NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) Cured My Tinnitus

Hi all,

I have read threads on Tinnitus Talk for years but never posted, it's not really my thing and I don't have time to engage so just a warning that I may not come back after posting this. I feel like I should as Tinnitus Talk has massively helped me and I feel like I should let others know. I don't like using the word cured as it is loaded but yeah, everyone with tinnitus please try NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) as it has worked for me.

I'm 35 years old, had tinnitus in one ear since 2016. Caused by work stress I think. It was bad for a couple of years but settled down and I got used to it. In December 2020 I got tinnitus in my other ear, completely different tone, caused maybe by stress linked to lockdown etc. I also think related to WFH (working from home) and having meetings through a laptop wearing headphones. Anyway, it floored me, was very depressed etc. This was different as I could tell the tinnitus was a neurological thing as opposed to my old tinnitus in my other ear which feels more ear based if that makes sense.

Anyway, I did some research. I came across NAC being good for neural pathway renewal etc. Got some in spring this year. It was about a tenner. Started taking 1000 mg a day. After 2 days the tinnitus was lessened. Then it went away. And it's not returned. My old original tinnitus also disappeared but it does come back very lightly every so often.

It pains me to write this in a way as I am very superstitious and I feel like I am tempting fate for it to return but I couldn't not put this out there in case it helps someone else be released from tinnitus hell.

All the best.

 

Wow - that's amazing - really pleased for you!

So almost no noise at all since spring time?

 

I am a bit skeptical about that. Nobody else has ever mentioned it. Are there any side effects?

 

NAC has regularly been mentioned in connection with tinnitus. I haven't tried it myself, but have certainly heard others mention using it for their tinnitus.

 

Who else has tried NAC here? And was it helpful for your tinnitus?

 

Fuck yah man.

 

I have tried NAC after my two major permanent spikes, and it did nothing unfortunately...

 

Same here, I was on NAC before and after my MRI, and I still got a lot of damage.

 

Side effects for me = terrible sleep if I take NAC after like 4 pm. Otherwise, I've been taking 600 mg/day for like 6 months. Not sure it's doing much, but it acts as an antioxidant and, to my knowledge, hasn't been linked to any health problems, so I figure why not keep chugging the stuff?

 

So glad something has worked for someone here.

When I first got tinnitus, I took NAC daily. I can't tell if it helped or not. I even suspected that it spiked my tinnitus, but can't be sure.

I stopped NAC and my tinnitus still continued to heal at a steady pace. Check my thread in success stories for a full account.

I think @ryvita87's experience is a good case study as it stopped within days of starting NAC and their tinnitus doesn't have an identifiable cause. I think at least I can say that NAC does make a difference (unlike something like Ginkgo biloba). I reckon it depends on the cause of the tinnitus as to if NAC can promote healing.

 

I will have to give this another go and report back.

 

I’d like to report that I began taking NAC about 4 days ago and am noticing my tinnitus has reduced in volume. It is the first time a supplement has made a noticeable difference. I was able to go to a Jon McLaughlin concert last night (with earplugs) and didn’t suffer any spikes.

I have been taking Magnesium, Turmeric with piperine, Zinc, D3, B12, and Lipoflavonoid for months with little success.

Full disclosure: I also started taking L-Theanine when I started NAC, so I am not 100% sure which is more effective.

Other random fact: I have been avoiding caffeine for the most part, but when I occasionally have it, I notice coffee has a greater negative impact on my tinnitus than iced black tea. Wonder why that is, could it be the natural theanine in tea?

 

Good for you. It's funny I seriously just wrote a post about things that have been helping me and I didn't post it because I was also afraid I was tempting fate! Maybe tomorrow...

 

Possibly, but more likely that coffee contains more caffeine than tea and hits your system stronger.

 

Hot water extracts more organics than cold when brewed. Most solubility works this way (not all).