Supplements & Tinnitus — What Do You Take? What Should I Take?

I'd also recommend now as a time to make sure all your bases are covered - nutritionally. I've been taking magnesium and vitamin D supplements and I'll be starting B vitamins. Deficiencies in any of those would only make things worse. I'm starting to think that my anxiety that I had during my adolescence was caused by magnesium deficiency. It's worth taking if only because toxicity for vitamin D and B are very high and a really significant percentage of the population is deficient.

 

Hi Oatsey,

If at all possible I'd suggest getting the correct balance of nutrients from natural, organic food rather than synthetic supplements.. as they can do more harm than good.

Good luck.

Click

 

I take 500mg magnesium daily as it can actually prevent your hearing from further damage. Check this article:
Long-term administration of magnesium after acousti... [Hear Res. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI

 

Lipoflavonoids didn't work for me--but my father swears by them. I think it might depend on a) reason for tinnitus and b) placebo effect.

My husband and I gave up vitamins after a strong case was made that the Vitamin E that he took for years for a healthy heart very likely added to his getting cancer. At this time the only supplements I take are for preventing macular degeneration--which both my mother and maternal grandmother got in their late 70's.

 

Fresh veges, fresh fruits and good meats (prepared well); throw in some nuts and a few dairy products and try not to eat things from a box and you will get everything you need (and it tastes great!!).

 

I drink two cups of Matcha daily, and it seems to help me. Matcha is a type of green tea that is ground into a fine powder. When you prepare it, you should be cautious with the water. It should be approximately 175 degrees F so you don't destroy the tea's nutrients. You also need a small whisk to help dissolve the powder. I'm not fond of the taste, which reminds me of grass. But I use a sweetener and soy milk.

Green tea, especially Matcha, does promote relaxation while also increasing alertness. It is a relaxed alertness. Over time, perhaps a month, I believe drinking Matcha has helped lower my tinnitus. Since I do other things, however, I can't be sure if it's the Matcha, something else, or a combination of things. But I would recommend Matcha to anyone has given up caffeine because of their tinnitus.

Green tea has many health properties and has been studied in various diseases. Green tea also contains theanine, which is known to be neuroprotective in some circumstances.

For a general reference to theanine, see this article on WebMD. Please click here.

 

According to this study:

The Effect of Antioxidant Supplementation in Patients with Tinnitus and Normal Hearing or Hearing Loss: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial

A multivitamin pill once a day and A-lipoic acid pill twice a day is supposed to help with tinnitus.

More details here:

Antioxidant Therapy in Idiopathic Tinnitus: Preliminary Outcomes

I've been on this for about a week (plus I've added 2 x Krill oil tablets). While my tinnitus did seem to improve early on, there doesn't seem to be much difference now (maybe my earlier experience was due to placebo).

I'm also going to add some astaxanthin once my order arrives.

I HAVE found that a large dose of canned Salmon seems to consistently improve my tinnitus. Salmon is full of B vitamins, Omega-3 oils and astaxanthin (it's the thing that makes Salmon pink). I'm trying to see if I can take whatever is in Salmon in pill form to help. Hopefully I will get something from the astaxanthin.

 

I have tried:

* Ginkgo Biloba
* Magnesium
* Calcium
* Vitamin D3
* Omega3 (Krill Oil)
* Turmeric Curcumin
* GABA
* B12
* B6
* A super expensive shit Pill named "Sonosan"

None of it helped. You're welcome.

 

I got slapped in the ear by a wave while surfing like 7 years ago or so. Busted my eardrum, caused immediate hearing loss.

I've tried Ginkgo biloba and it didn't seem to help at all.

I noticed a difference with Pycnogenol within a day or so. It's the only thing I know for sure that REALLY helps (other than getting a great 8 hours of sleep). I've had my supply run out a few times and almost immediately, my tinnitus spikes. I start taking it again, and it's reduced again. Just try it out. It's like 15 bucks for a month's supply. You can also google studies online about Pine Bark Extract and tinnitus. There's actual science behind this.

If you notice no difference within a few days, ah well, at least you tried.

 

I practice boxing, a very demanding sport. I take supplements in order to help me with my performance and recovery.

Here's the list of what I take on a daily basis:
- Magnesium
- Collagen
- Ginkgo Biloba
- MACA
- Omega 3 & 6
- NAC
- Vitamin C with riboflavonoids
- Vitamins A, D, E, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 & B12 and Zinc.
- BCAA
- L-Carnitine

I also drink three cups (notice Japanese style cups are way smaller than those Western ones) of Japanese green tea every morning (high grade and quality tea, no tea bags).

Although there was a period of time I thought green tea was helping, now I think it was more a natural phase of my tinnitus, which is always fluctuating from intrusive to very severe.

Other than that I can say that in my case, supplements do nothing to my tinnitus.

 

I have used Magnesium, Resveratrol, Astaxanthin, NAD, NAC, Huperzine for several months and they did nothing. I am currently trying to reproduce this trial with Curcumin and Boswellia.

