Tinnitus from Escitalopram (Lexapro)

[Tryn2BHopeful]

I seem to have gotten tinnitus after taking 10 mg of Escitalopram (Lexapro) for 3 days... I noticed the ringing after day 2 and thought it was a temporary side effect.

I am at the end of week 3 since onset, and there might be a slight improvement. I am not really sure. It could be the Mirtazapine I am taking!

Any suggestions or advice would be great. I see some success stories but it seems like once people get better, they just leave.

Thanks!

 

[SarahMLFlemmer]

I'm glad you stopped taking it. Just take it one day and one moment at a time if you have to. It could very well be temporary.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

My GP wanted me to keep taking Escitalopram but I refused. Then she ghosted me for 2 weeks before asking me out of the blue if my tinnitus had gone away. Not sure what to make of that. Either way I am here now with a entirely different perspective on my life. Hoping it's temporary but preparing for the long run.

I also noticed my tinnitus seems louder after I wake up. That seems to be the case for some... Perhaps it's related to the Mirtazapine or it's just how it goes.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

So it's Monday, going into Week 4 since the onset of tinnitus. Would I say it's any better or worse? Maybe my sensitivity to sounds seems to have decreased some. I have been trying not to overprotect, but this weekend is the first time I have ever mowed the lawn wearing earplugs. I am dealing with it better and have come to a point of acceptance that this might just be the way it is.

I am trying some cheap bone conduction headphones to see if that helps with anything, I keep the sound pretty low so I can still hear the hissing in my head!

I can't help but think about the state of our medical system. When I first got the ringing in my ears, I reached out to my GP whose first response was do you want to try a different drug. I told her that I would like to stop taking the medication and see if the ringing stops. When it didn't stop after a couple of days, I reached out to her again and her response was simply that the side effects would have resolved if I had kept taking the drug after 3.5 days. I asked shouldn't they stop if I stop taking the drug as well. This is when I was ghosted for 2 weeks.

In the meantime I called a couple of ENTs who wouldn't see me unless I had a referral and the the earliest I could be seen would be August (I exclaimed that I would lose my mind by then). When I told them I had ringing in my ears, it was "well an audiologist is even further out!" I tried pleading my case that this was sudden and new and it seemed urgent, but honestly nobody was going to do anything for me, seemingly impossible to get actual help. I finally found a private practice that could see me in July without a referral, but that was still a month out.

I ended up going back to my GP and seeing someone different at the same practice, who honestly tried to help, but really was just taking a shot in the dark. She prescribed me some Mirtazapine for sleep. She told me to take allergy medication and an OTC nasal steroid but she really saw nothing wrong with me. She gave me a referral to an ENT and a psychologist while telling me getting into an ENT was near impossible. She wanted to see me in a month.

I have continued with the nasal steroid which hasn't done much, and taking the Mirtazapine, which I think has helped with sleep and mood. As I stated before, my GP reached out to me randomly after 2 weeks and asked if this had magically gone away.

So here I am in what should be one of the best health systems in the world and I feel like getting any help is near impossible. I am far past the point that an oral steroid would have been useful if that was even the case. Doctors don't seem knowledgeable or empathetic, at least mine didn't, and if they can't figure out the problem, their default answer is anxiety and prescribing you a drug, which is what started me down this path to begin with. I am not blaming them but sometimes I feel a bit discouraged when trying to get help is near impossible.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

Ugh, this disorder is a temperamental beast. I was in a room today at lunch and the louder it got, the louder the hissing/squealing/static got. It wants to compete with every sound. I carry earplugs with me wherever I go but use them sparingly. Though sometimes I just need a break because other sounds make the hissing, squealing static go higher.

Got a family vacation coming up in July, which I have been looking forward to all year... until now. I worry about the noise. Ugh.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

Rounding out week 4 without much improvement other than I think I have more of a I just don't give a sh*t attitude about it. It still bothers me daily and I can hear it over just about everything. I guess I am fortunate enough that I am still able to manage to work, but I work a pretty quiet job (at least it was!).

