Tinnitus and Depression/Anxiety

[PopcornLover1971]

Docs want me to medicate for pronounced anxiety/depression.

I am worried about Oto toxicity as going to have to medicate for cholesterol as well.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what meds I can suggest to my physician? He is young and I fear doesn’t have the experience.

[Happyrosie]

I’d say the first thing to do is talk to your pharmacist. Assuming you’re in the UK, this is part of their job to help you in this respect.Other posters may well have their stores to tell of ototoxicity and experiences with this kind of medication as I’ve seen some posts here about that kind of thing.

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to Happyrosie]

Thanks for the reply. I am in Canada. I did speak to a pharmacist, but, unfortunately, they were not as helpful as I had hoped.

[doglover1973]

Hi SMM62. It's a personal choice only you can make - depending on how you feel. I wouldn't medicate just because your GP wants you to do so. It really is up to you. Troublesome T very often makes people feel anxious & depressed in the early days. Some people take meds; others don't . There's no right or wrong. I hope you feel better very soon.

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to doglover1973]

Thanks for the reply. I think I need to medicate. I am dealing with multiple medical issues (high cholesterol, chronic pain, chronic kidney disease, TMJ, PCOS, Gilbert's Syndrome) and all I do is cry. I have been dealing with T since June and today is a very bad day.

[doglover1973]

Aww. So sorry you've got so much on your plate. The early days of troublesome T are tough I know. I cried a lot in the first three months. The good news is you won't always feel this way. Things usually do get better over time. You can take meds to tide you over until better days and / or natural alternatives like St Johns wort & 5 - HTP . If either are available in Canada.

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to doglover1973]

Thanks again for the reply, the problem is that I do not know if those supplements are safe with my kidneys

[doglover1973 in reply to PopcornLover1971]

Oh I see. Perhaps you could discuss it with whoever is overseeing your treatment for kidney disease .. Or is that the young doc you mention in your first post?

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to doglover1973]

In Canada you don't see a nephrologist for your kidneys until you are down to 30% function. So, as a result, I have no specialized care yet.

[doglover1973 in reply to PopcornLover1971]

Hmm. That's tricky. Hopefully other forum members might be able to shed light on things for you. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to doglover1973]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I am very appreciative.

Yes, I am hoping that, as HappyRosie mentioned above, other posters will respond with their experiences regarding ototoxicity and successes with various medications.

[CamperT25]

I took Citalopram S1, think it was that, its the newest of thise tabkets anyway, no issues at all, no side effects, no ear issues. Xx

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to CamperT25]

Thank you for sharing!

[Spurdog1]

Its also the choice of pharmacist. My last was brilliant, but she left and the new one talks all technical. I asked him to explain in layman's words and again he couldn't. I'd therefore suggest visit 3-4 pharmacies, good luck.

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to Spurdog1]

Thanks. I am hoping to do just that

[Allgie]

I found medication to be a turning point in my T journey, I started taking Sertraline and amitriptyline (to sleep), It took about six weeks for the sertraline to fully kick in, but it did reduce The anxiety and depression, I stopped taking the amitriptyline about two months ago and I now sleep like a log, i’m still on a minimal dose of Sertraline, I will look to come off that in future.

I had no negative ear related side-effects, and I truly believe the key to living with Tinnitus it’s to tackle the anxiety and depression it causes, only you can choose whether medication is right for you, But my personal experience was a positive one and I felt it helped me get back to normality.

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to Allgie]

Thank you for sharing. I am glad it was a positive experience

[getchegary]

I was prescribed Sandoz-Duloxetine by my ENT four years ago in an attempt to reduce the severity of my perception of tinnitus. It has worked quite well. I also experienced severe anxiety at the outset. Within 6 weeks, I experienced an overall significant improvement over my initial experience with Tinnitus. As others have indicated, it will get better. BTW....I live in Canada as well.

[PopcornLover1971]

Hello, Fellow Canadian. Thank you for sharing your experience

[SimToTheWorld]

Hi SMM62, I was prescribed mirtarzapine as it helped me to sleep. I used it just for two weeks, but it helped to break the anxiety cycle. It also helped to reduz the perception of tinnutus. I mostly stopped because mirtarzapine makes one feel very hungry and I didn't want to put weight on as this is not good for my health overall. Like you I'm always scared of any medication.

[PopcornLover1971 in reply to SimToTheWorld]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am glad it was helpful for you

[PopcornLover1971]

Just tried Sertaline (Zoloft) - burning hands and feet, tingling, dizzy, insomnia and ringing is worse but don’t know if it is because of poor sleep or the med itself.