Melon - Developped tinnitus after 7+ years on Lexapro

[Melon]

Hi everyone! 

 

My story have been simple until recently. 

I have been on Lexapro 5mg since my twenties for depression and anxiety. The start was hard but things were great afterwards. After many years, and since I was better, my GP started to pressure me to stop the Lexapro so I tried (cut my dosage by half for a month and then stopped completely, as advised. which was stupid) I had the classics brain zaps, puking, fatigue, shivering, etc, it was bad. I finally caved and went back on taking my dosage every 3 days which calmed things down for some months. 

 

In July I had to take Azithromycin which completely messed me up again. My anxiety was at the highest I ever had, I had panic attacks every nights, could barely sleep or eat. I started to get suicidal thoughts because I honestly couldn't deal with how bad life was. I went to the ER and got prescribed Valium and Zopiclone, which helped a bit. In September things were calming down and I was able to quit Valium and Zopiclone by tapering slowly.

 

Meanwhile, my GP advised be to go back to a daily dose of Lexapro. I was skeptical but since I was barely eating, I ended up trusting her again (dumb). It helped with the anxiety, thankfully. Things were looking up. Two weeks later I started to realize I had some tinnitus, but I thought it would fade quickly (I had a slight tinnitus when I first started Lexapro). Unfortunately tinnitus stayed, and a week later I started to develop a big reactivity to sounds (hyperacusis) and even pain (noxacusis). It was awful, anxiety obviously came back and I started to panic. I started to taper Lexapro by cutting my daily dosage by 25% every 2 weeks (probably too quick, I know), to see if it would help. 

It's been a month now and sadly things are not great. My tinnitus went from a loud ringing sound to a loud static high-pitched sound, my ears hurt when things are too loud. It feels like I can't have neither silence or sound, which is hard. I'm trying to accept I have Tinnitus now, to stay calm, but it's even harder. I'm very mad at myself and my doctor. I hope things will subside, but preparing for the worst. 

 

I'm hoping to find people who maybe had a similar experience to mine. I'm trying to hold on to the hopes of getting my life back, but it's hard when you feel alone in all this (and doctors are not helping much) 

 

I have been taking Magnesium Glycinate since August, but recently stopped to see if that makes a difference (don't think it did much for me). I'm planning to try B12 and Zinc soon as it's often advised for tinnitus. 

 

Thanks! 

 

[Emonda]

Welcome @Melon

Can you please add some details to your signature. An indication of the specific months changes were made in 2024 would be helpful.

 

14 hours ago, Melon said:

my GP started to pressure me to stop the Lexapro so I tried (cut my dosage by half for a month and then stopped completely, as advised. which was stupid)

 

Not good advice from the doctor, sadly.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage? The reductions should get smaller and smaller each month, for example: 10mg, 9mg, 8.1mg, 7.3mg etc. This process involves a degree of trial and error, as there is no way of predicting how an individual will respond. Importantly, if you develop unpleasant side effects from tapering, halt the taper, give yourself time to settle, and once stable, taper more slowly and by smaller amounts moving forward. The experience of others suggests that the lower you go in dose, the slower you need to go with tapering.

 

14 hours ago, Melon said:

had the classics brain zaps, puking, fatigue, shivering, etc, it was bad. 

Those that taper too quickly often develop very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) is a helpful summary of what many experience.

What you describe above sounds like typical WD.

14 hours ago, Melon said:

went back on taking my dosage every 3 days which calmed things down for some months. 

The dose needs to be taken at the same time each and every day.

14 hours ago, Melon said:

Two weeks later I started to realize I had some tinnitus, but I thought it would fade quickly (I had a slight tinnitus when I first started Lexapro). Unfortunately tinnitus stayed, and a week later I started to develop a big reactivity to sounds (hyperacusis) and even pain (noxacusis). It was awful, anxiety obviously came back and I started to panic. I started to taper Lexapro by cutting my daily dosage by 25% every 2 weeks (probably too quick, I know), to see if it would help. 

I can relate. I developed tinnitus after reinstating the same AD at too high a dose years back. I stopped within a few days. Things improved, but not completely.

These days, I still have tinnitus. Foods high in refined sugar can fare up my tinnitus. I've found I have to relax about it / go with the flow / distract myself from the noise with quite background music.

Worrying about it draws attention to it, and it feels worse.

14 hours ago, Melon said:

I'm planning to try B12

Some find this unhelpful with WD symptoms.

Once you add some details to your signature, we can chat from there.

Regards, Emonda

[Pickamew]

15 hours ago, Melon said:

My tinnitus went from a loud ringing sound to a loud static high-pitched sound, my ears hurt when things are too loud. It feels like I can't have neither silence or sound

Hi Melon. Letting you know these symptoms are some of the main things I am dealing with. I developed tinnitus in my right ear about two weeks after stopping Lexapro. Separately, I also have this high pitched static in my head that is hardest to deal with when waking up or trying to sleep. It’s like the silence is so loud. The reactivity to sounds is there too. 

[NBJ71]

Hey @Melon @Pickamew

I have the same issue with Tinnitus too. It’s constant and I can’t get any relief from it. I constantly have the TV or soft music on as background noise which sometimes helps. The hardest part is trying to fall asleep as it drives me crazy! Also, at times my ears become sensitive to noise. I can be watching the TV and all of a sudden, for no reason it seems offensively loud and I have to reduce the volume. 

[Melon]

Thanks for answering @Emonda !

 

I realized that my taper should have been more slow, too late unfortunately. I'm now trying to do it more gradually.

 

1 hour ago, Emonda said:

The dose needs to be taken at the same time each and every day.

