Sadly I've already had tinnitus for 8 years, 5 years before covid ever came around. Even more sadly is that it was caused by a temporary medication in which the doctors didn't warn me this could be one of the side effects.
There's no permanent cure and it can be so isolating and horrible the first couple of years that it sometimes drives people insane or towards suicide. Thankfully I got used to mine, but still it's not something I would wish on anyone, ever. It's literally the sound of your ear drum cells and nerve endings dying.
There are other studies where an extract is injected and arrests hair cell damage then regenerates things. It's not well understood whether taking it orally would have the same effect but there's anecdotal evidence of it settling down inflammation and changing the quality of tinnitus. I've experienced it myself and my wife is in the early days of trying it out.
In addition to masking, electrical stimulation, and other therapies, these supplements are recommended:
Anti-oxidants (there are many, and they're good for your health in a lot of ways in addition to possibly helping with tinnitis)
Taurine (an amino acid; cheap. Also good for other things like heart health)
Ginkgo Biloba
Zinc (but don't overdo this one; it's a metal, so I'd not use more than 50mg/day. If you're low in zinc, however, it's worth taking for other health benefits as well and adding quercetin or green tea will help it get into cells where it needs to go).
Melatonin --
Melatonin, a hormone critical for healthy sleep (Wurtman 2012), has powerful antioxidant properties. Melatonin has been tested as a treatment for tinnitus, both in combination with the medication sulpiride (an atypical antipsychotic) and on its own. On its own, melatonin provides relief from tinnitus, especially in people with significant sleep problems (Rosenberg 1998; Megwalu 2006; Reiter 2011). When combined with sulpiride, melatonin reduces the perception of tinnitus by diminishing the activity of dopamine, a chemical in the brain. In one study, sulpiride alone relieved tinnitus in 56% of subjects while melatonin alone reduced tinnitus in 40%. However, when used together, 81% of subjects reported relief from their tinnitus symptoms (Lopez-Gonzalez 2007).
I've tried things like that and it actually never seems to help. My tinnitus could also have some hereditary roots, since my mom has had it since the age when I got mine too. My brother also is starting to show symptoms of it. No idea if tinnitus really can be hereditary, but it seems common in my family.
Sadly I've already had tinnitus for 8 years, 5 years before covid ever came around. Even more sadly is that it was caused by a temporary medication in which the doctors didn't warn me this could be one of the side effects.
There's no permanent cure and it can be so isolating and horrible the first couple of years that it sometimes drives people insane or towards suicide. Thankfully I got used to mine, but still it's not something I would wish on anyone, ever. It's literally the sound of your ear drum cells and nerve endings dying.
I've been having some luck with curcumin for somatic tinnitus. It hasn't fixed it, but it's become quieter after 5+ years of continuous ringing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5063744/ (fibroblast damage treatment)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/lary.25031 (protection against paclitaxel-induced inner ear damage in rats)
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-022-21932-1 (another examination of protection against ototoxicity)
There are other studies where an extract is injected and arrests hair cell damage then regenerates things. It's not well understood whether taking it orally would have the same effect but there's anecdotal evidence of it settling down inflammation and changing the quality of tinnitus. I've experienced it myself and my wife is in the early days of trying it out.
https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/eye-ear/tinnitus
In addition to masking, electrical stimulation, and other therapies, these supplements are recommended:
Anti-oxidants (there are many, and they're good for your health in a lot of ways in addition to possibly helping with tinnitis)
Taurine (an amino acid; cheap. Also good for other things like heart health)
Ginkgo Biloba
Zinc (but don't overdo this one; it's a metal, so I'd not use more than 50mg/day. If you're low in zinc, however, it's worth taking for other health benefits as well and adding quercetin or green tea will help it get into cells where it needs to go).
Melatonin --
🙏🏻🙏🏻
I've tried things like that and it actually never seems to help. My tinnitus could also have some hereditary roots, since my mom has had it since the age when I got mine too. My brother also is starting to show symptoms of it. No idea if tinnitus really can be hereditary, but it seems common in my family.
Thank you anyway! Yes, let's hope all cures are released to the public!