Baclofen for Tinnitus?

E

exodus

Member
Author
Jan 21, 2012
117
Tinnitus Since
05/2008
#1
hi guys

i'm just wondering if anyone has tried baclofen?
i've read it was giving some results on hyperacusis

how about tinnitus?


thanks in advance
 
#4
I went to see Dr. Michael Seidman, tinnitus specialist. He prescribed me Baclofen, a muscle relaxer. He said it has lowered the volume in a lot of cases. Anyone had any experience with this?
 
#5
It gets used a lot for chronic muscle spasm in MS. Maybe some practitioners are taking the myoclonus contribution to Tinnitus more seriously?
 
#7
My research showed me it can cause severe T (but I believe in higher doses)

..I have a whole bottle and never tried it.

If you can manage the side effects, I'd opt for Flexeril instead.
 
#9
Baclofen is a racemic drug (mix of two different isomers). They compete with each other for receptors. There is some research indicating that one of the isomers is useless for tinnitus, and the other one is useful. So, if someone ever produced a drug which contained only the single enantiomer and not the other one, then this might be a great tinnitus suppressor -- but no one has ever produced such a drug commercially, and there would be regulatory hurdles to overcome.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3297816/
The potential utility of l-baclofen, as opposed to d-baclofen or racemic baclofen, is supported by a recent study in which we found that l-baclofen dose-dependently reduced the behavioral signs of chronic tinnitus in an animal model caused by acoustic trauma (Zheng et al., 2012). Although the lowest effective dose for clear suppression of tinnitus was 3 mg/kg, using the dose adjustment calculation employed by the FDA to calculate human equivalent doses (Regan-Shaw et al., 2007), this was approximately equivalent to 34.1 mg/day for a 70-kg adult. This is above the effective dose of 6–12 mg of l-baclofen reported by Fromm and Terrence (1987) for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia but is lower than the twice daily 20 or 30 mg doses of racemic baclofen employed by Westerberg et al. (1996) in patients with tinnitus, which were the highest doses used in the second and third weeks of their study (in the first week they used 10 mg twice daily). Therefore, the effective dose of l-baclofen in our animal model study was within the dose range of racemic baclofen that has been used in humans.
Click to expand...
 
#10
I just started having tinnitus symptoms last week. I blamed it on the fridge at work first. Only I was off for a week and I still had the ringing in my ears, then I realized I have a problem. I read about it when I was a student but I just never imagine I would be a patient. I have no risk factors. It was very daunting experience.
Anyway, I read some anecdotal studies about baclofen and I have some left over from my last surgery. So I tried one. Nothing happened first and the ringing actually got a bit louder. I was trying to concentrate to read a physics article and suddenly the tinnitus went away. I don't know if it was the concentration or the baclofen but something stopped the ungodly tinnitus. Later that evening, tinnitus returned but it was a lot softer.

I am going to my otolaryngologist and ask him about it. If it is really the baclofen, then I think I maybe okay. I have read the guidelines on tinnitus from American society of otolaryngology and many case studies. So many results are inconclusive. Guess I can only pray or start reading maths and physics articles very intensely.
 
#11
OneFai said:
I just started having tinnitus symptoms last week. I blamed it on the fridge at work first. Only I was off for a week and I still had the ringing in my ears, then I realized I have a problem. I read about it when I was a student but I just never imagine I would be a patient. I have no risk factors. It was very daunting experience.
Anyway, I read some anecdotal studies about baclofen and I have some left over from my last surgery. So I tried one. Nothing happened first and the ringing actually got a bit louder. I was trying to concentrate to read a physics article and suddenly the tinnitus went away. I don't know if it was the concentration or the baclofen but something stopped the ungodly tinnitus. Later that evening, tinnitus returned but it was a lot softer.

I am going to my otolaryngologist and ask him about it. If it is really the baclofen, then I think I maybe okay. I have read the guidelines on tinnitus from American society of otolaryngology and many case studies. So many results are inconclusive. Guess I can only pray or start reading maths and physics articles very intensely.
Click to expand...
It activates GABA. Tinnitus is associated with low GABA levels and many drugs which activate GABA help reduce tinnitus, like Xanax as an example. Oddly enough, Valium has no effect on tinnitus.
 
