My Experience with Oral Minoxidil for Tinnitus Management

[Flyingsheep]

Hi all,

It's been around three years since I last posted here, but I wanted to share something that might be helping me with my tinnitus.

To give you a quick overview of my journey without diving into too much detail: my tinnitus began in late 2018 from a hangover. It progressively worsened from a mild hiss to intense high-frequency complex noises alternating between ears. In early 2020, I experienced an extremely painful spike that left me afraid to leave my room. This pattern continued for four years, with occasional 2-4 day breaks where the tinnitus would reduce to a quiet hiss. Despite having hearing tests, no hearing loss was detected, as most people here have experienced. This severely impacted my ability to work, socialize, and be productive in any way.

A few months ago, I had an epiphany that perhaps a medication affecting my blood vessels might reduce my spikes. I discovered that Minoxidil is a potassium channel opener. Through telemedicine in the USA, I managed to get an oral Minoxidil prescription and have been taking it for nearly three months now.

I wanted to wait before sharing any potential benefits, but I can now say that it has significantly reduced the intensity of my spikes by around 50% or more. While the frequency of the spikes remains the same, the painful aspect has decreased considerably, allowing me to function normally even on those days. This has been a significant win for me, providing some relief as I wait for the Susan Shore device to become available.

However, PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS AS MEDICAL ADVICE. DO NOT TAKE ORAL MINOXIDIL. I am not a doctor, and I took this medication off-label. Oral Minoxidil can have heart-related side effects and may not be safe for everyone. Additionally, there is a concern that Minoxidil might worsen tinnitus for some people. My experience is personal and may not apply to everyone. Despite my hesitation in posting this, I felt it would be a disservice to the tinnitus community not to share my experience.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Cheers.

 

[stille]

Hi @Flyingsheep,

I'm glad to hear that you've found relief with Minoxidil! I noticed in some of your older posts that you suspected your amalgam fillings might be contributing to your tinnitus. Did you ever get them removed?

I'm considering trying DMSA at a low dose to see if it affects my tinnitus. I deal with many other symptoms besides tinnitus, including fatigue, sore feet, brain fog, and headaches. Over the years, I've experimented with Chlorella on and off, and it definitely has an effect on my tinnitus. Initially, it tends to improve on the first day I take it, but after a few days, the tinnitus usually gets worse. However, the pain in my feet disappears when I use it.

Chlorella is supposed to chelate mercury, but there's a possibility it could just redistribute it to other parts of the body. That's why I'm considering DMSA. I've been reading about the Andy Cutler protocol, where you take a low dose every three hours for three days, followed by a break. Later, you can add ALA, but only if you no longer have amalgam fillings, as doing so with fillings still in place is strongly discouraged.

I'm curious, did you ever have your fillings removed? I had mine removed 10 years ago when my tinnitus was at its worst. While I still have tinnitus, I'm tempted to try something new.

 

[Nick47]

@stille: Tinnitus is caused by inner ear damage. Hundreds of millions of people have dental fillings.

@Flyingsheep: Thanks for sharing your experience.

Someone on this forum also shared the following:

I have tried Minoxidil for hair growth and I noticed my tinnitus got quieter, after a while I researched about it and found it is a potassium channel modulator like other stuff that is tested for tinnitus treatment. I recommend people to try it out and use 1ml-2ml a day rubbing in their face, relatively close to their ears.

I would say I noticed a 50% decrease. You can buy it from every pharmacy.

 

[RHL]

I've used topical minoxidil for years, and my tinnitus is getting worse. I don't think it's the minoxidil, though. Then again, maybe it helped for a while, and now its effect has worn off. It's hard to even guess.