by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
I recently received a phone call from a man who wanted to know about the ototoxicity of Gabapentin, because his doctor had prescribed it for his tinnitus.
I explained to him that researchers have now concluded that Gabapentin (Neurontin) is no more effective than a placebo for tinnitus relief (1).
Why should we not be surprised? After all, Gabapentin causes tinnitus in a good number of the people that take it. In fact, Gabapentin is quite ototoxic. According to the PDR, it can cause hearing loss, hyperacusis, tinnitus, ataxia, dizziness, vertigo, and ear pain among other things.
This is not the kind of drug you want doctors using to treat your ears, or anywhere in your body for that matter!
Rather interestingly, this above article concludes with the statement, “To date, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any drug for the treatment of tinnitus.” So if any doctor prescribes any drug for your tinnitus, know that this use is not approved by the FDA for tinnitus. It’s that simple.
Since there are more than 450 drugs known to cause tinnitus, the chances of researchers finding one that stops tinnitus seems pretty slim!
To be safe, you always need to check out the ototoxic side effects of any drugs before you take them. One way to do this is to check them out in “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed“. This book contains information on the ototoxicity of 763 drugs known to damage ears (including the 450 known to cause tinnitus). For your copy, click on the above link now.
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(1) Reported in the April issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery 2007; 133:390-397.
Just for information and try to help others.
We have recoverd hearing loss of my daughter using accupresur. if need any help information pl contact.
Hi There,
Can you please explain what type of acupressure and also did she have tinnitus and how long did it take for her to recover?
Thank you SO much.
~
Oceana
can you explain acupressure for the drug induced hearing loss
I have been taking gabapentin for some time now for my epilepsy. My consultant neurologist did not point out that the drug might produce tinnitus and other hearing/ear-related problems.
Now I’m suffering from tinnitus in both ears, and occasional dizziness and vertigo, with the odd spasm of ear pain. I have also noticed some hearing loss. I am feeling pretty aggrieved about the guy at the moment. I only hope that coming off gabapentin can eliminate the problem, and that the damage to my ears won’t prove to be permanent.
Would you let me know your findings. I am dealing with the same thing and dealing with Post TBI for a year.
I have Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Recently, it was advised to take gabapentin for the ear pain. After reading about the side effects and discussing my fear of the drug with a pharmacist, I didn’t take it. Wednesday, I saw a neurologist. He prescribed gabapentin. Since he is so respected, I took 100 mg at night before bed, and when I woke up, my ears were ringing with a high pitched noise. After 4 nights, I quit taking the gabapentin. My ears are still ringing loudly, and it is becoming very concerning. The neurologist said the gabapentin will not cause ear ringing. I called the drug mfgr. today and was told that it is a side effect (but not listed with their packet) and also that due to the long history of ear pain with the RHS it is not at all unusual. Has anyone else had this happen, and how long did it take for the ringing to stop? Thanks!
do you still have it?
Yes….along with other ear and head pain that I am not used to with RHS. I am beyond frustrated….especially because neurologist and some ear docs do not seem to be aware. I would advise anyone that has had severe ear pain to steer away from gabapentin!
I also have been taking Taurine (1x/day on empty stomach) and N-A-C sustain (3x/day with meals) for 10 days (at the advice of an amazing ENT) and it is not helping. I am holding out on HOPE!!
I took it for 2 weeks, and have had the ringing in my ears for over a month now,, and it seems to keep getting worse. DO NOT take Gabapentin unless you have no other choice…
I’ve had tinnitus for 40 years and was prescribed gabapentin for shingles pain 8 years ago. I had absolutely NO side effects and gabapentin got me through MONTHS of shingles that allowed me to continue working throughout. I could not have even slept without gabapentin. Nothing else worked. My mother also took it for years for neuropathy in her legs and it worked very well for her. One person’s cure can be another person’s poison. It’s probably not a good idea to give blanket advice to NOT take gabapentin. Personally, when I am prescribed a new med., I take a very small dose initially and see how my body reacts before I move to a full dose. That works pretty well for me. I was recently prescribed Celexa for arthritis pain and with one dose I was up all night gagging and vomiting. I did not try a second dose, but Celexa works well for many people!
Ears ringing really bad. I will be slowly reducing dosage and stop taking it. Can’t stand the ringing and the weight gain. Too bad because it really helped with pain
Wow…I took my first 100mg Gabapentin last night. I had low grade tinnitus and half hour after taking Gab. My head is full of loud, very loud buzzing and ringing. I guess ill have to stop immediately because at 10pm tonight I was home and could hear it still. Yikes. Thanks for posting for I hust couldnt believe how loud this is.
Hi Denise – sorry to hear the trouble you had. I am in the same situation. Did your tinnitus resolve over time? Or, at least reduce?
Hello Rhonda, I have been suffering from high pitch tinnitus day/night. I have been on Gabapentin for several years and I have just come to understand that it may be this drug. I want to know if your high pitch tinnitus ever resolved.? And I want to thank you for helping me to work this issue out.
I have just been prescribed Gabapentin for my pulsing tinnitus, reading the comments, I’m not sure I want to take this drug, might cause ringing along with my pulsing! Do you know of this drug working for this?
Hi Rhonda:
Gabapentin isn’t a cure for pulsatile tinnitus. Pulsatile tinnitus results from a vascular condition. Rather than taking drugs, I’d find out the real cause of your pulsatile tinnitus and fix that, then you won’t need drugs.
I’ve not heard that Gabapentin helps pulsatile tinnitus (but I haven’t heard that it doesn’t either). Personally, I’d stay away from this drug, but that’s my opinion.
Cordially,
Neil
Did you com out from gabapentin and how is your tinnitus now
I was given Neurontin with a baby aspirin in 1998 by a neurologist after an EEG to determine potential nerve damage from my cervical spine discs injuries in a rear-end collision (I was hit). I later was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I took the combo for a very short period, less than a week bc I developed tinnitus. I have it still, some 20+ yrs later. Gets worse with fatigue or poor sleep. NO DOCTOR wants to believe neurontin caused this but even the drug’s own lit says so as do many many ppl such as yourself. I had a complete auditory examination with no other explanation for the affliction. Was told “white noise” was the only option to cover it up bc there was no way to cure it. It gets so loud that it’s distracting & cause lack of ability to sleep & interferes with hearing- like too much noise is drowning out ppl speaking to me. Now these two decades later I see many ppl reporting this phenom. Had I had the understanding & attitude I now do about prescribing I’d NEVER had just dutifully taken it! It was prescribed off label as a stab in the dark for my pain and my muscles inability to completely relax as seen in EEG. It was fibromyalgia. Not helped at all by this ototoxin. I’ve never had history of seizures or epilepsy. This doctor made my life more miserable than it needed to be by completely experimenting on me. I advise ppl to watch out before taking meds & to look up “the complete prescribing information” of any drug & take warnings & potential side-effects seriously. Do not rely on the manufacturer’s site but others who have the FDA required complete info. Best wishes.
