Can Magnesium Make Tinnitus Worse?

I've read that Magnesium may help relieve tinnitus, or at least help prevent damage to the ears from exposure. I recently got some Magnesium supplement (Sundown brand, 500mg Magnesium oxide, https://www.amazon.com/Sundown-Naturals-Magnesium-Supplement-Recommended/dp/B0045EHZNC/) and have been taking this for almost a week (started December 9th I believe). I take one per day in the morning, along with a multivitamin (One A Day, contains 120mg Magnesium), Nature's Way B-100 complex, and 120mg Ginkgo Biloba. The B-100 complex seems to help me, not sure about Ginkgo but it has not hurt.

The past few days my tinnitus has seemed worse in that it seems louder, and I can definitely tell it's there (but faint) in my better ear that I often don't notice it at least in the morning, but hit or miss if it's noticeable in the evening. To add confusion it has been an eventful few days for my ears:

-Friday night I had drinks with friends and Saturday noticed louder tinnitus which is not uncommon the day after a few drinks. It usually subsides by afternoon or the next day.

-Sunday I don't recall in the morning but I went for a long motorcycle ride and noticed tinnitus seemed louder later that day and more noticeable in my good ear, but this is typical after I have worn plugs for an extended time. Again it usually subsides after a couple hours or by the next day.

-Monday it seemed slightly louder than usual in the morning, but was not terribly bothersome at work until I had to go into a relatively loud area with some equipment and fans. I put my plugs in for the time I was in that room, though later in the day got caught off guard by a loud high pitched beep from some equipment in a different part of the building, though I doubt it was over 85 or 90 dB and only lasted 1-2 seconds. High pitched sounds tend to spike my tinnitus for a bit, and same for after wearing plugs for a while as I did earlier in the day. I thought nothing of louder tinnitus the rest of the day.

-Today has been a relatively uneventful ear day, aside from a couple longer phone calls which sometimes (but not always) make tinnitus a bit louder for a while. Nothing at a particularly high or unsafe volume, no high pitched sounds... Though my tinnitus seems a a bit louder than usual and is definitely noticeable in my good ear.

Although it has been a busy few days for my ears the increased loudness, particularly in my good ear, seems excessive or different than what I had accepted as "normal" spikes from some of these activities or sounds that should all be pretty safe decibel levels. The only thing different is the Magnesium supplement, which I will stop taking to try to isolate if it's related. Can Magnesium cause spikes in perceived tinnitus volume? If so can I expect it to subside after a few days off the Magnesium? Anyone have experience with spikes after taking Magnesium?

At the very least, this spike does not seem so alarming or disruptive as it would have six months ago. I've carried on with no disruption to work or hobbies. I guess I'm acclimating, so that's worth something.

 

It makes my hyperacusis/noxacusis worse. Which is not the typical reaction I see on the board. I’ve tried it three different times for several days at a time. Each time over 2-3 days my sound sensitivity has increased, which is then followed by more pain in my face and ears along with a raw feeling in my ears.

 

Magnesium did make me more calm and I took it before sleep, but don't think it affected my tinnitus. My primary care doctor wanted me to stop taking it (which I did) since my levels were way above the recommended range (I took the blood test for magnesium).

 

What can be the consequences of high magnesium levels?

 

I think Magnesium is one of the safest supplements to take and has even some scientific backing. Maybe there are other ingredients included in this capsule which might be not so beneficial?

Apart from that as I have learned Magnesium Oxide is not very well absorbed by the body, so you might choose other forms of Magnesium.

 

Magnesium is usually good for noise induced tinnitus.

I got tinnitus and hyperacusis twenty four years ago, caused by headphone use and both very severe. I saw a herbalist that was experienced in treating people with noise induced tinnitus and advised to start taking Magnesium. She said the auditory system consists of a lot of nerves and Magnesium will help repair them. I am referring to the nerves not the sensory cells/hairs on the cochlea. She also advised to take Ginkgo Biloba.