#12
linearb said:
Baclofen is a racemic drug (mix of two different isomers). They compete with each other for receptors. There is some research indicating that one of the isomers is useless for tinnitus, and the other one is useful. So, if someone ever produced a drug which contained only the single enantiomer and not the other one, then this might be a great tinnitus suppressor -- but no one has ever produced such a drug commercially, and there would be regulatory hurdles to overcome.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3297816/
Click to expand...

Is it possible to get l-baclofen for research purposes?
 
#14
Danny Boy said:
It activates GABA. Tinnitus is associated with low GABA levels and many drugs which activate GABA help reduce tinnitus, like Xanax as an example. Oddly enough, Valium has no effect on tinnitus.
Click to expand...

So maybe it's the difference between GABA-A (most benzos) and GABA-B (baclofen) or something?

I only just read about baclofen yesterday and recalled a psychologist mentioning a long time ago, but she didn't know what it was for, just that some doctor was using it to help some people. I dismissed it because I had no idea about anything back then.

I wonder if the difference in what works for different people is the different genetics we all have. I think until we have a good data set of genetics of people who have tinnitus then we won't find the correlations between us. But most people don't want to do genetic testing I guess? It's only a few hundred dollars now. Obviously privacy is an issue with genetics, but if we could get a template report set up in livewello.com with genes that might be related to all this then maybe forum users could anonymously forward their data for those genes to someone doing research?
 
#16
JasonP said:
So has anyone else tried this? Not sure if it would work for me with the kind of tinnitus I have but just curious.
Click to expand...
I´v started trailing it now. Mainly for extreme tremors I have had for the last three years that will never end. The tremors/spasms stems from Benzo and Mirtazapine withdrawal/interdose symptoms.
Hopefully it will have a positive effect on my T and H as well. Benzo, most of the time, totally alleviate my T and calms down my H. But I can not take it. It just upholds my withdrawal even low, sparingly doses.

My T is probably noise induced btw. My protracted benzo/mirtazapine withdrawal could have made it worse though.

I know from previous posts you also are interested in lowering glutumate levels for T. Just let you know . I´ve tried both Campral and Lamitrogine with no positive effect unfortunately.
 
#17
Baclofen is almost the same as phenibut. It binds to gaba-b.
Phenibut is a otc supplement without serious side effects!
 
#19
I have been on baclofen for 3 years, was put on it for another condition. I notice if I miss a dose my tinnitus is often louder the next day. However, I would not recommend people try it because I do wonder if being on baclofen for a long time was a factor in me getting tinnitus - in the same way some people are put on valium for years and end up getting tinnitus, even though valium in the short term will lower tinnitus in many.

Anyone found their tinnitus got better after coming OFF long term baclofen?
 
#20
Agrajag364 said:
I have been on baclofen for 3 years, was put on it for another condition. I notice if I miss a dose my tinnitus is often louder the next day. However, I would not recommend people try it because I do wonder if being on baclofen for a long time was a factor in me getting tinnitus - in the same way some people are put on valium for years and end up getting tinnitus, even though valium in the short term will lower tinnitus in many.

Anyone found their tinnitus got better after coming OFF long term baclofen?
Click to expand...
Yes! I was on it for a year. 70 mg. Tinnitus hit hard and bad last May. I thought it was from other causes, So I stopped a lot of things and changed diet, started vitamins. Never thought it was the baclofen. Just thought my tinnitus was permanent. But then starting in January I decreased my dose down to 30... I got all the way down to 10. My tinnitus was lowering, but I still didn't make the connection until one night I popped 40 mg and my ears were like a drill for several days. After that I weaned off completely and I can sleep at night with just a fan. It's amazing. I can't notice it during the day mostly either.

I feel that taking baclofen was like taking tinnitus in a pill.
 
#21
Just confirming what I wrote a few weeks ago. I stopped the Baclofen and my tinnitus continues to go down more and more after almost a whole year of the noise, I get silence too now.
WOW!! But if I take certain meds/supplements or drink alcohol it can be felt again for a day.
 
#22
That is great news! As for alcohol, I'd gladly sacrifice drinking for no T, lol. Not even the best whisky in the world would make me want too risk it.
 