I recently started taking gabapention for my sleep troubles and I noticed a high pitch noise in my ear. I try to ignore it, but it’s hard to
I had only my Left ear my whole life as I lost hearing in Right ear when I was sick as a baby and my hearing in my Left ear has always been super! Until I was put in Gabapentin and within a couple months and at my peak dose, it all became a nightmare after that as the ringing/,Tinnitus
and the awful nauseating vertigo began and then 2 months of that I felt as if my only good Left ear was clogged and a month of eardrops I finally went to a hearing aid clinic in denial the hearing loss is happening but, took hearing test and told that I failed and had significant hearing loss and needed a hearing aid and I realized real quickly what was going on as my vision became terribly blurred and went to the eye clinic next and told I had vision loss and needed glasses. Then the weight problem and it was all revealed after trying hard to lose weight myself and yet nothing happened! I wouldn’t budge except 2 pound fluctuations and then I got my doc to get me on weight loss injections and this is good costly stuff here $1600 each rx fill. And after months on it and hunger I went through whenever I did get it seldomly and I am told that the Gabapentin makes the pounds accumulate and they stick like super glue and doc said, it’s the biggest problem that has been known and the only way to stop it all, is to STOP 🛑 it all asap! So I began taking 1 away a week, out of my total daily doses and I am so eager and pissed about getting off of it! Had I known, that this drug possessed so much hell and would take hostage and invade my body like some evil parasite, I wouldn’t have ever put that drug into my body had I known.id lose so much! Gabapentin took my only good ear I had left, my great vision and wounds don’t heal and bruising bad because it also depletes your vitamin D among others and then it blew me up and the weight just stuck on me causing my injuries and pain to a heightened level that I was nearly in a wheelchair and then killed/,blocked my costly weight-loss regimen and it’s just so damn brutal and I can’t stress it enough, Gabapentin is the devil! It WILL ruin you when it finds the right time it desires. I heard some try to say they had these affects after they just began taking it and that’s not usually how it works and it happens over a certain amount of time, although side effects some can get with their doses and there’s a difference in side affects, you got the More milder ones with your daily dose and then there’s the horrid ones that literally attack you and makes it too unbearable to cope with. And it doesn’t surprise me at all that they have lawsuits going on, it’s no joke and nobody should ever have to go through this grizzly hell! I have no words for how angry I am and I can only hope these side effects are reversible and cannot WAIT to be off it for good!
Hi Bridgett:
Gabapentin can indeed be a nasty drug as you unfortunately have found. In the USA there are about 50 million prescriptions filled each year for this drug for an estimated 10 million people. If all of them had the same results you have had, it would be yanked from the market.
Obviously, many of those people don’t have the horrible side effects you experienced, but there is no way to tell in advance who is going to have your slate of side effects, and who is only going to have minimal side effects. Thus, the better part of valor is to stay away from drugs such as this.
I hope people listen to what you have experienced, because this is what can (and does) happen to numbers of people taking this drug.
Cordially,
Neil
I realize your post was written 10yrs ago but I only just realized ( BY falling asleep b4 taking my neurontin and FOR 1ST time in 10yrs realizing
” WHERES THE noise of SPACESHIPS IN MY EARS”- the next day….I thought my ears were permanently damaged from motrin, so how could it stop for a day?? TO MY HORROR, I found this site……well, it’s 4a.m. the ringing woke me again, I have stopped gabapentin for 24 hrs…..NOW REALIZE, my depression, anxiety, hyperactivity.
PROBLEMS WITH FOOD LODGING IN ESOPHAGUS DUE to esophageal spasm, severe vertigo all caused by this drug!]I wasn’t SUICIDAL but WOW.. thought of it! Lost my career, my home, I couldn’t stand the ringing in my head…Drs..ENT’s said ” nuthin can be done” GLAD I FOUND THIS INFO…HOPE STOPPING HELPS..T.Y
How long did it take for your ears to stop ringing?
I hope so as I have hearing loss from gabepentin as well and I hope it reverses. Did yours reverse?
I did not have any significant tinnitus until I started taking gabapentin for back pain. I only took it for a short while and never at the higher prescribed level. It did help with the back pain and improved my sleep, but this tinnitus persists even months since my last dose of gabapentin.
Hello, I do hope your tinnitus has improved. I have been taking gabapentin for about a week for a recent neck surgery. I have a persistent hissing in my ears that I have never experienced in my 62 years of life. After researching the web I have concluded this is tinnitus. As of this morning, I plan to stop taking the drug immediately. I only pray this noise in my ears stops.
did your tinnitus stop after stopping gabepentin
i have been using gabapentin 4times daily since dec.9 2011 and now have lost hearing in both ears what can i do
It is a class 3 ototoxic drug, poison for hearing. The Dr, prescribed 300mg/day for neuropathy. Didn’t tell me about the ototoxitity. Frankly like many drs., he didn’t know this. Bad news. After 15 days on it , I started my research , and soon discovered how bad it is for hearing. I’m weaning off after abouy 30 days on, for I alreaduy can tell a negative change in my hearing , I have a profound hearing loss in both ears, and ica I can only hope It’s still reversible. This drug is an off label and too easily prescribed for a lot of ails. I’m seeing my adiologist in 2 days and an ENT right afterword, I wish the best for you.
I have been taking gabapentin 300mg 3 times a day and have lost hearing in both ears. It has gone from mild to moderate in the last year. I wear hearing aids but still do not hear very well. Should I stop taking and is there a possible replacement?
Please stop gabba it will mske tinnitus worse and will depress you it only works for sleep a little while then you have to tske more its toxic you will kill your self on gabba bad med im withdrawaing Lyrica down to 12.5 get no sleep tho
I have tinnitus for years which keeps getting louder. I tried gabapentin but it did not help me. In fact it went against me other ways. Maybe I am allergic to it. Not sure but I hesitate to use it any more as my results were bad. Then, I have seen a couple good report’s about it helping other’s that didn’t have tinnitus. I suppose people are different. My wife took it for a couple weeks and it helped her leg pain but it stopped soon. Her doctor prescribed it. Wish I could give you something positive about this problem Would like to know if you find anything that can help our situation. Contact me anytime. We all need help.
If you would like to call or email me personally I can mention some things I have tried through the many years. I am still working on it through Hyperacusis and Tinittus networks. Look them on the PC. I have seen some real advice and possible help.
May God Bless in your betterment and your health Phil
A cochlear implant(CI) resulted with severe symptoms of 24 hr debilitating whirring electronic tinnitus, head pressure and worsening nystagmus from tullio’s phenomenon. I went from wearing hearing-aids listening music, talking etc. to excruciating tinnitus noise right after the CI. A neuro. currently prescribed 600 mg of gabapentin for it. After a few days the tinnitus exacerbated than thought possible. Will this drug ruin any remaining residual hearing? I’m deeply concerned of being misdiagnosed -AGAIN- ingesting the wrong drugs for my symptoms.
I’ve been taking 2700 mg of gabapentin along with 12 mg Xanax daily. I’m also taking 200 mg Zoloft. The combination works for me. I still have ringing in the ears, but the volume is much lower, and I find it more bearable.
Gabapentin completely took my tinnitus away. I don’t think saying it doesn’t work for tinnitus is true. It has to help in some cases, & I’m proof of that. After stopping gabapentin my tinnitus came back just the way I had it before the medication. I took it to calm my occipital nerves which were causing headaches.
Hi Ashley:
I don’t argue with success. The Gabapentin obviously helped in your case. But the study I quoted still concluded that Gabapentin is no more effective for tinnitus than a placebo, so it does not help many people. And on the opposite side of the coin, it is quite ototoxic and thus damages peoples’ ears. So, looking at the big picture, I’ll bet Gabapentin harms more peoples’ ears than it helps. Not good odds in my opinion.
Cordially,
Neil
My tinnitus halved after 24 hrs of gabapentin, halved again the next day. It was prescribed after a herniated disc in my cervical spine was discovered, no promises were made regarding my tinnitus. I am not saying the drug cured me but, perhaps, the neck injury was the problem; either the nerve damage or the inability to sleep that accompanied it. It would make sense that it would not cure tinnitus except with similar root causes if this was true.
