Getting more confused about medication

[Jimmuck]

I have been taking Amitrip for over a year now and have gone from one 10mg tablet once a day until a few weeks ago, when my doctor increased my dosage ( to treat another medical condition I have ) to three a day. I had no issue with the increased dosage until I noticed my tinnitus was getting even louder and much more intrusive than usual. I looked up the side effects on the internet and was horrified to discover that Amitrip is known to cause "ringing in the ears". It was actually the first hearing consultant I saw who first prescribed it and so it begs the question why when doctors should know it could actually make tinnitus worse. For the past few days, I have not taken any and I am glad to say that I am managing to get to sleep without it and the tinnitus has eased off slightly as well. I also recently found out that Ibuprofen which I take as a painkiller, also causes ringing in the ears! I suppose it's all down to personal choice and balance but what a dilemma. Either reduce pain levels and have raging tinnitus or suffer the pain and have a quieter head. In future, If I am prescribed any medication, I will be asking if it is likely to make my tinnitus worse and if it's a known side effect, I will ask for other options. Today is the first time in about three weeks my head has been a bit quieter and the joy of being able to think clearly without the usual steam train in the background is marvellous. The NHS do a grand job and we would all be worse off without them but surely, there should be much more attention paid at GP level and indeed consultant level to the side effects of drugs on tinnitus sufferers. Rant over and best wishes to you all!

[elbarto]

Hope you can get off amitryptiline 10mg asap, I took it for 8 months and hated the state it left me in but it was good to be honest (vestibular migraines)

[Ruud1boy]

There's a big difference between potential side-effects and actual side-effects. In the little leaflets they include in most medicines, they are required to report all potential side-effects, even if it's 1/1000, so the chances of that particular side-effect affecting you are obviously pretty slim. It's always worth being careful, asking the question & reading the leaflet etc, but there are loads of medicines that list T as a possible side effect.

Re the Amitrip, they call it 'off label' prescribing - that it, they're actually prescribing the drug in the hope of utilising the side-effects it regularly causes, rather than the intended use of the drug. Amitrip is an old-fashioned anti-depressant, but they rarely use it for that anymore because there are more effective anti-depressants available. They dish Amitrip out for all sorts - pain relief, anxiety, tinnitus, insomnia, migraines, itchy foot (OK, maybe not the last one).

It hit home with me when I went to get my prescription and they didn't even have to fetch it from the back room. They just turned round and it was right there on the shelf - absolutely shedloads of it, suggesting they hand out tons of the stuff.

[Kalyanin]

I am glad too that you have learnt the hard way.medication doesn't serve much purpose. However I feel when the ringing is too disturbing a suppressent may give some relief but at the same time our reflexes also become slow.

[Barbara-C]

Hi Jimmuck hope you okay . Can I ask if you are still taking Amitriptyline or have you cut down . I have been taking 10mg for a year now and don’t know if it’s making my T worse or not ..

[Jimmuck in reply to Barbara-C]

Hi Valient. I've been on Amitrip since I was first diagnosed and the hearing consultant I saw prescribed 10mg a day. It was supposed to ease the tinnitus by calming the central nervous system down and I have to say, taking the tablet an hour or so before bedtime seemed to help me get to sleep. However, a few months down the line, I was getting dreadful spikes which were horrendous, so I asked my GP if I could increase the dosage, thinking that would help and I started taking 20mg on her advice. My t stayed pretty much the same in volume but the spikes seemed to be worse and lasting last longer than before. A new GP began treating me for abdominal pain I was having two years after surgery and suggested I increase the Amitrip to 30mg, which I did. I am convinced this made my t even worse. The end result is that I am now back to taking just one 10mg tablet a day and only on a need to basis. If the tinnitus has been raging all day, that's when I take it and if I have had a quieter day, I skip it. I don't know if I am doing the right thing or not but at the moment, since I cut back, I am occasionally having some quieter moments so I am coping reasonably well.

My big issue with t is the sheer unpredictability of it. I try and do all the right things and just when I think I have made some progress, out of the blue, I get the most awful spike that can last for days on end and the sheer volume of noise just sucks the pleasure out of everything. I hope you're also having some quieter moments these days and enjoying every second of them. Best wishes.

Jim

[Barbara-C in reply to Jimmuck]

Hi Jimmuck hope you are okay ..how are you doing with Amitriptyline are you still taking as and when . I really don’t know what to do t seems to go up and down whatever I do . Really appreciate your thoughts.

Barbara.

[Jimmuck in reply to Barbara-C]

Hi Barbara,

Yes I 'm still having an on off relationship with my little blue chums! I haven't taken any this week and to be honest, Mr T has actually been a shade quieter. Maybe it's just psychological but when my tinnitus spikes, I like to think I can pop a pill and it will help, which to be fair, sometimes it does. I've been busy all week with hobbies and projects, so that's been helping keep my mind busy and distracted. I just take each day as it comes now and try and ignore the head noises as much as possible.

I find my hearing aids help a bit sometimes if I ramp up the volume so if you don't have them, it's maybe something you should consider. I got mine through the NHS and they even provide free batteries! Hope you have some quieter days soon.

[Barbara-C]

Thank you I have been trying to cut down as well. I know .. I had quite a good afternoon then this evening it was raging horrible thing. Thanking you again take care . Barbara.

[Barbara-C]

Thank you so much for reply I’m so glad you are successfully cutting down on tabs . Wishing you well .

Barbara.