Biotin

Tinnitus
#1

I saw this post over on HLAA. It seems worth the plagiarism. :slight_smile:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=2][COLOR=midnightblue]Biotin for Tinnitus?

My wife read it in the newspaper, People’s Pharmacy column.

Someone bought Biotin for his wife, took some himself and is Tinnitus went away.

Anybody try this?

So I did some research, found Biotin is water soluble B vitamin that you can’t OD on unless you get crazy. 10,000 mcg is a common dose tolerated by many with zero side effects.

So I started taking that much, and my tinnitus went from a loud ring to a gentle hiss and at times gone completely.

Important notes:

  1. My tinnitus has always been variable, and I do get quiet days every once in a while, although not usually this many in a row. So it could be something else.
  2. I’m not a health professional, so I’m not giving medical advice, if you decide to try it, do it at your own risk. Everything I read says it’s safe, but you might be the exception to the rule - the one in a million so to speak. Check with your health professional

If you do try it, post your results, either positive or negative.

If this works on a lot of people, it could help a lot of suffering.

Bob[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

#2

I know this is an older post, but I’m going to try it. I’ve had tinnitus for years (cicadas in both ears). My hearing loss is much more recent than the tinnitus. But sometimes it’s pretty quiet, other times louder. It does seem to relate to what I eat, usually have less in the morning, sometimes pretty quiet even. One thing for sure, salt is a factor, but I’m on a low salt diet to control blood pressure anyway. I’ll try it and report back either way.

#3

I’m looking forward to hearing about this!

#4

In our societies the great majority of people will have adequate intake of Vitamin B7. Since it is water soluble any extra above needs is just lost in urine. It should be cheap so at least it won’t harm your wallet too much.

#5

I have been taking Biotin for years. I have the ringing and have had it for about 40 years. My ringing is always there day and night. I sleep with a sound machine, and I use hearing aids and the ringing is somewhat less with my aids on but it is very noticeable. I have not noticed any change with the use of Biotin.

#6

My Tinnitus volume is a high pitched sort of ting kind of like if you held on to the "ing: sound forever. It is more noticeable than other at different times. One thing is of note. Taking Asprin increases the volume a lot and quickly. I had to stop taking the 81mg. dose sometimes recommended as an aid to reduce blood viscosity. I think that the reduced viscosity allows the blood to flow more in ares than it does when the asprin is not present. I wonder if the choclea gets its fluid viscosity reduced also and the thinner fluid allows for reduced damping of the ultra small sensors that are associated with the detection of shorter wavelengths of the high frequency sounds.

#7

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, and voltaren, are well known to exacerbate preexisting tinnitus, and can also cause tinnitus and hearing loss. Neil Bauman, the author of the article below, is a well-known for his research and personal experience with issues pertaining to hearing loss. Inasmuch, Gripper, your experience with increasing tinnitus when taking aspirin isn’t unheard of.

http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/anti-inflammatories-nsaids-and-tinnitus/

Kerry

#8

Aspirin reduces platelet function to reduce clotting. It isn’t a viscosity effect. It can cause tinitus usually more so in higher doses and longer duration of treatment. Others should not stop taking it without medical advice.

#9

Bobs Tinnitus most likely got better due to the fees he was pay for writing this drivel. That is because he can live a less stressful life it Tahiti or Bora Bora due to the payments and residuals he has received.

#10

I wouldn’t want to assess that your understanding of the pathology is flawed but…

The stria vascularis function in priming the mechanism is based around the ion balance of your whole body - particularly the osmotic pressure generated in having one area more salt than another. Therefore if you take a substance that changes your salt balance via your kidney tissue, you also potentially modify the action of the Stria Vascularis Tissue within the cochlear duct.

For some people with Menieres for example the delicate balance of the cochlear duct malfunctions and typically the whole area attracts more fluid than it should, resulting in the whole structure becoming turgid and applying more pressure to surrounding structures/nerve fibres (called Endolyphatic Hydrops). This typically results in lowered Low Frequency hearing, vertigo(plus nausea), tinnitus and general feeling of pressure in the area.

Therefore ANYTHING that you do that alters your salt balance, from taking a particular set of tablets to diet modification for hypertension or even living in a hotter part of the World, CAN affect your hearing if you’re susceptible in this area. So don’t be surprised if popping pills is having an effect, but it’s probably not due to the manufacturer suggested mechanism - you might get the same effect from a minor dietary change.