I have unexplained hearing loss in right ear with white noise. Been taking gabapentin and tramadol for 18 months for ankylosing spondiltus. Vertigo 3 months ago then ringing and 90% hearing loss in right ear. I terrified to lose my hearing totally .
Hi Ramon:
Ankylosing spondiltus can cause hearing loss. It may be conductive, sensorineural or mixed. In a number of studies, the incidence of hearing loss in people with ankylosing spondiltus ranged between 35% and 71%. So that is one likely cause of your hearing loss–especially if you have a conductive or mixed hearing loss.
The second likely cause is the drugs you are taking. Gabapentin and Tramadol are both quite ototoxic and hundreds upon hundreds of people have reported hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo from taking these drugs. It seems the Gabapentin is the more likely culprit as about twice as many people have reported these side effects from taking Gabapentin as from taking Tramadol.
Who knows what the combined effect is on a person’s ears?
Is there nothing else you can take for your ankylosing spondiltus that isn’t as ototoxic?
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil,
You state that “hundreds upon hundreds of people have reported hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo from taking these drugs”. I have gone to FDA’s website and searched for information on gabapentin and hearing loss and cannot find it anywhere. Can you direct me to where hearing loss adverse reactions can be found on the FDA site? My elderly mother has been on gabapentin (now reduced) since a shingles infection 4 mos. ago. In the past month her hearing seems to have greatly deteriorated. I would like to have gabapentin related hearing loss information in hand when I ask the doctor about again reducing or curtailing/substituting this drug due to my mother’s hearing loss.
Thank you.
Art V.
Hi Arthur:
You won’t find this kind of information listed under the various drugs on their website. Rather, you need to look at the raw data they collect on ototoxic side effects. This is not a simple matter. You’ll have to wade through tens of thousands of pages of single-spaced data and extract everything that a pertains to the drug you’re interested in and then compile it to see the results. For example, for a 9 year-period. I extracted 50,000 lines of ototoxic side effect information. That’s well over 1,000 pages of single spaced typing. Then I had to extract and compile it for each side effect for each drug. I’m still doing that. I’ve only got 337 pages of raw data still to analyze and extract and compile. They don’t make it easy to put it mildly.
And even after you’ve done all this work, you know that it represents far less than 1% of the ototoxic side effects people experience, since hardly anyone reports such side effects.
If you are worried that the Gabapentin has caused your mom’s hearing loss, you should tell your doctor you want him to take her off Gabapentin and prescribe a drug that doesn’t cause hearing loss, if indeed she still needs it.
Cordially,
Neil
Gabapentin is not ototoxic
Hi Butch:
What’s your proof for that statement? It’s totally unsupported.
Tell that to all the people that have commented here. Read their experiences of losing their hearing, getting tinnitus and having all sorts of balance problems from taking Gabapentin.
Tell that to the thousands upon thousands of people that have reported the same to the FDA’s data base.
Tell that to the publishers of the Physicians’ Desk Reference,The Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties, the AHFS Drug Information book put out by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and other authoritative drug reference books that report ototoxic side effects for Gabapentin.
You really should should put your brain into gear and do some serious research before you shoot off your mouth and make rash statements that are patently not true.
Cordially,
Neil
I am coming to the conclusion after Nearly going insane that this med is the cause of my tinnitus although my doctor argues I am wrong. The tinnitus is so bad I often feel suicidal and this is not me . Why won’t doctors just listen and allow patients to know their own bodies ? I’m
Losing everything due to Gabapentin!!!!! Including my sanity. How long does it take to go away after I stop this med ?
Hi Lisa:
When you look at the published figures for Gabapentin and tinnitus you find that between 0.1% and 1% of the people taking Gabapentin get tinnitus. Since there are 46,043,168 prescriptions filled in the US each year, that would work out to between 46,043 and 460,431 incidences of tinnitus each year–and that is a LOT of people. Furthermore, there are hundreds upon hundreds of reports of tinnitus from Gabapentin in the FDAs database.
This indicates that a LOT of people get tinnitus from taking Gabapentin. So how can you doctor summarily dismiss your tinnitus as NOT from taking Gabapentin? It seems that most doctors are woefully ignorant of the ototoxic side effects of the drugs they prescribe.
Why don’t you taper off the Gabapentin? You don’t want to do it fast as your body needs time to adjust. The “safe” taper rate is considered to be 10% per month on the descending balance. Thus, it will take you a bit more than a year to safely taper off this drug.
There is no guarantee that your tinnitus will go away after you stop taking the Gabapentin. It may, or may reduce in volume, or it may stay the same in the future. Unfortunately, there is no way to know in advance how it will go with you.
Cordially,
Neil
I have been taking Gabapentin as an off label use for hot flashes. It has worked extremely well, but I now have tinnitus. How long does it take for the ringing to go away once the Gsbapentin is stopped?
Hi Christine:
I have no information that indicates whether tinnitus is temporary or permanent once you go off the Gabapentin, nor how long you might have to wait for it to fade away.
However, you need to ignore your tinnitus as much as possible and focus on the loves of your life and hopefully in time your tinnitus will fade into the background and not bother you even though it may still be there.
Cordially,
Neil
Tinnitus is way to loud to ignore. I f you find any thing that will help please let me know. Thank you!
Hi Rebecca:
If you can’t ignore your tinnitus, then you need further help. There is a wealth of knowledge on how to successfully deal with your tinnitus in my book, “Take Control of Your Tinnitus”. You can see it at http://hearinglosshelp.com/shop/take-control-of-your-tinnitus-heres-how/ .
Cordially,
Neil
I’ve only used gabapentin for 3 days. First day , 600mg @ HS, 2nd day & 3rd says, 600mg @ AM & HS. I already have moderate to severe sensory/neuro hearing loss and tinnitus & have worn hearing aids since my mid 20’s. I’m now 54. My left ear is the worst of the two, until I woke up this morning after taking gabapentin last night and the tinnitus in my right ear was horrible. I also have ear pain and a feeling of fullness in my ear. My right ear is worse than my left ear now and my left ear has always been the worst of the two. Significantly worse. I haven’t been able to use my left ear for phone use or having a conversation with anyone since my mid 30’s. That’s a HUGE problem if my left ear is going to be the better of the 2 going forward. I’m freaking out! I’m a 54 year old single woman whose only means of support is my job as a nurse. If this doesn’t improve, I’m screwed. Can gabapentin cause these Sx’s that quickly? I’ve perfectly normal liver and renal function. Please tell me if there is a chance this will improve, and quickly. I can live with tinnitus. But if I’m unable to have a conversation with anyone, unless I learn sign language, I’m in real trouble. I have to be able to work. I’ve no other means of support. I gather from some of the articles I’ve found that gabapentin is excreted in the urine. Would drinking large quantities of water possibly help clear this crap from my system?
Hi Kelly:
Yes, Gabapentin can cause tinnitus that quickly. One lady got loud tinnitus the morning after taking just 1 100 mg pill. So your getting tinnitus after three days at a much higher dosage is consistent with what others have experienced. To be sure, some people don’t get tinnitus for several months after starting to take Gabapentin. Ear pain and a feeling of fullness are also side effects of Gabapentin.
I don’t know if you can do anything that is effective to get rid of the tinnitus once you get it from Gabapentin. That is why I suggest people stay away from such drugs. You never know what the consequences are going to be.
