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Niacin good for the ears


Ben

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I was sitting next to a nutritionist on a plane last night. He noticed my ear plugs and said it was good to see a young person taking care of his ears.

After telling him I was a sound engineer he began to tell me ways to maintain hearing health.

Niacin (B3) is a vasodilator and is especially good for the capillaries in the head, ears and cochlea, and may reduce the risk of tinitus.

Ginkgo is also a good supplement to take.

Thought I would pass on the info to you soundies, if you didn't know it already.

To your health,

Ben

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i take niacinamide and N-acetyl cysteine daily, anyone with mild tinnitus should try it

Thanks Max!

I am actually in San Francisco for a few days and I think I will pick some up. Do you get them together in one capsule? Can I pick them up in a health food store?

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There are some companies marketing Lipoflavenoid vitamins for tinnitus relief, and that has B6, B12, niacin, and a bunch of other stuff in it. I'm not convinced it helps, but I do take it occasionally. More info here:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

 

I find lots of rest and quiet helps more than anything else. A producer/friend of mine was plagued with tinnitus to the point where had trouble sleeping, and found that low-level white noise and/or an endless loop of gentle rain or ocean waves seemed to help. 

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Thanks Max!

I am actually in San Francisco for a few days and I think I will pick some up. Do you get them together in one capsule? Can I pick them up in a health food store?

nice are you here on work? they come separately and you can find them at most any health store or whole foods. i've been taking 500mg daily each and have really stopped noticing the very light tinnitus I have, though maybe it's placebo. the cool thing about N-acetyl cysteine is it has been shown to prevent hearing damage from loud noises even if taken after the fact.

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Yeah, I tried that kind of Niacin as well. That happens when you take it on an empty stomach especially - that's what the guy at Whole Foods actually recommended me to do, just to "experience it". He called it a flush or whatever, it happens because the niacin opens up all the small blood vessels in the skin and blood rushes through. Yikes! Did not like that feeling at all. Now I take it as part of a multi vitamin, with breakfast. No weird blush-flushy effect. 

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Another guy I knew, a crazed 1980s record producer, used to take Niacin all the time. I took one once at his urging, and my face turned beet red and I felt like I was gonna fly around the room. Not fun. The Lipoflavenoid is OK -- no weird aftereffects. 

 

 

Yeah, I tried that kind of Niacin as well. That happens when you take it on an empty stomach especially - that's what the guy at Whole Foods actually recommended me to do, just to "experience it". He called it a flush or whatever, it happens because the niacin opens up all the small blood vessels in the skin and blood rushes through. Yikes! Did not like that feeling at all. Now I take it as part of a multi vitamin, with breakfast. No weird blush-flushy effect. 

 

niacinAMIDE is a form of niacin that doesn't cause flushing

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niacinAMIDE is a form of niacin that doesn't cause flushing

 

Only tried it once, and this was 15 years ago. Not for me.

 

I just read the ingredients of Lipoflavonoid, and it does clearly say Niacin. I suspect the amounts are so low, it doesn't do a helluva lot. I have zero symptoms either way. 

 

Strangely, I mixed for 12 hours today, and have less tinnitus at the moment than I've had for months. Go figure. I'm convinced it has as much to do with stress and blood pressure as anything else. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...

Magnesium helps me. And Alpha Lipoic Acid. I take 1gram Niacin daily for cholesterol and it generally makes me feel good in general by helping circulation (makes me feel warm, tingly, and flushed.) The 'no-flush' Niacin doesn't have this therapeutic effect. I also take NAC.

 

Actually moderate alcohol consumption can protect us from hearing damage:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11037015

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I took one once at his urging, and my face turned beet red and I felt like I was gonna fly around the room. Not fun. The Lipoflavenoid is OK -- no weird aftereffects. 

 

Many years ago, as a staffer, I took a Niacin supplement on advice of a friend once in the morning - by 11am I was completely flushed like I've never been, just as you've described.  For the first time ever in my career, I actually checked in with my boss and went home for the day to "come down" !

 

As the memory is still fresh, I have never gone back.  Perhaps my dosage (one pill) was excessive, perhaps I'm actually allergic - I don't know.    

 

If the benefit is realized, please update this thread later on - I'd give it a whirl again if the science you've been told is truly correct.

I'd certainly try 1/4 or half dosages on the way to those desirable benefits.... 

 

MF

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Just saw this thread. Always nice when a drug turns out to be a twofer. Thankfully, I do not suffer from tinnitus. My heart goes out to those who do; I have had friends who have dealt with it and it can be beyond miserable.

I take a total of 1.25 grams Slo-niacin brand per day to raise HDL. 750 mg with breakfast and 500mg. Niacin is nicotinic acid and is different from niacinamide as well as other "flush free" formulations. They are not proven effective whereas true niacin is. Ramp up to avoid the flush reaction and take with food and no alcohol (breakfast is good). Spicy foods with it might exacerbate the flush reaction as well. First I've heard of liver toxicity and I researched it quite a bit before taking it. Also, my doctor approved/prescribed it. Looks like hepatoxicity is associated with REALLY high doses, but I'm glad for the info and will write to my doctor about it. It's been really effective for raising my HDL. Might be time to revisit the research, tho'. It's been awhile...

Paul

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  • 1 year later...

I take Slo-Niacin- a time-release niacin that reduces flush effects, which eventually stop, anyway. My Doctor tells me that "No-Fush" or "Flush-free" Niacin (niacinamide) is not effective for the advanced benefits of niacin like reducing cholesterol. He says: "Remember-  if it says 'flush free', flush it down the toilet."

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Save your money.

 

I produced a tinnitus treatment program on CD for the VA back in '09. I spent weeks interviewing docs and therapists about causes and treatments for veterans coming back from combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan on how to deal with their tinnitus. If you're a vet, it might still be available for you.

 

I also have a brother-in-law who has a Pharm.D and is a chief scientist with one of the largest multinational drug companies in the world. His response to niacin as a treatment was "crapola".

 

Tinnitus is a permanent condition. It basically involves cell destruction in the cochlea. Once you get it, you have it. To date, the only recognized way to treat it is to manage its effects--steady-state white noise, quiet rest, good diet--and less alcohol, among others.

 

Until science comes up with a way to reduce or eliminate it--it's here to stay.

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