My doctor what me on trazodone for help with anxiety and sleep. I started on 50mg and from the very first tablet I noticed my T was louder and became very reactive to sound (it was already reactive) but it seemed worse. I told the doctor and they said to carry on with it as it takes time to settle down. After 4 weeks I went back to the doctors and they said they wanted to up it to 100mg so I tried it and again it seemed to make it worse. After 4 weeks I went back to say I was worried it was getting worse and they told me the better does is 150mg. So again I tried it. The higher the does the less I slept and it just made me feel worse. There was a little improvement in my anxiety but because of the reactiveness and loudness my anxiety still bad. So now they have said tapper off it so that’s what I’m doing and again it seems really bad. I’m at a loss what to do. Is it spiking because I’m tapering off it, will it settle down? It’s making me ill and I’m not coping at all. I know some people find meditation helps but it see to make me worse. The teeth clenching from being on Trazodone has caused TmJ and I’m getting constant ear pain, which again is worrying me, is it TmJ or am I getting pain hyperacusis. My t gets worse when I eat, drink, and throughout the day when moving my jaw. Has anyone had any success with medication which have helped any of my symptoms. I’ve got a mouth guard from dentist.
Regards Tara
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Lakeshiker
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Hi Lakwshiker, it looks as though your post is being hit by spam from vincentchan. I suggest you ignore those posts.
The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) used to provide a list of ototoxic drugs and that list (which I have on file) indicates that trazodone (or desyrel) is a known Tinnitus (T) trigger or 'ototoxic'. As you wean off the drug, the amplification of symptoms caused by it should therefore also ease back.
Unfortunately, the ATA's list of ototoxic drugs is no longer available online, so I cannot send you a link to it. The list is, however, a very long one!
Bottom line? There is no 'magic pill' to resolve tinnitus. Anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications to reduce associated stress tend to be ototoxic, especially (in my experience) amitriptyline. They make the T worse.
What I can suggest to try and relax your jaw and reduce tension, which certainly exacerbates tinnitus, is a regular professional massage to the masseter muscles, the TMJs and temporal areas, as well as the neck. If you're 'bruxing' and need a mouthguard, the chances are that these areas are highly stressed. A good massage should relieve some of that tension.
oh bless you. Honestly it seems so many medical professionals have no idea. They just don’t know and have little understanding of T
My doctor put me on two lots of anti depressants that made me really ill so I had to stop them.
The only thing that helps me, is not letting myself get scared of it and learning each day how to manage it. There’s no quick fix I’m sorry to say.
masking with several background noise helps a bit Having a busy mind too - the only go to I have if it’s beyond bearable is ear phones playing an audio book or low music or podcast
My rule with any prescription meds is that if the entry dose makes me feel bad then increasing it isn't going to suddenly make it feel good. It's like giving someone a double when single shot has already got them drunk!
Trozodone made me very ill. I'm not a doctor but would advise getting off it.Could you try something else, especially as it's not helping your anxiety?
I've been on Miterzapine for years; you're like Bambi on Ice and sleeping alot for the first week but once you get used to it, it controls depression and anxiety brilliantly.
It was a bit of a double edged sword for me. Taking Trazodone with my sleeping tablet got me the best (relative) night's sleeps I've had in ages. It did make the ringing louder and after a week or so I gave them up . That was 3 days ago and there's no reduction in ringing. What are other people's experience of this ?
Can you get help for your TMJ since that can be causative? Taper the tramadol slowly. It will calm down. I know it's almost impossible, cuz I'm trying to do it right now. but try not to totally focus on it only.
How slowly to taper, I tried the 150mg for nearly two weeks and couldn’t take any more, so dropped down to 100mg for two weeks and now the doctor said to go to 50mg
My t is so loud and super reactive to nearly every sound it’s hard to not focus on it 😢
So sorry for your situation Lakeshiker. I will relate my experience. I first developed my tinnitus around January, 2022. I went through the entire process: my GP, audiologists, ENTs, dentists, MRIs, etc... for the next several months just looking for answers. It was consuming my thoughts and severely affecting my sleep to the point where about 6 months later I returned to my GP who diagnosed me with insomnia and depression. He placed me on Trazodone and told me to start with 25 mg. I was able to finally get some much needed rest although it took a little while to get used to the medication. I also found a CBT therapist who has helped me a lot to deal with the stress and emotional side of tinnitus. I am still on the 25 mg trazodone, which I take about an hour before bed, and I still see my therapist. The tinnitus is still there and I have the occasional spikes in loudness but I feel like I can handle it much better now. Acceptance was a key for me. I am certainly not a Doctor and would never begin to offer medical advice but this is my experience and what I have found to help me. Best wishes.
Sorry it took so long to respond Nathalie. I know this is the Tinnitus UK forum but I am located in the U.S. in the state of Virginia. I will be glad to check with my therapist, but I do not know if he is able to see people outside of our state or outside the U.S. If you can, let me know if you if this will help.
Sorry about that. I hope you can find a therapist that can help you. I have been seeing mine for almost a year now and he has really helped me deal with the stress and the emotional side of tinnitus. He practices CBT therapy and has mild tinnitus himself. I wish you the best.
I had a severe Tinnitus spike in my early 50’s after having had Tinnitus from the age of six due to hearing loss from ear infections. It was affecting my sleep so my GP put me on Trazodone. I had a pretty bad reaction to it—-it produced an almost hallucinatory audio effect with my heartbeat, along with an even greater Tinnitus spike. I got off it immediately, to say the least!
While recently acquiring some Widex hearing aids has been very helpful as far as habituation, some medication (generic Zoloft and Ativan in very small doses) is still a prerequisite if I want to sleep. I have been on the same dosage for over 13 years. I hope that you can get an appointment with a reputable ENT and they can help you!
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T has become unbearably loud at night - total torture
Anxiety - yes that old hat!
6 months in and no improvement 
osteopath
