Has Valerian Made Anyone's Tinnitus Worse?

[Tweaker]

I was wondering if anyone has experienced any negative effects on their tinnitus from taking Valerian for sleep?

I have been taking Valerian, Hops, and Passion Flower for a few months now, allowing me to reduce need for prescription medications, but my tinnitus is still worsening.

I am wondering if there is any link.

I would be interested in others' experiences with this type of herbal medication.

 

[Wolfears]

I'm using all of the above with no negative effects. There has to be something else going on.

 

[JasonP]

Are you getting an increase in static or hissing?

 

[Tweaker]

Are you getting an increase in static or hissing?

Maybe static, but more of an electrical sound. This always increases when my T gets worse.

 

[David077]

I felt worse noise while on Valerian, but I think it's depend on tinnitus kind you have.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I would be interested in others' experiences with this type of herbal med.

Over the past 18 months, I went through about 25 pounds of dried Valerian root (that I have been using to make Valerian tea). I haven't had any problems, and would recommend it to others.

 

[linearb]

I've never noticed any issues, but Valerian contains a (mild) GABAergenic drug which is roughly similar to a weak benzodiazepine. Benzos are known to cause tinnitus as a result of tolerance or withdrawal, so I would assume that Valerian has the same potential risk.

There is at least one case in the medical literature of someone who had used Valerian on a daily basis for a long time, who stopped suddenly and had a grand mal seizure as a result. This is the same extreme withdrawal reaction that benzodiazepines or alcoholism can produce; since this was an isolated case, one assumes that Valerian is less likely to cause problems, but I certainly wouldn't assume it's "safe".

The easiest thing to do is to stop taking it for a while and see if your tinnitus improves; Valerenic acid is probably the most significant psychoactive compound in Valerian, and it's half-life is only a couple hours, so it probably doesn't stack up in the body over days or weeks of use. Meaning, it's probably pretty safe to just stop taking it for a while, unless you've been using high doses for a long time in which case you'd probably want to taper it like you would a benzo.

 

[another sean]

not for me. tried valerian drops a few times. Dairy, salt, vinegar will launch it into out space while saying "blast off mofo" in my face, but not valerian.

 

[Lilah]

Yes, it definitely caused a spike. I took 500mg for sleep and it was my first time trying it. I had stomach upset (diahrea) three times during the night and felt nauseous. It did cause me to fall asleep for about an hour but the spike work me up. I think the pill was too strong for me. I also heard Valerian works the longer you take it....

 

[Mister Muso]

There is at least one case in the medical literature of someone who had used Valerian on a daily basis for a long time, who stopped suddenly and had a grand mal seizure as a result.

That's interesting. I've been taking Valerian for a few years before my recent T spikes due to - various other maladies including a toxic ex-brother-in-law - anyway I've not been taking it as regularly lately since I started running low, and I've had a major spike over the weekend (my 3rd since April - yikes). I'll take another "Kalms Night-time" which I've found helpful for sleeping in the recent past, and see how I get on.

 

[The Etruscan]

My tinnitus has intensified the past week. Last night I drank tea that contained valerian. It helped me sleep but at 3 am I woke up to an unprecedented level of tinnitus, basically a loud throbbing noise as if I was listening to a massive swarm of cicadas. I will not be using valerian again. I will be trying melatonin 3 mg nightly to see if that helps.

 

[GlennS]

I went through a bottle to try it as an alternative to melatonin. It seemed to help me enough that I will probably buy another bottle but it was subtle. I don't think it had any impact on my tinnitus one way or another.

 

[donotringatme]

Melatonin is useless for sleep if your CNS is the problem. Valerian root on the other hand does work but as long as the mind is hooked, those won't solve anything. Unfortunately we are all in this damn thing and I know a few people with loud tinnitus who are totally fine, I mean they sleep like dead. I was told by all of them that as soon as you accept it and stop thinking about it, your nervous system will heal in time from the shock. I've been almost 6 weeks on this journey hooked and determined to find the cause and even tho I found it just today (theoretically), it has absolutely crippled my sleep. I have dark circles forming etc. The 2-3 times I actually decided consciously to let go, my mind instantly calmed down and sleep seemed within my grasp. One of those three times I actually slept for 6 hours straight. Just my 2 cents.

Of course, I'm speaking from my perspective when there are serious cases out there.

Blessed are they who can block it off and sleep.

 

[linearb]

it's similar to a very weak benzo but the only scary withdrawal story I know of is an old guy who'd used high dose for years, then stopped abruptly and had a seizure

so, I think it's more dangerous than obvious placebo nonsense like homeopathy, but less dangerous than a lot of drugs people use.

I personally found it not that effective even at high doses and combined with synergistic plants so I stopped taking all that stuff and just take the Shulman cocktail of klonopin/gabapentin instead. That works better for me and is vastly more dangerous.

 

[Drachen]

After reading some posts today and looking into the herb a bit, I have ordered a tincture of Valerian Root.

Here is the specific bottle I'm getting.

I can't find anything conclusive on whether or not capsules versus tea versus tinctures are better for absorption, so I'll be taking a guess here. This bottle also has glycerite instead of alcohol.

I'm hoping to expect some sort of benefit from it. CBD oil is way too expensive...

 

[Drachen]

After reading some posts today and looking into the herb a bit, I have ordered a tincture of Valerian Root.

Here is the specific bottle I'm getting.

I can't find anything conclusive on whether or not capsules versus tea versus tinctures are better for absorption, so I'll be taking a guess here. This bottle also has glycerite instead of alcohol.

I'm hoping to expect some sort of benefit from it. CBD oil is way too expensive...

Coming back to report that I had tried two bottles of the above Valerian Root and can report that I received no measurable benefit from taking it, either in terms of reducing the intensity of the noise or improving my mood or emotional response. It is very possible that you simply need to build it up for longer or that I was not taking a high enough dose, but I am less inclined to invest in it further when it's not even a popular option with others here on the site.

 

[Matchbox]

Valarian doesn't have any effect.

 

[Sean]

I took one capsule of Valerian root two days ago and I had a very slight spike the next day and today my tinnitus is even slightly louder.

Doesn't make sense. May be coincidental. I know Valerian root is not shown to cause tinnitus spikes.

 

[pc1]

I take a tea which has some Valerian for sleep. Most of the time, the next day is a quieter day.

 

[Note]

Maybe I will give Valerian a try for a month or so. I need to calm down my nerves.