Melatonin Might Be Beneficial, Especially in Preventing Hearing Loss?

Discussion in 'Treatments' started by Markku, May 18, 2012.

?

Do you take melatonin?

  1. Yes, daily

  2. Yes, every now and then

  3. No, and I'm not planning to

  4. No, but I'm thinking about starting

Results are only viewable after voting.
    1. SoulStation
      No Mood

      SoulStation Member

      Location:
      New York
      Tinnitus Since:
      2012
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Noise / Possible Medication
      Hey @stacey - yes. Melatonin is great for spikes as it helps sleep which will help with your T. I take 4-5 mg a night but you may only need 3-4 mg depending on your tolerance.
       
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    2. jazz
      No Mood

      jazz Member Benefactor

      Location:
      US
      Tinnitus Since:
      8/2012
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      eardrum rupture from virus; barotrauma from ETD
      Hi Stacey,

      Melatonin will help you sleep. The recommended dose for tinnitus sufferers is 3 mg, sustained release, nightly. You need to use masking sounds too. You don't have to hide your tinnitus; but something that blends in with your tinnitus will also help you relax.

      Sustained release is important because melatonin is short acting and you don't want to wake up in a few hours.

      As your spike settles, you might want to reduce your dosage. I've been on it for several years and I have recently been able to lower my dose from 3 mg to 1 mg.

      Getting sleep is the most important thing you can do for tinnitus! Melatonin and masking sounds should help with that sleep. Obviously, don't drink with the melatonin or take things that will also make you sleepy. The only exception might be Benedryl. I've had good luck taking 50 mg of Benedryl an hour before bed with my melatonin. Be careful, however, not to exceed 50 mg. Benedryl can be toxic if taken in large doses. (Something I recently found out.)

      And, it also helps to get away from the computer or smart phone/tablet a few hours before you plan on going to bed. These electronic devices emit a blue light which interferes with our circadian rhythm. What's best is to relax in a dark room, maybe watching TV, right after you take your melatonin. After an hour, you should be sleepy.

      Good luck and take care!

      jazz
       
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    3. Stink

      Stink Member

      Location:
      US
      Tinnitus Since:
      09/2000
      sustained release can make you drowsy in the morning
      if you only have trouble falling sleep but once you do you stay in sleep you don't need sustained release. regular version is enough
       
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    4. 1MW
      No Mood

      1MW Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      2008 but cured and relapsed from benzos
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      ssnhl/benzos/unknown
      Iam taking 4mg melatonin no effects to sleep after 4 days of use tolerance to drug builds very quickly
       
    5. Sjoerd

      Sjoerd Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      09-2013
      Melatonin is not like a benzo, it will not knock you of your feet. You need to have a proper sleep routine. Prepare yourself to go to bed.....do not watch TV, do not exercise at intense levels, have a cool bedroom etc etc.
       
    6. 1MW
      No Mood

      1MW Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      2008 but cured and relapsed from benzos
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      ssnhl/benzos/unknown
      I have tried and does not work.
      Also only worsening can do because destroys the sleep patterns.
      Without melatonin i can sleep 6+ hours with melatonin 4mg max 3 hours and i wake up with high frequency T.
      Only to elder can be beneficial.
       
    7. sakrt
      Tired

      sakrt Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      2013
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Specific issues
      I was desperate and becoming addicted to the anti-motion tablets which have similar ingreds to the drowsy-type of allergy/antihistamines. However, I read long term effects causes dementia. Ugh. (On the other hand, would dementia make me forget my tinnitus?) ;)
      I am currently trying a natural supplement called "Somnapure". It says to take 2, but due to cost, I take one with one alprazolam (prescription) to help... sometimes with chamomile tea. So far, it seems to provide some relief by giving that "forced" feeling need to sleep, but does nothing for tinnitus. But hey, we're all desperately seeking sleep too right?
      Also, need to take this (including Melatonin) in a quiet state, like during a bath or resting/reading in bed in -dim- lighting. No TV, video-games, or any over-stimulating activities after taking it or it won't work (common sense). :bag:

      Somnapure: one of the ingreds. includes melatonin along with a few others. Melatonin alone, gives me headaches - not sure why. I think Somnapure is now available in Walgreens. I bought mine online (with discount & free shipping to try it first).
       
    8. Danny Boy
      Cheerful

      Danny Boy Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Location:
      England
      Tinnitus Since:
      7/2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Ear infection
      Melatonin is naturally occurring in sour tart cherries, maybe try that?
       
