pill, etc.... And check how it affects your T. I have been taking for two months and I have mostly positive reviews. No side effects. It has changed slightly my T sounds making them a little bit smoother and a notch less loud. The main effect is that I do not care about the noises as much as before. It is helping me with habituation. Now I am in a better state of mind and I can try other T management techniques like meditation and yoga that were very difficult when I was in the deep hole of emotional reaction to T.

 

[SNK93]

When I got T the first time back in 2011-2012 area I also had anxiety issues from it. I was prescribed Xanax for the anxiety. Xanax did not increase mt T at ALL! It did decrease the volume of it substantially though. Everyone's body acts differently, but if you feel afraid to take the medicine you mentioned try to see if they will switch it for Xanax. Getting your anxiety under control is a major part of getting through this tough time.

You will make it through this.

Yes, I definitely need to get it sorted. Thanks for the advice and encouragement!

 

[SNK93]

@SNK93

I am taking 10mg/day of citalopram myself. It is a low dose to start with. I will recommend you taper up, a couple of days 1/4 pill, 2 days 1/2 pill, etc.... And check how it affects your T. I have been taking for two months and I have mostly positive reviews. No side effects. It has changed slightly my T sounds making them a little bit smoother and a notch less loud. The main effect is that I do not care about the noises as much as before. It is helping me with habituation. Now I am in a better state of mind and I can try other T management techniques like meditation and yoga that were very difficult when I was in the deep hole of emotional reaction to T.

Thanks, yeah if I start them I will try easing into them first then. It's nice to see someone who has a positive review. I am set to start tinnitus retraining therapy soon so hopefully that will make things a lot better, fingers crossed!

 

[Atlantis]

Citalopram made my T worse and after tapering off it wasnt the same as before. I would be careful with giving out guarantees like that

Are you sure it was the citalopram?

 

[SNK93]

Citalopram made my T worse and after tapering off it wasnt the same as before. I would be careful with giving out guarantees like that

Really? It made it worse?
What was your experience? E.g. How long were you on them before you noticed it getting worse?
Apologies for all the questions.

 

[Florida John]

Really? It made it worse?
What was your experience? E.g. How long were you on them before you noticed it getting worse?
Apologies for all the questions.

how are you now? anything you can report?

 

[SNK93]

how are you now? anything you can report?

I am coping better with my tinnitus (as well as can be) which I am very proud of. I am still taking citalopram which I don't feel affects my tinnitus luckily for me. I am still trying to find the correct dosage to help my anxiety and depersonalisation etc which, after improving at first, is becoming worse again.
Thank you for asking, it is very kind of you.

 

[Mark_88]

I'm terribly sorry to bump a year old thread like this, but how are you now, SNK93? Like you, I have pre-existing mild T and want to start on Citalopram for depression. I'm trying to find out if T exacerbation as a side effect would be permanent or not. Temporary would be acceptable, but permanent would not be.

 

[TinnyTom]

Hi Mark,

I'm not the person who created this thread, but I went on Escitalopram (a kind of variant of Citalopram, as far as I can tell) about 3 weeks ago, and it has helped with the anxiety I was feeling about my t. It hasn't seemed to make my t worse. I don't know if t is listed as a side-effect though. I still have a couple of other side-effects (mainly head-aches) but so far so good.

 

[Mark_88]

Hi Mark,

I'm not the person who created this thread, but I went on Escitalopram (a kind of variant of Citalopram, as far as I can tell) about 3 weeks ago, and it has helped with the anxiety I was feeling about my t. It hasn't seemed to make my t worse. I don't know if t is listed as a side-effect though. I still have a couple of other side-effects (mainly head-aches) but so far so good.

Thank you kindly for the info. T is listed as a side effect, so it has me worried. I'm calling the pharmacy and drug manufacturer tomorrow in the hopes of getting more info. I really don't want permanently worse T along with the existing depression.

Hey, who knows, maybe it won't affect my T and I'll feel better. I'd like that. I could really use that help.

Kind regards,

Mark