New doctor withdraws Clonazepam for Tinnitus despite pleas

[1966366]

Been to ENT today and was 'treated' by a doctor who I have not seen before. She immediately withdrew my 0.5 mg Clonazepam tablets. I explained that I am only taking them when needs must, and assured her that I am not dependent on them but sometimes it's just the only way I can get sleep. Any thoughts/advice anyone?

[Happyrosie]

This drug is for anxiety etc as I’m sure you know, there being no ‘cure’ for T. I’d have thought your best bet might be, after having a good read of the tinnitus association website, to see another doctor in the same practice and suggest cognitive behavioural therapy if the docs think that clonazepam isn’t right for you, Also, there may be something that your pharmacist can suggest to help you sleep.I expect you’ve already researched ways to help you sleep - the sort of thing you probably already do like good curtains, plenty of fresh air, exercise and so on.

[1966366 in reply to Happyrosie]

Ive had T for the last six years; tried all the therapies and medication going! I know that there is no cure for it. But when it comes to impacting on sleep and my previous doctor of four years actually finds something that works for me, only to be taken away today by someone I've seen for less than ten minutes....

[Happyrosie in reply to 1966366]

My sympathies! It’s just occurred to me that this particular doc might have had her wrist slapped recently for prescribing Clon inappropriately, or maybe her sister is addicted to it or something. Doctors are human too!

[bridgeit]

Wow, that's really frustrating for you. Did ENT originally prescribe the drug or was it your GP or other specialist? Medicating for anxiety/sleep disorder is meat and drink to GPs. I should have thought prescribing benzodiazepine is more within their remit (or a clinical psychologist's) than that of an ENT specialist, but that's only my layman's opinion.

Why not have a chat with your GP to see if they can shed some light on why the ENT specialist has immediately pulled the drug? A GP can independently prescribe low dose clonazepam or an alternative sleep aid that might work just as well, but they may well keep the regime short term and/or under close review.

If a chat with your GP gets you nowhere, you could ask to be referred for a second opinion from a different ENT specialist . There's no 'right' to a second specialist consultation, but it's rarely refused. You could even ask to see an ENT specialist at a different hospital. Yours is a peculiar situation though. It might be that prescribing benzodiazepine to provide a good night's sleep conflicts with your new ENT specialist's understanding of the clinic's remit, which might be why they've pulled it.

Main thing is, don't panic. That will make the T worse.

I hope that someone can sort something out for you soon.

[1966366 in reply to bridgeit]

Thank you for your email. I appreciate your help greatly. I was in fact thinking along the same lines and your input is most welcome.

[moi_itou]

Hello ... 1966366,

to understand in what context, in relation to tinnitus,

you have discovered that Rivotril can help you at night:

I'm curious to know:

--- What is the physiological origin of yours tinnitus?

--- Do you know what triggered your tinnitus?

--- What sounds, what noises do your tinnitus make?

--- Is tinnitus in one ear? to both ears?

or do they float deep in the head?

--- Is standing (upright position)

rather than lying down, (horizontal position),

does it change your tinnitus?

§

I keep Rivotril at home, without taking any;

It reassures me to be able to have access to it if needed!

§

Me, the 2 noises that disturb me, are in the left ear;

they are there 24 hours a day and

can also be triggered by certain + - loud noises.

They are '' clicks '', like popcorn and like a Geigeir counter.

They appeared 11 years ago. Their intensity varies from 1% to 100%.

I have not had a medical diagnosis on my symptoms.

I had an MRI which did not find the origin.

I searched the internet for what it could be:

and it corresponds perfectly to:

'' Paroxysmal staccato tinnitus:

a carbamazepine responsive hyperactivity dysfunction symptom

of the eighth cranial nerve ''.

Bye!

[rabbits65 in reply to moi_itou]

Hi , I like the way you’ve done your research. In this day and age we certainly do have to be our own doctor to ourselves..

[Persevere99]

Hi

I too took clonazepam for 10 years to get to sleep with the T.

However, 5 years ago, I came across a way to minimise the way I feel about my T to Zero - and No clonazepam needed for the last 5 years.

If interested, please see my own post on T.

All the best!

Persevere