#23
Drone Draper said:
That is great news! As for alcohol, I'd gladly sacrifice drinking for no T, lol. Not even the best whisky in the world would make me want too risk it.
Click to expand...
No kidding! I'd gladly sacrifice my right arm for no drinking obsession. Addiction can make idiots out of even the smartest people. I'm currently getting help and seeking to put my impulses behind me.
On a funny note, once, I thought the tinnitus was gone and I felt this quiet weird stillness, almost lonely... It was still there within minutes, but it made me realize I'd have to habituate to the silence now LOL! Something tells me that would be all in a day, not months. Crazy stuff.
 
#24
blissaliss said:
Just confirming what I wrote a few weeks ago. I stopped the Baclofen and my tinnitus continues to go down more and more after almost a whole year of the noise, I get silence too now.
WOW!! But if I take certain meds/supplements or drink alcohol it can be felt again for a day.
Click to expand...
That is so brilliant! You must feel really happy. Lol at habituating to silence. I will definitely have to try coming off the baclofen. Funny thing is mine always spikes after not taking it for a day and if I double my dose it's quieter the next day. Might be a temporary effect though.
 
#25
blissaliss said:
On a funny note, once, I thought the tinnitus was gone and I felt this quiet weird stillness, almost lonely... It was still there within minutes, but it made me realize I'd have to habituate to the silence now LOL! Something tells me that would be all in a day, not months. Crazy stuff.
Click to expand...
Haha, I've actually read two success stories where people have said it was strange and somewhat uncomfortable to hear silence again. I also read one where a guy woke up thinking he'd gone deaf, when it turned out the T had finally gone.

I don't think I'd be in that camp, personally, but I think some tinnitus sufferers may forget that we do actually spend very little time in true silence. Even my bedroom, which is the quietest room I spend time in regularly is about 35-40db. Since I stopped playing in a band about a decade ago, I've not been in a soundproof booth.
 
#26
I have taken Baclofen off and on throughout the years usually between 30mg - 60mg per day. I have never had a problem. I was actually on it for well over a year at one point after a serious injury.
 
#27
Vin said:
I have taken Baclofen off and on throughout the years usually between 30mg - 60mg per day. I have never had a problem. I was actually on it for well over a year at one point after a serious injury.
Click to expand...
Did you start taking it after your tinnitus began? Did coming on and off the Baclofen make a difference to your tinnitus? Thanks.
 
#28
Agrajag364 said:
Did you start taking it after your tinnitus began? Did coming on and off the Baclofen make a difference to your tinnitus? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I took Baclofen before Tinnitus but am also taking it right now for my back. I was on it before Tinnitus started in December. I will likely try going off of it in a month or two as I do not like to be on it for more than 3-4 months at at time. I will keep you posted.

As a side note, I have read that some people have found some Tinnitus relief in taking Baclofen as it acts similar to Benzodiazipines but hits a different form of GABA I believe. But we are all so unique and individualized, so any drug can reall do anything to anybody. Just as some people can get 'Steven Johnson Syndrome' from OTC meds that a lot of us and millions of others, have taken all their lives.

Hope this helps.
 
#29
blissaliss said:
Yes! I was on it for a year. 70 mg. Tinnitus hit hard and bad last May. I thought it was from other causes, So I stopped a lot of things and changed diet, started vitamins. Never thought it was the baclofen. Just thought my tinnitus was permanent. But then starting in January I decreased my dose down to 30... I got all the way down to 10. My tinnitus was lowering, but I still didn't make the connection until one night I popped 40 mg and my ears were like a drill for several days. After that I weaned off completely and I can sleep at night with just a fan. It's amazing. I can't notice it during the day mostly either.

I feel that taking baclofen was like taking tinnitus in a pill.
Click to expand...

I have been on Baclofen since Sep. 2018. I was then assaulted in early December 2018 and ended up staying on Baclofen for my neck (whiplash/concussion). So what was to be a couple months for back spasms has turned into a year and a half of high dose Baclofen 60mg - 100mg daily (was only on 100mg daily for a month and 80mg for 3-4 months). I am now weaning off and down to 50mg.

Not much notice in terms of T reduction but it is a bit of a nasty one to withdraw from. I am doing 10mg every 10 days so it will take me a couple months to get completely off.

I will keep this thread posted if I notice a difference once I am off.
 

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