Have You Had Ringing In Ears Since Being On or Coming Off of Psychiatric Medication?

[Deleted member 541]

Cymbalta, for me, was the best drug ever.....BUT, had I known in advance, how bad the withdrawal was going to be, I might have made a different choice about starting it. The withdrawal was horrid. Good luck with your decision.....

 

[Auburngirl]

It sounds like having open, really good communication with your doctor is critical so that between the two of you you can work out a plan that you are comfortable with. My symptoms are not that different from yours, except I don't have depression. My main symptoms are dissociation and anxiety (with the yo-yo ing of moods you describe and sometimes recurrent self-harming thoughts).

For me dissociation is a form of numbing, so if medication helps with that I feel more like myself. Dissociation also totally wipes me out and I end up spending a lot of time in bed to recover. So if medication helps alleviate that i am more functional, more in touch with myself, and my sleep in regular, I get more done and feel like a happier productive person.

I currently don't take any drug daily, I take alprazolam as needed for anxiety/dissociation, and I have a lot of other strategies (regular bedtimes, no caffeine, lots of regularly scheduled exercise, yoga, making sure I have enough alone time, and time with people, planning ahead and divide tasks into small chunks, having a circle of support people I can call in a crisis, living in a small supportive community). Sometimes I need the drug so that I can allow myself to put other strategies in place - that then mean I don't need as much medication.

Drugs affect everyone differently (or even the same person differently at different time, I find) and may also have improved since you took them last. If you can have a really open, and ongoing chat and evaluation with your doctor about your concerns and what works for you that should help. It's your treatment and your life and you need to feel comfortable with it. You are not better or worse as a person for taking or not taking drugs, you are the only one in your skin and only you know what works for you.

 

[2notbedefeated]

I really appreciate everyone's vomments. It gives me various ways to think about whether to take something or not.

I have closely charted daily my moods and what surrounded the outbursts of my various emotions and found that I was like a roller coaster and that the hardests time for me are when I am with my husband and kids. Especially my kids. My moods are more mangeable when I am alone.

I feel in some ways that I need to think about how these outburst are effecting those that I love and live with and I know I frighted and upset my daughter, and my son carries alot of worry about my health and how I'm doing, and of course, with my husband I tend to let the rest of "negative energy" and moodiness out on him.

With this in mind I guess I want to try to take the Cymbalta and see if it will help. I hate seeing my daughter respond in fear when I lose my temper and yell at her. I feel so guilty and shameful about it. Therapist has seen that my son's emotiions and moods are closely knit with mine, and when I'm struggling, depressed, anxious, etc. the he tends to be the same and worries.

I need to take in to account the sense of security and safety in our home to try and help my kids to feel their home is a safe place. I must admit I've not always made sure of this, but I do feel it is necessary to help my kids grow up in safe place.

My preference is not to go on the medication, especially after reading about it. I've been on ssri before and lots of other meds so I know from experience what withdrawal and "suffering" in the process. Since I have kids that need to feel mommy is a safe person (not a time bombing) and can be trusted, I will try the Cymbalta and see how it goes. I started taking it yesterday so today I feel some physical symptoms, but I've had worse.

When my son spoke to me tonight saying that he wished I didn't have to feel sick all the time, I knew it was effecting his "tender soul" and he and my daughter both deserve to grow up in a home where honesty and safety are demonstrated.

I figure I need to find some medication that will enable me to do my job without much interference from the PTSD and emotional liablity. It scares my kids so I need to find ways to control and stop it as best as I can. I like to believe this is temporary and when I start to gain progress in the development of coping strategies and helping things to be more settled in the home I can try to come of this one. I grew up in a "yo-yo" home and I don't want that for my kids.

I just wanted to catch you all up on my decision. He started me at 1 60mg dose for three weeks and then I see him again to see how its working. I just want enough to take the edge out of my behavior without interfering with therapy and tasks of the day.

I have been on the Cymbalta for two days now. Yep i feel weird in the head and really nauseous, but I've had worse, but its for the sake of my famliy and I will give it go or a while and see if it helps.

 

[catjudo]

2not--
You sound like such a good mom. And you've really given me something to think about here. I've known for some time now that I need to get back on medication but I've strongly resisted. I'm managing. I'm getting by. But what you said about losing your temper and yelling at your daughter really struck home for me. The unpredictability of my moods in not good for my daughter. Something she does may not bother me one day and completely sends me over the edge the next time. It's upsetting for her. Unpredictability is frightening for children. I'm going to give some serious consideration to getting back on my medication. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your thought process that helped you to arrive at your decision.

 

[2notbedefeated]

Thanks for you honest catjudo. It was a hard decision for me to make too. But when my 10 yr, daugher (with her flare for the dramatic) pulling away, cowering in the corner like a puppy waiting for a beating.

This so upsets me and I need to earn wsomehow how to build up her emotinal maturity and sense of safery. She has struggle from birth with "exaggerated fears of various kinds).

I do have an idea that I believe will help stop some of the arguments I have with her, but I will have to go to the thread I started on Parents with PTSD Raising Kids and share it there.

 

[supergirl]

2not,

I did some research online and there is a liquid form of Cymbalta so if it does not work for you and you need to get off of it you can ask your dr for it to decrease your dose slowly to avoid side effects.

i did this with Paxil and it was wonderful. I was able to go down 2 milligrams a week and had no side effects at all. Yes, it took a while to get off of it that way but the freedom from side effects was totally worth it.

Just wanted to pass that info along,

SG

 

[Leda]

Hello 2not -
I felt pretty weird the first two weeks on Cymbalta, but after those weeks I´ve had no sideeffects. I have not tried getting off them, though.

 

[Deleted member 541]

2not,

I too felt nauseous on Cymbalta for the first few days, and it was suggested that I take it at bedtime. That stopped my feeling sick right away.... Good luck!

 

[2notbedefeated]

Thanks everyone for your replies and informations.

I have a question as to whether others have developed tinnitus (ringing in the ears or like cricket singing directly in your ears) while being on on psychiatric medication(s) or developed tinnitus during withdrawal from psychiatric meds, or developed tinnitus shortly after being off these medicatons?

I started having tinnitus it will be one year from this past August. I was coming off Klonopin at the time it happened. I had previous finished coming off of Buspar, Geodon, and several others years prior to that.

I wanted to give an update and ask a question. I've been on Cymbalta four days now. Still have nausea, but if I eat some carbs with it then its not so bad.

It seems like it has helped with my chest pain and tightness I (I have a slight asthma condition). I haven't used my inhaler at all since I've been taken Cymbalta. I also haven't been complaining as much about achiness and pain in my neck, shoulder, and back. I have fibromyalgia and almost always need my husband to massage my neck and shoulders before bed.

Thanks Supergirl for looking up and finding that Cymbalta comes in liquid which makes it easier to come off it. When coming off other psych drugs I had to do liquid titration - crush pill and mix in water and measure out what I was to take and it was a pain. I had to do this for almost 4 years. So its nice to know liquid is available.

 

[Scott Likes Popcorn]

I have ringing in my ears and have never used psychiatric medication. However, I've found that a HEPA filter makes for a good "white noise" generator, and it helps cut down on the tinnitus. (The down side: HEPA filters make more dust--I'm not sure why.)

Good luck!

 

[Jestadud]

I have ringing in the ears which was first diagnosed as menieres disease, then after I queried it a couple of years later got downgraded to menieres syndrome!
My opinion now is that it might be something to do with sensitive hearing but I feel certain that stress plays a big part, thats why some days are worse than others.