You might want to try taking N-acetyl-cysteine and other things I mention in the two following articles and see whether they help.
http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/vitamins-a-c-e-combined-with-magnesium-help-prevent-noise-induced-hearing-loss/
The second half of the article at http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/loud-music-and-hearing-loss/
You could also try taking Ginkgo biloba such as Arches Tinnitus Formula which is one of the few formulations that contains an effective dose of Ginkgo. You can get it at https://www.tinnitusformula.com/.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil
I took 300mg of gabetantin 2 nights in a row. I now have ringing in my ears. Will it go away? Is there any research on temporary and permanent tinnitus from this drug?
Hi Edwin:
It’s hard to say. Some people seem to have permanent tinnitus from taking Gabapentin. For others, their tinnitus gets less and less as time goes by.
I’m not aware of any studies of permanent vs. temporary tinnitus from taking Gabapentin. It seems that many doctors don’t think Gabapentin causes tinnitus in the first place–so why would you study something that doesn’t happen?
All I have to go by is the anecdotal reports people send me about their experiences.
Cordially,
Neil
That is exactly what happened to me,, except it did nothing for the back pain… Poison as far as I am concerned..
Hello, i used this medicine for a 50 days, after 35 day i start to hear rining on my left ear, i take it as a mood stabilizer, but am now thinking deeply to stop it
Has it gone away how long did it takec
I have fibromyalgia and it helps that so much take 2400 mg a day but after taking it for three years I just take it fur fibro it works whatcdo I do very loud tinnitus
Hi Linda:
Hundreds and hundreds of people have reported getting tinnitus from taking Gabapentin. This is likely your situation too.
Perhaps reducing the dose will make a difference to your tinnitus, but it may not be so good for your fibromyalgia. See if you can find a “happy medium” where it doesn’t make your tinnitus too loud, yet controls your fibromyalgia.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi KelleyT – I’m sorry to hear what you went/are going through. Did the gabapentin induced tinnitus improve over time?
Hi,
Been taking Gabapentin for 2 weeks now for Neuropathy. Had a buzzing sawmill like sound in my right ear that is now gone. My tinitus ringing remains in both ears but the buzzing is gone. My hearing also seems to have improved in both ears. I wonder how long positive effects will continue but so far so good, a pleasant side effect for me. Interesting how some people have the opposite and I wonder about the longer term prospects. We obviously know little about the human body and the differences in people.
Have been taking Gabapentin a week and a half. I pulled myself off it when the pain became unbearable. It started in less than 24 hours after a 1 time does of 100mgs. I thought it was allergies at first. Had my ear assessed by a MD and it is not infected or allergies. Have been off it now for a week , e pain is not better and some days worse. I was taking it once a day at 100mgs. I was hoping it would subside after discontinuing use. Someone please tell me what can be done now. This is very painful.
Hi Dianna:
Gabapentin (Neurontin) is a good drug to stay away from. Thousands upon thousands of people have reported ototoxic side effects from this drug to the FDA. Apart from causing hearing loss and tinnitus and all sorts of balance problems, it causes ear pain in hundreds and hundreds of people. Unfortunately, it seems you are one of them. I rate it as a Class 4 (out of 5) ototoxic drug.
I really don’t know what you can do for the ear pain now. It’s like closing the gate after the horse has escaped. Fixing the problem may not be easy.
I’m shooting in the dark here–but you want to make your ears as healthy as possible. Two good minerals for your ears are magnesium and zinc. The best form of magnesium is Magnesium L-Threonate, while the best form of zinc is Zinc picolinate. If it is not too late already, I’d also suggest N-acetyl-cysteine so your body can make enough glutathione–a powerful antioxidant–to combat the free radicals that drugs cause in your inner ears.
As I said above, I’m shooting in the dark. I don’t know whether that will help your ear pain. But it will help keep your ears working better and healthier.
Cordially,
Neil
Do our recommend any certain brand of the vitamins ?
Hi Dorothy:
Not specifically, but choose the brands that use the most natural ingredients and stay away from those that are totally synthetic. Furthermore, choose brands that give therapeutic doses, not those that just put in a token amount that basically does nothing at all but make your wallet thinner.
Cordially,
Neil
I was started on it for nerve damage after a nerve block pre op ankle surgery. Now I have a high pitched insect whine in my head that is driving me crazy. Weaning myself off. No one told me about this not was it in mfgs or pharm side effects list.
I noticed how bad my hearing was after moving to the desert recently. The ringing, buzzing, wind sounds, intermittent pain and feeling of fullness began slowly, increasing over five years. The ENT just recorded 45% loss asking, ‘Did something happen to you recently? This is a lot of loss quickly for your age (53)’ I started GABA at that time, increased over years, then decreased upon realizing it caused my persistent throat swelling. That’s when I should have stopped, but continued 400mg twice daily
I have a profound hearing loss in both ears. I’ve been prescribed 300mg/day of gabapentin for neuuropothy. Too many side effe etc. I’m weening off. I noticed a slight drop in auditory acuity, Will my hearing return to at least previos levels when I’m through with this drug, Been on it a little over 30 days, but weening off could take another 30 days..
Hi Bob:
I don’t have any specific information regarding whether hearing comes back once you are off the Gabapentin (Neurontin) or not. I do know that hundreds upon hundreds of people have reported to the FDA that they suffered hearing loss from taking this drug. I suspect that many of these did not get their lost hearing back–hence the reports to the FDA.
Cordially,
Neil
Has your hearing gotten better. I have hearing loss from gabepentin
I need some help…my boyfriend has a history of ear infections due to his allergies. About a month we went to urgent Care because nhe was having severe pain and they put him on antibiotics. The ear pain was still pretty severe after he took all the antibiotics and determined that the infection caused nerve damage and put him on a round of an anti-inflammatory. We went back a third time and they prescribed him valtrex in case it’s viral but today yes taken yet another day out of work. They gave him a prescription for gabopentin and told him to take that if the ear pain wasn’t getting better but….the side effects seem counteractive so we’re not going to fill it. Do you know of something else we can do for the ear pain? How long does it take for the pain to stop…this has been going on for a month now
Hi Katie:
I sure wouldn’t take Gabapentin. It is a nasty drug in my opinion and quite ototoxic. As for the ear pain, it seems ironic taking Gabapentin for it as hundreds and hundreds of people have reported Gabapentin CAUSING ear pain as a side effect. You certainly don’t want to make the pain worse!
What is the exact cause of the ear pain–congestion in the middle ear? or what. If the ear pain is from congestion pushing out the ear drum, then the pain should go away as the congestion goes away–and that could be when his allergies die down. I’m no expert on allergies so I can’t help you there.
Cordially,
Neil
Neurontin caused me to go deaf. I had been taking it for a month, woke up and all I could hear was loud roaring in both ears. I stopped taking it. It took months before I regained part of my hearing. At that point I was told I had the hearing of a 70-year-old. Months later, and after high doses of Niacin, I finally regained most of my hearing back.
Unfortunately, I still have severe ringing. It’s very depressing and consuming at times.
Neurontin is a nasty drug. It caused numerous problems for me, but since this is about hearing, I will leave it at that. I warn anyone I meet who say they take it.
How come there are no lawyers filing a class action lawsuit against the makers of this Poison?
Hi Day:
Probably because there are no doctors willing to stick their necks out and testify that this drug causes ototoxic side effects.
