Fluoxetine — Good or Bad for Tinnitus?

[Penelope33]

Does anyone have any experience of taking fluoxetine for depression and anxiety from tinnitus?
I've got a prescription but unsure if to take or not. Could it make t worse?

 

[Karen]

Hi,@Penelope33,

I've never taken this drug myself, but I looked it up, and fluoxetine (Prozac) is listed as an ototoxic drug:
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/ototoxicupheaval.htm

Could you go back to your doctor, and ask if there is another drug that could be taken in place of this one, that will not cause any problems with your ears?

Good luck, and I'd like to hear what your doctor says.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[Beth]

Hi Penelope33,

I started taking fluoxotine but it really didn't suit me, but we're all different. I took sertraline (zoloft) which was brilliant. At first it made the t worse but apparently that's quite normal as it shakes up the brain a bit. You can read about it on Kevin Hogan's site. After about 4 weeks the t was back to it's normal level but I didn't hear it unless I made a point of listening to it. Zoloft has quite a strong anti anxiety effect so although the t was the same it bothered me not one bit. I stopped taking it after 9 months or so because I felt so good but then began to be worried about the sound again. Most people just carry on not being bothered but I got t because of very high anxiety due to past trauma so the antidepressents were just hiding that.

I'm now at the stage where I'm dealing with all the past and living with t without drugs. Some days it is still very difficult but I always know that if it gets too much I can take zoloft again and stay on it for longer but for now I feel for me it would be sweeping the issues under the carpet. I want to sort out all the emotional stuff then when the anxiety has gone I know I'll be as I was while taking the drug, ie t probably still there but me not caring less.

Hope you get sorted out. Take care, Beth.x

 

[Jake007]

Doc prescribed me 20mg fluoxitine, anybody had any success with this?

 

[mikeinOz]

Doc prescribed me 20mg fluoxitine, anybody had any success with this?

@Jake007 I took Fluox years ago when I first got my T. It was a life saver for me, stopped me obsessing over it and facilitated my habituation, which occurred about 2-3 months after i started the drug. Took about 4 weeks to have a positive effect on me and I didn't get any side effects except weight gain.