N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

The real problem is a lack of real regulation of supplements treated as drugs. Hence sweeping generalizations are made.

The same thing happened with Kava Kava in nanny state Canada.

 

We need Ebselen as soon as possible so we can stop gambling with supplements and have some real spike relief and real protection.

 

In the EU as well. Very annoying.

 

Is there any issues from taking NAC 1800 mg a day spaced in thee doses? I've been doing this for a while and it helps with some long COVID-19 issues I have.

 

THIS is why they are focused on NAC. Don’t think it is a coincidence. NAC has been used to treated lung mucous in the past... Ya gotta keep doctors in control, don't ya know!

No personal responsibility, no self-medicating, because we are too stoopid (as I think of the ENTs out there... smh).

 

After taking it for some years, I'm going to say I personally haven't found that NAC prevents tinnitus spikes, temporary or permanent. I can't say for certain it doesn't prevent hearing damage, or if my tinnitus spikes would've been worse without it, but it doesn't outright prevent your tinnitus from getting worse.

 

I've only been taking NAC for about 6 months, but I agree.

 

I have tried taking like 1200 mg NAC before situations that are not considered loud, but which I know may cause a spike and it has never prevented spikes from occurring for me. I still take NAC occasionally, just in case though.

This is just my speculation, but I believe there are different types of spikes; those that are caused by louder sounds, actually causing structural stress/damage in the cochlea, may be prevented by NAC. But I have reactive tinnitus where almost any sound causes spikes, and I believe this is instead due to hyperacusis, not structural stress/damage to the cochlea, therefore NAC never works for me.

I may be wrong on this assertion, just my thoughts.

 

I would not worry about overdoing it with garlic unless you have GERD. Consuming garlic does not automatically lead to reflux. However, if you have GERD, it can trigger or exacerbate it. My sister has GERD and still eats garlicky food and doesn't take Omeprazole any more. She prefers to eat garlic sauteed with other foods, because raw garlic is too strong for her. Also the long-term health concern with acid reflux is esophageal cancer, not bowel / colorectal cancer. Garlic consumption has been linked to a reduction in colorectal cancer in peer-reviewed literature, so if you don't have GERD, I say go for it. You will know when you've reached your limit when you get gassy and make life very unpleasant for your partner/family/roommates.

 

There are a few good posts here describing the mechanism, but I want to add some additional info. I’ll be brief in summarizing what has already been said:

NAC is used for a lot of different toxicity conditions as well as mucus management for COPD. We find it here because of Glutathione which is a major antioxidant that has particular relevance to our ears. One of the presumed benefits of adequate Glutathione levels is the protective effect after loud exposures because it prevents the subsequent free radical damage to the inner ear from in the days following. Some military studies use it before and after noise exposure and have seen benefits. Additionally, as we age Glutathione status drops and this may be part of the cause of age related hearing decline.

It appears that studies confirm protective effect but can it help existing tinnitus or hyperacusis? The anecdotal report of the woman taking NAC for other reasons states that her tinnitus improved so that gets our interest but is not a placebo controlled study so... Also, correlation is not always causation. Maybe it was the NAC but it corrected a different condition that then helped with tinnitus and any one of us may not have that issue. It may also be a coincidence.

Getting Glutathione safely into the healthy range can have many health benefits because it’s a general antioxidant. It is synthesized by three amino acids: Cysteine, Glutamate and Glycine, plus other co-factors (necessary for the complete multi step conversion process) such as B2, Selenium, Magnesium...

In a study comparing a young group to an elderly cohort, Glutathione status was much lower in the elderly population but so was glycine. Glutamate was not an issue. We also know that any given individual can be deficient in Selenium and B12. This is part of why we are all bio-individual. If you are chronically deficient in Magnesium, as many are, then you may see dramatic results from supplementation. I did. A person with adequate tissue levels of Magnesium, not so much, just loose stools. In other studies there is such a thing as Glutamate being too high and causing problems. Fixing Glutathione synthesis might help that because we are using up the Glutamate in the process.

So, how do we get Glutathione at healthy and protective levels? Direct oral supplementation is not very effective because absorption is poor. That is where NAC comes in. It turns out direct supplementation with cysteine can be dangerous but NAC is a precursor to cysteine which is easily absorbed and is safer. So we get our cysteine from NAC and are we done? I don’t know, we are all different, we are all bio-individual. I am 66, so statistically I may also be deficient in amino acid number 2, Glycine. I may also be deficient in some of the co-factors to make sure that the complete process takes place. Candidates are Selenium, Magnesium, B2, vitamin C, Lipoid Acid, and vitamin E. It’s hard to confirm without testing, but a safe and mainstream daily supplement helps take care of many of these.

I read on ingredients will help you find one that has say elevated Selenium for instance if you're working on this. Everything together is always better because there is so much interdependency. Also, mega dose anything with great care as some things are dangerous in high quantities like Zinc for instance. The mechanism for harm through excess dosing can be direct toxicity or say the depletion of the antagonist. That study of the elderly versus young population dosed NAC plus Glycine and the elderly population got their Glutathione status slightly higher than the young group.

As mentioned here, NAC may be off the market in the US shortly, Amazon has already pulled everything, so now what? I will refrain from a rant about big pharma, lobbyists and so forth. In another study they compared oral Glutathione to NAC and a new patented (read expensive) sublingual reduced Glutathione and the results confirm that oral Glutathione is ineffective but the other two had similar results in raising Glutathione status. I believe that the latest incarnation of the effective sublingual reduced Glutathione is called Terry Naturally Clinical Glutathione. I’m not affiliated and have not tried it.

