I've had tinnitus since shortly after the first onset of my illness, 24 years ago. It has gradually gotten worse over the years, and the worst thing about it is that it has gotten to the point where I react to virtually all prescription medications that have tinnitus as a side effect (whether it's listed in the prescribing information or not). I would estimate that that's about 90% of all medications. There are quite a few medications that have helped me in the past, and that would help me now, but that I can't take due to my tinnitus. I've been researching this for a while, and I've found a number of good treatments. However, it's not clear what the proper dosages of some of the medicines in the treatments should be. So I thought I'd list the treatments I've found here, in order of efficacy, and if anyone can add any information about dosages, or other treatments that are known to work for many people, I'd be glad to add these in. Here are the treatments I've found:
- Acupuncture. This is definitely the most effective treatment I've found, and I've been using it almost since the beginning of my tinnitus. Repeated applications can cause the tinnitus to gradually disappear, and in many cases disappear entirely. The effect is lasting, but new episodes of tinnitus can be triggered by the same triggers that caused the original episodes, such as loud noise, or especially in my case, specific medications. If I want to take a medicine that causes tinnitus on a long term basis, acupuncture is not powerful enough to keep up with the tinnitus that the medication causes.
Acupuncture tends to be expensive in the West, and it can take quite a few treatments to get rid of tinnitus. Fortunately, there are just three main acupuncture points around each ear for tinnitus, and it's easy to learn them. Once you do, you can do your own acupuncture, which is what I've been doing for the last 15 years with great success.
- Gabapentin plus Klonopin. This appears to be the #1 pharmacological treatment for tinnitus. The dose of Klonopin used is 1 mg per day; the dose of gabapentin (Neurontin) used varies, depending on need and tolerance.
I have found that this is very helpful; the gabapentin especially is noticeably effective, and is responsible for the actual tinnitus reduction, while the Klonopin make the remaining tinnitus less irritating. Note that higher doses of Klonopin can cause tinnitus. Gabapentin can also cause tinnitus in some people, especially at higher doses. If you've had withdrawal problems from either Klonopin or gabapentin, this solution is probably not good for you. I am currently taking gabapentin at a dose of 100 mg 3x per day, as that is what I can tolerate.
- Ginkgo Biloba plus Zinc. This is a combination found in many of the better tinnitus medications. The medications are typically expensive, and it would seem simpler just to combine these two supplements by themselves. What would be the ideal dose, though? The highest rated supplement I've found is Tinnitivix, and it uses 50 mg of gingko biloba plus 30 mg of zinc, taken 1 to 4 times per day. It also has small amounts of a number of other common supplements. Is this the ideal amount of gingko and zinc to take? Or are higher amounts better, and if so, what?
- B vitamins. B vitamins are also known for their effectiveness in combating tinnitus. Niacin is the most well-known; I'm not sure if there would be a difference in taking straight B3 (niacinamide). Arches Tinnitus Formula used to use B vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6, although they have now switched to a formula using 240 mg of gingko plus 15 mg of zinc. I recently saw a post here with recommended combination of B vitamins just for general use, but I can't find it now. Any suggestions are welcome.