 

Unless you would have a deficency of certain vitamins and minerals, there is no doubt that many people (including myself at one point), spent too much on supplements that won't do much difference.

Some of them might even harm you if you use them for long term - such as vitamin B6 in big doses that may lead to neuropathy.

Anyhow, these days I only use a few supplements on a daily basis. All of them which I find helpful, and that might be of use for other people.

Morning:​

• Basic B-complex, Thorne
• 500 mg Bioflavonids, Nature's Life

Night:​

• Potent Omega-3 supplement (always)
• Night-time herbal supplement - various types (cycled)
• Dr Mercola Melatonin Sleep Support from time to time/if needed (small dose, 0,5 mg Melatonin)

Other than that, I always have 600 mg NAC available in my cabinet if needed.
Only use it (a few hours before and after) if I know there will be a loud happening, such as dentist work, MRI or the likes.

 

I feel like NAC definitely took the sting out of a terrible spike I was having but I can't be sure it wasn't just time doing its thing.

 

Hi @Mnq16 -- Sometimes spikes can be caused by something toxic in our system (such as sugar or caffeine). NAC is a great detoxifier, so it's possible your improvement was a result of some detoxification going on.

 

I start the morning with overnight oatmeal thats prepared the night before. It contains
4 tablespoons of crushed Dark Cocoa Nibs, bananas, blueberries, honey and oat milk. Healthy and tastes good

Mid Day​

• Nature’s Way Alive Multivitamin
• 300 mg Tru Niagen (NAD+)
• 1x 900 mg Omega 3 capsule (high concentration in EPA and DHA)
• 200 mg COQ10

Night​

• Now Foods, Boswellia Extract, 500 mg
• Now Foods, Magnesium Glycinate (200 mg)
• 1x 900 mg Omega 3 capsule

It’s most likely a placebo, but the week after started Boswellia, my hyperacusis saw positive improvements. I think time played a factor, but who knows. Maybe someone could benefit from taking it. It’s a great for your immune system though. I felt like I was going to catch a cold with a slightly itchy throat recently, but it went away the next 2 days.

 

Hey Guys,

I was hoping to get some feedback or constructive criticism on the supplements I plan to make my daily routine. Both in terms of possible tinnitus improvement, as well as any potential adverse effects to my general health.

My tinnitus got worse in April of 2021, is awful right now and I just want some improvement. It came on initially ~5 years ago after acoustic trauma, and I have safeguarded my ears since so this ramp up really puzzles me and is very depressing. I made an initial thread about it last year.

I did try the Pycnogenol and NAC before but feel like maybe I didn't give these supplements enough of a chance.

After reading a lot of threads here today it seems there is some dissent about the benefits of vasodilators and/or vasoconstrictors. I've seen much knowledge suggesting blood flow to the delicate areas of the ear is necessary for healthy hearing, and improvement of blood flow seems like a no-brainer but there are people on here claiming that L-Arginine, Cialis or Viagra GAVE them tinnitus or made it worse.

Aside from Synthroid, Turmeric (back injury) and Montelukast (for allergies) what I am looking at potentially taking daily is:

1. Multivitamin
2. L-Arginine & L-Ornithine
3. Pycnogenol (plan to try for 4 weeks and drop if no improvement)
4. NAC (N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine)
5. Men's Support Supplement (Magnesium, Zinc, Ashwagandha, Glycine, Inositol, Boron, L-Theanine, L-Leucine)

Lastly, I have seen Tebonin EGB mentioned very favorably on here and wondered if anyone has a reason I shouldn't try that?

Any thoughts on any of the above would be very much appreciated.

 

Interesting list. How long have you been taking NAD+? Is it a safe supplement to use daily in the long term? I was told I should take it with TMG to avoid undermethylation.

 

Hey, I’ve taken NAD+ daily since July.

I haven’t noticed any negative effects.

I also take an anti-depressant (Nortriptyline) which I guess keeps up with neurotransmitter production. Not sure though.

I’ve noticed improvement in my energy levels while on this.

 

I've been taking several suplements for a month. Here is the list:

• NAD 200 mg
• ALA 300 mg
• Acetyl-L-Carnitine 500 mg
• NAC 600 mg on some days
• Astaxanthin 12 mg
• Quercetin 250 mg with Vitamin C 500 mg
• B complex
• Zinc sometimes
• Creatine
• SOD (Superoxide dismutase)

This week I added:

• Resveratrol 250 mg
• CoQ10 100 mg
• Lemon bioflavonoid 500 mg with Hesperidin 75 mg and Rutin 75 mg

So far nothing good or bad to report.

 

It did nothing. No idea why they are even wasting their time thinking about combatting tinnitus with spices.

 

Magnesium, NAC (I heard NAC should not be exposed to air or light), passionflower extract, Klonopin, Trazodone.

I used to take more but even stuff like Ginkgo biloba caused a permanent spike. I'm scared to take anything.

I took Olanzapine and it made my tinnitus worse. I'm at a bad threshold, I crossed over into where almost anything can spike it. With anything you ingest, the consequences can be devastating.