Cordially,
Neil
I have to agree with Ashley Dr Bauman. I was recently hospitalized with a subdural abcess(SP) During that time and after I was on 2700MG of Gaba I noticed that the tinnitus that has been the bane of my nights for years was gone…or at worst barely registering on bad nights.
I’ve been told that mine is likely neurological (due to my exposure to heavy equipment and firearms) and not caused by structural damage.
I noticed that the Tinnitus started to come back as I walked down the dose of Gaba. Becoming problematic at around 1200MG +/-
Hi Timothy:
GABA is a natural neurotransmitter inhibitor. In other words it calms down neuronal activity. That is why it can calm down tinnitus in some people.
Gabapentin is a drug that works much the same as GABA, but it is NOT the same substance–and that is where problems come in. Gabapentin is a synthetic proprietary drug and it happens to be ototoxic.
So take GABA if you want to, but don’t expect Gabapentin to do the same job without causing side effects.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr, I emailed you about a month ago, thanks for your reply, I talked how my tinnitus went away, almost 4 weeks total after stopping gabapentin, but now it’s back, ringing for approx 2 days, then nothing for about 2 days, dealing with it like always, putting it on the back burner, accept it as any natural sound in my environment, but what a tease when it was gone for almost a month, any thoughts or suggestions, maybe a natural supplement? Could this be a sign the gabapentin is still in my system? I did read traces of gabapentin can be found in hair for up to 90 days. Again, thank you for your time and efforts devotion to this condition and all of us people you help.
Hi Mike:
I don’t know whether the gabapentin is causing your problems are not. But I do know that it is common to experience good days and bad days, or in your case, good times and bad times that can last for a number of days. I see this as a good sign. Continue to ignore your tinnitus on the bad days, and hopefully you will experience more and more good days as time goes by.
Two supplements that are good for your ears are zinc and magnesium. They may help your tinnitus, or they may not. But they’re still good for your ears and your body in general. I take both supplements daily as far as I can tell they’ve never affected my tinnitus, but remember I’ve had constant tinnitus for over 60 years now—not that I let it bother me.
Cordially,
Neil
Thanks Neil. I got the magnesium along with Arches tinnitus, I read somewhere you wrote it works for some people. The ringing isn’t as often now. Thanks again my friend! Your work is awesome!😁
Dear Dr,
it seems there are more recent studies which show positive effect of Gabapentin on tinnitus.
For example :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380395/
“Conclusion : We conclude that 6 weeks’ treatment with gabapentin 300 mg bid is effective in patients with acoustic tinnitus. In addition, the placebo effect in decreasing tinnitus in these patients is remarkable.”
Hi Nicolas:
I really appreciate you sending me this link regarding the Gabapentin study.
At first glance it seems that Gabapentin does indeed have a major effect on reducing tinnitus. But on closer inspection, you’ll notice that most of what appears to be due to the Gabapentin is really due to the placebo effect. So it isn’t as efficacious as it first seems. (I wouldn’t be surprised if many other drugs would also show a pronounced effect that would be really due to the placebo effect too, as noted by the researchers that the placebo effect for this drug was “remarkable”.
To put things in perspective, there still have been hundreds upon hundreds of reports to the FDA of Gabapentin CAUSING tinnitus. So while it appears that Gabapentin apparently helps some people, it causes tinnitus in many other people.
Note that this study only included 55 people taking the Gabapentin (which is a fairly small sample), while there were almost 9 TIMES as many reports to the FDA saying Gabapentin caused their tinnitus. Further studies including many more people need to be done to validate or disprove this study’s results.
Note: other drugs have shown similar kinds of results. For example, Lidocaine both reduces tinnitus and causes it, depending on the person.
Cordially,
Neil
Thanks for your feedback.
I am interested in Gabapentin because after a bothering tinnitus spike, a French ENT Doctor specialized in Tinnitus and Hyperacousis told me to try Gabapentin for 15 days with a very small dosage of 300mg/day (like in the above study).
He told me he had strong results with Gabapentin over the last years with not one single case of Tinnitus worsening among hundreds of patients.
According to him, tinnitus can Indeed be a side effect but only with “normal” dosage when used for pain or epilepsy (1800/3600mg usually), not with 300mg/day.
Do we know the dosage for the reports made to FDA with Gabapentin?
I am also not a guy sensitive at all to the drug side effects (lucky me). Usually I never experience any side effect when taking drugs… but you never know.
Hi Nicolas:
I’d think that 300 mg per day is still a fairly significant dosage. It is true that many drug side effects are dose dependent–so if you fly under the “magic” threshold, you most likely won’t have ototoxic side effects. I call it a “magic” threshold because no one knows exactly what it is for any given person. So if you take a dose below this threshold, you should be ok (once you know where it is).
Maybe this French doctor has found that this threshold is around 300 mg for most people, but I have had a couple of reports from two ladies who each just took 100 mg–only one pill–that resulted in LOUD tinnitus. So obviously their magic thresholds were less than 100 mg–and remember they only took 1 pill, not 15 days worth at 300 mg.
So you want to be careful. Remember, these ladies didn’t have tinnitus before, they were not taking Gabapentin to help existing tinnitus. But maybe you have a high threshold and can take it with no obvious side effects. You’ll have to make up your own mind on this issue.
Cordially,
Neil
It is not an easy decision… I have been struggling for weeks to decide to start or not the treatment…
I am scared of possible worsening but on the other hand I feel I have to try it otherwise I will always have in mind a possible “missed” opportunity and I will have difficulties to habituate to my tinnitus…I spend my day thinking to this tinnitus and this Gabapentin…
But one thing would be useful to make my mind… In the reports you got regarding gabapentin, is it mainly people who did not have tinnitius before and who got tinnitus after taking the drug? Or do you also have people (significant number) who already had tinnitus and for whom it became worse? And if yes, do we know if this existing tinnitus was already due to ototoxic medication or accoustic trauma (my case)?
Because it may be that Gabapentin can induce tinnitus as a side effect with “healthy” people but if the person already has tinnitus from acoustic trauma for example, tinitus being already there, it does not impact… (if it doesn’t make tinnitus better, at least it doesn’t make it worse).
I am tinking to this because I ear you when you mention the various reports regarding tinnitus CAUSED by Gabapentin but on the other hand, I read extensively the litterature and various studies regarding tinnitus/gabapentin and if I agree that conclusion is often that effect is not better than placebo, absolutely no study or trial or article never mention the case of worsening of existing tinnitus (from acoustic trauma) during the trials/studies.
Just a thought…
Hi Nicolas:
From the limited information I have, it seems to be about equal, some got tinnitus from taking Gabapentin and others found the Gabapentin made their existing tinnitus worse. I have no information on the cause of their original tinnitus so can’t help you there.
Now to play the devil’s advocate based on that study you sent me. How does your French doctor know it was the Gabapentin that helped his patients and not the placebo effect of him actually doing something for them and thus causing the placebo effect? Remember, the placebo effect in that study accounted for most of the reduction in the tinnitus, so the Gabapentin only had a limited additional beneficial effect.
I don’t have enough good data to make it easy for you to decide what to do. It’s almost just flip a coin and go from there. There is a potential for benefit, but also a potential for harm.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr,
I found an interesting work on ottotoxic drugs with the below document :
“Pharmacological drugs inducing ototoxicity,
vestibular symptoms and tinnitus:
a reasoned and updated guide”
https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/956.pdf
642 molécules are listed with the different ototoxic effects.
So quite an extensive list of drugs.
But Gabapentin is not part of the list so not considered as having ototoxic/tinnitus effects.
Thanks for your work.