Now for the big question, can this help tinnitus and hyperacusis after years of suffering? I don’t know. Can it make it worse, I don’t know? The data that I have reference certainly suggests a protective effect and damage control with the first week after the exposure but beyond that? Logic dictates that it might protect from further damage but I don’t know.

I’m only a month in myself with tinnitus and hyperacusis, and I’m in the research phase so I don’t even know what might work for me. I’m starting with getting all of the safe and effective stuff up to par and considering this as well as a number of other things mentioned often here, as well as reading research papers. This process has helped me solve decades old problems without drugs so I’m giving it a go again. Will I have similar success, I don’t know. One thing I do know is that science based knowledge is power and ignorance brings chaos (Lucy, although I can’t watch movies right now). In my experience you can either do extensive expensive testing or select trials based on science and your symptoms. Keep what works and get rid of what doesn’t. Listen to your body. I am getting my B12 baseline next week and if low as I suspect, I will be fixing that because correcting a B12 deficiency has lowered tinnitus loudness scores but no help for people with adequate B12.

I have zero qualifications in nutritional counseling, tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment or the medical field. I’m just a technical guy doing research and trying to solve problems. Please seek the advice of qualified practitioners and always check for unsafe levels and interactions. Best to you all, at extreme levels this is quite a challenge, but I have faced many before. Now I will give this one a go.

George

 

I noticed NAC is cheaper to buy in powder form compared to capsules.

Would you recommend buying that and just mix it with water?

 

It has a really bitter taste! You do get a better deal when you buy the powder, but you then have to figure out how to get it inside you without having to taste it.

 

Snort it.

Don't actually snort it.

 

I wouldn't do that. When pharmaceutical companies individually seal their NAC tablets into aluminum foil, it's probably not because they love unnecessary cost and effort. The more likely reason is that NAC is not a stable substance, it can and will oxidize when exposed to air.

As if to illustrate the point, there are lots of customer reviews for NAC powder on Bezos' evil empire, with complaints about the substance reeking like rotten eggs, and/or inducing nausea and vomiting.

 

Even the capsules smell quite bad. I can't imaging tasting the actual powder.

 

I have taken a lot of NAC in powder form. It doesn't taste good, but it's not a problem at all to get it down. Just rinse your mouth with some water afterwards to get the bad taste away.

 

Hi All,

I am sharing an observation regarding how NAC can negatively impact my sleep if I take it late in the day.

I've experimented with taking NAC at different times of the day and have noticed that taking NAC within a few hours before bedtime gives me restless leg syndrome. For those who are unaware of it, restless leg syndrome is a horrid sleep disturbance.

I now take NAC only in the morning, and it does not appear to affect my sleep.

Cheers,

E

 

Ok, thanks for the information.

The ones I have are just loose capsules in a can, will those get bad quickly as well?

 

I'm afraid I don't have any sourced information about this.

Nonetheless: I attached a picture of NAC, which is sold as cough medicine where I live. These sachets are made from coated aluminium foil. Compared to loose capsules in a can, this is a quite elaborate and expensive packaging method, and I don't believe that the manufacturer would do that if it weren't absolutely necessary.

 

I have only taken the NAC pills and I have no problem with the smell or taste.

George

 

Sorry, but that's deeply senseless.

Once your floaters show up, they'll remain there for a long while. Mostly forever. So saying it worsens your floaters temporally makes me think you focus on them more during that while.

 

I got bombarded with a ton of noise yesterday. I am taking Prednisone now (24 hours later) along with Lexapro (an antidepressant) I have been taking for a few weeks.

I was wondering if it is safe to take NAC as well as I heard it helps with very loud noise too. My doctor said Prednisone + antidepressant is fine. But I'm wondering if NAC with prednisone and/or antidepressants is ok? Anyone have any info on this? Thanks.

 

FDA has banned NAC as an over the counter supplement.

 

I know but you can just buy it online from pretty much anywhere.

 

I get "temporary" floaters worsening day after I strain my eyes, e.g. spending too much time in the front of the computer. But I figured it has something to do with the perception mechanism that is not functioning well rather than increase of the floaters. When I get good rest I don't really focus/see my floaters that much anymore.

@Greg Sacramento, I don't see any statement about floaters on the page describing NAC side effects. And so far I was aware that they might be some more serious side effects if you take more than 2 g / day.

Is this something new? How do they explain banning it? NAC is prescription free in Switzerland, but can be bought only at pharmacies. I am taking NAC whenever I get some loud noise exposure. Also I believe my hyperacusis and sound tolerance generally improved thanks to it. It would be a shame if other countries would follow FDA/US, as they often do.

 

I think this is to protect them from humidity/moist. After all you want a good effect.

 

Yes, it appears to have happened last month... Google about it.

 

If I understand it right, FDA banned NAC use in dietary supplements, but I guess it can be still sold as a standalone drug:

CRN petition requests FDA reverse position on NAC

FDA changes in usage of NAC & it’s impact on Baseline+

It is still kind of a bummer, since there's more and more evidence of positive effects of NAC on the immune system.

 

I wonder if the recent ban has anything to do with it being included in a recent COVID-19 supplement regimen that's floating around?

 

Is NAC off limits if you use a SSRI and a benzo?

If you've taken NAC with an SSRI and benzos, please share your experience.