I did not know about that however. Which makes me even more angry towards my GP. I'm actually cutting my pill in half and quarters now and taking it daily (don't know if this is ideal)

 

1 hour ago, Emonda said:

I can relate. I developed tinnitus after reinstating the same AD

 

Sorry you had to experience that too. Do you remember how long it took for you to see improvements? 

I'm also trying to relax and being patient but it's actually more about grief than anxiety for me.

 

1 hour ago, Emonda said:

Some find this unhelpful with WD symptoms.

 

Well I'm kinda desperate so I have nothing to lose I guess ahah

[Melon]

Hey @Pickamew !

 

I'm so sorry that you're going through that too. I actually read your post before signing up. How long has it been for you? It feels like out timelines are similar. It's been very hard and I imagine it's the same for you.

 

Hey @NBJ71 !

 

So sorry about that. It's so hard to find rest and peace with tinnitus. Has it been long for you?

[Pickamew]

Hey! Today is the first day of my sixth week since stopping. The head screeching/right ear tinnitus started about the 2nd/3rd week. I never had it before or during. I’ve always been very careful with my hearing (for example, will wear earplugs when vacuuming). I’m so upset about it and can’t seem to find any success stories of it going away. What makes me angry too is that I was never told about these serious side effects before taking/stopping an SSRI. I told my psych about the tinnitus and she told me it — and my insomnia, were due to my anxiety. What a joke. Both were caused by the poison. Never had either before. 

[Melon]

Pretty similar to me unfortunately. My hearing's always been very sensitive so I protected it whenever I could. Doctors and ENT have been useless for far. 

[NBJ71]

Hey @Melon

I had an adverse reaction to 7 doses of Sertraline 50mg in March. I didn’t realise the severity of my injury. I then had a reaction to cod liver oil which was so severe I sought the help of “professionals “. This led to weeks of Diazepam and Zopliclone. Around 2 days after the last Zopiclone tablet the tinnitus started. It’s been constant for around 4 weeks now. I’m hoping it eases soon but I’ve also accepted I may have to live with it for the foreseeable future! 

[KenA]

On 10/21/2024 at 5:27 AM, Emonda said:

These days, I still have tinnitus. Foods high in refined sugar can fare up my tinnitus. I've found I have to relax about it / go with the flow / distract myself from the noise with quite background music.

Worrying about it draws attention to it, and it feels worse.

I still have some Tinnitus myself even after 5 years. But I've learned to ignore it and I don't even think about it any more. It will get a bit louder every now and then, but it always quiets back down to just a background noise. It's kinda like when you go in your kitchen, you don't hear your refrigerator humming. Its a sound you learn how to filter out. 

[KenA]

https://levomedical.com/tinnitus-habituation-overview/

 

This is what happened with me

 

I'm in Stage 4 now

 

[Pickamew]

Thank you for the update. I still feel so unconsolable and doomed right now. Just being honest. With the little ability I have to sleep nowadays, it was roaring so bad last night it woke me up a couple times and have been hearing it all day. I just don’t see how it is ever going to stop. It makes me want to cry and feel suicidal. 

[KenA]

Hang in there, I was the same way when it first started for me. Took probably a year to get manageable. 2 years to feel good, and 3 to feel normal. This is a long term process. Just do the best you can. I would go hang out in my bathroom and run the bathtub water and turn on the "fart fan" to help drown it out a bit. I also learned that the frequency of mine is the same as chirping crickets and running water, so I got an app on my phone that I would play chirping crickets and water sounds to help mask it. Give it time, it gets better!

 

[Melon]

Hey @NBJ71 ! I had no idea cod liver oil could be harmful. I also was on Zopiclone for a while lately. Crazy how the brain reacts by "attacking" your ears

 

I feel the same @Pickamew. I'm trying to hold on but it feels so hopeless

 

Thanks for sharing your experience @KenA. I'm hoping for habituation as well but it seems like forever. How did you cope during this first year? 

 

 

[NBJ71]

Hi @Melon

I think cod liver oil can be very helpful for some people. It’s one of the two recommended supplements on here, the other one is magnesium. The mods advise to only add one supplement at a time so that if you were to have a reaction you know exactly what has caused it. They also recommend to start with a low dose. Go low and slow! 
Unfortunately I started using it before I found this site and started on quite a high dose which caused me some severe issues. 

[Melon]

Thanks @NBJ71, good to know! Don't blame yourself, it's hard to know how much to take when doctors don't know or care about supplements. I'll make sure to go slow then 

[NBJ71]

Hi @Melon

It’s so frustrating that the “experts” dismiss us when we try to discuss our symptoms! I’m only just getting through a stage of feeling incredibly angry with the situation I’ve found myself in. As recommended by the mods I’m trying to find some acceptance now. I hope your journey goes as smoothly as possible. I’ll check in at times to see how you’re getting on. 

[KenA]

@Melon Prayer and patience. Loud music, running water, lots of tears and anger. Acceptance truly did turn things around for me. Learning that everything I was going through was just symptoms of healing and knowing it would get better. It's one of the only minor symptoms I have left, but it doesn't affect my life at all anymore.

[Melon]

Thanks @KenA. I'm trying to work on that. The patience, and the anger about it too 😅

 

Some update of my situation in case it might help others :

 

Things have been hard, I saw an ENT specialized in tinnitus who gave me anti-inflammatory meds, it helped a bit, not completely unfortunately. 

I've been trying hearing aids even though I don't really have hearing loss, they're essentially just playing some light white sound so my brain stops listening to the tinnitus. It's pretty annoying to be honest but I thing it's helping the psychotical part. I can't really "pinpoint" my tinnitus as much so I kind of forget about it, and I'm not feeling as terrified. I'm hoping that my brain will be able to habituate faster this way. It still sucks but I can breathe a little. Still trying to push through, stay busy and hope for better days.

 

(I've also forced myself to keep away from the tinnitus community to protect my mental health as much as possible)