Hi Peter:
Thanks so much for sending the link to this article. It will prove valuable in updating the 4th edition of my drug book. I’ll go through this article very carefully then.
As for Gabapentin, you must have missed it. Gabapentin is listed in the alphabetical listing on p. 631 and sequence number 257 as having both tinnitus (2) and vertigo (3). So it fits in with what I have been saying about it all along.
Thanks again.
Cordially,
Neil
Thank you for sharing this and to all the commenters as well.
I was dxd w neuropathy about 5 months ago and prescribed Gaba. Within a month, I started having alot of ear issues, ear pain, tinnitus, swelling inside my ears…all dxd as ear infections. I don’t have a history of ear problems aside from the occasional ear infection due to colds that turned into URIs but rare..
I’m now seeing an ENT for double ear infections seemingly that haven’t gone away for 3 months. Hoping now there’s some type of recovery.
I’m in the legal field. If there’s not a recovery and my issues remain chronic especially if it worsens, best believe I will be filing a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
My career, being sole provider of my family, is dependent upon my hearing and hearing well.
Given it seems these ear issues aren’t isolated events and multiple people have had issues, some devastating, class action lawsuit in the making.
Thank you for posting this. I’ve stopped taking the Gaba.
Hi Angie:
Gabapentin can cause a whole host of ear problems including hearing loss, tinnitus, ear pain, ear infections, Otitis externa (ear infections in the outer ear/ear canal) and Otitis media (ear infections in the middle ear) plus a lot more. But the ones I mentioned seem to be what you are experiencing.
It seems quite likely that your ear problems, including the ear infections are related to taking this drug.
Since you have stopped taking the Gabapentin, hopefully your ear infections will finally clear up. If they do so shortly, that would be good circumstantial evidence that they were indeed caused by this drug.
Cordially,
Neil
I had severe ear pain from possible swimmers after going cliff jumping. I took a combo of tramadol and gabapentin to relieve the pain while I was using the antibiotic ear drops given to me. I noticed that my ear started ringing some days after and have gotten progressively worse. I have hearing loss in the effected right ear and had been taking the gabapentin to help me sleep only to find out it may the culprit. I already suffer from an anxiety disorder this just aggravates even further. I’m absolutely terrified now that I may have permanent hearing loss and severe tinnitus because of the drug. To top it off, I can’t see an ENT for at least 2-3 months of posting this and they won’t get me in sooner. I’m close to end of my rope already and it’s only been since June 27th. Help. Please. Someone.
Hi Shiguy:
Do you have any idea whether your eardrum ruptured or not?
What antibiotic ear drops did you take?
Depending on the antibiotic, ear drops can cause tinnitus and other ear problems such as hearing loss and balance issues, especially if you have a ruptured eardrum.
Certainly the Gabapentin can cause tinnitus too. So could the Tramadol to a lesser extent.
Why do you think the drugs caused your ear symptoms of tinnitus and hearing loss and not the cliff jumping itself? Depending how you entered the water, the “water hammer” in your ear canals could have caused the damage.
You need to calm down. That just makes matters worse.
Why don’t you got to your regular doctor and have him check that your ear drum isn’t ruptured and there is no infection causing the pain.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Shiguy – has the tinnitus reduced over time?
I took Gabapentin about 7yrs ago and I have had tinnitus and loss of hearing ever since I even contemplated ending my life I can’t sleep it has driven me crazy i only took them for nerve pain in my leg that didn’t stop that but gave me tinnitus instead.
Hi Pamela:
There is help for people with bothersome tinnitus. You don’t have to suffer from your tinnitus. Going to a reputable tinnitus clinic and/or seeing a counselor skilled in using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for people with tinnitus would be a good start.
Cordially,
Neil
Dr. Bauman, I regret the day I took my first Gabapentin. 11 months ago it was prescribed, but I threw the bottle out. Last Saturday decided I would give it a go after being in chronic pain from Cervical/Lumbar Stenosis. Started with 200 mg a day for five days and on the sixth went to 300mg. That is when my tinnitus became a loud high pitching noise. The next morning took 100mg and the pitching noise came back. A total of 1400 mg taken. I stopped taking the drug and started doing research and found this site. I pray that this will go away, and pray for everyone on this site suffering that theirs will go away also. Thank you for this info you posted. I am hoping to try along with prayer Zinc and Magnesium to slow this down. And learn some techniques to also live with stenosis. (Prayer of course being number one). Blessings to you.
Hi Celeste:
Often you can take a drug at lower dosages without having ototoxic side effects appear, but when you increase the dose, you get hit with them.
For example, in your case, maybe you could take 100 mg per day without problems, but 200 mg and especially 300 mg could cause problems. So if the 100 mg dose would help your pain and not cause side effects, that might be an option.
The problem with this plan is that you don’t know in advance what dose will be both “safe” and effective for you, so it is a gamble.
Zinc, magnesium and prayer is a good idea–do what you can and leave the rest to the Lord. God expects you to do those things you can so that is a good combination.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Everyone,
Unfortunately, I am in the same situation, as many of you are. I was desperate to reduce my severe tinnitus, so I took the risk of trying gabapentin. After taking 1 x 100mg dose, my tinnitus immediately became so much worse. The ringing is louder. In addition, I now hear two additional tones, which I did not hear before. Now, the tinnitus is well beyond what I can mask with a white noise machine and sedatives.
My question – HAS ANY ONE ON HERE EXPERIENCED RELIEF (FULL OR PARTIAL) FROM THEIR GABAPENTIN INDUCED TINNITUS???
If you have, please share, we need some hope of brighter and quite days ahead 🙂
Hi Nathan:
Gabapentin is touted as a treatment for tinnitus, but research doesn’t back this up. For example, here is a quote from the upcoming 4th edition of my book “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed”: “A small study on using Gabapentin to reduce tinnitus appears to show that Gabapentin has a major effect on reducing tinnitus. However, on closer inspection, you’ll notice that most of the effect that appears to be due to the Gabapentin is really due to the placebo effect. In fact, even the researchers conclude that the placebo effect for this drug study was “remarkable” so Gabapentin isn’t as efficacious as it first seems.
To put things into perspective, hundreds upon hundreds of people have reported to the FDA that Gabapentin caused their tinnitus. So while Gabapentin apparently helps some people with their tinnitus, at the same time, it causes tinnitus in many other people, not to mention all the other ototoxic side effects, so you still want to be cautious if taking this drug.”
Having said that, you do not need to just wait and hope that your tinnitus will go away. There are many things you can do to gain control over your tinnitus. Masking tinnitus and sedatives are two ways (not very effective I might add). You need to work on the psychological (emotional) aspects to really begin to see a difference. A good place to start would be Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from a psychologist or counselor that really understands tinnitus. You don’t have to let your tinnitus drive you buggy.
Cordially,
Neil
I don’t doubt that gabapentin is harmful but I have taken it in 300mg and can say that it absolutely lowered my tinnitus considerably. I tested this several times.
Hi Duane:
Here is a quote from my book “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed”. “A small study on using Gabapentin to reduce tinnitus appears to show that Gabapentin has a major effect on reducing tinnitus. However, on closer inspection, you’ll notice that most of the effect that appears to be due to the Gabapentin is really due to the placebo effect. In fact, even the researchers conclude that the placebo effect for this drug study was “remarkable” so Gabapentin isn’t as efficacious as it first seems.