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    9. noisebox
      Loved

      noisebox Member

      Location:
      Yorkshire, UK
      Tinnitus Since:
      04/2012
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      West End show. Came back 2015 vitamin D overdose prescribed
      I'm in the UK so getting melatonin is a big deal. But I have seen a neuro who says he will recommend my GP let me try it. Here in the UK it is routinely given to children with autism but not adults. Crazy.
      What I'm curious about is does it help you to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep?
      I've never slept all night but T never stopped me dropping off but now my new high pitch T is stopping me dropping off. I know the T is actually quiet, as if I rub my head I can't hear it but it's super high and in silence seems to gain power and frightens me.
       
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    10. Twitch

      Twitch Member

      Location:
      Earth
      Tinnitus Since:
      2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Unknown
      Yeah it's crazy that melatonin is a controlled substance here in the UK. You will be better off ordering some online. I ordered the NOW foods brand, 180x 5mg capsules for ~£9 delivered from amazon.com (US site). That's ~£9 for 2+ years of supply (see below on dosing) whereas if your GP eventually prescribes you it, you will be paying £8.2 to dispense the script (if you pay for your meds) for what is likely to be a 14 or 28 day supply. Here's the link to order:

      http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Melatonin-Vcaps-Capsules/dp/B003KLROVY

      If you have an account with amazon.co.uk already, you login with the same details on the US site. Amazon.com themselves sell this brand but won't deliver to the UK however on the right where it says Other Sellers on Amazon select the Sold by: DailyVita, one of the sellers who do ship to the UK and I received my order from them within 7 days from ordering.

      Note, 5mg imo is a high dosage if you are taking melatonin for insomnia. You should start off with something like 0.5/1mg, that's 1/5 of the 5mg capsule. The capsules are similar to amoxicillin antibiotic capsules so you can easily pop them open and take a pinch of the powder on your tongue and wash it down with water. I'd definitely recommend this over taking the whole 5mg cap. Here is research to suggest low dosage of melatonin work best:

      http://news.mit.edu/2001/melatonin-1017
      http://news.mit.edu/2005/melatonin
       
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    11. Twitch

      Twitch Member

      Location:
      Earth
      Tinnitus Since:
      2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Unknown
      That dose is way too high. You should be taking 0.5 - 1mg for best results
       
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    12. ChrisJ

      ChrisJ Member Benefactor

      Location:
      London, UK
      Tinnitus Since:
      PT since 1988. T with H since June 2015
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Unknown
      Man you really know your stuff. I am gonna see if I can find some. But a quick back of the envelope calculation following an internet search said that 1g of cherries contains 13.5 nanograms of Melatonin. There are 1 million nanograms in a miligram so that would mean eating about 37 kg of sour tart cherries before bedtime to get a single dose lol

      Still I am definitely going to try and find it in juice form, looks like it is also a good antioxidant.
       
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    13. Danny Boy
      Cheerful

      Danny Boy Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Location:
      England
      Tinnitus Since:
      7/2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Ear infection
      You can get it in powder form for the extra concentration.
       
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    14. ChrisJ

      ChrisJ Member Benefactor

      Location:
      London, UK
      Tinnitus Since:
      PT since 1988. T with H since June 2015
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Unknown
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    15. Danny Boy
      Cheerful

      Danny Boy Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Location:
      England
      Tinnitus Since:
      7/2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Ear infection
    16. noisebox
      Loved

      noisebox Member

      Location:
      Yorkshire, UK
      Tinnitus Since:
      04/2012
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      West End show. Came back 2015 vitamin D overdose prescribed
      I just want to know if melatonin is available in Spain while i have a relative there.
       
    17. amandine

      amandine Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      july 2014
      Yes it is.
       
    18. noisebox
      Loved

      noisebox Member

      Location:
      Yorkshire, UK
      Tinnitus Since:
      04/2012
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      West End show. Came back 2015 vitamin D overdose prescribed
      Thanks
       
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    19. Stephen1144

      Stephen1144 Member

      Location:
      USA
      Tinnitus Since:
      1994
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      gun noise
      It's likely if not definite that Melatonin has been discussed on this forum before. but here are the results for me.

      My basis synopsis. Got tinnitus after foolishly shooting .357 caliber gun rounds outdoors without hearing protection back around 1994. I've been very careful about protecting my ears since then, the tinnitus was manageable, just a bit annoying, nothing serious. Even shot more 357 rounds outdoors and at the range over the years, but of course with hearing protection with no problem.

      About 3 weeks ago, decided to go shooting with a friend's military style rifle outdoors. wore both earplugs and and ear-muffs. I knew this gun was more powerful than the 357. The gun sound was acceptably muffled, but I read a few days later that even the compression from the sound can cause or spike tinnitus, and that's what happened to me. The compression from the sound was "uncomfortable" to my head at the time of shooting, but I stupidly figured that was okay because the sound was muffled. That was a big mistake.