Vinpocetine seemed to help. I stopped Taurine. Pycnogenol made things way worse.

Antioxidants you have to be careful with, which is weird as NAC is one.

 

How are you doing now? I seem to be in this threshold where everything makes my tinnitus worse.

 

Yea Trav, I'm super scared of taking anything. I really want to microdose or try Cordyceps or Lion's Mane, but...

Supplements often contain aspartic or salicylic acid. I think those are bad. And heavy antioxidants are too, like Ginkgo biloba and, for me, Pycnogenol, which permanently spiked my tinnitus. I wish I never tried any supplements or herbs or whatever. I'm worse off for it now. I wish one would know this starting out. The risk of even natural stuff.

I ordered Black Cohosh, Fish oil, Vinpocetine and more NAC. People have even reported tinnitus from that.

I'm going to add Curcumin and was thinking of eating a raw head of garlic a day. I think amino acids are pretty safe so I use those too. Some people say things like L-Theanine are good but then some get tinnitus spikes from them. Supplements are a minefield.

 

I am taking one Magnesium pill per day - 190 mg. But nothing else.

I do wonder whether vitamins and minerals - which the body has evolved to absorb from food - actually are as effective as claimed. I have seen several reports indicating that the evidence for these supplements being useful is poor. Consequently I try to get all my vitamins and minerals from food. For iron I eat 1 black sausage per day - this contains my RDA 100% and I then do not have to bother with red meat. For B12 I eat chicken breast twice per week - and I eat smoked mackerel twice per week and another type of fish on 2 more days. Not too happy about the smoked mackerel - but I have dry eye syndrome and it is the only source of Omega 3 fatty acids which actually keeps my eyes feeling comfortable. Tinned fish - even fresh - does not do it. Maybe due to the lowish temperature hot smoking process compared with ultra high heat tinned and the frying or grilling of fresh mackerel could be destroying the structure of the Omega 3. Maybe I will try to boil the fish - and drink the cooled down water plus eat the fish. As the top temperature would then be 100C - probably lower than the hot smoking temperature.

I do take Magnesium - which may be a waste of time - since it is not easy to get from food. Check the figures - it is abundant in avocados for example - if you are prepared to eat 6 per day to get your RDA - or in 100 g of cashews. I may actually try eating 100 g of cashews or mixed nuts spread over the day as I doubt if these Magnesium pills are that useful.

I once cut out dairy and eggs - until I found they are important sources of iodine. I will take the chance on prostate cancer to get sufficient iodine for my thyroid - so drink milk with coffee and have Greek yoghurt and cream cheese + 1 egg every day. Iodine sorted. I'm not bothered about cholesterol - every time I test I am normal.

I am of course tempted like all of you - to try every supplement which has been reported to lower tinnitus volume - but frankly - I have very little confidence in the anecdotal reports I see so will just stick to the best diet I can. I gave up on probiotics recently - having reviewed the studies which seem to be weak. I also wonder how well the live bacteria in yogurt actually survives the stomach acids. I do have unsugared Greek yoghurt but don't bother paying double or treble for the live version.

So the bottom line is - I basically don't take supplements except magnesium and try to get all I need from quality food.

 

Hi @Stuart-T -- I'm in complete agreement with you on the importance of quality food/nutrition. Are you by any chance familiar with organic juice powders, like wheatgrass, barley, beet, etc.? I discovered them this past year, and am impressed with how good I feel they are for my body.

 

I have heard that wheatgrass extract is good stuff - never tried any of those though.

Might give it a try though - I do have some tiredness issues which I suspect is caused by some low level infection I can't pinpoint.

 

Hi @Stuart-T -- If it's some kind of oral infection, one of the best things you can do is take some wheatgrass juice powder and hold it in your mouth for up to 5 minutes before swallowing. Not only does it effectively treat oral infections, but it's been reported to remineralize teeth and reverse dental cavities.

You "may" also want to consider the hydrogen peroxide nebulization protocols being promoted by several fairly prominent naturopathic doctors. It works extremely well for respiratory infections of all kinds (including COVID-19), and has been purported to effectively treat various kinds of chronic infections like Lyme. I can steer you in the direction of those protocols if you're interested.

 

Hi @MindOverMatter, do you take any supplements that help for sleep other than Melatonin? I think I recalled you taking Holy Basil extract to help with sleep. I was wondering how much do you take and which brand?

I’m going to be drug free (tapering off an AD) in a few more days and my sleep has been quite poor lately.

@Lane, your suggestions are also welcome if you are seeing this.

 

@ZFire, yes, I've used Holy Basil Extract from time to time - especially in a period when I was really stressed out. 500-600 mg.

This one for instance:

NOW Foods
Holy Basil Extract, 500 mg

Nowadays, as my sleep is very good, I only use a potent Omega-3 supplement before bed + 0,25-0,5 mg liquid Melatonin from Olympian Labs (+ antihistamine for allergy issues).

Again, if I'm stressed out, I might add in some Magnesium (glycinate) + Zinc (small doses) to calm down the nervous system before bed.