After reading this forum when I was at my lowest, I feel morally obligated to share my story to give some hope to other Wellbutrin tinnitus sufferers.
I'm a 29-year-old male who took Wellbutrin for 12 days, quickly increasing the dose as follows:
After stopping Wellbutrin and avoiding other antidepressants, I can report dramatic improvement in the ringing after seven weeks. It's now so faint that I need to plug my ears to hear it, and it's only noticeable in complete silence (even a slight background noise, like a light buzzing, masks it). I tracked my progress by comparing the ringing to consistent sounds, like my fans or the bathroom fan. Initially, the noise was loud and distracting—especially in the afternoon—and even overpowered the sound of two fans at night. But with all the improvement I've seen, I'm confident it will be fully gone by three months. I'm posting this a bit early because I may forget by then.
After reading some of the horror stories here, I felt doomed. But a friend who'd experienced ringing with antidepressants assured me it's common and does subside. Other forums, especially for depression, showed similar experiences. Keep in mind it may take 2-3 months or more to fully go away, especially if you're off all medications. Don't panic or stop medication abruptly unless absolutely necessary. I've also been taking vitamins—Vitamin D (2500 IU) and Magnesium (400 mg) to aid Vitamin D absorption and avoid deficiency. Be cautious with vitamins, as taking one can deplete another, so supplement wisely.
Here are some observations that helped calm me during the worst of the ringing. Hopefully, they can help you too:
Remember, tinnitus is very common when taking antidepressants and even afterward. Forums mostly feature people at their worst; you rarely hear about their recovery. Someone reached out to former forum posters and found that 70-80% reported eventual improvement, though they never came back to share that here. And for the remaining 20-30%, who knows if Wellbutrin was the actual cause? Trust your body to heal, and help it along by being kind to yourself.
One last note—this may be controversial, but I'm not convinced that Wellbutrin is truly ototoxic in the traditional sense. Ototoxicity typically involves physical or structural damage to hearing systems (like hair cells). Wellbutrin affects brain chemistry, potentially altering neuron excitability, but doesn't appear to damage neurons permanently. With time, the brain can reset. I suspect that reports of "permanent" tinnitus from Wellbutrin may be misattributed—many may have experienced loud noise exposure they've forgotten about. For Wellbutrin to be the sole cause, the ringing should start immediately with the drug or when increasing the dose. It could cause it in other situations, but that seems less likely.
I'm a 29-year-old male who took Wellbutrin for 12 days, quickly increasing the dose as follows:
- 150 mg
- 300 mg
- 300 mg
- 300 mg
- 450 mg (accidental third dose)
- 300 mg
- 300 mg
- 300 mg
- 300 mg
- 150 mg
- 150 mg
- 150 mg
After stopping Wellbutrin and avoiding other antidepressants, I can report dramatic improvement in the ringing after seven weeks. It's now so faint that I need to plug my ears to hear it, and it's only noticeable in complete silence (even a slight background noise, like a light buzzing, masks it). I tracked my progress by comparing the ringing to consistent sounds, like my fans or the bathroom fan. Initially, the noise was loud and distracting—especially in the afternoon—and even overpowered the sound of two fans at night. But with all the improvement I've seen, I'm confident it will be fully gone by three months. I'm posting this a bit early because I may forget by then.
After reading some of the horror stories here, I felt doomed. But a friend who'd experienced ringing with antidepressants assured me it's common and does subside. Other forums, especially for depression, showed similar experiences. Keep in mind it may take 2-3 months or more to fully go away, especially if you're off all medications. Don't panic or stop medication abruptly unless absolutely necessary. I've also been taking vitamins—Vitamin D (2500 IU) and Magnesium (400 mg) to aid Vitamin D absorption and avoid deficiency. Be cautious with vitamins, as taking one can deplete another, so supplement wisely.
Here are some observations that helped calm me during the worst of the ringing. Hopefully, they can help you too:
- Movement affected the sound: Changing head positions would alter the noise, which comforted me since it meant I had some influence over it. Try neck exercises—they might help.
- Stress and anxiety spiked the ringing: Knowing this helped me focus on stress reduction.
- Improvement over time: Trust the trend. The progress may be gradual, but it's there.
Remember, tinnitus is very common when taking antidepressants and even afterward. Forums mostly feature people at their worst; you rarely hear about their recovery. Someone reached out to former forum posters and found that 70-80% reported eventual improvement, though they never came back to share that here. And for the remaining 20-30%, who knows if Wellbutrin was the actual cause? Trust your body to heal, and help it along by being kind to yourself.
One last note—this may be controversial, but I'm not convinced that Wellbutrin is truly ototoxic in the traditional sense. Ototoxicity typically involves physical or structural damage to hearing systems (like hair cells). Wellbutrin affects brain chemistry, potentially altering neuron excitability, but doesn't appear to damage neurons permanently. With time, the brain can reset. I suspect that reports of "permanent" tinnitus from Wellbutrin may be misattributed—many may have experienced loud noise exposure they've forgotten about. For Wellbutrin to be the sole cause, the ringing should start immediately with the drug or when increasing the dose. It could cause it in other situations, but that seems less likely.
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