To put things into perspective, hundreds upon hundreds of people have reported to the FDA that Gabapentin caused their tinnitus. So while Gabapentin apparently temporarily helps some people with their tinnitus, at the same time, it causes tinnitus in many other people, not to mention all the other ototoxic side effects, so you still want to be cautious if taking this drug.”
And as your case proves, any help Gabapentin gives to your tinnitus is only temporary, or you wouldn’t have tested this several times.
I’m glad it worked for you at a higher dose, but not everyone is so lucky.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil.
My story goes back to 2007 when I was given Neurontin for neuropathy caused by side effects to the chemo med Taxol. After several months I began experiencing hearing loss. When I reported it to the my doctors they just said something else must be going on because the chemo drugs I took weren’t ototoxic. Because I had had ear problems all my life including conductive hearing loss due to a cholesteatoma, along with some tinnitus that I have managed to ignore, I think many of my doctors just wanted to blame my ears or the chemo meds if they weren’t oncologists. I was convinced it wasn’t the chemo drugs because the loss didn’t start until a couple of months after the chemo and was gradually getting worse. I finally found information that in very rare cases Neurontin is ototoxic and immediately stopped taking it. I told my doctors but none of them really seemed to believe me. As far as I know, none reported it to the FDA including me. I need to report this side effect and I ask you to urge others to report the side effect. Where is the best place to report the side effect to the FDA?
Also my hearing stopped getting worse but what I lost never returned.
Hi Lisa:
Paclitaxel (Taxol) is indeed ototoxic. All you doctor had to do was read his Physicians’ Desk Reference, or dig into the FDAs database of drug side effects. He would have discovered how wrong he was. Both of these sources report hearing loss and tinnitus as side effects of this drug. So there is a possibility that the Taxol was responsible for all/some of your hearing loss.
But Gabapentin (Neurontin) has far more reports of ototoxic side effects such as hearing loss and tinnitus than Paclitaxel, so it is more likely that you are correct in assuming that the Neurontin is the culprit causing your hearing loss.
And I wouldn’t call these cases “rare” at all. They are far more common than doctors realize.
If you want to report drug side effects to the FDA, here is the information how you can report it.
You can use one of three methods to report ototoxic side effects. The important thing is that you or someone else reports the occurrence of ototoxic side effects.
PHONE IT IN
You can pick up the phone and report side effects verbally to the FDA’s MedWatch hotline. The number to call is 1-800-332-1088. Hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM EST.
REPORT IT ON-LINE
If you want to fill out the form on-line, go to the FDA web site, fill it in and submit it instantly—all from your keyboard. You can do this from:
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/
This page gives you an overview and instructions. When ready, click on the “Consumer/Patient” blue box (FDA Form 3500B), then fill in the form. It is several pages long. When you are finished, submit it to the FDA online.
PRINT IT OUT AND MAIL IT IN
You can download the appropriate form, print it out, fill it out manually and mail it in, or you can fill it in online, then print it out and mail it in. The address is at the bottom of the form. Or you can print it out and FAX it to 1-800-332-0178.
Download this form from:
https://www.fda.gov/safety/medical-product-safety-information/medwatch-forms-fda-safety-reporting
When you are on this webpage, click on the down arrow to the right of “MedWatch Forms for Patients and Consumers FDA Form 3500B pdf”, then click on the link that appears below it. (Note this form is in PDF format, so you will need to have Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader program already installed on your computer in order to read it.)
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil,
Given the fact that gabepentin causes tinnitus, I would like to stop taking the med. I am not the greatest with taking this on schedule. So, I usually take 100 mg in am, 200mg in the afternoon and 200 at bedtime. They are capsules. Please let me know a good taper schedule. My tinnitus is louder in the evenings and usually not too bad in the am. I was seen by a PT that said I have issues with my C1 and temporal bone on the left side, so I’m not too sure if Gabepentin cased the tinnitus, but concerned it might. The tinnitus fades in and out. Have you had reports of tinnitus from Gabepentin go away?
Hi Robin:
First off, just because Gabapentin can cause tinnitus doesn’t mean that when you stop taking this drug, your tinnitus will go away. It may, or it may not. I hear from numbers of people who got tinnitus from taking Gabapentin, but found that their tinnitus did not go away when they stopped taking it.
I don’t have experience in what a good taper rate is for Gabapentin. You should ask your doctor about that. Furthermore, I don’t know why you are taking this drug so don’t know what withdrawal side effects you could expect.
In any case, you want to taper slow enough so that you don’t experience withdrawal side effects. If they appear, pause in your taper until they go away, then continue with your taper, but at a slower rate.
Since you are taking 5 capsules a day, you might want to reduce it by one capsule per day every 2 weeks, or every month and see what happens.
If you C1 is out of proper alignment, that could also be a cause of tinnitus, so seeing an upper cervical chiropractor (see http://www.upcspine.com/ for a list), may eliminate tinnitus from this cause.
You could have tinnitus from both the Gabapentin and your neck being out, and other causes too, so eliminating one cause may not stop the tinnitus, but could reduce its volume.
So far, I’ve not had anyone report tinnitus going away after getting off Gabapentin. I’m sure it happens to some people, but the people that contact me unfortunately don’t have that experience.
I’d say that if your tinnitus fades in and out, you have a good chance of it going away–once you find the exact cause of your tinnitus and eliminate it.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr Bauman
I have protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms, but three symptoms [internal vibration, disrupted breathing, and tinnitus] emerged a year after my initial benzo withdrawal symptoms (a phenomenon which apparently can happen) but also about a year after starting 1800mg gabapentin (for benzo-withdrawal-related dental pain).
The internal vibration has gradually worsened since it began about 2 years ago, and the tinnitus continues to become more 24/7.
A month ago, I halved my gabapentin to 900mg/day but these 3 symptoms persist.
All 3 symptoms are certainly associated with benzo withdrawal (for example, see: https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm and scroll down to “Bodily sensations” and to “Sensory and motor distubances”), but for me gabapentin is a confounding factor.
I know that you are a specialist in ototoxicity and probably cannot comment on benzodiazepines, but have you come across any cases of gabapentin causing internal vibration? If so, this would help me because it might indicate that my tinnitus is also being caused by gabapentin.
J
Hi J:
How do you know that what emerged a year later is delayed benzo withdrawal side effects and not side effects of taking the Gabapentin. If I understand you correctly, these side effects seem to correlate with the start of taking Gabapentin.
Not only that, you are taking the maximum dose of Gabapentin at 1,800 mg. I’ve heard from numbers of people that had bad tinnitus from just taking 100 mg of Gabapentin–sometimes even from the very first pill. So by taking 18 TIMES that dose, I wouldn’t be surprised that your symptoms could be from the Gabapentin. That’s not to say that the benzos aren’t also contributing to your problems, and who knows how the two drugs interact in their production of side effects. Few doctors seem to know just how many severe side effects you can get from taking Gabapentin.
Heather Ashton’s Benzo withdrawal book is a great resource. I use it and quote from it myself. I think she is one of the world’s experts on benzo side effects and tapering off benzos.
Gabapentin can cause 27 different ototoxic side effects and if it can do that to your ears, you can only imagine what it can do to the rest of your body including your nervous system.
So far I haven’t seen any reports of it causing internal vibration feelings. However, I can tell you that often lower frequency sounds are accompanied by vibration feelings. For example, I can be sitting in my car in a parking lot waiting for my wife and I can hear the motor running and the car vibrating from the motor idling. The only problem is that the keys are in my hand and the tach reads 0. Besides I’m so deaf I can’t hear my motor running anyway. Both of these sensations are phantom, but certainly feel real.