I managed a visit to Red Robin wearing earplugs. I mean the music in the bathroom registered at almost 85 dB. For whatever reason, when there is a lot of talking, the tone gets higher. The tone is still a wavering high pitch.

Anxiously waiting for the appointment with the ENT although I don't have my hopes up based off what I have been reading.

Still using Mirtazapine for sleep, it certainly does make you want to eat though...

 

[bkk97]

My tinnitus started after 5 days of Paroxetine 10 mg and it is still going on 3 months later and I guess it's too late for it to heal anymore. It is very annoying that people who blast music into their ears don't get tinnitus in short term but we get that nightmare just by using these sh**ty drugs for a few days.

 

[RunningMan]

Still using Mirtazapine for sleep, it certainly does make you want to eat though...

And that's with just a 7.5 mg dose, isn't it? I've heard that mentioned quite a bit. It's the thing that scared me off from asking my provider about it, despite ongoing sleep issues since early 2022.

So no other antidepressant or anti-anxiety med after stopping Lexapro, just the low dose Mirtazapine for sleep?

 

[Mo8409]

My tinnitus started after 5 days of Paroxetine 10 mg and it is still going on 3 months later and I guess it's too late for it to heal anymore. It is very annoying that people who blast music into their ears don't get tinnitus in short term but we get that nightmare just by using these sh**ty drugs for a few days.

Only 3 months? It can take up to 2 years to go away.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

So no other antidepressant or anti-anxiety med after stopping Lexapro, just the low dose Mirtazapine for sleep?

7.5 mg of Mirtazapine. Nothing else yet, other than some white noise and a regular routine. I am a little leery to start another SSRI or SNRI. I needed to sleep though. Sleep plays a big part in depression and to mentally deal with things like tinnitus. However, tinnitus seems to deny you sleep! Mirtazapine is a drug that is more effective for sleep at a low dose because it creates an antihistamine effect but doesn't greatly increase levels of noradrenaline and serotonin which would negate that effect like it does at higher doses.

I am not saying my sleep is like it was before tinnitus. It is better than it was with tinnitus before taking it.

It has had no impact on my tinnitus thus far, good or bad. Just my ability to deal with it.

Like I said, it does make you hungry, but it's not to bad, just try to snack on healthy choices, most of the time...

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

Only 3 months? It can take up to 2 years to go away.

I have heard that too, which certainly makes me cringe, but 2 years is better than never. My feeling is hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

 

[RunningMan]

7.5 mg of Mirtazapine. Nothing else yet, other than some white noise and a regular routine. I am a little leery to start another SSRI or SNRI. I needed to sleep though. Sleep plays a big part in depression and to mentally deal with things like tinnitus. However, tinnitus seems to deny you sleep! Mirtazapine is a drug that is more effective for sleep at a low dose because it creates an antihistamine effect but doesn't greatly increase levels of noradrenaline and serotonin which would negate that effect like it does at higher doses.

I am not saying my sleep is like it was before tinnitus. It is better than it was with tinnitus before taking it.

It has had no impact on my tinnitus thus far, good or bad. Just my ability to deal with it.

Like I said, it does make you hungry, but it's not to bad, just try to snack on healthy choices, most of the time...

I thought an SNRI might be safer than an SSRI for tinnitus, but I'm not sure I would have a choice. Someone mentioned Cymbalta, for example, might not be a first line treatment.

Yeah, I've seen feedback about the low dose Mirtazapine being effective for sleep - it sounds like it could be more effective than Trazodone and Doxepin, which are also prescribed often for sleep. My other concern is the comments about the effectiveness waning over time of these. I'm pretty careful with how much Zolpidem (Ambien) I take. I waited until 3 am this morning without sleeping before I took a low dose. Nortriptyline did nothing for my sleep before I started weaning off it. But I have a lot of anxiety, even depression that builds on that, even when I do happen to get good sleep a night or two in a row. So, sleep is only one issue for me.