As has been suggested from many sets of data about supplements; that is, unless you have a particular dietary deficiency, all you’re really doing is making expensive urine!

If you want to see how it really works - have a look here http://oto2.wustl.edu/cochlea/ep.htm

#11

I thank you for the reply. I am reviewing you detailed reply. While my analysis may be less detailed it think that it’s basic analysis is not excluded my your description. Anyway I will gladly accept you explanation. The aspirin reaction is a true fact. I would be most pleased if you have any suggestion as to how to lower the tinnitus volume that I hear. You really you seem to have a more experienced analysis than I gave and would really like to reduce my tinnitus. All my medications are constant when I take the Aspirin so if I can reverse whatever the Aspirin does it might be helpful, thanks the Gripper.

#12

I’m not a Doctor and really don’t want to go into their prescriptive territory.

I would say you probably need to assess the failure of each potential mechanism and see whether you are addressing the correct cause rather than just throwing drugs at it IMHO.

I have several clients with a reported improvement in tinnitus from wearing hearing aids, but I also have a couple of clients who don’t seem to derive the same level of benefit.

#13

I have studied you supplied section on the cochlea which seems to agree that the taking of Aspirin would have the potential to alter the operation of the cochlea so as to effect the precption of what I call Tinnitus. Any thoughts as to what I could do to reduce it. Having hearing aids seems to improve the signal to noise ratio and therfore provide improved precption of the signal (say speech or music) over the noise (say tinnitus) so reducing the noise will improve my “hearing” thanks in advance. The Gripper

#14

Please be advised I am not throwing drugs tinnitus. As a matter of fact the only drug that has effected the Tinnitus was the Aspirin that was taken as a gentle blood thinner for cardio reasons. But since it seems to effect the tinnitus what might do the opposite of what the aspirin does.Thanks the Gripper

#15

To simplify things: Tinnitus is a mind game. It often begins in the ear, but it is maintained by the brain–sometimes even in the absence of what set it off at the ear level in the first place. The more you pay attention to it, the louder it will get over time. The better you get at ignoring it, the softer it will get. If the tinnitus is perceived as some sort of warning signal (e.g. "oh no, it’s a tumor!) it will get louder over time because the brain is very interested in things that are novel, important, or dangerous. If the tinnitus is perceived as neutral or unimportant, the brain will slowly fade it into the background as it does the hum of your fridge or the feeling of your clothing. The tinnitus will probably always be with you, and will be there if you stop and listen hard for it, or will be there if your body is under more stress that usual (you’re sick, you’re tired, you’re hungover, etc.), but the better you get at ignoring and not worrying over it the softer it will get over time and the longer the periods will be when you don’t notice it. You have some level of cognitive control over this, but at the times when it is particularly bothersome I’d recommend throwing on some music and masking it out and then engaging in whatever stress-lowering thing you do to avoid strengthening those bad-tinnitus-stress-time neural connections.

This isn’t a satisfying answer and it is a slow solution, but it is the best answer at this time. Apart from certain pre-existing deficiencies, which have been mentioned, there is no magic pill. Apart from Meneire’s, there’s is no evidence that salt has any effect on tinnitus (and evidence of the effectiveness of low-salt diets for Meniere’s patients is pretty limited). Don’t worry about caffeine or alcohol–if you are in withdrawal from caffeine of if you are hung-over the tinnitus will probably get worse, but only because your body is under more stress than normal and the tinnitus will go back down as you recover. There are lots and lots of internet scams trying to take your money for the promise of some sort of instant cure, ignore them all.

Live your life, distract yourself from your tinnitus, spend as little time thinking about it as possible, and it will calm down over time. It you tend to be an anxious person or have issues with depression, you might need extra help to do this.

#16

this has to be one of the best thought-out words of wisdom I have read on tinnitus.

#17

My worry is the opposite. I simply don’t notice it, until I notice it. And then I really notice it! Sometimes this is really bad when I wake up in the morning, but then I get distracted. I’m scared that one day I’ll start noticing it all the time, and then I won’t be able to stop.

#18

I don’t think this will happen. Don’t worry about it. :wink:

Also, are you a coffee drinker? If so, you are in withdrawal first thing in the morning. That can have an effect on the perceived intensity of the tinnitus. Not so much the “actual” intensity (if such a thing can be said). For the most part, tinnitus loudness matching in the clinic stays very consistent and generally is quite soft. The loudness perception of tinnitus is different from the loudness perception of outside sounds and is very dependent on brain state.

JustEd, thank you.