Levetiracetam (Keppra) Worked for My Hyperacusis

[Christian78]

Starting Keppra this week for my reactive tinnitus. How long did it take for you to start noticing effects? Second week im using Trobalt which decreases my tonal tinnitus but it has no effect on reactive tinnitus. You started at a dosage of 2x500 and never went up? @Danny Boy how long were you on 2x500 mg and how fast did you taper up?

yes

My tinnitus is grave now, it worsened 9th time last 10 days are hell and try to survive morning, then afternoon, then evening. I hope u will understand what it was short. started with 500 few days, then rest 1,5 month 1000, and slowed down few days on 500...

have a nice day

btw. during that time tinnitus went up two times

 

[medal]

@Danny Boy sorry man it's probably somewhere in the comments but how long did it take for you to notice any difference in your reactive tinnitus? Just finished my first week on Keppra.

 

[Christian78]

I used keppra 1000mg but that reactivity came back after stop and i dont know is there connection but i got my tinnitus going up for a level while i was on keppra.

 

[Zora]

@Christian78 what was the cause of your T? And do you know why it got worse those times? Im sorry to hear that ur T is so loud

 

[medal]

I used keppra 1000mg but that reactivity came back after stop and i dont know is there connection but i got my tinnitus going up for a level while i was on keppra.

Ah shit doesn't sound good:/ Your reactive tinnitus got back when you got off Keppra, I'm sorry to hear that. Wondering if I get different results, I'll post them soon. Still not sure if @Danny Boy reactiveness came back?

 

[medal]

Yes, it was very reactive to certain sounds (in my left ear), such as certain car engines or my baby daughter crying. Keppra has really helped, if not completely solved that.

May I know what your daily dosage was? Is your reactive tinnitus still gone now you're off Keppra?

 

[Christian78]

@Christian78 what was the cause of your T? And do you know why it got worse those times? Im sorry to hear that ur T is so loud

I dont know, hearing demagge, stress, i took medicine and woke up with it, it went worse more than 9 times , it lvl go up in last 2,5 years

 

[Rafa blues]

Do u guys reckon Keppra could work on H, even if u have it (with tinnitus ..) for 12 years ? I was in a rock band so I've damaged my ears ..
What do u think @Danny Boy @Viking ?
thanks in advance for all your support in this website guys, god bless you..

 

[Hyperacusis223]

Wanna hear a good anecdote???? -Trobalt cured Danny boy lol.

Hi Dan,

I would like to start taking Trobalt for Hyperacusis. Are there any side effects?
Are you taking any meds? My Hyperacusis started few months ago due to a loud alarm. Help.

 

[Mithrandir]

Try trobalt, it can function but I tried it and it was a fail for my H, good luck

 

[mandi]

@Danny Boy Do you plan to stay on Keppra forever? Did you try to get off? How did it go? Most of us are afraid of the addiction and not being able to get off without severe effects. Also, I am new to all this, and many say the H will fade possibly after awhile, so was going to give it some time yet with other modalities first.

 

[undecided]

Keppra is not an addiction forming drug. It is quite safe.
You can pretty much get off it very quickly, with a very fast tapering schedule.
Cold turkey is not advised for "just in case" reasons, as with pretty much any drug.

 

[mandi]

It's not ototoxic at all? Why aren't more hyperacusis sufferers on it if its no problem?

The trobalt isn't ototoxic either? Is the trobalt hard to come off?

 

[jazzy]

Hi, I'm new here, been browsing for 6 months though. Hyperacusis. is my problem, only mild tinnitus.
The hyperacusis started after taking the antidepressant Paxil/ Aropax, but for me the pain goes through my whole nervous system, even starting from my feet up, but not localized in my ears.
I have multiple illnesses, my nervous system is extremely overactive. I'm on oxycodone for neuropathy, and it helps the hyperacusis a little, but not much.
I can only see people a few times a day as the H. is so severe, and can't go out to shops etc.
It started about 18 months ago, getting rapidly worse over a 2 week period, but I didn't connect it to the Paxil.
I'm on clomazepam/ Rivotril/ klonopin too. It helps a little but not much.
Wondering about keppra.
Typing is very difficult, so I may not be able to answer for hours or longer.
Thanks so much for listening. J