And my tinnitus has only gotten worse since it became a big issue for me 17 months ago. Just in the last month, the single tone with squealing is more intense, as it is right now, causing more anxiety than a month ago. It's better when it changes back to a hiss for a day or two.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

I thought an SNRI might be safer than an SSRI for tinnitus, but I'm not sure I would have a choice. Someone mentioned Cymbalta, for example, might not be a first line treatment.

Yeah, I've seen feedback about the low dose Mirtazapine being effective for sleep - it sounds like it could be more effective than Trazodone and Doxepin, which are also prescribed often for sleep. My other concern is the comments about the effectiveness waning over time of these. I'm pretty careful with how much Zolpidem (Ambien) I take. I waited until 3 am this morning without sleeping before I took a low dose. Nortriptyline did nothing for my sleep before I started weaning off it. But I have a lot of anxiety, even depression that builds on that, even when I do happen to get good sleep a night or two in a row. So, sleep is only one issue for me.

And my tinnitus has only gotten worse since it became a big issue for me 17 months ago. Just in the last month, the single tone with squealing is more intense, as it is right now, causing more anxiety than a month ago. It's better when it changes back to a hiss for a day or two.

As far as SSRI and SNRI go, I think they are basically the same with the exception of what they prevent the reuptake of. I think if you voiced your concern, your doctor may give you a choice assuming you're not way in left field. As you know, all drugs come with a risk so you have to weigh that against the benefits.

I have also heard of these drugs waning over time. That concerns me as well, as Mirtazapine does require a taper to get off of it when you have been taking it a while.

I just started taking Magnesium Glycinate 200 mg about 2 hours before bed. I slept pretty good last night but I couldn't tell you if it was the Magnesium or not. Tinnitus was still screaming at me when I woke up but quieted down a little after getting up. I take vitamin D3 as well because in all this mess I found out I was deficient so 2000 IU of that in the morning. No change in tinnitus yet. Magnesium helps the body absorb D3 but also is supposed to help with anxiety and sleeping. Results may vary apparently and you should do your research before taking it. There are a lot of posts on Tinnitus Talk about it.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

Spent yesterday with family. It was going OK until someone yelled at their kid through my head!

My tinnitus went back to normal already but yikes!

 

[RunningMan]

I just started taking Magnesium Glycinate 200 mg about 2 hours before bed. I slept pretty good last night but I couldn't tell you if it was the Magnesium or not. Tinnitus was still screaming at me when I woke up but quieted down a little after getting up. I take vitamin D3 as well because in all this mess I found out I was deficient so 2000 IU of that in the morning. No change in tinnitus yet. Magnesium helps the body absorb D3 but also is supposed to help with anxiety and sleeping. Results may vary apparently and you should do your research before taking it. There are a lot of posts on Tinnitus Talk about it.

I've been taking a multivitamin with 1000 IU of D3 and some 75 mg Magnesium for quite a while. About a month ago, I added 100 mg Magnesium Glycinate, 100 mg 5-HTP, and Super B Complex. But due to my tinnitus ringing being more intense on my single tone days in about that same time frame, I cut those last three, at least temporarily, to see what happens. Sleep never seemed affected except negatively if tinnitus was squealing louder.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

To think I started my year off with an 8 mm kidney stone that took 3 months and 2 surgeries to get out, a dishwasher malfunction that destroyed two rooms in my house, amongst other issues. Coming off of a great 2022 where I lost 100 lbs and came off of all my medications... to end up here. Some days I get frustrated by it all...

To quote someone else on the forums, "it's like life on hard mode". One day at a time...

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

End of Week 5 Update:

Well, unfortunately not much in the way of improvement. I tried some Magnesium glycinate but it didn't seem to help, if anything, it made it louder. I don't have a Magnesium issue per my last blood test, so perhaps that's why. I stopped taking the Magnesium and it seems to have gone back to its normal hissing static self...

