Is Melatonin Definitely Safe? It Won't Exacerbate Tinnitus?

[Bethnal Lizzie]

Hi guys,


Can anyone give me any reassurance that melatonin is definitely safe and will not exacerbate tinnitus in any way? Are people sure that melatonin is definitely not ototoxic? I just need to be 100 percent sure. I am really having trouble sleeping and even Nytol seems to have made my tinnitus worse. I am so mistrusting of drugs as you can imagine.


Thanks


Lizzie

 

[linearb]

It's not ototoxic by any known mechanism, but it is a mildly psyochoactive hormone.

Anyone who tells you any given drug is "totally safe" is selling you something they don't have. Anything that changes the way the body works has risks attached to it.

I generally distrust drugs, but I take this one a lot. Do your own research. I learned a lot about how melatonin synthesis works and how it's related to serotonin synthesis and other homeostatic processes; I'd encourage anyone to do the same before consuming it.

 

[MBH]

My evening routine works for me I take 2 Tylenol PM, take a shower to calm me down, I wear eye mask, use a sound machine ocean sounds and fan. I start around 1030. I keep to a routine.

 

[Bethnal Lizzie]

Linearb do I get melatonin from the GP or over the counter? If over the counter, how do I know how much to take and in what form? Abd how often? Thanks

 

[linearb]

Linearb do I get melatonin from the GP or over the counter? If over the counter, how do I know how much to take and in what form? Abd how often? Thanks

if you're in the US, it's over the counter. In the UK, and some other places, it's a prescription drug.

Because it's a supplement in the US, dose ranges are all over the place -- I've seen 300 microgram pills, all the way up to 10 milligram pills... so that's a 3300% difference. Some people think it seems to work better at much lower doses, other people prefer higher doses. The reasonable thing to do I guess is to start with a really, really low dose and then work up? I tend to take either 2.5mg or 5mg at night, but sometimes as much as 10. I also don't take it every night; it tends to give me very vivid dreams (at least once in a while), so I mostly use it related to my lucid dream practices, or when my sleep / circadian rhythms have been disrupted for whatever reason.

Once a couple decades ago I experimented with it in a dose-escalation pattern, probably taking something like 50mg over the space of a weekend. It's definitely an active drug with effects; I can't say much more than that.

Erowid's experience vault has a compilation of people's experiences; note that Erowid is a drug site, and so a lot of this is focused on people either experimenting with really high doses, or combining it with other drugs. That's probably not very interesting to you, but there's still a ton of good information here:
https://erowid.org/experiences/subs/exp_Melatonin.shtml

this specifically has some interesting tidbits: https://erowid.org/smarts/melatonin/melatonin_info.shtml

 

[Alue]

Yes, it's one of the safer drugs out there, but the dosage doesn't have to be very high for it to be effective. 1-2mg is probably sufficient.

My evening routine works for me I take 2 Tylenol PM, take a shower to calm me down, I wear eye mask, use a sound machine ocean sounds and fan. I start around 1030. I keep to a routine.

Tylenol PM is not a good idea every night because the acetaminophen is unnecessary and can be hard on the liver. The active ingredient that puts you to sleep in Tylenol PM is diphenhydramine. You can buy it as Benadryl or just as generic diphenhydramine for like 1/4th the price.

Anyone who tells you any given drug is "totally safe" is selling you something they don't have. Anything that changes the way the body works has risks attached to it.

I generally distrust drugs, but I take this one a lot.

For someone that detests drugs and is alarmist about them, you certainly take a lot of them.

 

[linearb]

For someone that detests drugs and is alarmist about them, you certainly take a lot of them.

Oh? Melatonin and CBD are the only things I take with any regularity... and benzos as sparingly as possible, generally 2-3x a month. Not sure what you're stabbing at?

I did a bunch of dumb stuff in my teens and early 20s, sure. Also went to a ton of loud shows, shot a lot of big guns, and all sorts of other things I wouldn't encourage.

 

[MBH]

When I first had T doc told me to use benadryl well I used for awhile it work but then I woke up every night plus other goodies that went on, next another doc gave me nortriptyline that didn't work either. So I started taking the Tylenol And melatonin, but the another doc told me to stop otc melatonin, so far I sleep well. I had test and liver is good, I never drink. I personally think it's less of evil than taking meds, since meds didn't go well at all. I sleep well.

 

[Alue]

When I first had T doc told me to use benadryl well I used for awhile it work but then I woke up every night plus other goodies that went on, next another doc gave me nortriptyline that didn't work either. So I started taking the Tylenol And melatonin, but the another doc told me to stop otc melatonin, so far I sleep well. I had test and liver is good, I never drink. I personally think it's less of evil than taking meds, since meds didn't go well at all. I sleep well.