My first ENT appointment was 6 months away and suspected my hearing wasn't what it should be. When I was seen at ENT, the doctor said my audiogram showed I had very good hearing. He asked if I was taking anything. I mentioned the Magnesium and Ginkgo Biloba on the advice of a herbalist. He said it was good advice and something he tells all his tinnitus patients to take.

I continued taking Magnesium for 2 years and then weaned off it. I still take Ginkgo Biloba.

Michael

 

Not sure about consequences. I didn't want my magnesium levels to go even higher, outside the range. After that I did take an OTC sleep aid which had some magnesium but it had a lower dose.

 

If you have healthy kidney function then it will just filter the excess magnesium you consume through your urine. For people who have some sort of kidney or gastrointestinal disease/dysfunction you can get something known as hypermagnesemia, which is an excess of magnesium in the bloodstream.

 

I take chelated magnesium supplements x2 daily alongside a multivitamin which contains magnesium oxide. I think I may be consuming too much myself and will cut down on it. What kind and how much magnesium were you taking a day?

 

I have the same experience. What is even worse is magnesium salt baths.

 

I have lupus which can involve kidneys so I wanted to be careful that I'm not overdosing on any vitamins. Don't remember what kind/dosage, as it was over a year and a half ago. The acupuncturist wanted me to take one pill at dinner and one pill before bed.

 

Do either of you recall what types of magnesium you tried and what amount? I took 500mg magnesium oxide. Since I now understand there are several types of magnesium supplements I may try another type once I've been off this long enough to establish a baseline. Since many folks find it helpful I'm not ready to abandon it just yet, but I want to take a break from it and do more research.

Does anyone know the best form of magnesium for tinnitus or in general, or dose? I see anywhere from a max of 420mg as supplement to around 700mg for some conditions. I was taking 620mg total, 500mg magnesium oxide and 120mg of an unknown form in the One A Day multivitamin. I don't know if too much or the wrong form could cause a spike. perhaps if it can help repair auditory nerves as Michael mentioned, some increase in tinnitus is plausible as that process occurs.

In any event, this morning was pretty quiet. Less tinnitus in my good ear in the morning than the past few days. Currently I feel it's a bit louder than usual though. I spent some time on the phone on my good ear today, and it snowed so some time after work clearing snow in the parking lot with vehicles running. It's not unexpected for these things to make it seem louder or more noticeable for a while. I'll see what tomorrow brings...

 

This is what I took. One tablet a day.

 

That is way too much magnesium, no more than 350-400 mg is what is suggested, also consider that some foods you may consume also contain magnesium. If you want to help combat against further hearing damage then magnesium paired with vitamins A+C are known to prevent further noise induced loss but from my understanding, there is no supplement that can aid in repairing the auditory nerves.

 

Anybody have experience taking Magnesium L-Threonate?

 

I've taken it before (for other reasons than tinnitus) and it didn't make my tinnitus worse.

 

Any type of Magnesium seems to make me, temporarily, somewhat more sound sensitive and tinnitus more kind of metallic.
And I have tried them all.

This seems to be very individual. I have no explanation to it, and do not know any logic reasons. If anyone knows something in regards to this, please shout out.

 

Hello, my tinnitus is from inflammation, probably vasculitis. Magnesium lowers cortisol levels, our natural anti-inflammatory hormone, so in my case it worsens my tinnitus a lot. Same thing happens with vitamin C and all supplements and herbs which lower cortisol.

I discovered this only recently, after a lot of trial and error and literature research...

 

I'm interested in cortisol as I think mine is low.

My naturopath wants me to take Adaptan.

 

This is interesting. I have the same issues with Magnesium and Vitamin C, and found my tinnitus increases when I take Vitamin D as well (but not as bad when I take it with Vitamin K). I wonder if that's a cortisol link too.

I thought too much cortisol was what linked to more inflammation, not lower? I'd be curious if you have other information or resource I can check on this. Thanks!