Tinnitus is a common side effect of Gabapentin. But actually there are about twice as many reports of hearing loss from taking Gabapentin as there are for it causing tinnitus.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr Baumann
Thank you for your helpful reply.
I agree with you that these 3 symptoms [internal vibration, disrupted breathing, and tinnitus] could be gabapentin side effects that took a year to emerge, and have steadily worsened since then. I also agree that benzos could be complicating matters.
I halved my gabapentin from 1800mg to 900mg at a rate of 300mg/week. Since my symptoms (which all relate to nerve vibration, but not physical ‘tremor’) continued to gradually worsen, I haven’t made a reduction for four weeks.
Four questions (that are probably unanswerable):
i) Why could my symptoms be worsening?
ii) Should I give my nervous system more time to settle down before continuing with the gabapentin withdrawal (or is it more important to stop ingesting a ‘medication’ that could be toxic for me)?
iii) What would be a sensible withdrawal rate (from 900mg gabapentin to zero)?
iv) Should I expect any gabapentin withdrawal symptoms, and for how long?
J
Hi J:
I seem to have missed answering this post.
Here’s the answers to you questions.
1. I don’t know. It could be due to the synergistic effects of other drugs taken at the same time. I could be that increased stress/anxiety are a factor.
2. If the Gabapentin withdrawal produced withdrawal symptoms, then it would be wise to stop the taper and wait until your body adjusts and those withdrawal symptoms go away and then proceed with the taper. This could take some weeks or months depending on how bad they are.
3. A “safe” withdrawal rate is 10% per month on the descending balance.
4. Theoretically, if you are doing a slow (“safe”) taper, you should not be experiencing any, or only very mild, withdrawal symptoms. Remember, this slow taper can take months or even a couple of years to complete–depending on how your body reacts.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr Baumann
My doctor has just suggested a gabapentin taper of 100mg / week (from 900mg).
I’ve noted your reply to Robin above (on 3 July 2022) and may slow down this taper to 100mg/2 weeks.
Kind regards, J
Hi J:
It is always better to err on the side of too slow a taper, rather than on too fast a taper. This gives your body more time to adjust and this helps avoid withdrawal problems.
You need to listen to your body and if side effects appear, then pause the tapering until they go away, then proceed at a slower rate.
On the other hand, if you don’t have any withdrawal side effects, you could try tapering faster if you so choose. Just don’t taper too fast. So much depends on whether your body has built up a dependence on the drug or not, and if so, how much.
Cordially,
Neil
Neil, in your preamble to this thread you state “In fact, Gabapentin is quite ototoxic. According to the PDR, it can cause hearing loss, hyperacusis, tinnitus, ataxia, dizziness, vertigo, and ear pain among other things.”
The PDR lists more than 65 side effects but nowhere is there mention of hearing loss, hyperacusis, tinnitus or ear pain. The PDR is quite thorough mentioning adverse effects as low as .1% (i.e., 1 in 1,000 users). Accordingly the PDR finds no risk, or an unmeasurable risk of less than 1 in 1,000 as regards hearing loss, hyperacusis, tinnitus or ear pain.
My source material is located here: https://www.pdr.net/Mobile/Pages/drug-summary/Neurontin-gabapentin-2477.4218
I’m curious as to your preamble’s factual claim concerning the PDR. Could you provide the source please? Perhaps a previous edition of the PDR made such claims but possibly with increased data the PDR removed these side effects. Again, the source you used would help establish the risk you stated are found in the PDR, even though that risk no longer seems present.
Thank you Neil.
John
Hi John:
Yes, I did say that, and I stand by it.
The PDR website lists 65 side effects as you say, but that is by no means ALL the side effects caused by this drug. This is just the side effects they currently list. In the past they have listed other side effects just as I have said.
That information came, not from the on-line PDR website, but from one or more of the printed PDRs from the years 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012.
Unfortunately, when I moved 7 years ago, I had to downsize and in the process I discarded the tens of thousands of pages of drug information I had in my filing cabinets and library including my old PDRs. So I cannot tell you which specific editions I found the information reported, but I can assure you that if you carefully look through all of these editions, you will find that the information I reported is indeed there in one edition or another.
Note that the side effects listed in the PDR are not a complete list of side effects of any given drug. In various places I’d see, “this is not a complete list of side effects. For a complete list ask your doctor” or something to that effect. However, if your doctor uses the PDR as his authority, he doesn’t find those side effects that are not listed so assumes they don’t exist.
I’ve found in my voluminous research over the past 20 or more years that most drugs have up to 300 side effects. Thus, listing just 65 of them as in the case of Gabapentin leaves the majority out. That’s just the way it is.
So take what I report at face value. Accept it if you want to, or throw it out if you don’t like it. It’s up to you. I just report what I find from any and all sources available to me.
Cordially,
Neil
Neil, drugs.com lists the tinnitus side effect incidence as: Rare (0.01% to 0.1%) https://www.drugs.com/sfx/gabapentin-side-effects.html
There’s no mention at all of tinnitus in the PDR: https://www.pdr.net/drug-summary/Neurontin-gabapentin-2477.4218
Gabapentin has been used to treat tinnitus, though the results are not yet conclusive.
I don’t doubt that people experienced tinnitus while on Gabapentin, but the evidence STRONGLY suggests that their use of Gabapentin was purely incidental, it was caused by something else.
If you have a reference that suggests the Gabapentin tinnitus rate is common it would be helpful if you would cite it in order to give credibility to your claim. Anecdotal reports are of no use considering there were 71 million scripts of Gabapentin for 2021 and it’s the 10th highest selling drug in the USA.
Hi John:
I don’t understand why you are so fixated on trying to get me to change my views of Gabapentin causing tinnitus in numbers of people when the only study you can cite is the original study done by the drug company (which would be biased), and was not set up to specifically look for tinnitus. And when you don’t specifically set out to look for something, it is easy to miss it. Yet, between the bias and the non-specific study, they still found tinnitus as a side effect as you mention. I’ve seen that too.
You are free to believe anything you want, and if you choose to believe that study and ignore all the other evidence I’ve collected over the past 30 years, so be it. Just remember that anecdotal evidence is still evidence–which you totally discount. Much anecdotal evidence is no less true even though you discount it. But some of it is mistaken, I know that, but when someone tells me they take no drugs, but half an hour after they took gabapentin, they had loud tinnitus, why should I disbelieve them and try to put it down as “incidental”? That just doesn’t make sense.
And even you admit that efficacy studies using gabapentin for treating tinnitus are “inconclusive”. And to make things even more inconclusive, most of the supposed efficacy of gabapentin is due to the placebo effect. Even the researchers concluded that the placebo effect in this drug study was “remarkable”. So you’d be hard pressed to prove any efficacy of this drug in treating tinnitus when you factor in the placebo effect. And that doesn’t include the Hawthorne Effect either.
Then you say the the “evidence STRONGLY suggest that their use of Gabapentin was purely incidental.” Where did you find a study that specifically showed that?
I don’t have one source that says that tinnitus is not rare. Rather, I base my conclusions on a number of sources that, taken together, reveal this.
Again, feel free to disagree with me and choose to take, or not take, gabapentin on the basis of the studies you believe in. You could be in the lucky class that don’t experience ototoxic side effects from taking this drug, or you may find to your sorrow that what I have been saying is true. You have to decide on the risk you are prepared to take. The choice is yours.
Cordially,
Neil
If anyones hearing loss and tinnitus has gone away after discontinuing gabnepentin please reply back to me