my doctor prescribed me prochlorperazine when I started with tinnitus and it seemed to calm me down, I think it treats anxiety as well as sickness and dizziness. It’s not an antidepressant, not sure what kind of medication it is to be honest but it calmed me down. I was sleeping ok and because it keep me calm I was dealing with the tinnitus ok. Apparently I couldn’t stay on those long term and the doctor prescribed me sertraline and beta blockers. I took the beta blockers but they seemed to keep me awake so stopped them. I’ve been on sertraline for 6 days and my anxiety is worse at the minute and so is my tinnitus but I’m not sure if it’s changing tablets as they just told me to go straight from one to another. I’m not sleeping now so lack of sleep and anxiety could be making it worse. I’m just worried it’s the sertraline as I’ve read it can make it worse 🤷🏻♀️ fee like I’m stuck and don’t know what to do. Should I carry on with the antidepressants see if once they get into my system I calm down or stop them but then how do you cope with the anxiety. I had an ok day yesterday though my tinnitus was lower but it’s definitely changed sound. Anybody had experiences with these?
advice needed: my doctor prescribed me... - Tinnitus UK
advice needed
What an anti-depressant might do if it is working well is help us to control our anxiety more easily - the chain of anxious thoughts leading on from each other can settle down and we may find more space and time to be able to reflect and think, rather than purely responding, which I think is one way to describe the response that anxiety has for people.
Medications don't work the same way for everyone, so if a medication isn't felt to helping, then cognitive behavioural therapy or other types of talking therapy are available. Learning to relax - which is more difficult than it sounds - is an option.
Looking at British psychologist Richard Hallam's 'four stages of tinnitus habituation' model is also helpful - it's genuinely reflective of what a lot of people with tinnitus experience: ata.org/wp-content/uploads/...
Have you ever taking any antidepressants? I’m worried they will make the tinnitus worse
Not to share my personal medical history in a public forum like this, but I do take antidepressant medication and I can't report any issues with my tinnitus. If anything, feeling more balanced in my mood lets me manage the things like anxiety and stress which can sometimes make my tinnitus more intrusive to me. Other people's mileage may differ on this topic.
Ok thank you for sharing. Maybe I need to give it a bit more time.
I have prochlorperazine prescribed for vertigo, as it reduces the symptoms a little when nausea strikes. I didn’t know it was prescribed for T nor for anxiety.
People on this forum have reported sertraline to be effective.
I’m a bit worried that you didn’t know what prochlorperazine was. The doc should have explained (but maybe you couldn’t take it all in) but I’d always say “read the pack instructions”!
The doctors aren’t helping me very much to be honest. I don’t feel like they are bothered.
As has been said by other posters - if you don’t understand your medication or why you should be taking it then it’s the docs responsibility to help you. At my docs we have a specialist pharmacist and a nurse pharmacist - if your surgery has one try them.
As doctors know they cannot “cure”tinnitus then some of them might be a bit dismissive - but it sounds as if you need their help.
I think you need to go back to your GP for some more advice about your medication.
Go back to your Dr and stare tge side effects. Personally I stay clear if meds and try and use other methods. Wg always have music/tv/other noises these help me sleep.
Mine is so loud nothing seems to mask it and when I watch tv my T goes higher so I can’t even sit and watch tv. It’s also loud in the morning so I wake up anxious and it’s hard to sit still 😢
Hi
Don’t just stop the Sertraline it can take up to 2 weeks or longer for them to get into your system, it can make your anxiety worse at first. I have been on them for a while now and they are a good antidepressant, they use it for tinnitus sufferers like myself. Stick with it, if the insomnia gets worse go back to your GP.
I’m not sure if it’s helping or not yet. I know my tinnitus is worse from changing tablets. But that could just be caused by anxiety. It’s so hard to tell. But I’ll try stick to it. I’m struggling at home. It’s so loud when in the house. The TV makes it louder for some reason and it’s loud in the morning so I’m on edge all the time.
I think when suffering with tinnitus our brains get so tired of the constant screaming of tinnitus, then the anxiety creeps in making everything so much harder to cope with. I get so exhausted with mine as well, I spend as much time as I can out walking to take my mind off it. I am at the hospital soon hoping to get more help with it all. I fully understand your concerns. Go back to your GP if it’s getting to much for you. 😞
I think that it is common for Sertraline to take time to start working and to even make things worse for a while as your brain chemistry adjusts.
