[jonbee]

I've posted here about how my tinnitis had gotten steadily worse over the last 5 years or so, starting at about age 60.
It had gotten bad enough that it was louder than the typical downtown city street noise level, which is to say it was annoying as hell, 24/7. I'd completely reconfigured my listening environment to listen in the near field in my office or headphones, where the subjective S/N ratio allowed listening to music at normal levels.  I had discovered that listening nearfield in this small quiet room reduced the problem somewhat. I can't say why.
I came upon a supplement which has helped quite a lot, subjectively reducing the volume of the noise by about half. Once again I don't know why, and the literature on tinnitis is crappy.
It is a salt of lithium- not lithium carbonate, which is taken in large doses for manic-depressive disorder, but lithium orotate in small dosages. It is available over the counter, and it quite cheap; I take 1 pill per day and it costs about $2 a month. It is also mildly stimulating, which I like, but which may not be good for all.
I'm not dispensing medical advice here; so let the reader beware, but there are a lot of anecdotes and some research available about it online. I've been taking it for 3-4 months with no negative effects I've noticed.
FWIW, here's the stuff I buy:
https://www.amazon.com/NCI-Advanced-Research-Lithium-Orotate/dp/B000VHCU8M/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1468533901&sr=8-1&keywords=lithium+orotate

[FullRangeMan]

Prob appear in both ears?
The reason is in the inner or outer ear?

[Wind Chaser]

Holy crap, thanks for posting this! I sure hope it works for me. My tinnitus is bearable in the sense that I've gotten use to it, but it ain't getting any better, that's for sure. Hopefully it's available in Canada.

[jonbee]

Prob appear in both ears?
The reason is in the inner or outer ear?

Both ears.
Tinnitus is very poorly understood; some think it is a neurological issue in the audio nerves, others that it is related to degeneration of the inner ear with aging. I'm not qualified to answer this.

[jonbee]

Holy crap, thanks for posting this! I sure hope it works for me. My tinnitus is bearable in the sense that I've gotten use to it, but it ain't getting any better, that's for sure. Hopefully it's available in Canada.

I found almost instant relief, and it has slowly reduced further over the first couple of months. There's a wide range of reactions to this, as is true of most "medications". Good luck!

[JRace]

Prob appear in both ears?
The reason is in the inner or outer ear?

Always inner ear (outer ear is just the Pinna, the part that is on the side of the head.
Middle ear issues can cause it to be perceptually louder, but rarely if ever the source.

It is a neurological disorder caused by disease, age, noise, and other factors.

OP: glad it works for you and does not cost big bucks.

[FullRangeMan]

Thanks JRace

[timind]

Have you tried the Lipoflaviniod stuff? Specifically says it's for tinnitus.

I tried it and feel it reduced my tinnitus. Didn't cure it bur does seem lessened. And, some days I have zero ringing, which didn't happen before the Lipoflavinoid. Expensive though.

I think I'll order some of the lithium, can't hurt.

[OzarkTom]

Can I do anything to prevent tinnitus or keep it from getting worse?

Noise-induced hearing loss, the result of damage to the sensory hair cells of the inner ear, is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Anything you can do to limit your exposure to loud noise—by moving away from the sound, turning down the volume, or wearing earplugs or earmuffs—will help prevent tinnitus or keep it from getting worse.

Over the years I have told many audiophiles to listen in the 65-75db levels and n0 louder to save on hearing loss. Many with headphones do not realize how loud their music is.

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus

[Russell Dawkins]

FWIW, here's the stuff I buy:
https://www.amazon.com/NCI-Advanced-Research-Lithium-Orotate/dp/B000VHCU8M/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1468533901&sr=8-1&keywords=lithium+orotate

Thanks, this could be helpful. I also have moderate tinnitus and would like to have a little silence for a change.
Your link is to Lithium Orotate in 120mg tablets. Is that the dose you take? In doing a little googling I see others recommending a dose of 5mg:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tinnitus/comments/vyzvt/my_tinnitus_regimen/
That's quite a discrepancy. What size tab do you take?

[*Scotty*]

I would thoroughly investigate the potential side effects of lithium before taking it for any reason.
Scotty

[mav52]

I've been dealing with tinnitus since my early 40's, I'm now 63. There is no magical cure Most of the tinnitus is actually Sensorineural hearing loss (which I have) or damage to the inner ear, or Meniere’s disease.   I've been in studies at national hospitals (Mayo , John Hopkins and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston which is the #1 Ear Nose and Throat hospital in the county.)  all over the US, and its still present to this day.  I got my little present of tinnitus from playing in a few rock and roll bands in high school and college and up into my 50's and also I was an active drag racer for 35 years and the ringing just got worst over time.  I've tried all of these "drugs" but drugs cannot fix inner ear damage.
  I've spent literally thousands and thousands of dollars, but nope.  See a specialist find out what the problem really is..

https://www.ata.org/

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Sensorineural-Hearing-Loss/

http://www.entnet.org/content/menieres-disease

[LesterSleepsIn]

When I saw the audiologist about my tinnitus seven years ago he told me nothing could be done and that I would "get used to it over time". I mentioned supplements like lipoflavinoids but he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea, dismissing it, I think, as a placebo effect. He did mention that very low doses of Xanax appears to have worked in clinical studies. Also, reprogramming the brain by using earphones and white noise on a portable music player seems to help some people but I believe this is only a temporary fix.

