Melatonin Might Be Beneficial, Especially in Preventing Hearing Loss?

Melatonin seems to be a worthwhile supplement, especially if one is taking drugs that are classified ototoxic... Maybe I should start taking it too, I have briefly in the past, but only for few weeks... (to help sleep issues, and it did help.)



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21673362
Drug-mediated ototoxicity and tinnitus: alleviation with melatonin.

Abstract
This review evaluates the published basic science and clinical reports related to the role of melatonin in reducing the side effects of aminoglycosides and the cancer chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin, in the cochlea and vestibule of the inner ear. A thorough search of the literature was performed using available databases for the purpose of uncovering articles applicable to the current review. Cochlear function was most frequently evaluated by measuring otoacoustic emissions and their distortion products after animals were treated with cytotoxic drugs alone or in combination with melatonin. Vestibular damage due to aminoglycosides was evaluated by estimating hair cell loss in explanted utricles of newborn rats. Tinnitus was assessed in patients who received melatonin using a visual analogue scale or the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Compared to a mixture of antioxidants which included tocopherol, ascorbate, glutathione and N-acetyl-cysteine, melatonin, also a documented antioxidant, was estimated to be up to 150 times more effective in limiting the cochlear side effects, evaluated using otoacoustic emission distortion products, of gentamicin, tobramycin and cisplatin. In a dose-response manner, melatonin also reduced vestibular hair cell loss due to gentamicin treatment in explanted utricles of newborn rats. Finally, melatonin (3 mg daily) limited subjective tinnitus in patients. These findings suggest the potential use of melatonin to combat the ototoxicity of aminoglycosides and cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Additional studies at both the experimental and clinical levels should be performed to further document the actions of melatonin at the cochlear and vestibular levels to further clarify the protective mechanisms of action of this ubiquitously-acting molecule. Melatonin's low cost and minimal toxicity profile supports its use to protect the inner ear from drug-mediated damage.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21859051
Melatonin: can it stop the ringing?

OBJECTIVES: We sought to report the efficacy of oral melatonin as treatment for chronic tinnitus and to determine whether particular subsets of tinnitus patients have greater benefit from melatonin therapy than others.

METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, crossover clinical trial in an ambulatory tertiary referral otology and neurotology practice. Adults with chronic tinnitus were randomized to 3 mg melatonin or placebo nightly for 30 days followed by a 1-month washout period. Each group then crossed into the opposite treatment arm for 30 days. The tests audiometric tinnitus matching (TM), Tinnitus Severity Index (TSI), Self Rated Tinnitus (SRT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered at the outset and every 30 days thereafter to assess the effects of each intervention.

RESULTS: A total of 61 subjects completed the study. A significantly greater decrease in TM and SRT scores (p < 0.05) from baseline was observed after treatment with melatonin relative to the effect observed with placebo. Male gender, bilateral tinnitus, noise exposure, no prior tinnitus treatment, absence of depression and/or anxiety at baseline, and greater pretreatment TSI scores were associated with a positive response to melatonin. Absence of depression and/or anxiety at baseline, greater pretreatment TSI scores, and greater pretreatment SRT scores were found to be positively associated with greater likelihood of improvement in both tinnitus and sleep with use of melatonin (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin is associated with a statistically significant decrease in tinnitus intensity and improved sleep quality in patients with chronic tinnitus. Melatonin is most effective in men, those without a history of depression, those who have not undergone prior tinnitus treatments, those with more severe and bilateral tinnitus, and those with a history of noise exposure.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11893449
The role of free oxygen radicals in noise induced hearing loss: effects of melatonin and methylprednisolone.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of cochlear damage caused by free oxygen radicals occurring as a result of exposure to noise and to determine the prophylactic effects of melatonin and methylprednisolone. Fifty male albino guinea pigs were randomly divided into five groups. All groups were exposed to 60 h of continuous wide band noise at 100+/-2 dB, except group I. Group I was not exposed to noise or treated with drugs. Group II was exposed to noise and not treated with drugs. Group III was exposed to noise and treated with melatonin. Group IV was exposed to noise and treated with methylprednisolone. Group V was exposed to noise and treated with melatonin and methylprednisolone. A high dose of 40 mg/kg methylprednisolone and/or 20 mg/kg melatonin were administered intramuscularly 24 h before exposure to noise, immediately before noise exposure and once a day until noise exposure was completed. Just after the noise ended, guinea pigs were decapitated. Venous blood was obtained into tubes with EDTA and it was used to measure activity levels of plasma malondialdehyde, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase and the cochlear tissue malondialdehyde. After the noise ended, in comparison group II with I; it was found that the malondialdehyde activity of the plasma and tissue had increased, the erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity levels had decreased and consequently, hearing thresholds had increased (P<0.01). A significant difference was found in the malondialdehyde and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity levels between groups II and III (P<0.01) and the hearing thresholds exhibited a parallel trend (P<0.05). The hearing threshold and malondialdehyde activity levels obtained from groups IV and V were found to be similar to those of group II (P>0.05). As a conclusion, we suggest that the use of methlyprednisolone in order to prevent the cochlear damage caused by noise does not provide sufficient prophylaxy, however the use of melatonin provides a more effective prophylaxy, thus being a promising alternative.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21970786
Correlation between plasma levels of radical scavengers and hearing threshold among elderly subjects with age-related hearing loss.

