L-Theanine for Tinnitus?

I'm new here. Any comment on L-Theanine as a treatment for tinnitus?

 

Hi John! Welcome.

I have been taking L-theanine regularly for some time. Not a treatment for tinnitus - for me any way.

 

I've been on L-Theanine (initially 3 x 200mg a day, now 2 x 200mg a day) for about 2 weeks now and I can confidently say that it has had a beneficial effect on my tinnitus. Not dramatic, but volume is noticeably lower and and it is also more stable. To use a metaphor: if my tinnitus were a child that sometimes behaves badly and sometimes behaves well, then the L-Theanine makes it always behave well.

In addition there's a definite calming, anxiety-reducing effect. I've occasionally used Xanax in the past and L-Theanine's effect is comparable to the effect of a low dose (0.25-0.5 mg) of Xanax, except it is not at all sedative, only calming.

Only drawback is that sometimes I have a bit of a trouble falling asleep. Maybe because anxiety tired me out and now that I have less anxiety I have more energy. Funny.

 

I take it at night to help me sleep. But it's usually in the middle of the night when I wake up. I've had some success with Magnesium Threonate when I first go to bed and L-Theanine later.

 

If L-Theanine is pharmacologically active in the way it's suspected to be then you might expect it to very minorly chill you out, which might in turn very minorly make your tinnitus a little more chill, but cure? Nope.

 

I have used L-Theanine, particularly right after I started having tinnitus from a loud earbud incident. I also have used it for a while when I had a couple of big spikes over the years due to loud sound incidents. I used it mostly to get to sleep (200 mg and I weigh 160 pounds) 20 minutes before bedtime. Worked like a charm to get to sleep. If I woke up in the night and began to obsess about mostly work issues I would take 200mg more then. That also worked like a charm. When I was in those two spiking times which were so big that I had to work to re-habituate all over again I used 100 or 200 mg after work to reduce my anxiety until I had worked myself back into habituation.

I first habituated using this program:

Tinnitus Turning the Volume Down by Kevin Hogan PsyD = I got a lot out of his book and Kevin’s program personally in 2011 when I first got tinnitus so I may be a bit biased. Then I achieved habituation out of it, which means I only heard the sounds maybe 3 to 5x per day at most and I was not uncomfortable when I did hear them.

With the second time when I had to re-habituate I used the "Back to Silence" method I learned on this website along with getting back into the above program using the self-hypnosis elements:

Back to Silence

The essence of the Back to Silence method is the following:

I got back to habituation in a couple of weeks instead of a year or so it took me in 2011 when all I had was the Kevin Hogan program I talk about above. I am certain this is the great cognitive intervention I have come across.

Here is the “bottom line” on how to implement it from researching the Back To Silence String:

The "Back to Silence" method calls for not measuring the sound(s), not to monitor the Tinnitus sound(s) or focus on it, don't describe the sound(s) or compare the sound(s).

Another way to think about it is follow the four "don'ts" of the Back to Silence method:

1 - Don't measure it
2 - Don't monitor it
3 - Don't describe it
4 - Don't compare it

Do the following:

1- STOP talking about tinnitus, measuring it, comparing it, describing it, and thinking about it.
2- When you hear the sound(s), tell yourself, "I hear it, I feel .........." (insert your true emotion)
3- make a note of this incidence (just put a hash mark for instance and add them up daily) and each emotional response in a word or two on paper, review your paper weekly to see the change in your responses.

If you are in a position (like say driving a car, in meditation, in bed getting to sleep or up in the night etc.) where you can’t note down your occurrence then do it verbally and add a hash mark and note later in writing if you can recall it.

Once you have gotten to 5 to 10 times a day with noting the tinnitus occurrences you can stop writing them down if desired. Just do the “I hear it, I feel _______ (insert your true emotion) to yourself with no need to keep a count.

 

I'm glad he helped you but that guy sounds like a terrible quack. From his homepage:

• "People who suffer from this chronic and seemingly intractable problem can get predictable long-term, verifiable results, with the formulaic, multi-modal approach. Virtually everyone can return to living a thriving life. His unique approaches to hypnosis and hypnotherapy play a significant role in making the change."
• "Regardless of the cause of your tinnitus, you can get relief from your tinnitus quickly!"
• "This program is for anyone who would like to reduce the volume of their tinnitus through the use of self-hypnosis along with other proven strategies presented in the program."

That's just the typical "101 how to lure in desperate people to make more money" way of phrasing things.

 

Yes, Autumnly you should be skeptical...can be a jungle out there. Indeed you are right all I can tell you is that was the first way I found to get to habituation and I would have paid way more than I paid for it to get to habituation at the time. As some say: Take what you need and leave the rest. The psychologist who I speak about with CBT says he gets most people he works with to habituation in 2 to 10 sessions with most people not needing his help at all if they work self-help based on his recommendations. Of course, the "Back to Silence" method is free and worked really well for me which I still use today.

 

What brand and where do you get your L-Theanine from?

