Ginkgo Biloba

Most people liken it to alcohol and coffee in one, so it's not good for taking late in the day.

 

@Lane, wow... the intense dream part is true. I did fall back asleep after my middle of the night texting bout & had a decent sleep for which I’m grateful. BUT I did have some very lucid dreams. Quite lively & full of action. No nightmares which will be a deal breaker. So.. It must be the Kava Kava, as this is unusual dream action for me. I usually don’t remember my dreams much, just scattered thoughts. But I had a complete vivid dream playback memory this morning. This is interesting & thought provoking.

So far no reduction in the tinnitus, which of course is the main reason for trying it. I’ll continue to experiment & see how this winds up. Frankly, as long as the tinnitus doesn’t spike, I’ll keep trying. If the dreams get too lively, I’ll probably cut back to maybe one pill every other night. Play it by ear. I have 90 liquid filled capsules, so I can give it a good go!

 

@GBB, ahh... So maybe that’s why I had the abrupt wake up call at 1 am. The 2 hours up was annoying, but since I’m working from home now, it was not that big a deal for me. I gave up caffeine & “most” alcohol consumption a long while ago, so I didn’t really put together any comparisons. But... I’ll keep track & make adjustments accordingly.

 

If Ginkgo Biloba is effectively blocking GABA and therefore spikes tinnitus, would that "damage" be temporary or permanent?

I would love to try Ginkgo Biloba, and if it spikes my tinnitus, stop it, and hopefully not have inflicted (even more) permanent damage because that's probably not worth the experiment.

 

I mean in theory if there is less GABA in your brain then it will spawn even more GABA receptors, meaning long term you will have the opposite of benzo induced tinnitus, but I'm sure it's more complex than this.

 

I would really like to know if this is actually the case. I feel like if GABA was being blocked, much, much more people who have tried it would be experiencing spikes or negative symptoms.

I don't actually see how ginkgo could cause any permanent damage. Its function lies mostly in terms of modulating blood flow, so unless you permanently damage a blood vessel (which is either very unlikely or impossible), I can't see how you would have any lasting damage.

Most of the spikes in this thread also mention it being temporary and subsiding after the regimen was ceased. As far as supplements go, ginkgo appears to be one of the safest to try, though it still comes off as having a very niche use case.

 

So what you're saying is that the next potentially viable therapy is an anti-benzo?

I have pondered whether or not this would be a strategy that could yield any benefit. Same goes for a benzo-like effect for Glutamate. The problem there is Glutamate, despite being a source of annoyance with this condition, is still important.

 

I honestly have no idea, but if people really get relief from Ginkgo and ears can't heal, it seems doubtful that the benefits could be traced back to enhanced bloodflow - there would be no clear healing mechanism. Unfortunately I can't test Ginkgo as it reliably spikes me.

 

I’ve had no permanent damage from taking Ginkgo Biloba. But in my case my tinnitus was so quick to spike, so I didn’t take Ginkgo Biloba very long both times I tried it.

As far as long term Ginkgo Biloba use causing permanent damage, who knows?

 

I think at the very least it would be safe to assume that if you do, for whatever reason, receive damage from Ginkgo Biloba, it would have to be after a very long-term regimen.

I don't think many, if any, OTC supplements are capable of producing permanent damage unless taken in megadoses. That sort of thing seems reserved for pharmaceuticals.

There also is a noteworthy different between permanent and chronic that should be considered.

 

@Drachen, I do agree. But my auditory system is weak, fragile & damaged already. I’m not risking anything anymore. I get a negative reaction to any modality; I stop.

 

You are smart to do so, and I didn't mean to indicate you should otherwise if I did. I was mostly trying to assuage anyone who had concerns (myself included) that supplements should not provide permanent damage in the short term.

 

@Drachen, I totally get what you meant. I didn’t mean to insinuate otherwise. I just wanted to say that in my own private hell, I can’t be too careful. It was also to tell others who may be sensitive like me. Many medicines and supplements I take give me some side effect. It’s been a never ending quest. My 11 year “anniversary” is on May 5th. Cinco de Mayo! I was all set to go to a dinner party with friends & have a great time. It was honestly the last day of silence I had as the tinnitus appeared early that evening and stayed.

 

Hello guys.

I went to the doctor today, and I had a hearing test. They found no hearing loss. My doctor gave me a prescription that includes the Binko (Ginkgo Biloba) 80 mg. He says that it improves blood flow and it's worth a try.

Is Ginkgo Biloba safe? I don't want to make my situation worse. My prescription is for 2 weeks, and then I have an appointment again.

 

Ginkgo biloba is generally safe, but as others have mentioned in this thread, it could cause spikes depending on your specific case. I don't think there are very many people whom this supplement has helped, but that could be said for almost any supplement.

The main point of concern is that your prescription is for two weeks, and people almost universally agree that this is nowhere near long enough of a time for you to start seeing any effects. My ENT personally told me yesterday that three months is a more reasonable figure, and even then there's no guarantee.

 

I already have tinnitus spikes and that's what concerns me. I read that over 50% have not benefited from Ginkgo Biloba. About 9% had an improvement and 9% had their tinnitus got worse.

I think I will not start taking it. I will instead wait for the upcoming treatments.

Now the question is... How do I tell my doctor I don't want to take it. Maybe use the excuse of the side effects?

I'm trapped lmao!

 

I may have missed a post here, but I had not been able to find any post that states that Ginkgo biloba chronically worsened their tinnitus. The spike may have very well been short-lived. In terms of supplements go, I wouldn't say it's particularly risky, but I understand your hesitation. Given some things I've read about it myself, I am also unsure if I want to continue along with it.

As for what to tell your doctor, that's hard to say. It's probably not best to lie and say you had been taking it when you haven't. If I were in your shoes, I would just convey my fears of it potentially causing a spike based off research you've made. He/she can't force you to take it.

There's no guarantee they will understand your concerns. If they don't understand the condition enough to know that spikes can be varied and problematic, they may not be the professional with which you want to discuss this condition.

 

Just a little warning for those who might try Ginkgo Biloba for treating symptoms...

I took it for several days and ended up in urgent care because I had HIVES from knees to waste on both legs. I had to get a steroid shot immediately and 7 days worth of meds to make stuff go away... we won't talk about the itching OMG.

 

I just tried Ginkgo biloba with Magnesium stearate about five days ago.

A few days later, I noticed my tinnitus was spiking. Not super badly, but I could hear it over my AC which normally masks it. I'm not entirely sure what is causing my spike--could be from listening to too much music [I do it on monitors and make sure the volume is a safe, but still a possibility], vestibular migraine, or my recent vaccine. But the Ginkgo is the only thing in my routine that's new in the past several weeks, so I'm inclined to believe it is contributing to it.