Sensitivity is here and there. The FAN drives me crazy. My wife likes to have it on when we sleep, and I do as well, so I end up wearing earplugs to bed...

ENT appointment in 1 week.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

I've been taking a multivitamin with 1000 IU of D3 and some 75 mg Magnesium for quite a while. About a month ago, I added 100 mg Magnesium Glycinate, 100 mg 5-HTP, and Super B Complex. But due to my tinnitus ringing being more intense on my single tone days in about that same time frame, I cut those last three, at least temporarily, to see what happens. Sleep never seemed affected except negatively if tinnitus was squealing louder.

Did your tinnitus go back to normal?

 

[Watasha]

End of Week 5 Update:

Well, unfortunately not much in the way of improvement. I tried some Magnesium glycinate but it didn't seem to help, if anything, it made it louder. I don't have a Magnesium issue per my last blood test, so perhaps that's why. I stopped taking the Magnesium and it seems to have gone back to its normal hissing static self...

Sensitivity is here and there. The FAN drives me crazy. My wife likes to have it on when we sleep, and I do as well, so I end up wearing earplugs to bed...

ENT appointment in 1 week.

For what it's worth, mine started on day 2 of Lexapro. It's been 5 years. My best advice is to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. When the time comes and there's a treatment, you'll be in a position to purchase it (and donate to research) but until then just move towards habituation. It gets easier for most but it's certainly not linear. Also wearing earplugs when noise isn't at dangerous levels is highly discouraged by most.

 

[RunningMan]

Did your tinnitus go back to normal?

No, I don't feel the squealing tinnitus days (like today) have improved after 6 nights of not taking those supplements. I'll continue to lay off the 5-HTP a while longer since it increases serotonin over a period of weeks, and I had taken it over 3 weeks.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

For what it's worth, mine started on day 2 of Lexapro. It's been 5 years. My best advice is to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. When the time comes and there's a treatment, you'll be in a position to purchase it (and donate to research) but until then just move towards habituation. It gets easier for most but it's certainly not linear. Also wearing earplugs when noise isn't at dangerous levels is highly discouraged by most.

A bit discouraging but I understand that could be the reality.

I try not to wear the earplugs but the reactivity tends to drive me to them. The fan just drives it through the roof... thus white noise masking is basically the same result. Some days it seems better and other days it is worse.

Did yours ever improve?

 

[Watasha]

A bit discouraging but I understand that could be the reality.

I try not to wear the earplugs but the reactivity tends to drive me to them. The fan just drives it through the roof... thus white noise masking is basically the same result. Some days it seems better and other days it is worse.

Did yours ever improve?

My understanding is that reactivity can typically get worse the more you protect. Find a low level of noise you can tolerate and roll with that, and never mask the sound.

I know the feeling. When it first started, I'd wake up in the morning with the quiet shushing of a seashell sound only for the ringing to come on minutes later... sadly it got more and more infrequent and it's been years since I've had a quiet moment.

Not to sound discouraging, but over time my general response to people was "it's as loud as it's ever been, but I'm coping with it as well as I ever have."

I can definitely say my sound sensitivity greatly improved. Other than typical high pitch sounds or extremely loud sounds, I just found myself tolerating more and more sound sometimes to the point I have to remind myself I may need to put in ear plugs.

The great news is that there are treatments on the horizon that are very promising. In addition, spontaneous remission and improvement can and does happen though rare. Live your life as responsibly as possible, be a part of the solution as best you can, and leave the rest to a higher power. I was alone and unmarried when mine started and I thought nothing would ever work out. So far, I've been wrong and I am very thankful for that.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

My understanding is that reactivity can typically get worse the more you protect. Find a low level of noise you can tolerate and roll with that, and never mask the sound.

I know the feeling. When it first started, I'd wake up in the morning with the quiet shushing of a seashell sound only for the ringing to come on minutes later... sadly it got more and more infrequent and it's been years since I've had a quiet moment.

Not to sound discouraging, but over time my general response to people was "it's as loud as it's ever been, but I'm coping with it as well as I ever have."