 

I have this same problem. I've tested it multiple times, stopping and starting Magnesium, and it never fails. It spikes my tinnitus within 24 hours, and it's no small spike either. I'm in one at the moment since I restarted Magnesium a few days ago again.

I really need to take Magnesium for other issues such as sleep, anxiety and pins and needles in my feet, so I'm hoping for a type of Magnesium that'll leave my tinnitus alone, anyone found anything that works?

 

I've been taking L-Threonate Magnesium - and many other supplements - and have started to think that this isn't a good idea. I'm thinking I should try and minimize my supplement intake and focus on just a decent diet and getting lots of sleep/exercise. I've been taking 2000 mg of the Magnesium and see that the recommended Magnesium amount for men is around 420 mg. Not to mention the Magnesium flakes I add for bathing (19 grams in one cup!). I add a handful but still too much.

I do notice a spike when I eat a pineapple, one of the only fruits I like, meaning it could be related to salicylates, so I'm going to try avoiding them for a little while to see what happens.

 

I'm having exactly the same problem. I have taken Magnesium chelate 200 mg and my tinnitus seems metallic, super loud, and has driven me in a few days to the verge of being dysfunctional. I'm really concerned.

Has your tinnitus subsided/improved? What have you taken for your anxiety in lieu of Magnesium chelate?

Thank you!

 

You are correct. That's why steroids lower inflammation as they tell the body to produce less cortisol. Having said that, the inflammatory response is needed for immune function, so they are not an ideal long term solution.

 

Most people get enough Magnesium in their diet, assuming it's a reasonably healthy one. Taking more than the recommended dosage can cause issues w/ diarrhea and other problems. Personally, I would try and get it in my foods, and only supplement w/ it if I thought there wouldn't be enough in my diet. 300-400 mg should be plenty "for most people". Like all supplements or medications, we probably should be looking at things holistically. Just see where we are at in all levels of our health and specific needs.

 

I take Magnesium every day, dissolving Magnesium powder in hot water, and it hasn't worsened my tinnitus. I take Magnesium mainly because of its other benefits on the body, like for the nerves and the muscles.

 

This is really interesting because it seems like after I take my vitamins in the morning, mine spikes. My tinnitus is due to inflammation.

Do you have a source for this or did the doctor tell you this? Just wondering.

 

Adding my own little data point in here. My tinnitus spiked a ton after trying out some new bath salts. I thought the old brand had Magnesium in it (it did not, at all) and I didn't get a spike but I also wasn't into the smell, so I got a new brand that was "pure Magnesium plus Melatonin" and hoo boy did I get a spike... Thankfully my pain hyperacusis is stable (I only get it in immediate reaction to noxious sound) but the tinnitus really made it hard for me to nap when I needed to lie down.

At first I wondered if maybe socializing with my friend was what caused last night's spike, but it went away after a good night's rest and was back at baseline all day until right after my bath a few hours ago. The timing is too weird for it to not be my bath, IMO.

Anyway, I took a couple capsules of NAC just an hour ago and my tinnitus has dramatically decreased. I've experimented with NAC before, and on an average day it completely silences my tinnitus. Right now it hasn't 100% silenced it, but the sound is much, much quieter than before - and still slightly quieter than baseline, even. I try not to take it daily (just 1 before and 1 after I expect to be in a noisy environment) because I've seen some people on here warn others against that. But it works wonders on special occasions.

Brands, both from Amazon:

• Dr Teal's Pure Epsom Salt Melatonin Sleep Soak with Essential Oil Blend (spiked me, do not recommend)
• Life Extension N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) (calms my tinnitus down a lot)

 

My experience:

Magnesium Oxide: Spiked me.
Magnesium L-Threonate: No side-effects.

I haven't tried any others.

 

I take Magnesium Glycinate which I can recommend. It also comes with no laxative effect like how Magnesium Oxide does.