 

[SilverSpiral]

My tinnitus went crazy on certain sounds, like fans, it would react and go eeeeeee but now after keppra, that's all gone. Also, it must've been hyperacusis, as all sounds were amplified and hurt, so now it's cured. As I said the science behind it makes perfect sense " Studies to date confirm the importance of Kv3 channels at all levels of the auditory pathway. Profiling of our lead compound shows it can modulate function in both brainstem and cortex". As you can see, it makes perfect sense for this to work for hyperacusis.

I have reactive T where I will not hear the details of certain frequencies of sound in music, instead i hear a somewhat louder puretone like sound? On top of constant largely unmaskable tinnitis in one ear. Could keppra help me?

 

[undecided]

Unlikely. As in the thread title, Keppra seems to help with hyperacusis, not tinnitus - and even that is nowhere near a definitive statement.
Some people would say that reactive tinnitus is a distant cousin of hyperacusis but that's just semantics.
Wouldn't hurt to try though. Keppra has its side effects but they're nowhere near as awful as other drugs.

 

[Pasternak]

So far, Keppra works like charm for my highly reactive hyperacusis. Actually, it was way more bothering the T itself.

 

[lambos]

Has anyone tried Biviracetam which is similar to keppra but suppose to be very effective for epilepsy?

 

[Sen]

What are the dangers of taking Keppra over the long term?

 

[Jamclem]

I would love to know how many people have tried Keppra; how many had success for H, how many did not.

It is a pitty nothing is said about its benefits for hyperacusis, reactivity of T. Even the Tinnitus Talk survey which was really informative does not mention anything of it.

Have a nice evening everyone

 

[Jim51042]

@Pasternak are you still taking it? If not have the effects wore off or do you still experience a lack of H?

 

[Pasternak]

@Pasternak are you still taking it? If not have the effects wore off or do you still experience a lack of H?

I've used it for a little over a month. My H was pretty much gone by now but I think it was rather natural adaptation as I was still in the acute phase.

 

[Taylorslay]

Oh, I have. At least in my country. I paid a lot of doctors, no conclusion. Imagine that: Even the one doc that suggested mvc and MRI AC that showed the finding, said that hearing those sounds while walking is natural for everybody that has Tinnitus! Gave me Neurontin and left it to that! No other effort to help me. Just told me that even if the finding is responsible for my T (nobody can say for sure) no doctor in my country would operate it.

As you see, they can easily drive you crazy (not to mention penny-less) with their totally superficial approach to the problem.

No it is not. At least with normal Tinnitus I can't say I've experienced it. I can say that when I do more abrupt cardio or fast paced cardio I can hear my heart beat in one ear for a few minutes until it settles down but I can't say it happens when I walk.

 

[Taylorslay]

I know this is an old thread but I was reading about Hyperacusis on a bunch of websites seeing all what they said and I found this:

"Anti-seizure drugs (for example gabapentin, topiramate, levetiracetam) may be effective in persons with hyperacusis due to irritable neural pathways. These may be working on similar circuitry as is helpful for migraine. Generally speaking, seizure medications that work for migraine are also mood stabilizers, so they may also be helpful there."

https://dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/hearing/hyperacusis.htm

I can't say it is much of any help at this point but I thought I might as well post it.