I can definitely say my sound sensitivity greatly improved. Other than typical high pitch sounds or extremely loud sounds, I just found myself tolerating more and more sound sometimes to the point I have to remind myself I may need to put in ear plugs.

The great news is that there are treatments on the horizon that are very promising. In addition, spontaneous remission and improvement can and does happen though rare. Live your life as responsibly as possible, be a part of the solution as best you can, and leave the rest to a higher power. I was alone and unmarried when mine started and I thought nothing would ever work out. So far, I've been wrong and I am very thankful for that.

Thanks for your comments and advice.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

3.5 months in...

So I am forcing myself to post something here because, despite improvements, I am still feeling despair a lot of times about this condition.

I also noticed a lack of auditory input actually seems to make my tinnitus louder throughout the day. I work in a quiet office and I noticed that during the week my tinnitus was at its worst, so I started playing some soft music, podcast, or pink noise and it seems to help.

So right now...

Positive things:

• Sensitivity to certain sounds seems to have resolved. Mostly high pitched sounds.
• Sensitivity to loud sounds has resolved. I can tolerate 95% of what I believe I would of before this.
• I can tolerate music and TV again.
• I am not wearing earplugs unless it's a dangerously loud situation such as mowing the lawn.
• I am sleeping without Mirtazapine, currently using Melatonin and L-Theanine.
• I am interacting more with people again!
• I started trying to live again, walking going to event and playing a few video games... I still am afraid to venture to the gym.

Negative things:

• Reactivity to broadband sounds like fans, road noise, white noise etc... It has gotten ever so slightly better. At the very least I am able to cope with it better and just deal with it (sometimes).
• Tinnitus loudness. It's still loud, or at least I perceive it as such 24/7. Some days it starts out quiet but is generally ramped up by bedtime again.
• I developed a very low frequency humming after doing things like driving in a car for 20 minutes or more. It only happens when I go into my house though and not at work, store, or other venue. It's wild. It goes away after a minute or so, sometimes shaking my head will get it to stop.
• Doctors are ZERO help.

So I guess any message here is that things SLOWLY improve either through healing or perception. I don't know. I will take either. I still have many days where I just question why this happened to me and have a hard time dragging myself out of bed to face the world with tinnitus again, but they are less than when this mess started. I am still hoping for more improvement but I have my target set at habituation, anymore more than that will be a bonus.

 

[SarahMLFlemmer]

3.5 months in...

So I am forcing myself to post something here because, despite improvements, I am still feeling despair a lot of times about this condition.

I also noticed a lack of auditory input actually seems to make my tinnitus louder throughout the day. I work in a quiet office and I noticed that during the week my tinnitus was at its worst, so I started playing some soft music, podcast, or pink noise and it seems to help.

So right now...

Positive things:

• Sensitivity to certain sounds seems to have resolved. Mostly high pitched sounds.
• Sensitivity to loud sounds has resolved. I can tolerate 95% of what I believe I would of before this.
• I can tolerate music and TV again.
• I am not wearing earplugs unless it's a dangerously loud situation such as mowing the lawn.
• I am sleeping without Mirtazapine, currently using Melatonin and L-Theanine.
• I am interacting more with people again!
• I started trying to live again, walking going to event and playing a few video games... I still am afraid to venture to the gym.

Negative things:

• Reactivity to broadband sounds like fans, road noise, white noise etc... It has gotten ever so slightly better. At the very least I am able to cope with it better and just deal with it (sometimes).
• Tinnitus loudness. It's still loud, or at least I perceive it as such 24/7. Some days it starts out quiet but is generally ramped up by bedtime again.
• I developed a very low frequency humming after doing things like driving in a car for 20 minutes or more. It only happens when I go into my house though and not at work, store, or other venue. It's wild. It goes away after a minute or so, sometimes shaking my head will get it to stop.
• Doctors are ZERO help.

