Can either betta blockers or antidepressants dull down tinnitus

[Sweeper]

I am asking because i have been put on 40 mg antidepresants and betablockers for stress and depression have noticed when my pills kick in mt T settles down a fair bit my stress is due to financial worries and other personal stuff am dealing with or trying to any help or answers greatefully recieved thank you

[Claire1210]

Hi. So glad you have seeked medical help for your depression. Sometimes our mental health outweighs the tinnitus. Yes in some cases it has been known to help t I think because you are in a more relaxed calm state of mind the t is less invassive. I know this because I have a friend who is a pharmacist who researched antidepressants for me as I was so scared. I'm not a doctor though so if you have and corcerns I would suggest seeking medical advice. Thankyou for messaging me I'm always happy to listen if you feel like venting. Take care x

[Supervision6 in reply to Claire1210]

Hi Cllaire

I ve had t for 20 months.

Been on sick for nearly year.

Finally gone on anti depressants via cmht and have a cpn just first visit today as i live alone.

I cant believe how t has affected me. I have overcome a lot of challenges in my life and people that know me say in a strong person and will get throught this.

I want my life back and get back to work.

I felt your strenghth in reply to sweeper so hope its ok to message you this way. I dont use site a lot .

Its taken me to a very dark place but thank god my mood is getting a little brighter. Just 2 weeks on anti depressants

Thank you and be blessed x

[Lynne-H]

In 2015 when I was given beta blockers (propranolol) for anxiety relating to my tinnitus, my pulsatile noise was reduced because beta blockers reduce your pulse rate. I was prescribed 1 x 40 mgs twice a day.

I never took antidepressants as I have glaucoma and antidepressants can cause eye pressures to rise.

Beta blockers were a godsend to me and started me on the road to coming to terms with my tinnitus.

Lynne

[DownUnderInAus in reply to Lynne-H]

Hi Lynne, Can I ask what your pulsatile tinnitus sounds like, mine sounds like a heart beat through a stethoscope in my left ear only. Thanks Ian

[Lynne-H in reply to DownUnderInAus]

Yes I can hear my heart beating - louder if I am stressed. Nearly six years on my tinnitus doesn`t really bother me anymore but at the time it was a nightmare - drove me down into a big black hole that took me a long time to get out of.

In 2014 I contracted a virus which caused me to lose quite lot of my hearing and I woke one morning thinking it was the boiler that I could hear then realised the noise was coming from inside me. It was only months later that I realised that what I could hear was my heart and circulation. I also had hissing and humming noises.

I had various tests - MRI Scan and a Doppler Scan, hearing test when I was prescribed hearing aids and was also told by the audiologist that I had mild eustachion dysfunction. And I was told by the ENT specialist that I was picking up the `boiler` noises from my carotid artery which runs very close to the hearing nerve.

In May 2015 I joined the BTA and they told me about a local support group, I also had counselling with an NHS Hearing Therapist and I read lots of success stories and I used to pretend that I liked these noises, that I didn`t mind them, even though they were driving me crazy, but I think the one thing that really helped was the beta blocker propranolol which I got in November 2015.

Hope this helps.

Lynne

[DownUnderInAus in reply to Lynne-H]

Thanks Lynne, I've had a few tests myself and the ENT believes that I am picking up the blood flow from my left internal jugular as it is so much wider than the right internal jugular, or as he put it, your left jugular is like a super highway compared to the right jugular that is like a small back road. I can vary the volume of the thumping by moving my head and neck into various positions, I can even make it disappear completely by lying flat on my back without a pillow..Cheers Ian

[Warrior50 in reply to Lynne-H]

Hi Lynne-H, my question is about Glaucoma, hope that’s okay. I’ve been on Antidepressants for approx 5 years, during those 5 years I was diagnosed with Glaucoma, no-one at any point told me that my meds could affect it?! The Antidepressant I take are : Mirtazipine, Venlafaxine and Pregabalin. x

[Lynne-H in reply to Warrior50]

No one told me either but I remember reading about it somewhere. So I asked my GP and he looked it up in his drugs book. That was why he gave me propranolol instead.

Difference with my glaucoma is that I am also at risk of Acute Glaucoma because I have Angle Closure/Narrow Angle Glaucoma. The drainage channels in my eyes are narrower than normal.

I don`t know, but I would imagine that if you have been taking Antidepressants for five year and your eye pressures have remained stable that you are probably ok to keep on taking them. Do you have eye drops for your glaucoma and regular check ups?

Lynne

[Warrior50 in reply to Lynne-H]

Hey Lynne-H, thanks for your reply 😊. I used to use eye drops but was taken off them after I had the laser eye surgery. I’ve been having 6 monthly checkups.

[Lynne-H in reply to Warrior50]

As they took you off the drops sounds like you are stable.

I too had laser surgery in 1994 and managed without drops until 2011. I started to get my eyes checked when I reached 40 because I knew I was at risk as my Dad had glaucoma. Over the years I have been well looked after, have also had a macular hole repaired in my right eye in 2011, and despite everything at 72 I do still have reasonably good vision.

I also get seen every six months - next appointment April. Not sure how that`s going to work if over 70`s have to stay at home !!

Lynne

[Warrior50 in reply to Lynne-H]

Just wanted to check-in with you and say “Hi, hope you’re staying safe and well” 💜x

[Lynne-H in reply to Warrior50]

Yes thank you - very well and so is all my family thank goodness. Hope everything ok with you too xx

[1Dar]

Are your beta blockers propanol ?

[Lynne-H in reply to 1Dar]

Yes I was prescribed Propranolol 1 x 40 mg twice a day for anxiety but found that they also helped my tinnitus because they reduced my heart rate - I was very stressed at the time which was making the tinnitus worse.

[DownUnderInAus]

I have pulsatile tinnitus, and yes, beta blockers (propranolol) dull it down to an acceptable level.

[1Dar in reply to DownUnderInAus]

Sorry to ask this question as you may have answered it.. but do you take it once a day and at night ?

[Sweeper in reply to 1Dar]

Hi I take three propranolol day one morning midday and night they are helping me get sorted including my tinnitus

[DownUnderInAus in reply to 1Dar]

Hi, I take one 40mg propranolol tablet at 9am and another 40mg tablet at 9pm daily. Cheers