Benzo WD and tinnitus

[[mo...]]

I am 68yr female going through severe 1 mg Clonazepam WDs even on slow tapper. It has exacerbated my already sever tinnitus to a whole new level. It's unbearable. I'm a caretaker to 90yr dad with dementia and 49yr disabled son..no family help or support. 

I am at the end of my rope.

Tinnitus is incurable but will it lessen in severity as the withdrawals lessen?

Edited May 26 by [mo...]

[[Br...]]

Hello @[mo...] and welcome to BenzoBuddies!  We're glad you found us!

I'm so sorry you're suffering with intense withdrawal symptoms on top of pre-existing tinnitus and a lot of stress as a full-time caregiver.

Please tell us more about your taper.  It's a lot of questions but it can help us know how to help you:

• How long have you been tapering?  
• What rate are you tapering at?
• How long did you take clonazepam before you started  your taper?  
• Did you ever start and stop a benzo prior to taking clonazepam?  
• Did you have any other withdrawal symptoms before you started your taper?  
• When did you first get tinnitus?  

You'll find a lot of threads on this site about tinnitus.  It is a very common withdrawal symptoms which tends to fade away with time.  I tapered off 1mg clonazepam when I was in my mid 60s.  Tinnitus was one of many symptoms I suffered with but it eventually eased up.

We're glad you're here!

Brighterday

[[mo...]]

I was put on 1mg Clonazepam 16 months ago for insomnia and anxiety from severe tinnitus and anxiety which exacerbates each other. Because of severe side effects I asked Dr to taper me off. I'm tapering at .125 every two weeks. Withdrawals are getting worse and longer the lower the dose. Currently at .375mg. I have them all except seizures with my insomnia and tinnitus at its worst ever. I feel like I'm going crazy. I have never taken anything else other then antidepressants at different times since I was 18 now I'm 68. I don't know how to suffer through this and also be caretaker to 90yr dad who has dementia and 49yr disabled son. Neither understand my mood swings and irritability which I try to control. I have NO support system except my therapist and she's not helping me other than to change my circumstances (which I cant) and to push through it ( I'm trying but so tired and sick feeling) I used to be before tinnitus hit 5 years ago then going on this stupid med!!!! I don't know who I am anymore....How long does this last

[[Cr...]]

Hi @[mo...], welcome to Benzo Buddies!

Tinnitus is a very common withdrawal effect. I don't know if there is any scientific correlation, but from my own observations over the years it seems a lot of clonazepam users report that side effect.

If you had tinnitus before benzos it likely won't disappear when withdrawal is over but it will greatly lessen once you are recovered.

I can only share what I have read from other members that gave them relief.

-never be in complete silence. Always have some low volume music or nature sounds playing on tv or a speaker.

-if tinnitus is interfering with sleep get some headphones/earbuds and listen to white noise or something gentle like rain to drown out the ringing.

If you are feeling stressed about this whole recovery process I encourage you to read the many success stories to help you keep your hope. As @[Br...] said, there have been many threads about tinnitus from members going back to this site's founding. If you use the search function you may find more ways to cope, others that have it as bad as you, and positive outcomes for other sufferers.

Edited May 26 by [Cr...]

[[Th...]]

So sorry you are dealing with Tinnitus, its torture for sure. My Tinnitus started late in my taper and hasn't improved a whole lot yet. I am in my 5th month clean from Xanax, its not quite as loud or oscillating as much as it was early on, occasionally I get 24 hour windows but for the most part its still ringing away. I THINK at the rate I am healing, I am hoping before this year is out my T has disappeared all together. 

Hang in there, Benzos effect the inner ears, it can take a long time for your ears to heal. 

[[mo...]]

4 hours ago, [[m...] said:

I was put on 1mg Clonazepam 16 months ago for insomnia and anxiety from severe tinnitus and anxiety which exacerbates each other. Because of severe side effects I asked Dr to taper me off. I'm tapering at .125 every two weeks. Withdrawals are getting worse and longer the lower the dose. Currently at .375mg. I have them all except seizures with my insomnia and tinnitus at its worst ever. I feel like I'm going crazy. I have never taken anything else other then antidepressants at different times since I was 18 now I'm 68. I don't know how to suffer through this and also be caretaker to 90yr dad who has dementia and 49yr disabled son. Neither understand my mood swings and irritability which I try to control. I have NO support system except my therapist and she's not helping me other than to change my circumstances (which I cant) and to push through it ( I'm trying but so tired and sick feeling) I used to be before tinnitus hit 5 years ago then going on this stupid med!!!! I don't know who I am anymore....How long does this last

 

[[mo...]]

Please HELP. I'm into taper 8 weeks from 1mg to .375...ive been tapering .125 every couple weeks with major withdrawals now longer and more intense. Is this too fast? Barely functioning but have to care for dad and son. Any imput would help.

Thankyou

[[Re...]]

@[mo...] I am really sorry...

Have you considered going back to a dose where you feel more comfortable?

Yes, you have been tapering fast. The recommended taper speed is 5-10 % of your previous dose every two or three weeks, some taper even slower. 

Is there a chance you could discuss this with your prescriber? 

[[Ja...]]

There been quite a few threads on here with tinnitus,.it’s a classic withdrawal symptom,.mines is full pitch just now as well,I think anti depressants/withdrawal caused mine but benzos didn’t help it ether,and withdrawal is agitating it.

