Hi everyone,
I have had tinnitus for about 5 years already (on my 6th lap around the sun!). I have tried a variety of different remedies and alternative methods to help me get rid of my tinnitus over the years; of course there is no cure so I gave up on that prospect. The only thing that has helped me was mindfulness and acceptance of my condition, however my tinnitus can be painful at times - as I'm sure we all know.
In October/ November, I experienced a big spike. I am not sure what triggered this, I assume it was stress due to COVID-19/ lockdown. This was lasting about 2-3 months. I was prescribed Propranolol previously (November 2020) by my doctor - however I found it a bit strong and it didn't do much in terms of my tinnitus or sleep. It made me feel lethargic and apathetic, so I only took two doses. In early January 2021, I remembered that my partner had a vial of CBD oil in a drawer, I thought I'd give it a go as it didn't do much for his back pain; I figured if anything it will probably just relax me.
I took as recommended and suddenly my tinnitus came down after about 15 minutes. My anxiety levels came down as well and I was fine. I took another dose before sleeping and I was able to sleep a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. I continued with this for the next few days and it felt like something was definitely happening.
The vial was running dry so it was time to buy some more. CBD can be expensive, the vial I bought was about £40 online from Hemp Heros with shipping. I only bought 20ml. I continued the CBD oil, however I grew curious to see what others have been saying.
The British Tinnitus Association recommends against CBD as there is not enough (or any) human studies. The only studies conducted were on rats and it proved to have a detrimental effect. This worried me, so I went to Twitter and YouTube to see if anyone has anything to say about CBD. It turns out that other people have had success with using CBD for pain management and in some cases tinnitus. I figured that for myself, I haven't had bad luck with CBD so I have been continuing the use. I also did my research, I found this video helpful and reassuring that I wasn't doing any damage.
(Note: Recently, I attended the BTA tinnitus support groups, and it turns out that the BTA will recommend against something as a precaution if there is not any conclusive studies. I will reach out and see if there are any studies with regards to tinnitus and CBD. There are anecdotal reports of tinnitus getting 'worse' but I tend to take those with a pinch of salt as my tinnitus has spiked at random in the past five years with no explanation or connection to my diet.)
I was also able to find a different brand of CBD that is in capsule form. I found this a lot more cost effective (about £30 for 28 days or £9 for 7 days) works just as fine and a lot more convenient. I am currently taking 10mg of CBD every day, this is a microdose compared to what others take for pain management (40-100mg & up to 600mg for severe body pain). Below is the brand that I take every day. I have replaced the oil with the capsule (although I still have the oil).
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I like this brand because it's ultra pure - there is no THC (which causes the 'high' in cannabis/ marijuana). I take one capsule in the morning after food and I feel like it brings down my tinnitus; I have been having much better sleep and I just feel overall relaxed. I feel like I have my head back together and have been much more productive. This brand is made in Ireland and I bought it in the UK. You might be able to find a similar product in the US.
Now, I also wanted to share some personal thoughts about CBD usage; I think it's unfortunate there is a stigma surrounding CBD. When I brought up my story in the support group; I was immediately shot down by someone and was told "I wouldn't dare indulge in those things." - Let's be real; I am a busy man, I have important things to do and am very active, I don't have time to sit around being high all day. I found that comment rude and dismissive, however I realize that there is a stigma surrounding cannabinoids. I think in 2021, we should try and change the conversation around cannabinoids as there is a potential for pain management. I also read a twitter user say "My tinnitus spikes with CBD but I am so high I don't care! hahahah" That is a ridiculous claim as CBD does not cause a 'high' according to the data. I feel like this further discredits the use and research put into CBD.
My final thoughts about CBD - I believe it has had some effect on me, I do not understand how or the mechanics of how it works with my tinnitus/ hyperacusis but it seems to have had a positive effect. The frustrating part with tinnitus is that although it seems to have soothed me a bit, it might not have an effect on someone else.
Do I still have tinnitus? Yes.
My tinnitus will probably always be there but it seems to have calmed down the spike and has brought me down to base level. Somehow I feel like I am able to disconnect my consciousness from my tinnitus after using CBD. It's difficult to explain or to put into words. I still experience minor spikes, some mornings my tinnitus is worse but I feel like I've been having a lot more good days than bad days since I started using CBD.
I hope you found this helpful in making a decision on whether or not to try CBD. Please let me know your thoughts. I know spikes can occur with diet/ certain activities but with myself, nothing really affects my tinnitus other than general stress/ loud noise.
Thanks for reading.
Ricardo