Well whatever works for you. Tylenol is okay for most people given a normal dosage. There really isn't any difference between Tylenol PM and taking Tylenol and Benadryl together. Do you need it for pain relief?

 

[MBH]

No I just use Tylenol pm, I guess I could use just Tylenol and benadryl, I'll have to see, thank you. I have moderate/head T.

 

[linearb]

No I just use Tylenol pm, I guess I could use just Tylenol and benadryl, I'll have to see, thank you. I have moderate/head T.

I would read this before taking tylenol more than infrequently, unfortunately:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831770/

Regular use of aspirin, NSAIDs, or acetaminophen increases the risk of hearing loss in men and the impact is larger on younger individuals.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/st...ievers-associated-with-hearing-loss-in-women/

Longer duration of ibuprofen or acetaminophen use was associated with higher risk of hearing loss.

Note that this is quite probably true of opiates as well -- which means that except for conditions where stuff like marijuana or herbal anti-inflammatories are effective, we presently lack pain control drugs which don't lead to eventual hearing problems.

 

[MBH]

I'm 53, and been using Tylenol products for years I used. Tylenol sinus severe regular, I have no hearing lost by 3 audiologist but I did stop 4 years ago to take singular, But I will say Tylenol sinus severe take one of those and I feel great with T, Thanks again for the article I will keep that in mind, but like I said you have to pick your piosion and what works now.

 

[hans01]

if you're in the US, it's over the counter. In the UK, and some other places, it's a prescription drug.

Because it's a supplement in the US, dose ranges are all over the place -- I've seen 300 microgram pills, all the way up to 10 milligram pills... so that's a 3300% difference. Some people think it seems to work better at much lower doses, other people prefer higher doses. The reasonable thing to do I guess is to start with a really, really low dose and then work up? I tend to take either 2.5mg or 5mg at night, but sometimes as much as 10. I also don't take it every night; it tends to give me very vivid dreams (at least once in a while), so I mostly use it related to my lucid dream practices, or when my sleep / circadian rhythms have been disrupted for whatever reason.

Once a couple decades ago I experimented with it in a dose-escalation pattern, probably taking something like 50mg over the space of a weekend. It's definitely an active drug with effects; I can't say much more than that.

Erowid's experience vault has a compilation of people's experiences; note that Erowid is a drug site, and so a lot of this is focused on people either experimenting with really high doses, or combining it with other drugs. That's probably not very interesting to you, but there's still a ton of good information here:
https://erowid.org/experiences/subs/exp_Melatonin.shtml

this specifically has some interesting tidbits: https://erowid.org/smarts/melatonin/melatonin_info.shtml

Thanks for those links linearb, very interesting. I just got my surgery yesterday for my sleep apnea, and my T is horrible today due to lack of sleep the last two days, so i'm also starting to wonder if my sleep apnea, which has causes me since more then 16 years issues, isn't somewhere also with hearing loss responsible for the the increased intensity of my T's the last years. Interesting reading here! Hopefully my surgery will help me to sleep better in the next weeks and lower my T a bit.

 

[blissaliss]

high

Exactly. Even a very low dose once at night and once around 3am. Keeping a routine with sleep and melatonin does wonders for my otherwise suffering nights with tinnitus.

 

[Picassocat]

Melatonin has known side effects, example:

«High blood pressure: Melatonin can raise blood pressure in people who are taking certain medications to control blood pressure. Avoid using it.»

So if it can raise your blood pressure it may very well increase your tinnitus and so far that's what it's doing to me; first try before bedtime and I woke up with tinnitus worsen. At your own risk but it does work for some, but not for me. I will give CBD a chance; I'm ready to try anything.

 

[Solose]

I've taken melatonin and didn't have any effect on my tinnitus. I think T tends to go up and down for many people no matter what they do, and oftentimes the change is ascribed to something that immediately preceded it but that may not be the cause. I would say for sleep melatonin is probably the safest thing you could try.

 

[fishbone]

I use to have horrible sleep issues for a LONG time and found myself dependent on melatonin for a close to 3-4 years. I could not sleep without it, it was a unhealthy dependency (for me at least). I was finally able to control my sleep issues after a LONG TIME and now I have not touched a sleeping pill in about 1-2 years. Even pills and vitamins that may seem harmless can possibly carry side effects.

 

[Picassocat]

Melatonin has known side effects, example:

«High blood pressure: Melatonin can raise blood pressure in people who are taking certain medications to control blood pressure. Avoid using it.»

