Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Caused by Wellbutrin — Made Worse by Zoloft

[Berendje]

Hi all,

All my life I had flairs of tinnitus and had more difficulty with hard sounds from machinery. In 2019 I developed morning after tinnitus when I went to festivals, even when wearing earplugs. End of 2019 I took Wellbutrin and this triggered a permanent tinnitus in my right ear, also some hyperacusis. I think in the beginning of 2022 the tinnitus was a lot better than in 2019.

But recently I got Zoloft prescribed, I had been on it before and had no issues. But this time I noticed hyperacusis when dogs were barking and the sound of cutlery slammed in like a rock. So I immediately stopped the Zoloft. This all was 3 weeks ago.

Now I notice hard sounds will flare up my tinnitus which is already worse than before the Zoloft. I can still go to the supermarket or walk on the street, but some sounds are harder and my tinnitus is triggered way easier.

The question is, do I need to avoid hard sounds? Can that make my tinnitus permanently worse, even if they are around 80-85 dBA? I would like to work at a festival, where I'm standing in 95-100 dBA sound. I can wear 25 dB earplugs all day.

That morning after tinnitus I already had in 2019, even when wearing earplugs, was that due to hyperacusis, and does hyperacusis lower the maximum dB you can be exposed to?

 

[Johan001]

I'd rather say, try to avoid those meds if that's possible. Finding an alternative with the right set of supplements may be a better option. Under a professional supervision of course.

Other than that, there's still bone conduction, so even with good protection you'd be risking it. In my experience even 80+ dB is a lot. It's not worth the risk. Unless your life depends on that festival work, why would you put yourself at such risk?