CONCLUSION: Low plasma melatonin is significant in the development of high frequency hearing loss (HL) among the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation between hearing threshold and the plasma melatonin and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 126 apparently healthy elderly subjects, 59 males and 67 females, aged >60 years. Subjects underwent pure tone audiometry and plasma melatonin and vitamin C were assayed using high-performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTS: The mean ± SD of plasma melatonin among the subjects with normal hearing (NH) (0-30 dB) and those with HL in the speech frequencies was 18.3 ± 3.6 μg/L and 16.4 ± 4.7 μg/L, respectively. In the high frequencies the values were 17.7 ± 6.2 μg/L and 13.1 ± 6.4 μg/L for NH and HL, respectively. For vitamin C, the mean ± SD among subjects with NH and those with HL in the speech frequencies were 1.2 ± 0.2 μg/L and 1.0 ± 0.1 μg/L, respectively. In the high frequencies, the values were 1.0 ± 0.2 μg/L and 0.9 ± 0.3 μg/L for NH and HL, respectively. Among subjects with high frequency HL, Spearman's correlation revealed significant correlation between increasing hearing threshold and melatonin (correlation coefficient = -0.30, p = 0.01), but not for vitamin C (correlation coefficient = -0.12, p = 0.22). Linear regression, adjusting for age, still revealed significant correlation between the melatonin (correlation coefficient = -0.03, p = 0.00) and hearing threshold in the high frequencies.

 

yep, mock turtle already said what I probably would have myself.

Life Extension has an article about this too: What is the proper dose of melatonin?

 

I do 3mg on occasion when I feel I need a good rest for a busy day and although I don't notice a decrease initially, it helps me sleep much better and I wake up with low T.

 

Yes I also use liquid and it works extremely fast for me. Melatonin is pretty cheap and effective. Melatonin is perhaps one of the only supplements of benefit and I have tried at least 30

 

Actually, Peter that has been challenged the last couple of years because you would need toxic doses of NAC to reap its benefits. It seems normal doses of Melatonin provided much better protection that NAC, L-Carnitine and other antioxidants combined. Also, it seems Vitamins A, C and E plus Magnesium provided superior hearing protection to NAC.

http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2009/090526/f090526b.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2868036/

 

I wonder if taking Melatonin with an ototoxic drug would limit the damage to the hairs.

 

Melatonin is considered safe. I used it for about 2 months in the beginning with my T and it really did help me sleep. I took liquid version 1/2-1 dropper, 30 minutes before I went to bed.

 

Mike --- I've been taking melatonin off and on for many months now. As Erik says, it is considered safe, and some say it may even help with tinnitus. I usually take 3 milligrams about 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. It is gentle, and works subtly. For me at least, I do not wake up feeling groggy at all. You could consider starting with a very low dose (1 milligram) and see how it affects you. Then, if it works for you, you can begin taking 3 mg., and it is OK to take up to 6 mg. (My doctor said that up to 9 mg. is OK, but I've never tried that).

Hope it works for you!

 

It's also possible to start with even lower dose than 1 mg.

http://www.iherb.com/Life-Extension-Melatonin-300-mcg-100-Capsules/5273

Some find 300 mcg better even than higher dosages.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2001/may2001_products.html

In response to several studies showing that doses as low as 300 micrograms of melatonin can induce an enhanced state of drowsiness and provide a better quality of sleep, The Life Extension Buyers Club is offering members the option of using very low-dose melatonin supplements. For those who have tried higher dose melatonin supplements and not found effective relief from insomnia, these lower dose supplements may prove effective.

 

Hey Pete, I stopped because I no longer need it to sleep. I sleep fine about 80% of the time which is probably about as good as I slept prior to T. However I would not hesitate to take it again if I thought it was needed. I'm just a better able to cope now than I did in the beginning so that's why I can sleep now. It has been almost been 6 months and of all the treatments I've done over the months, the passage of time has been the most help.

 

Hi Goofy,

I took melatonin for about 5 months after the onset of my T and I didn't experience any increases during that time. However, it was early on and my T fluctuated quite a bit so you may just be going thru a temporary spike.

 

Yes, stay positive, keep yourself busy....it will return to baseline