 

Hi Michael,

I get it from Amazon.com and this is the brand:

Healthy Origins L-Theanine (AlphaWave) 100 mg, 180 Veggie Caps

Hope it is helpful to you.

 

There's a company in Hungary who buys ingredients like L-Theanine, NAC etc. in bulk and capsules it themselves. Their prices are 50-70% cheaper compared to "name-brand" suppliers. I use their stuff.

(www.vitaltrend.hu)

 

Hi @Henry Orlando FL,

I am considering taking L-Theanine. I veered away from it because I think I read others state that it may have spiked their tinnitus. Have you had this experience with it?

 

No Deb, I have never had a problem with L-Theanine making my tinnitus worse. I have never read anyone saying that it made their tinnitus worse but I bet there is someone out there that would report that since it is possible. I have taken 100 to 200 mg of Trazodone for months in the beginning of my tinnitus that is listed as ototoxic with no problems but that amount is a low dose. As for L-Theanine I have taken as much as 600 mg (I was going in for an MRI so that was a high dose as usually 200 mg is considered all that is needed) with no problems. I have taken L-Theanine at the 100 to 200 mg level as needed usually for getting to sleep when I had lost habituation or had a shorter term spike for maybe 5 to 7 years now. Finally, there was a study done here that said this:

Summary:
We study 1,889 people who take L-theanine or have Ototoxicity. No report of Ototoxicity is found in people who take L-theanine.​

Now, just to be clear L-Theanine will not "cure" one's tinnitus but will reduce one's anxiety about having tinnitus so one can then maybe have a perception that the tinnitus has lowered because one is not as anxious. Hope this hits the spot.

 

Thanks Henry for responding.

I am glad it has helped you, and thank you for posting the study.

What concerns me about L-Theanine are the reports of it exacerbating tinnitus. This may lay in the fact that it can antagonise the NMDA receptor.

I do need something to help alleviate my anxiety though since I need help with rehabituation.

 

Me again linearb.

Have you taken other NMDA receptor inhibitors?

 

Yea but only seriously weird and borderline psychedelic ones (NMDA target dissociative drugs like MXE, DXM).

No good impact on my tinnitus.

 

L-Theanine unfortunately spiked my tinnitus, but I took it a good month to get it built up in my system before it did. I'm at a loss on what could help my depression and sleep now. I've tried everything & always get spikes. Feeling very defeated.

 

Sorry to hear that news. By spike do you mean temporary or do you mean your tinnitus is now permanently louder than before due to the L-Theanine?

 

Yes, while taking L-Theanine, the tinnitus volume went up extremely. When I stopped, it went back down.

 

Glad to hear it went back to your regular level. I wish it had worked for you.

I use 100 mg, a low level, at most once or twice a week and don't have any trouble. I wish I had a solution for you that worked.

 

I only took 100 mg per night, as it helped my depression and insomnia a little. I'm pretty bummed out. I'm put of options on what could possibly help me without affecting my tinnitus. Seems every pill I take spikes it.

 

Reporting back. I had stated that 100 mg of L-Theanine increased my tinnitus volume, so I thought I'd try a very low dose at 25 mg. Still got a spike with that as well. So, it does spike some people's tinnitus.

I have no idea what to resort to now. I desperately need something for sleep and anxiety. Every antidepressant unfortunately, even at low doses, has spiked mine.

If anyone can give any more meds or suggestions they've tried, I'd greatly appreciate it. I really love the way L-Theanine calms me & puts me to sleep but I just can't bare the high pitched ring while on it.

Feeling defeated.

 

Have you tried Trazodone yet?

 

Yes, I have tried Trazodone, low dose of 25 mg.

Lexapro, low dose 5 mg.

L-Theanine at the lowest doses.

All made my tinnitus spike. They all worked well to calm my nerves and help with sleep but unfortunately they all made my levels of tinnitus outrageous. I have taken Xanax for a long time and I'm wondering if mixing them is causing too much interaction. And no, the Xanax was not the cause of my tinnitus - as I've been on it a very very long time for chronic panic attacks.

I'm at a loss on what you do.

 

How often do you take Xanax? If it's almost a daily thing, then you have fried your brain and all your neurotransmitters are out of whack. And how long have you taken it? "A long time" - is that more than a year?

What you need to do is taper off Xanax, clean your brain, and find alternative options for panic attacks. There must be a cause for them? Find the cause, treat the cause, so you don't need to hide the symptoms with an awful drug like Xanax. Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy?

 

Fried my brain... thanks! I won't name how long I've been on Xanax because people judge too much. Let's just say I can't come off of it. I'd die. But I understand what you're saying & wish I had known all this years ago. Unfortunately it seems I'm a lost cause.

 

Do you think the dosage matters as well as how long you've been taking it?

 

@MelanieR - if you have had anxiety for years, have you never been on an antidepressant for a course of time?

And what about Melatonin to help with sleep?

 

All the antidepressants gave me more anxiety. Now they really exacerbate my tinnitus, but yes I've tried many.