I have had tinnitus for many years and my doctor has started me on an anti-depressant. Does this drug work for tinnitus?
Unfortunately, many doctors are lazy/clueless
and do not bother to keep up with current literature. Tinnitus is ringing in
the ears and is a very difficult disorder to treat. Tinnitus is characterized as perception of
sound or noise in the absence of real acoustic stimulation. The disorder is
often compared with chronic pain,
and may be associated with depression
or depressive symptoms that can significantly affect quality of life and
ability to work. Antidepressant drugs
have been used to treat tinnitus in patients with and without depressive
symptoms for many years.
However, review of studies indicate that there is no proof
that antidepressants are effective for tinnitus. Fortunately, the studies
showed that the doses of anti-
depressants used did not cause any side effects. So
for now, anti-depressants have no effect on tinnitus but if you have concomitant
depression,
then perhaps you may want to continue with the drug therapy.
No comments:
Post a Comment