So I guess any message here is that things SLOWLY improve either through healing or perception. I don't know. I will take either. I still have many days where I just question why this happened to me and have a hard time dragging myself out of bed to face the world with tinnitus again, but they are less than when this mess started. I am still hoping for more improvement but I have my target set at habituation, anymore more than that will be a bonus.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Juliane]

3.5 months in...

So I am forcing myself to post something here because, despite improvements, I am still feeling despair a lot of times about this condition.

I also noticed a lack of auditory input actually seems to make my tinnitus louder throughout the day. I work in a quiet office and I noticed that during the week my tinnitus was at its worst, so I started playing some soft music, podcast, or pink noise and it seems to help.

So right now...

Positive things:

• Sensitivity to certain sounds seems to have resolved. Mostly high pitched sounds.
• Sensitivity to loud sounds has resolved. I can tolerate 95% of what I believe I would of before this.
• I can tolerate music and TV again.
• I am not wearing earplugs unless it's a dangerously loud situation such as mowing the lawn.
• I am sleeping without Mirtazapine, currently using Melatonin and L-Theanine.
• I am interacting more with people again!
• I started trying to live again, walking going to event and playing a few video games... I still am afraid to venture to the gym.

Negative things:

• Reactivity to broadband sounds like fans, road noise, white noise etc... It has gotten ever so slightly better. At the very least I am able to cope with it better and just deal with it (sometimes).
• Tinnitus loudness. It's still loud, or at least I perceive it as such 24/7. Some days it starts out quiet but is generally ramped up by bedtime again.
• I developed a very low frequency humming after doing things like driving in a car for 20 minutes or more. It only happens when I go into my house though and not at work, store, or other venue. It's wild. It goes away after a minute or so, sometimes shaking my head will get it to stop.
• Doctors are ZERO help.

So I guess any message here is that things SLOWLY improve either through healing or perception. I don't know. I will take either. I still have many days where I just question why this happened to me and have a hard time dragging myself out of bed to face the world with tinnitus again, but they are less than when this mess started. I am still hoping for more improvement but I have my target set at habituation, anymore more than that will be a bonus.

Thanks for sharing! I so hope things will improve for you. Your story once again shows that we are all wasting our time when seeing doctors about this. They are absolutely useless when dealing with tinnitus and hyperacusis and we are better off not wasting our time and money there...

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

Thanks for sharing! I so hope things will improve for you. Your story once again shows that we are all wasting our time when seeing doctors about this. They are absolutely useless when dealing with tinnitus and hyperacusis and we are better off not wasting our time and money there...

I feel like if one could find the right doctor they might get some help, but good luck finding that doctor. Regardless, there isn't much they could do depending on the cause.

My doctors haven't even tried, IMHO. The ENT gave me a printout with the definition of tinnitus, and a pamphlet for Arches Tinnitus Formula. The audiologist was an absolute joke, not even a loudness test and they were "between" tinnitus treatment companies. The second audiologist I saw again explained to me what tinnitus was and theorized that I had high frequency hearing loss, again no test, no anything, just a lecture and told me to come back in 3 months for a follow-up, I guess so they could pocket the fee again. Both places "specialized" in tinnitus. Mind you that my audiogram shows normal hearing. While I realize there could be hidden hearing loss, I personally haven't experienced any distortion or change in the sounds I hear. It's just tinnitus and reactivity along with everything else. My wife and mother tell me to try somewhere else but I feel defeated at best.

So like many of u,s I am trying the help of a therapist who does CBT. I fear that TRT might just make things worse... This entire condition and everything that comes with it is a shit hole.

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

Well, nothing good to report whatsoever. My tinnitus has not improved. It's at least as loud as the shower, it's reactive and cannot be masked with anything I have found thus far.

I wish I had something better to report. Unless some miracle happens, I won't bother updating this thread again.

Godspeed.

 

[gameover]

You're 5 months in... I think my reactivity has started to improve a little after 5 months. Granted, mine is noise-induced. There is hope, so hang in.