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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by CincyJack on August 6, 2004, at 23:44:40
Haven't dropped in here for quite a while.
I've been on Effexor for almost three years. I found one of my early threads describing the onset of tinnitus BEFORE taking meds, as a result of an acute panic attack (and latent depression...).
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011123/msgs/85248.html
After having the Effexor bumped once about a year ago, the tinnitus is again here full-time and another bump this week does not seem to be helping. Previously, adjusting the dose really quieted the tinnitus.
So now I'm wondering if Effexor has lost its punch? Noting that people suffer tinnitus from Effexor withdrawal only complicates the issue.
I am pleased to note that since I first posted about "brain tinnitus" that does not seem to result from damage or medication, others have posted similar experiences. The PubMed abstracts mention some instances of tinnitus being co-morbid with other pathological mental states. The ear doc I saw didn't seem to have a clue...
Anyone have good luck with a med that QUIETS tinnitus? I am not digging this hissing sound in my head... Effexor has helped my depression but maybe it is burning out on me... I'll try 225 mg. for a while and see if the golden silence returns.
Posted by King Vultan on August 7, 2004, at 11:04:34
In reply to Co-morbid Tinnitus and Depression Revisited, posted by CincyJack on August 6, 2004, at 23:44:40
If you poke into the subject of tinnitus on the web, you will occasionally see recommendations for the tricyclic AD nortriptyline in treating it. Indeed, I did find that it had some efficacy in treating the relatively minor tinnitus I have, subjectively reducing it perhaps 50-75% at a dosage of 50 mg/day. I've tried two other tricyclics and more than half a dozen other drugs--nortriptyline was the only one that had any real efficacy in this area. I also found it to be the best of all the drugs I've tried for my chronic headaches. Of course, it has antidepressant properties, as well.
Todd
Posted by feelndwn on August 7, 2004, at 12:14:09
In reply to Co-morbid Tinnitus and Depression Revisited, posted by CincyJack on August 6, 2004, at 23:44:40
I have been on roughly 5mg of xanax for 9 years. I am now coming off of it and am dealing with a ton of acute withdrawal symptoms. One of them is tinnitus. My tinnitus was like a screaming guitar playing a single note that pulsed all day long. I have since implemented 2 courses of action.
1: less perceptual/stress input. The less stressed I feel the lower my symptoms (including tinnitus). This means less exposure to mall/grocery shopping or outings at peak times, crowds, heavy-trafficed driving. Basically, exposure to locations or events that can cause your hypersensitivity that the drug is causing or has caused to become exacerbated.
2: a vitamin/mineral regime that is totally overhauling my system and giving me the edge in combating my withdrawal symptoms.
Tinnitus occurs when nerve cells in the cochlea, the tiny, snail shellshaped inner ear, are damaged, according to Michael Seidman, M.D., director of the Tinnitus Center at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. These nerves project hairlike endings into the cochlea, which is filled with fluid that moves in waves in response to sounds traveling through the ear. When a sound sends waves through the cochlea, the hairlike endings send a signal to the brain that gets interpreted as sound. When the sounds are too loud and the waves through the cochlea are too intense, the tiny nerve endings become damaged and may send abnormal signals that can cause hissing or buzzing.
In our cases it has been the drugs that have caused this inner ear damage. It is usually caused from a heightened auditory sense by, or from the drug.B12:
When it comes to nerves, vitamin B12 plays a special role. The body needs this nutrient to manufacture myelin, the fatty sheath that wraps around nerve fibers, insulating them and allowing them to conduct their electrical impulses normally.
A vitamin deficiency of B12 can raise blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is thought to be toxic to nerves. Low levels of B12 have been linked to a # of nervous system disorders, including memory loss, decreased reflexes, impaired touch or pain perception -and apparently, tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss.I could go on and on, but I will stop here. There is so much info on how vitamins & minerals are essential to the body and can easily with time correct problems of great severity. I won't go into all of this because you probably want me to shut up.
My tinnitus has gone away in 2 weeks. My daily vitamin/mineral regime:
Beta-carotene: 25k IU's
Copper: 1.5 mg (1mg for every 10 mg of zinc)
Magnesium: 400 mg
Selenium: 200 mg
B12: 1k mcg
Vitamin C: 500 mg x2 (1 in morning & 1 at night)
Vitamin E: 400 IU's (get the d-alpha-tocopherol, not the dl-alpha-tocopherol) d-alpha-tocopherol is natural and rocks the boat :)
Zinc: 15 mgcaution:
-if you have a heart or kidney problem talk to your doc before starting magnesium.
-if you're on anticoagulants don't take vit. E
-try to take your vit. E and Selenium together
-don't take your vit. C and Selenium together as they interfer with each other's absorptionthis is just my suggestion to you, but dang does it work...your body can heal
Posted by CincyJack on August 12, 2004, at 22:41:02
In reply to Co-morbid Tinnitus and Depression Revisited, posted by CincyJack on August 6, 2004, at 23:44:40
For anyone interested, after about 5 days at 225, the tinnitus is much quieter with periods of relative silence and I'm sleeping normally.
Very strange stuff, this brain chemistry business.
This is the end of the thread.
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