"
Chemical name: Levetiracetam

• Proprietary names: Keppra®
• Data: Two small prospective open-label studies suggested efficacy of levetiracetam in migraine prophylaxis (Brighina et al. 2006; Pakalnis et al. 2007).
• Class: Anticonvulsant.
• Mechanism of action: Uncertain. Appears to inhibit burst firing and hypersynchronization of neurons.
• Pharmacokinetics: Rapid and complete absorption. Half-life 6-8 hrs. Plasma protein binding <10%.
• Metabolism: Enzymatic hydrolysis, though not extensively. Excreted in urine.
• Precautions: Caution in patients with renal dysfunction. Avoid abrupt discontinuation.
• Dosing: Start at 500 mg BID.
• Advantages: Does not interact significantly with other medications.
• Adverse effects: Fatigue. A small number of patients experience incoordination or behavioral abnormalities.
• Comments: We occasionally prescribe levetiracetam in migraine prophylaxis. The data supporting its use are emerging. "

I think this is meant as a temporary relief. And that we have something wrong going on within some circuitry in our brain. However, if that is so, then what exactly caused it?

 

[Codaz]

I know this is an old thread but I was reading about Hyperacusis on a bunch of websites seeing all what they said and I found this:

"Anti-seizure drugs (for example gabapentin, topiramate, levetiracetam) may be effective in persons with hyperacusis due to irritable neural pathways. These may be working on similar circuitry as is helpful for migraine. Generally speaking, seizure medications that work for migraine are also mood stabilizers, so they may also be helpful there."

https://dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/hearing/hyperacusis.htm

I can't say it is much of any help at this point but I thought I might as well post it.


"
Chemical name: Levetiracetam

• Proprietary names: Keppra®
• Data: Two small prospective open-label studies suggested efficacy of levetiracetam in migraine prophylaxis (Brighina et al. 2006; Pakalnis et al. 2007).
• Class: Anticonvulsant.
• Mechanism of action: Uncertain. Appears to inhibit burst firing and hypersynchronization of neurons.
• Pharmacokinetics: Rapid and complete absorption. Half-life 6-8 hrs. Plasma protein binding <10%.
• Metabolism: Enzymatic hydrolysis, though not extensively. Excreted in urine.
• Precautions: Caution in patients with renal dysfunction. Avoid abrupt discontinuation.
• Dosing: Start at 500 mg BID.
• Advantages: Does not interact significantly with other medications.
• Adverse effects: Fatigue. A small number of patients experience incoordination or behavioral abnormalities.
• Comments: We occasionally prescribe levetiracetam in migraine prophylaxis. The data supporting its use are emerging. "

I think this is meant as a temporary relief. And that we have something wrong going on within some circuitry in our brain. However, if that is so, then what exactly caused it?

Anticonsulvants like carbamazepine need a proper up and down taper. Nobody is sure about the right dosis.

 

[Taylorslay]

If that is said

Anticonsulvants like carbamazepine need a proper up and down taper. Nobody is sure about the right dosis.

Shame :/

But I think it would be worth while looking into for anyone researching hyperacusis since normal pain killers don't work.

 

[Codaz]

If that is said

Shame :/

But I think it would be worth while looking into for anyone researching hyperacusis since normal pain killers don't work.

My neurologist suggested a much higher dosis of carbamazepine than my jaw surgeon. But it both was "warranty until the door". It seems they are guessing what it will do. I refused because I didn't trust their opinion.

 

[Taylorslay]

My neurologist suggested a much higher dosis of carbamazepine than my jaw surgeon. But it both was "warranty until the door". It seems they are guessing what it will do. I refused because I didn't trust their opinion.

But will that have any effect on H or T?

 

[lymebite]

I tried out Keppra for three months, finishing up a few weeks ago.

The first month, the dose was 1,000 mg a day, half in the morning and half in the evening.

The second month, the dose was 2,000 mg a day, half in the morning and half in the evening.

The last month was tapering down gradually from the 2,000 mg a day to zero.

In my case, it did not help H or T, there was no change at all in either one while I took Keppra. There were no side effects either.

 

[Danny Boy]

I tried out Keppra for three months, finishing up a few weeks ago.

The first month, the dose was 1,000 mg a day, half in the morning and half in the evening.

The second month, the dose was 2,000 mg a day, half in the morning and half in the evening.

The last month was tapering down gradually from the 2,000 mg a day to zero.

In my case, it did not help H or T, there was no change at all in either one while I took Keppra. There were no side effects either.

I was up to 4,000 a day. Side-effects- sleepiness and weakness.