Tinnitus & Antidepressants – A Safe Treatment?

Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed for patients seeking tinnitus relief. There have been some studies that show antidepressants can treat ringing ears or help people cope better their ringing ears. Unfortunately, the kind of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) used in these studies can have dangerous side effects. In this article, we’ll talk about the dangers of using TCAs in the medical treatment of tinnitus and discuss a more holistic and natural approach to a tinnitus cure instead.

In a systematic review of the research into treating tinnitus symptoms with antidepressants, two of four studies showed at least some benefits from the treatment. However, TCAs like those involved in these studies have several potential negative side effects. They include dry mouth, blurred vision, and constipation.

In addition, antidepressants like these are usually just used for a period of weeks, as they can be addictive. In other words, even when tricyclic antidepressants are effective, they are typically only a short-term treatment for tinnitus.

Even more worrisome is the fact that antidepressants of all kinds can sometimes cause people, especially young people under 18 years of age, to consider harming themselves or even of committing suicide.

It’s clear that tricyclic antidepressants have a place in the medical treatment of tinnitus, surely it makes sense to look for more natural alternatives to these powerful medicines. A safe natural cure for tinnitus would be ideal. Such a natural treatment of tinnitus would need to be at least as effective as TCAs, without the risk of troublesome side effects. It would also need to be something without time limits on its use, providing a long-term cure for tinnitus, not the short-term relief of TCAs.

We’ve seen that there is some scientific evidence that tricyclic antidepressants can provide at least short-term tinnitus relief. We’ve also seen that such relief comes with the risk of various side effects, including some rather serious ones. Fortunately, there are other ways to treat this problem, including at least one all natural cure for tinnitus.