N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

[GregCA]

I am thinking of upping my intake of NAC. The past 2-3 weeks I have taken about 800-900 mg. NAC about 3-4 times a week and now my hyperacusis has diminished to very little.

I am thinking of starting taking it on a daily basis, about 1000 mg, to see if it can help better on my tinnitus, BUT I am quite afraid of the hightened risk of kidney stones.

Do any of you know if I can do anything to prevent kidney stones.

I read that pairing with Vitamin C is a good idea for that very reason.

 

[spingee]

Whats better - n acetyl cysteine or n acetyl l cysteine?

 

[TheDanishGirl]

I read that pairing with Vitamin C is a good idea for that very reason.

Yes, I read that too, but I dont know what dose to take? I read somewhere that one should take three times as much vitamin c as NAC, which means I should take about 3000 mg of vitamin C if I take 1000 mg NAC. That seems to be waaaaaay too much vitamin C to take.

 

[GregCA]

Yes, I read that too, but I dont know what dose to take? I read somewhere that one should take three times as much vitamin c as NAC, which means I should take about 3000 mg of vitamin C if I take 1000 mg NAC. That seems to be waaaaaay too much vitamin C to take.

That's also what I read.
What I do is 600 mg NAC daily + Vitamin C.

 

[Alue]

I read that pairing with Vitamin C is a good idea for that very reason.

Yes, I read that too, but I dont know what dose to take? I read somewhere that one should take three times as much vitamin c as NAC, which means I should take about 3000 mg of vitamin C if I take 1000 mg NAC. That seems to be waaaaaay too much vitamin C to take.

Vitamin C supplements are not going to help you prevent kidney stones. In fact too much may be counterproductive.

Potassium citrate will help prevent the formation of kidney stones along with drinking a lot of water and limiting sodium intake. Most over the counter potassium citrate supplements are very low dosage, but you should be careful when messing with potassium levels.

 

[GregCA]

Vitamin C supplements are not going to help you prevent kidney stones.

What makes you say that?
There's a lot of websites (like this one) that claim Vitamin C is a good pairing to NAC to prevent kidney stones. I admit I didn't verify their sources, so perhaps they are misguided, but there's definitely some critical mass asserting that. I'd love to find a more scientific source (perhaps you have it - I couldn't find anything specific in 5 min of pubmed browsing).

Inquiring minds...

 

[Alue]

What makes you say that?
There's a lot of websites (like this one) that claim Vitamin C is a good pairing to NAC to prevent kidney stones. I admit I didn't verify their sources, so perhaps they are misguided, but there's definitely some critical mass asserting that. I'd love to find a more scientific source (perhaps you have it - I couldn't find anything specific in 5 min of pubmed browsing).

Inquiring minds...

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1568519

I may have overstepped saying it could be counterproductive, but I don't think vitamin c is going to do a whole lot in preventing the formation. I know potassium citrate will, and that is well documented. Thiazide diuretics will also help prevent the formation, but they can also cause tinnitus. High dietary sodium can lead to an increase of calcium in your urine which will increase your risk.

The biggest factor of all is just staying well hydrated.

Genetic factors can predispose some people to getting kidney stones. Most people don't need to worry about them as much, and staying well hydrated is enough.

 

[GregCA]

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1568519

I may have overstepped saying it could be counterproductive, but I don't think vitamin c is going to do a whole lot in preventing the formation. I know potassium citrate will, and that is well documented.

Thanks - I looked at it and indeed there is an interesting result, but the study doesn't seem to be very controlled (there are many other factors that were not controlled for the analysis). Still, even given the caveats, there does seem to be a 2x factor with Vit C alone. Thanks for providing this source.

Thiazide diuretics will also help prevent the formation, but they can also cause tinnitus.

Perhaps it's a bit of a coincidence, but my T started a day after taking Diazide. I wonder what the mechanism of action is. I discontinued it immediately of course, but no change in my T.
Consensus seems to be lacking online wrt ototoxicity & T as side-effect: I've read both sides of this. That's why I'm interested in the mechanism of action. Do you know?

 

[iAzra]

So did you try it?

 

[TheDanishGirl]

So did you try it?

Me?

 

[SilverSpiral]

Are people still taking this, has there been any more advancement regarding the efficacy and ideal dosage?

 

[TheDanishGirl]

Are people still taking this, has there been any more advancement regarding the efficacy and ideal dosage?

I still take it 2-3 times a week, but I am not sure I get any benefit from it. It does not seem to do anything to my T or H anymore, but I still take it because I have an obsessive thought that it will act preventative in terms of potentiel further damge.

 

[SilverSpiral]

I still take it 2-3 times a week, but I am not sure I get any benefit from it. It does not seem to do anything to my T or H anymore, but I still take it because I have an obsessive thought that it will act preventative in terms of potentiel further damge.

I also thought it was a good preventative measure, but recently I've been reading about how little study there is on usage of this, and that it could effect other parts of the body in ways we don't know... but info on supplements like this is often so mixed... and my general doctor is only familiar with the name and knows nothing about it's effects.

Just desperately want to do whatever i can to get any part of this horrible condition better or prevent worsening.

 

[vaseto99]

Today I made another mistake by going in a company of people I know without any ear protection...
The place was very loud and I think my tinnitus might have become worse.