I know it is easy to say but you should try to stick with it for at least a month before considering stopping and definitely speak to your doctor about it.
Personally, I think that sertraline is much more likely to affect your tinnitus indirectly through lack of sleep and temporarily increased anxiety rather than directly making it worse. Hopefully, once your brain chemistry adjusts and you start sleeping better, your tinnitus will dial down a little.
I suspect most people on this forum have been through something very similar to what you are going through now (I certainly did) and they have come out the other side.
I hope I do. My thoughts aren’t great at the minute
Hi there. I think doctors are all too quick in prescribing anti depressants to tinnitus sufferers. I was prescribed sertraline. I took it for months until I realised it was doing nothing only dehydrating me. Theres a Dr Ben Thompson, audiologist video on YouTube somewhere, saying that some of these anti depressants actually REDUCE neuro plasticity in the brain, which is your brains ability to combat and beat certain ailments, thus delaying your ability to habituate. Not all anti depressants are guilty of this, so its worth checking out. I do agree with others though, some things work for some people. I personally have found, proper sound therapy, cbt videos, meditation, sleep headband and a thoroughly packed day, everyday, are the only things that have worked for me. Take care.
I was put on Sertaline, but they made my Tinnitus worse, so came off them, not taking anything at the moment, but struggling to cope, so back to the doctors.
How long were you taking them for? Was it definitely the sertraline? Let me know what your doctor suggests because I’m the same. If you don’t mind letting me know. Mine is so loud it’s hard to mask it. It’s the anxiety that it creates that I was put on sertraline for 😢
Absolutely agree with you mine is the same when it’s 24/7 the anxiety increases then makes the issues of tinnitus so much worse.
How do you know the sertraline isnt causing some of it?
I have another condition as well which caused it, when I go to the hospital I want to know if the Sertraline is helping it or adding to it, the sertraline definitely helps with the depression and anxiety so it’s a hard one.
That’s the problem. Hope you get some answers
Thank you, I do hope you get some peace with your tinnitus and the Sertraline helps you, keep us know how you progress with it. 😊
Yes ok will do 😊
Hi, I had high anxiety when first diagnosed with T, the doctor prescribed me a low dose of Sertraline which, after getting used to it, worked great for me. Sleep was a big issue so I now take a very low dose of Amitriptyline which helped me sleep a lot better. Touch wood, my T is the quietest it’s been but I now have Menheres disease. I never thought I would cope with Tinnitus but 15 months on I treat it as a very mild inconvenience. Hope things work out for you
What dose of sertraline were you on and are you taking it as well as the amitriptyline? I was thinking of asking for Amitriptyline instead of sertraline. Did you have to stop one and wait or just start the other straight away?
I am on 50mg of Sertraline and 10 mg of Amltriptoline, both being, I believe, the lowest dose. I take the S in the morning and the A at bedtime. I am lucky to have a very understanding GP
Ok thank you 😊
Hi Lakeshiker what a lovely name. I am on sertraline for anxiety I have tinnitus, loss of hearing and vertigo. I haven't noticed any difference to tinnitus because of sertraline. It's a very good antidepressant and after a couple of months it will make you feel calmer in yourself and that helps with tinnitus in the long run that has been my personal experience of it. Recently I was diagnosed as having menieres disease which unfortunately for me means my vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss is never going to get better. However I have had hearing aids and they have helped the tinnitus a bit so I'm pleased with that but vertigo which to me is the worst symptom is a bit more problematic. I'm on betahistine for my vertigo symptoms as prochlorperazine didn't suit me at all but we are all different and what suits one person doesn't necessarily agree with another person. So it's a bit of a challenge to find medications or natural products that suit you. After 3 years of trial and error at the moment I am calm and accepting of my symptoms and habituated. Who knows what the future holds but I am getting on with my life. So my advice is to keep in touch with your GP, discuss and try out medications with your GP's assistance, try various natural remedies that you are interested in ie: meditation, sound therapy, low salt low sugar diet, less or no alcohol and try the exercises that you can find for vertigo on line and you will find a way through it all to a combination of remedies that suit you. All the best and take care.
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