I have tried none of the above. I used to use earphones but no longer.  When I was younger I'm sure I listened to music much too loudly through earphones, the venerable KOSS Pro 4a. Then there was an unpleasant encounter with Robert Fripp and Company in 2008 and that really set it off.

I now have a sound meter in the car to keep music low, much lower than 84 dbl. I doubt that I've ever played music louder than 84 dbl.

Jonbee, I will order the  lithium orotate today and if it works to any degree I will drive to your house and kiss you - just warning you beforehand.

Mav52s advice is smart advice - discouraging but smart.

[mav52]

When I saw the audiologist about my tinnitus seven years ago he told me nothing could be done and that I would "get used to it over time". I mentioned supplements like lipoflavinoids but he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea, dismissing it, I think, as a placebo effect. He did mention that very low doses of Xanax appears to have worked in clinical studies. Also, reprogramming the brain by using earphones and white noise on a portable music player seems to help some people but I believe this is only a temporary fix.

I have tried none of the above. I used to use earphones but no longer.  When I was younger I'm sure I listened to music much too loudly through earphones, the venerable KOSS Pro 4a. Then there was an unpleasant encounter with Robert Fripp and Company in 2008 and that really set it off.

I now have a sound meter in the car to keep music low, much lower than 84 dbl. I doubt that I've ever played music louder than 84 dbl.

Jonbee, I will order the  lithium orotate today and if it works to any degree I will drive to your house and kiss you - just warning you beforehand.

Mav52s advice is smart advice - discouraging but smart.

FYI on Lithium orotate, a side effect is "ringing in the ears"..  http://www.livescience.com/43558-lithium-medication.html

[jonbee]

Thanks, this could be helpful. I also have moderate tinnitus and would like to have a little silence for a change.
Your link is to Lithium Orotate in 120mg tablets. Is that the dose you take? In doing a little googling I see others recommending a dose of 5mg:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tinnitus/comments/vyzvt/my_tinnitus_regimen/
That's quite a discrepancy. What size tab do you take?

There are 2 different numbers in use.
The 120 mg. orotate salt in this pill provides 4.6 mg. of elemental lithium.
By means of comparison, a typical lithium carbonate prescription is for 1800mg/day, providing 360mg. of elemental lithium.
While lithium occurs naturally in a fair number of water supplies, it is toxic in large amounts, so those taking carbonate must have regular blood tests.
There are contraindications for lithium; info is readily available for this. However, in general, relatively few complications are reported for orotate. 

[jonbee]

I've been dealing with tinnitus since my early 40's, I'm now 63. There is no magical cure Most of the tinnitus is actually Sensorineural hearing loss (which I have) or damage to the inner ear, or Meniere’s disease.   I've been in studies at national hospitals (Mayo , John Hopkins and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston which is the #1 Ear Nose and Throat hospital in the county.)  all over the US, and its still present to this day.  I got my little present of tinnitus from playing in a few rock and roll bands in high school and college and up into my 50's and also I was an active drag racer for 35 years and the ringing just got worst over time.  I've tried all of these "drugs" but drugs cannot fix inner ear damage.
  I've spent literally thousands and thousands of dollars, but nope.  See a specialist find out what the problem really is..

https://www.ata.org/

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Sensorineural-Hearing-Loss/

http://www.entnet.org/content/menieres-disease

I think in your case there may well be no benefit. That kind of damage is irreversible.
I've never listened to music anywhere near the damaging level, and the onset for me was in my 60s. My audiologist chalked it up to getting older and had no recommendations.
That said, I felt after reviewing the contraindications and reports of side effects made me comfortable to spend a few bucks to try. As I said, some results were noticeable in the first day or 2. It did not do away with my symptoms, but it has reduced it I a meaningful way.
I can listen to music again in my main system, which I had relegated to movies.
YMMV... I'm not offering medical advice, just reporting my experience.

[Wind Chaser]

Have you tried the Lipoflaviniod stuff? Specifically says it's for tinnitus.

I tried it and feel it reduced my tinnitus. Didn't cure it bur does seem lessened. And, some days I have zero ringing, which didn't happen before the Lipoflavinoid. Expensive though.

Like Kava Kava, Lithium Orotate is not legal n Canada.  

Hopefully Lipoflaviniod is.

[jonbee]

Like Kava Kava, Lithium Orotate is not legal n Canada.  

Hopefully Lipoflaviniod is.

Maybe a visit to a friend in the states who happens to have some on hand?

[JoshK]

Interesting.   I have tinnitus in my right ear after my accident (crack head open 2.5 years back).  I'll see if I can find it on my trip back to the states tomorrow. 

[mresseguie]

Maybe a visit to a friend in the states who happens to have some on hand?

Or, perhaps, a currently traveling the western states, but soon-to-arrive-in-Canada friend...