Alcohol Quiets Down My Tinnitus

[Ambassador]

Drinking helps me and I think it's because it has a similar effect as taking Benzos which also help but the crash isn't worth the temporary relief. It's been a long winter here in NJ and I am ready to get outside in the sun. Being outside in the sun helps as much as anythings I have found. Of course when I'm hanging outside I am usually enjoying a frosty beverage.

 

[Kayla L]

Hello,

I've had a "spike" the last 6 days.. Decided to have a beer and a glass of wine this afternoon to see if it helped and its brought my T down to 1-2.. it's been a 7-8 all week..

Why?????

Stress related? TMJ related? When i push on my jaw a certain way it goes away also.

Thought? Thanks!

 

[erik]

Maybe it relaxed you and that helped. Usually if I drink alcohol, it makes mine spike but I still do it occasionally because, it does calm me even if my T is raging.

 

[Ambassador]

Alcohol has an effect on gaba receptors in the same way that benzo do. The paradox, what cures you can hurt you. Long term benzo use / Long term alcohol use. Rock, meet hard place.
I'm back on clonazepam .5mg once a day and it's very effective and seeing my primary care doc Monday, fingers crossed that he will agree to allow me to continue.

 

[Mettafort]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC165791/

A heavy artivle, but highlights how ethanol (alcohol) has an affect on the certral nervous system. Finding compounds to exhibit similar responses to the GABA receptor process, could be used to reduced alcohol dependency.

Real point: there is a CNS effect, like a benzo (roughly) that for tinnitus means relief. Stay away from red wine if a member if the Menieres community though - sulfates dont help that.

* not encouraging alcoholism

 

[Ecip]

So, I'm about 4 Heinekens in, doubt i'll have anymore... ok maybe one more... but still, my T is very quiet right now. Either it's very quiet or I just dont give a damn ahaha... nah, I think it's quiet. Like a 2 out of 10.
I will say I also took some GABA earlier with some B3 (niacin) as it's supposed to help cross the blood brain barrier... and then a few heinekens... I still have the sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss... but the BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP is quiet.
Ok, see here I go concentrating, trying to listen for the damn thing, and it's getting louder again. But still quiter then usual. Brain T, pff... T? Me? Nahhh...who would have thought, hey?

 

[Ecip]

Tell you one thing thats crossing the blood brain barrier right now...

 

[EWS1981]

I also find that a beer or two in the evening seems to help the Tinnitus for a time. I seem to sleep a bit better too, but it is always back waking me up in the middle of the night as soon as the alcohol wears off.

 

[tdn]

Alcohol doesn't change the intensity/shrillness of the sound at all for me (nothing I've tried did). The only thing it does is change my reaction. A couple of drinks and I just don't care that much anymore about my extreme tinnitus. Wish there was a drug that could provide that reaction for me 24/7 :/

 

[SaraC]

Alcohol helps some of the times -- not always.

 

[Joanne Philps]

Alcohol or sleeping pills for me, otherwise no sleep at all, I've tried and after tossing and turning till the wee small hours, now I don't even bother, it's either drink or sleeping pills, cannot bare another night of tossing and turning till 6 a.m!

 

[Mario martz]

Can alcohol spike tinnitus?

Since onset I've only had 1 beer and it didn't change my tinnitus.

Last night I had 3 and I felt like it did change it, just like the sound, not the intensity or volume.

Today I woke up and it's a bit louder...

Is this a spike?

 

[Gordonkl]

Red wine and my T disappeared last night...

 

[Bobbie7]

Very occasionally I enjoy white wine which has a mellowing effect. Fortunately this doesn't cause a spike.

 

[linearb]

They should run a trial on alcohol's effects... should be simple?

nah, compared to some really specific receptor-target drug, alcohol has systemic effects. Basically there is no part of the body or nervous system which is not impacted in some way by alcohol, which makes it difficult to study.

edit: I do what I can, though. I research the effect of alcohol on my body and my tinnitus on a daily basis So far my data set is: IPAs good, top shelf liquor good, coors is shit, so is plastic-bottle liquor.