So if it can raise your blood pressure it may very well increase your tinnitus and so far that's what it's doing to me; first try before bedtime and I woke up with tinnitus worsen. At your own risk but it does work for some, but not for me. I will give CBD a chance; I'm ready to try anything.

Update:

I've been living with T. for more than 20y now. I heard that melatonin could help so I went to the drug store. I took 10mg before bedtime, T. spiked during the night, so much that when I got up too early, I couldn't get back to sleep, too much ringing. I drank a bunch of water to help flush out the melatonin. By the afternoon, my T. was down well below what I usually have. This morning (2 days later), T. is not the same, pitch is different and maybe less intrusive.

I take medication for high blood pressure, I only learned later that melatonin may be incompatible for my condition, but I suspect that 10mg was way too much. Tonight I will try 3mg of melatonin instead of 10 and see what happens.

 

[JohnAdams]

I used it for awhile with no problems.

 

[Picassocat]

I used it for awhile with no problems.

Did it help your T. and how many mg did you take ? Thanks.

 

[JohnAdams]

Did it help your T. and how many mg did you take ? Thanks.

Did not help tinnitus. Just one tablet, dont know the dosage. It did help me sleep though.

 

[Picassocat]

Day 3 on melatonin, this time I took 2.5mg before bedtime and woke up with intrusive but tolerable tinnitus. I got my hearing aids on and within a few hours, my tinnitus was down, way down to about 2.5/10. Tinnitus is so unpredictable but melatonin is giving me hope in the coping area. Tonight I will take but 1mg and see what happens. The research appears to indicate benefits of reducing tinnitus with melatonin. I need relief, I suffer from extreme tinnitus and any drop in the ringing department is good. Hope it may work for you.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21859051

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20060224/melatonin-pills-may-help-ease-tinnitus

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9504599

 

[Picassocat]

Day 4 : I took 1 mg of melatonin before bedtime and woke up with intrusive yet manageable tinnitus (less intrusive than yesterday). I plugged in my hearing aids for about 1 hour and behold, my tinnitus is mild at the moment, soft crickets instead of loud cicadas. The usual mg for tinnitus is 3 before bedtime, I'm trying different dosage. Will post again.

 

[Picassocat]

Day 5: Again 1 mg of melatonin before bedtime: woke up with manageable tinnitus, did put my hearing aids on, tinnitus was way down in the afternoon and almost non-existent in the evening. A whole evening of no tinnitus, incredible! What seems to be working for me so far is a combination of melatonin AND hearing aids.

 

[Alex Matyjasek]

I have been taking melotanin for some time now, and all I can comment is that it's been beneficial for me. My tinnitus is normally lower when I rest properly (Most of time the time...). Not sure if this counts for everyone though.

 

[Picassocat]

A distinct pattern is emerging with me: I take about 2 mg of melatonin before bedtime and I wake up with manageable yet intrusive tinnitus. I slap on my hearing aids and the tinnitus goes to a squeak within hours. By the end of the day, I am left with diffused crickets! I went to hell for 3 months, lost my life to tinnitus, now I'm slowly gaining it back again. Halleluiah!

 

[Heleneti]

How are you doing now?

 

[JasonP]

Hi guys,

Can anyone give me any reassurance that melatonin is definitely safe and will not exacerbate tinnitus in any way? Are people sure that melatonin is definitely not ototoxic? I just need to be 100 percent sure. I am really having trouble sleeping and even Nytol seems to have made my tinnitus worse. I am so mistrusting of drugs as you can imagine.

Thanks

Lizzie

Melatonin never spiked my tinnitus at least upon taking it. I don't know if it affected my tinnitus the next day or not.

 

[Picassocat]

I have days that are worse than others, especially in the morning. What appears to be helping me:

– restful sleep and sleeping when it's dark out or in a dark room.

- wearing hearing aid so that the brain can focus on external sound. It has been proven that regular use of hearing aids for at least one month reduces tinnitus severity. Sometimes I need to pop up the volume to the max to mask the ringing.

-2 to 3 mg of melatonin before bedtime. Again, this has also been proven to reduce tinnitus.

It's not perfect and even with all the above precautions; I still get bad days. Their coping mechanism more than anything else.


Protect your ears. If you need to go in a loud place (cinema, concert, sports game) get yourself a pair of Electronic Hearing Protector, all sounds above 82db will be blocked and at the same time, you will be able to talk and hear the person next to you !! They go for about 50$ USD

see examples here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Peltor+Sport+Tactical+100&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Good luck to you, it's not easy living with severe tinnitus.

 

[JohnAdams]