Posted , 8 users are following.
I Have been on Escitalopram 25 for 8 months. My depression and high anxiety are reactionary to moving home and trauma as I hate the house and can only obsess about my old home which I cant have back . I have popping ears like descending in a plane especially driving or train which doesnt seem to fully clear ever. Has anyone else had this sympton - am unsure if it is the depression or medication? Thanks
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matts4912 Unwin
Posted
Unwin - I am very sorry to hear about your situation. I found myself in something very similar a few years ago - you have my every sympathy.
Ear pressure and popping is usually an issue with the Eustachian tube which connects the inner ear to the back of the throat which allows pressure to balance. It could be a build up of wax in the ears, but either way, I would leave this to a professional. You may find if the tube is only partially blocked that you can close your mouth, hold you nose and hold pressure in your head - but not too much as this can cause issues if there are problems there!
I have had every ear problem known to man, and yes, I have had this exact problem - still have it, but mine is TMJ where my jaw is misaligned on the left causing the issue in my left ear. If it is both ears, I would say it is the e-tube and to see a specialist for tests. Whilst antidepressants do affect serotonin levels and there are serotonin receptors in the inner ear, I have not known them to the the direct cause of this.
Hope this helps you my friend - stay strong,
Matt
thez1234 Unwin
Posted
i too have ear issue since I started taking SSRI. Mine feels like my left ear is full/clogged. Two person here already have told me they had it and will soon subside. So i guess its one of the side effects of SSRI and hoping it will resolve soon. I had booked and appt with the ENT as well to get it checked.
matts4912 thez1234
Posted
Three trips to the hospital and I ended up diagnosing myself! What does that tell you about our health service over here!
But yes, better to err on the side of safety and see an ENT.
Unwin matts4912
Posted
thanks Matt - I have had this since starting escitalopram in January and it seems to be getting worse- so cannot be a side effect that is going to go away. So it is either a permanent feature of taking the drug which I hope would go if I am ever lucky enough to be able to wean off it, or it is a symptom of the chronic anxiety and depression I am experiencing one year in .
matts4912 Unwin
Posted
Very coincidental that it began with the onset of Escitalopram. There is a mention of otitis externa developing as a result of the meds, but this is very rare. This is an inflammation of the ear canal which fits your diagnosis well. It is worth getting checked out. I had GI issues and dizziness which only went away once I stopped the Escitalopram, so it can for sure have some strange results.
If it is anxiety, it would get worse when you are anxious, or if the two set each other off, try taking a valium or xanax when it is noticeable and see if it clears up. If so, then it could well be a very strange result of your anxiety, but I don't think it will. I do not think this is psychosomatic at all.
Please let us know how you get on as this will for sure help others.
PaulaD124 thez1234
Posted
Not sure if yours has resolved, but I've had mine for 10+ years.
shfer Unwin
Posted
For me it is sinus pressure, or feeling intense pressure like pain inside my head and in the area of sinuses and around the face. If I do take a valium or xanax it does clear up! But if I drop the escitolapram then the pain is nonexistent and subsides. For that reason I am now on mirtazapine, which sometimes cuases tingling like sensations on the face and around the sinus area but not as bad as with SSRIs. I am hoping that each day with mirtazapine it will fade, as for example today I am on day 18 or so of taking it i have experienced the least if not any of that kind of pain. In the past I had been taking fluxoetine for many years without this symptom at all, and about 18 months of Escitolapram and then suddenly this pressure like pain started to appear. It is very strange and doctors kinda have no idea about what it could be!
Wish you luck!
PaulaD124 Unwin
Posted
I have the same thing. It seemed to me that it started around the time I started Lexapro but I didn't think a drug could do that. I've seen 5 ENTs since and none of them can help me with this condition!
jose20846 Unwin
Posted
I started escitalopram 40 mg a year ago, the first day i took the medicine in the morning and in the afternoon I began to meditate and as soon as I relaxed my whole body I began to get muscle spasms or jerks in my neck, throat, eyes, face, jaw, diaphragm or abdomin, and tongue and as soon as I stop relaxing the spasms or jerks go away and now every time I relax i get those spasms, as well as spasms in the back of my throat and popping sounds in my ears, they sound kind of like when you're in a long car ride and you yawn and your ears pop, but yeah idk what it is I've gone to the doctors and they told me to stop taking the medicine at once and then they told me to get back on it and to exercise twice a day because they where symptoms of my anxiety, but that didn't work. then they got me off the medicine again but its been 5 months now and the spasms don't go away, neither does the popping sound in the ears, sometimes i get ear pain or a clogged feeling in the ears when i am relaxed and the spasms start. The weird thing is the spasm only start when i relax but if I am at work or doing something even sitting but not fully relaxed i don't experience any spasms or popping in the ears.
sima50972 Unwin
Posted
Hi. i have the same problem. clogged or cracked ears. i use cipralex , the european variant, the same with escitalopram. Did u fund a cure?
Unwin sima50972
Posted
hi - No not whilst on Escotalipram. After a year or so my situation changed with moving into a rented property away from the house Id come to hate. I got a new job and some new friends and I started to have less anxiety and depression. I started to wean myself off Escotalipram over 6 months and when I had done so no more pressure build up in head/ears. I was lucky in that I was able to leave an unhappy situation. I am convinced that the medication gave me that side effect but I think people react in different ways to medication and that I am quite sensitive to any medication