Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) for Tinnitus

Has anyone tried Alpha-Lipoic Acid for their tinnitus? Does it work to bring the volume down? How much to take?

Thanks.

 

I've been taking it for years. Only because it's supposed to be a powerful anti-oxidant. I currently take 100 mg. I've also used several different brands. It's never had any effect on my tinnitus.

 

I also take it daily, 150-300 mg. No noticeable effect on my tinnitus.

 

If you decide to take ALA, you may want to take it on an empty stomach. The directions on the ALA container don't mention this.

"Gastrointestinal absorption is variable and decreases with the use of food. It is therefore recommended that dietary LA be taken 30–60 minutes before or at least 120 minutes after a meal." ​

 

I think I will try A-lipoic acid and multivitamin. Quite good results here:

The Effect of Antioxidant Supplementation in Patients with Tinnitus and Normal Hearing or Hearing Loss: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial

Anyone tried? Any side effects?

 

Snake oil I believe.

 

ALA is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatories. I wouldn’t say it’s snake oil as much as it is good nutrition. It’s a double blind, placebo controlled study.

 

But is ALA any good for tinnitus?

 

Dude, read the study.

 

I will try it for some weeks. I will add a multivitamin and Vitamin D.

I will report back.

 

I took a lot for a long time and I all got was a wallet ache.

Ditto Taurine and most other proteins etc that come up in tinnitus whitepapers.

 

70 patients, they found an average of -14 dB reduction in the antioxidant group, but also found a -6.7 dB reduction in the placebo group. This means that people in the placebo group, on average, reported that the placebo cut the subjective volume of their tinnitus by nearly half. (Sound energy doubles every 6db, perceived volume is closer to 10).

Does anyone believe that taking a placebo would cut their tinnitus in half?

It is worth noting that this study used 2x300 mg a day; another study I've seen which found no difference, only used 60 mg a day. So, if I was going to try this, I'd shoot for 300 mg a day, but I did try it and meh.

This was several years ago, and I am a sucker for new whitepapers, so, I will do a trial using the study protocol here -- 300 mg on an empty stomach, twice a day, for a month. This will cost me $30 since I'll use Thorne, I trust their supplements.

I will report back a month from Friday My tinnitus is pretty well handled by other drugs at the moment but I would still definitely notice a significant reduction in volume or pitch.

 

Is ALA safe to take? I've read that due to its chelation properties it can really cause problems.

How should I take it? Is it safe to take daily?

I am on some meds (Luvox, Pregabalin, Valium) and I wonder if ALa is still safe to take.

 

How are you going with the Luvox?

 

Still didn't find my sweet spot for OCD, but I guess my tinnitus is the same in general with the exception if/when I wake up in the middle of the night it is clearly louder to me.

I wonder if it's due to taking it before sleeping or due to the sleep interruption by itself.

 

Are you going to keep taking it?

 

Yes. I have no options to treat OCD despite SSRIs I guess. My doctor doesn't want to prescribe Riluzole to me.

I am going to updose slowly and see if there is any influence of Luvox on it.

EDIT: I am more than 10 weeks on my current dosage. I quick tapered off from Zoloft so I have a confounding factor I guess.

 

Hi @juliob -- i would respectfully disagree. Although I don't have OCD myself, I've discovered a supplement called Inositol that helps me a lot. It can have a remarkably calming influence on the brain, and is often prescribed by non-conventional health care practitioners for OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Here's a link to a pretty amazing article on how it became clear it could successfully treat OCD. -- LISTENING TO INOSITOL: CLINICAL NOTES

 

How'd you go with ALA?

 

Maybe it does something?

If so, it's pretty minimal.

 

Anyone tried ALA and a multivitamin?

The Effect of Antioxidant Supplementation in Patients with Tinnitus and Normal Hearing or Hearing Loss: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial

 

Does this quieten tinnitus?

 

I started 3 days ago. You should look to replicate the study, which includes using pharmaceutical grade supplements, that are exact matches, from the same company that donated them for the study.

That company is Lamberts in the UK. The vitamin and mineral supplement is the over 50s one.

Also, although a good study, it had a moderate size group (63 participants after dropouts) with many exclusions such as acoustic trauma, sudden hearing loss and Meniere's.

 

I tried it, it did nothing.

 

@Óscar PP, did you use the supplements from Lamberts?

Did you take 300 mg x2 day on an empty stomach?

Did you use the same multivitamin and mineral formulation used in the study?

It may make no difference to you, however, for point of trying to replicate the results, you must replicate the method.

 

I tried it, though not with the Lamberts brand and not with the other specifics replicating the method.

This is the brand I tried (it did nothing for me):

Doctor's Best Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Vegan, Soy Free, Promotes Healthy Blood Sugar, 600 mg, 60 Veggie Caps

 

No, I took the one from Source Naturals, 300 mg, timed release. One pill a day with lunch for 30 days.

 

I tried Alpha Lipoic Acid. It changed my life immediately and moderately for the better. Tinnitus went from a daily 5/10 buzz to a hissing sound. Trying desperately to understand exactly what it is doing so I can hopefully increase the positive effect.

 

ALA is used very successfully for things like diabetic neuropathy. My mom uses it for neuropathy in her feet from a spine surgery that probably hit some things it wasn't supposed to and it's been great for her. I've always wondered if it could be helpful if you have any auditory neuropathy going on.

 

I used ALA for 2 months, 1 tablet every 2 days, and it didn't do anything for me.