After returning to fluoxetine for 3 weeks I've got "tinnitus " which bothers me a lot, especially at night...

[mosima362]

Hello guys;

My name is Mostafa and I'm 37 years old ,I live in the UK in Scotland and Glasgow city ..

I've had obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and anxiety for many years since I was a teenager and I was taking medicine for that's, including fluoxamine and when I came to Scotland 7 years ago, the doctors prescribed fluoxetine and I used it for a few years But last year, due to sleep deprivation and anxiety, my doctor in GP prescribed "mertazapine 15 mg" and I used it which had a very bad effect on my depression and OCD and it got worse so i went back to fluoxetine as recommended by my doctor in Gp to treat the symptoms of OCD and depression, So my doctor switched the tablet to fluoxetine and with the doctor's re-prescription for the last 3 months I use "40 mg of fluoxetine "daily.

But now for three weeks I have a tinnitus Which bothers me a lot, especially at night.. I talked to the doctor and she prescribed me Olive oil ears drops but it didn't have a positive effect and I still have tinnitus...🤯🤯

Has anyone had such an experience that they can give me any advice Please??

I'm really annoyed and tired of this situation and I want to talk to my doctor again about this problem especially when I can't sleep at night because of the ringing in my ears and headache and reach the verge of madness..😔😔😭😭

Please give me any suggestions, especially those living in the UK..

Thanks very much..

[Sonata2]

Hi, it seems your GP doesn’t realise tinnitus can be a side effect of certain meds, though not that common. If you google fluoxetine, you may find evidence of this. I suggest you ask your GP to prescribe Sertraline instead. It’s similar to fluoxetine, and you may find, hopefully, that it does not cause tinnitus. Both fluoxetine and sertraline are SSRI antidepressants, which also help with anxiety. SSRI antidepressants raise the level of serotonin in the brain. The reason I think your tinnitus IS likely to be caused by by the fluoxetine is that I’ve had the same experience - not with fluoxetine, but with Venlafaxine. That med also raises serotonin in the brain, but in addition affects other neurotransmitters. I am fine on the lowest dose of venlafaxine, though unfortunately the lowest dose gives me severe constipation, which worsens my IBS! But no tinnitus on the lowest dose. When the dose raised a bit, I get tinnitus *as well as* the constipation! I think sertraline is less likely to cause constipation or other unwanted side effects.

Important — do not suddenly stop your fluoxetine. You may have to be put onto the lower dose before stopping it. But I think you should discuss with your GP as soon a poss. Wondering why GP didn’t check on computer to see if tinnitus could be a side effect? They assume they know it all! They don’t.

Possibly, you may find on the lower dose of Fluoxetine that the tinnitus goes away. But Fluoxetine stays in the body a bit longer than some other meds. The tinnitus with me continued after stopping the Venlafaxine, but eventually settled down. Because it can continue, it’s worth trying to sort this with your GP .

40mg fluoxetine is quite a high dose to start on, if you hadn’t taken it for a while. This may have possibly increased the risk of tinnitus, but is not something most GPs would expect, be a it’s not that common. I advise you to google. Ideally get two different sources that confirm tinnitus as a possible side effect of fluoxetine. Then copy paste and print or email to your doc. Otherwise make a note so you can explain to doc.

The first time I got tinnitus, I was *also* on quite a high dose of another similar med, and I thought that was why I had tinnitus. About a year later, I tried the venlafaxine again, without the other med - but still got tinnitus when the dose was increased.

I’m lucky tinnitus doesn’t affect my sleep. In any case, I take a small dose of quetiapine at night. A mood stabiliser which has the side effect of being a sleeping pill! I always take the view that at least tinnitus is not pain! In my case, it doesn’t affect my hearing. I still get it sometimes, but more mild. It seems very important with tinnitus not to get upset about it — if that’s possible! Because worrying and a vey concerned attitude makes it harder to deal with. But it IS a very REAL problem! It’s NOT in your imagination!

I do hope you get it sorted soon! xx

[Lazy_dog_lover]

I have had tinnitus for decades. There are no treatments to stop it. Look up side effects of your different medications and speak with your pharmacist (chemist?). That way you have some data going back in to the doctors. Do you see a psychiatrist or just the GP? In the US, a GP would not be in charge of medicating for OCD, depression, anxiety, tinnitus, or sleep issues. I was a teacher. Both my students being loud and ME speaking loudly all day really made the tinnitus bad. Is there anything in your environment that is loud or sounds like white noise? If so, try ear plugs.