 

[MikeB1996]

Hey everyone! I just wanted to ask does alcohol make tinnitus worse temporarily or permanently? My friend is celebrating and asked me for a few drinks at his house thank you all in advance.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Hey everyone! I just wanted to ask does alcohol make tinnitus worse temporarily or permanently? My friend is celebrating and asked me for a few drinks at his house thank you all in advance.

Since the onset of my T, I had a little alcohol only once. As a result, my T switched ears(!!) It was only temporary.

 

[MikeB1996]

Since the onset of my T, I had a little alcohol only once. As a result, my T switched ears(!!) It was only temporary.

Thank you! I'll have a few so oh and since I'm talking with you now, i just wanted to say thanks to you, i see you help a lot of people out here and i really appreciate what you do, my T is a week in now and I'm already more calm with it

 

[Bill Bauer]

Thank you for your kind words. I hope you are one of the people for whom T goes away within two weeks.

 

[MikeB1996]

Thank you for your kind words. I hope you are one of the people for whom T goes away within two weeks.

I hope so but doubt it, for years i carelessly listened to music through earphones but still i do hope it will, i even bought ear plugs today My hopes are high, trying to stay positive

 

[jjflyman]

Hey everyone! I just wanted to ask does alcohol make tinnitus worse temporarily or permanently? My friend is celebrating and asked me for a few drinks at his house thank you all in advance.

I drink socially (2 or 3 drinks in an evening party) once in a while and it has never caused a spike.
Your chances are good that you will see significant improvement within a year or so.

 

[MikeB1996]

I drink socially (2 or 3 drinks in an evening party) once in a while and it has never caused a spike.
Your chances are good that you will see significant improvement within a year or so.

Thanks for that Hopefully it will, the forums have helped out a ton I'll only have like 3 or 4 drinks, i should be okay

 

[MikeB1996]

@Bill Bauer and @jjflyman the only thing I'm worried about is that they like to play music when drinking, not extremely loud, we can still talk over it easy... Should i be worried?

 

[jjflyman]

@Bill Bauer and @jjflyman the only thing I'm worried about is that they like to play music when drinking, not extremely loud, we can still talk over it easy... Should i be worried?

I would not go where there is music for a while unless you wear ear plugs.
I got "Rave High Fidelity Ear Plugs"

The clear ones are much less noticeable than foam plugs and I can still hear conversations with these. You will need to protect your ears for a long time (6-8 months minimum?) so I'd suggest finding some High Fidelity Ear Plugs that you like.

 

[Julien87]

Temporary, have your drinks and have fun

 

[Bill Bauer]

If the music is loud enough, ear plugs might not help [if you want, I can provide multiple links to horror stories where ear plugs were not sufficient protection]. And the resulting damage might end up being permanent.

 

[MikeB1996]

Was exposed to the music for about half an hour, stopped now just drinking and talking, hope that wasn't enough to make it noticeably worse it wasn't extremely loud

 

[JohnnyMx]

I have a couple of drinks everyweek... never a problem. So in my opinion, is totally safe.

Just protect your ears from loud sound if you go to a loud bar.

 

[donnyb]

I like my beer, and I find that alcohol helps both my tinnitus and dizziness temporarily and to a point. But, the experts tell us that a person with Meniere's should avoid alcohol, tobacco and caffeine; and that we should watch our salt intake. My specialist told me that if I could just keep my salt intake down I would probably experience some relief from the dizziness. He seems to be right, at least when it comes to vertigo episodes.

I still drink a alcohol, but rarely enough to get to a point where I feel like I'm drunk. But, that's kind of relative, because at the point at which I first begin to become legally intoxicated, I do not feel drunk. I rarely drink more than 4 drinks (one is usually enough to be legally impaired), and when I do, I feel like there is some relief from both the tinnitus and the lightheadedness that rarely goes away otherwise. However, if I drink too much and/or combine it with even a small amount of marijuana I'm often too sick to even notice the tinitus. Not really worth the exchange IMO. And being drunk all of the time is definitely not worth it for me.

 

[Marjy tM]

At the time it lessens my tinnitus... but a day or 2 later... my tinnitus is really bad