I read that NAC cant prevent from tinnitus worsening but I cant buy it exactly today and have to wait for tommorow.

After how much time after the trauma has been done the NAC becomes useless?

 

[another sean]

Hi there,

Has anyone experienced any side effects while taking around 600mg - 1200mg of NAC daily? I've been debating taking it but depending on what site you read, side effects can be minimal like nausea or you can die. Any shared experiences taking NAC would be really helpful.

Thanks!

 

[Bobby B]

from what I read, long term use at high levels like 2.8g a day can have some side effects, but not short term - a few weeks - or low dosage

 

[Helheim]

I take 600 on most days (when I don't forget). No side effects for me.

 

[IvanRus]

I take 600 on most days (when I don't forget). No side effects for me.

And do you notice the positive therapeutic effects from applying NAC to your tinnitus?

 

[Helheim]

And do you notice the positive therapeutic effects from applying NAC to your tinnitus?

Honestly, it makes absolutely no difference that I could tell. Been taking it for a few months, will probably discontinue when I run out.

 

[Turner]

I've been using NAC for a month as more of a precautionary measure with no side effects. 600mg before breakfast. There was an army study I have not seen but I read about that stated that taking 1200mg 11 hours before exposure to loud noise could reduce the harm from exposure. Then there is this study by the army concerning mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) after blast exposure. mTBI includes hearing loss and balance issues. The tests were in favor of NAC as a treatment but I couldn't see indications of what dosage was given. See below. I'll provide links under the study as there were some graphs provided in the study you might want to view.
Amelioration of acute sequelae of blast induced mild traumatic brain injury by N-acetyl cysteine: a double-blind, placebo controlled study.
Hoffer ME1, Balaban C, Slade MD, Tsao JW, Hoffer B.
Author information
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) secondary to blast exposure is the most common battlefield injury in Southwest Asia. There has been little prospective work in the combat setting to test the efficacy of new countermeasures. The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) versus placebo on the symptoms associated with blast exposure mTBI in a combat setting.

METHODS:
This study was a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled study that was conducted on active duty service members at a forward deployed field hospital in Iraq. All symptomatic U.S. service members who were exposed to significant ordnance blast and who met the criteria for mTBI were offered participation in the study and 81 individuals agreed to participate. Individuals underwent a baseline evaluation and then were randomly assigned to receive either N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or placebo for seven days. Each subject was re-evaluated at 3 and 7 days. Outcome measures were the presence of the following sequelae of mTBI: dizziness, hearing loss, headache, memory loss, sleep disturbances, and neurocognitive dysfunction. The resolution of these symptoms seven days after the blast exposure was the main outcome measure in this study. Logistic regression on the outcome of 'no day 7 symptoms' indicated that NAC treatment was significantly better than placebo (OR = 3.6, p = 0.006). Secondary analysis revealed subjects receiving NAC within 24 hours of blast had an 86% chance of symptom resolution with no reported side effects versus 42% for those seen early who received placebo.

CONCLUSION:
This study, conducted in an active theatre of war, demonstrates that NAC, a safe pharmaceutical countermeasure, has beneficial effects on the severity and resolution of sequelae of blast induced mTBI. This is the first demonstration of an effective short term countermeasure for mTBI. Further work on long term outcomes and the potential use of NAC in civilian mTBI is warranted.

TRIAL REGISTRATION:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00822263.

PMID:
23372680
PMCID:
PMC3553161
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0054163
[Indexed for MEDLINE]
Free PMC ArticleHere are the links:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00822263
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23372680?dopt=Abstract

 

[Turner]

This is a better link to the study I posted.
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/17734/1/Amelioration_of_Acute.pdf

 

[1MW]

NAC improves/stops my tinnitus & hyperacusis temporarily. I have checked many times but it worsens after wearing off.
NAC is an NMDA blocker. If NAC blocks glutamate the brain then will overproduce it to make balance (homeostasis)

 

[swc5150]

I tried NAC and it just made my T worse while on it.

 

[IvanRus]

Did NAC help you reliably with spikes, did it return you to the current level?

 

[David077]

I noticed that NAC make spikes worse and if it even help to lower T sometimes, it make bad spike later.
I think any supplements should be taken only if you sleeping and eating well, otherwise your body will not have enough energy to digest large amounts of vitamins/minerals/etc and than you gets spike.

 

[1MW]

I must confirm NAC a lot of times help me.

But sometimes makes my tinnitus worse.

I have found that the key is to take it in cycles and not continuously.

Maybe after some use depletes minerals in the body and makes tinnitus worse than good.

 

[another sean]

Hi,

I'm going to see the dentist tomorrow and wondered when is the ideal time to take NAC/Magnesium for acoustic protection for it to be effective? An hour or two before, the night before? And what's an effective dosage for each. Might be possible drilling so just want to be prepared. Anything else I should take?

Thanks

 

[h-m-1994]

I'm going to the hospital on Wednesday for an appointment with an audiologist, but I'm scared of the crowds since I have hyperacusis. How much NAC should I take for a situation like this? I want to take my earmuffs and a pair of foam earplugs though I don't know how to insert them properly.

 

[Gman]

Anyone consider or is using sublingual Glutathione rather than NAC?
According to the study below it's more effective in boosting levels, because it is absorbed directly into the body.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4536296/

 

[David077]

I took NAC again and can finally say it increases my tinnitus while on it.