      Anyway, last night the tinnitus got to the point of horrendous, I had previously tried most of the vitamins, herbs, etc out there already the past 3 weeks, nothing made any difference. I already eat and drink, very healthy, don't smoke or use alcohol, don't take any other drugs.

      Tried Melatonin last night, Saturday night...bottom line...this morning my tinnitus is "miraculously" at about 33% of what it was last night, and for right now, I am very pleased with that. I don't quite know if the Melatonin has worn off or not, but frankly, I do expect the tinnitus to probably come back to 100%, but right now I'm not sure either way.

      One negative note, I did have a side effect, as my right leg cramped up a little bit for about an hour, and my right foot cramped up a lot for perhaps 30 seconds. If the tinnitus comes back to 100% strength, I'll probably take the Melatonin again perhaps only on weekends, because it does make me feel sluggish, and I work during the week and so can't be sluggish during the day on the job.

      Any other shared experiences using Melatonin would be appreciated.

      Steve
       
    20. Bobby B
      Fine

      Bobby B Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2015
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Large caliber rifles&machine guns, +30 years of loud clubs
      don't think melatonin itself has any real effect on T

      I'd say a good nigh sleep, waking up relaxed on a Sunday morning always help for a low perception of T

      T is the perception of T..if you don't perceive it much then its sort of gone..until you are sick with fever, stressed at work etc.. then you brain notices it more
       
    21. Pleasure_Paulie

      Pleasure_Paulie Member

      Location:
      Australia
      Tinnitus Since:
      06/2016
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Noise or maybe... unicorns!
      I take melatonin daily before bed, sometimes I think it helps other times I have no idea. I think its just as um predicable as tinnitus itself.
       
    22. another sean
      Studious

      another sean Member Benefactor

      Location:
      Los Angeles
      Tinnitus Since:
      2015
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Long duration of low audio
      being relaxed from a good nights sleep isn't the only reason T is lower. T is louder with less sleep because not getting enough sleep causes inflammation in the body. And inflammation is one of the main reasons for T to be louder
       
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    23. Kste Adams
      Studious

      Kste Adams Member Podcast Patron Benefactor

      Location:
      USA
      Tinnitus Since:
      03/2011
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      TMD, Noise?
      My experience with melatonin was like everything else I've tried: a noticeable improvement in my tinnitus the first few times I used it, after which it seemed to have no effect. It also had some unacceptable side effects, so no more for me.
       
    24. Jude

      Jude Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      07 January 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Media rinse with ear infection
      Hi folks new here and just want to warn you of the side effects melontonin is excellent for getting you to sleep and I use it however if you have depression it will increase this alot and i mean alot. Try it as it works but not every night I just use it when I am having a very bad night
       
    25. LSM224556

      LSM224556 Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      12/2016
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Unknown
      I just tried melatonin 3mg last night and my T is much quiet then the normal days

      Could someone who tried this tell me whether the effect will fade each time I take this ?

      Because I decide to take it for a week to see whether it can fixed my T.
       
    26. alyssalee97
      Badass

      alyssalee97 Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      10/2016
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Loud noise
      I just saw another post on here today talking about how melatonin helped there T! I've been taking melatonin for about a month now since my T started again, and I haven't really noticed any improvement from it. But if it helps you, that's great!
       
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    27. Alue
      No Mood

      Alue Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      01/2016
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      I take it for sleep sometimes. It doesn't do anything for my T, but at least it doesn't make it worse.
       
    28. JasonP
      No Mood

      JasonP Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      6/2006
      Hey guys, I am sorry to hear that it didn't help. Can you tell me the dosage you took each night, how long you took it for, and what time each day you took it?
       
    29. Luman
      Benevolent

      Luman Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Location:
      Brooklyn
      Tinnitus Since:
      07/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Intermittent Tinnitus probably noise induced
      I've been using Melatonin on and off for years. Most of the brands do not make the pills less than about 5 mg., and it really isn't necessary for most people to take this much. I use sublingual ones that are 1 mg, and usually take two pills before bed. I know several people who have serious sleep issues that hate melatonin, but I don't know if it helps with tinnitus because I've been taking before and since my recent T started this summer.
       
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    30. Fabrikat

      Fabrikat Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      1973
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Otosclerosis then volume then viral infection
      Melatonin seems to alter the quality of my tinnitus tone, but it's no less annoying. It also makes sleep somewhat tortuous and laboured for me, which is strange since most people take it for sleep problems. And my head feels quite scrambled the next day. It probably shouldn't surprise, it is a hormone after all and its effects would vary from person to person. I don't really know what to make of it really, but I don't think it's quite the benign drug it's made out to be. I can't believe it's sold in the US without prescription.
       
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