[[Le...]]

there are often underlying causes of tinnitus too that make things worse. almost always hearing loss combined with something else. hearing loss/WD pretty bad. muscle tension then even worse. tmj or arthritis and stuff and even worse. 

anyone with joint issues try anti inflammatories?  lots people say it helps but I would be cautious with what you put in you body at the moment. 

[[mo...]]

1 hour ago, [[R...] said:

@[mo...] I am really sorry...

Have you considered going back to a dose where you feel more comfortable?

Yes, you have been tapering fast. The recommended taper speed is 5-10 % of your previous dose every two or three weeks, some taper even slower. 

Is there a chance you could discuss this with your prescriber? 

I'm working  with psychiatrist but she told me to go with what's comfortable. I was somewhat OK till I went from .5 to .357 a week ago. Severe WDs hit 3 days ago. I've never been so miserable in my life. I've never taken any meds except thyroid meds. I knew nothing about this drug. I would have never started. My primary Dr should have known better than to keep an me on it for 16 months.

[[Le...]]

i am not so sure tinnitus is completely uncurable. between dealing with the things i didnt know were affecting it (muscle tension and high bp) i have gotten mine almost completely gone at times now in just a few months and am hoping for more progress. i thought the whole time it was still from the benzos only. 

[[Br...]]

7 hours ago, [[m...] said:

I was put on 1mg Clonazepam 16 months ago for insomnia and anxiety from severe tinnitus and anxiety which exacerbates each other. Because of severe side effects I asked Dr to taper me off. I'm tapering at .125 every two weeks. Withdrawals are getting worse and longer the lower the dose. Currently at .375mg. I have them all except seizures with my insomnia and tinnitus at its worst ever. I feel like I'm going crazy. I have never taken anything else other then antidepressants at different times since I was 18 now I'm 68. I don't know how to suffer through this and also be caretaker to 90yr dad who has dementia and 49yr disabled son. Neither understand my mood swings and irritability which I try to control. I have NO support system except my therapist and she's not helping me other than to change my circumstances (which I cant) and to push through it ( I'm trying but so tired and sick feeling) I used to be before tinnitus hit 5 years ago then going on this stupid med!!!! I don't know who I am anymore....How long does this last

@[mo...] - I'm so sorry.  You're dealing with so much.  But I feel confident we can help you get to a better place.  I think the most important step is to slow down your taper.  It's not unusual for doctors to suggest tapering the way you are.  But in our view the cuts are way too big. We typically suggest tapering by making cuts of no more than 5-10% of your most recent dose every 14 days or longer if you are experiencing difficult symptoms.  We strongly encourage members to pay attention to what their bodies are telling them, that is, if symptoms are rough, adjust the taper by making even smaller cuts and/or hold longer between cuts. This is the best way we know of to keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum so you can function as well as possible. There is no benefit to rushing through your taper.  It's understandable to want to be done with the benzo but in the long run your system will respond better to a slow, gradual taper.

 @[Re...] suggested above that you might consider updosing to a dose that you feel more comfortable with.  I think this may be a very good idea.  You could stay at that dose for a few weeks until you've stabilized and then begin a to taper with smaller cuts. 

Many of our members use a nail file to make reductions and jeweler's scale to weigh the pieces.  This can help with making reductions with a bit more precision.  Others feel confident eyeballing the pill fragments.  It's whatever you feel most comfortable with.  

How does this sound to you?

[[mo...]]

I'm not tech savvy. I'm not sure how to answer a specific reply...is this right?

Anyway the first 2 tapers were a week apart by .125. Then as WDs increased I went to 2 weeks apart. Now I'm really struggling.  I don't know how to do smaller tapers. Pills only go down to .125mg  to do the .357 dose now I take a .125 pill and then have to cut a .5 in half and there are always crumbles. It's not completely accurately cut.

[[Br...]]

@[mo...] -  You might find it helpful to get a jeweler's scale for more accuracy.- like this one.  https://www.amazon.com/AWS-Portable-Precision-Digital-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM?th=1 It's about $40 on Amazon.

If you decide to try this here are a few tips. There's some math involved but I'm not good at math and I was still able to get the hang of it when I tapered an Antidepressant using this method.

1. Weigh 10 of your clonazepam pills and divide the total weight by 10 to get the average weight of a pill.

2. A 1mg pill will actually weigh more than 1mg because of filler and in some cases coating. 1mg just refers to the active ingredient.

3.  If you want to figure out the weight of .125mg (that's active ingredient) you will divide the total weight of the pill by 8.  

4. If you find that your symptoms are difficult you will probably want to make smaller reductions.

Another option is to use a liquid form of clonazepam.

What do you think?

[[mo...]]

How and where do I get liquid clonazepam 

[[Li...]]

15 minutes ago, [[m...] said:

How and where do I get liquid clonazepam 

Are you in the US or another country @[mo...]?

A manufacturer’s liquid is not available in the US but it is in some other countries (it’s usually referred to by the brand name, Rivotril).  There’s also a speciality pharmacy in the UK (Rosemont) that manufacturers a clonazepam oral solution.

If you are in the US, you can get a liquid from a compounding pharmacy.  Here is a link to a stability-tested formulation (recipe) for an oral clonazepam suspension:

0.1mg/mL Clonazepam Oral Suspension