Tinnitus and dietary supplements

Many people who visit our website, use our chat service or call our helpline ask about dietary supplements advertised to them on social media. 

These products often make bold, emotive claims that they can cure tinnitus, suppress its effects or repair damage to parts of the nervous system and sensory pathways associated with hearing and cognitive function.   

Understandably people living with tinnitus and finding it difficult to cope with may be drawn to these products and their sales pitches, especially when guaranteed treatments and outcomes are in short supply.  

This raises an important question: is there any harm in taking dietary supplements to manage or treat tinnitus? 

What the evidence suggests 

Dietary supplements are unlikely to make a significant difference when tinnitus is the main condition being treated. So, whilst they’re not harmful, they may only be useful when a person has a diagnosed nutritional or vitamin deficiency.  

They should not be considered as a general remedy for tinnitus. 

Some people may identify changes in tinnitus after starting a supplement, but this can reflect a placebo effect. For example: 

• A person identifies a problem that is causing concern.
  
• They find a product that claims to address it.
  
• Their confidence in the product reduces their focus on the problem.
  
• As stress and anxiety ease, they may feel better or have more energy.
  

This is not a criticism of supplements themselves. They can be helpful when the body is deficient in naturally occurring nutrients or other substances needed for normal function.  

However, it is important to be realistic about what supplements can achieve. Reputable companies should be cautious and specific about the claims they make. The providers we’re discussing often use a very similar approach. 

 What to look for in supplement advertising 

• Familiar ingredients: Many products contain vitamin B12, ginkgo biloba, magnesium and zinc. Some also include melatonin, niacin or alpha-lipoic acid. 

• Emotive messaging: Advertisements may use personal stories or urgent language to appeal to people seeking relief, preying on people’s empathy or identification as someone suffering with tinnitus. 

• Scientific or medical framing: Some adverts refer to research or use medical-sounding language to make the product appear more credible. A reference to research does not, by itself, show that the product is effective for tinnitus. 

 What to be aware of 

• Ingredients: None of the ingredients we mention above are proven in clinical study to have any specific effect on tinnitus. 

• The case studies: Included photographs and testimonials are often vague, rarely feature neutral or negative comments about the products and may increasingly be generated via artificial intelligence tools.  This is particularly true of any video content. 

• Dubious pricing and sales techniques: People are being charged hundreds of pounds for ongoing subscriptions to capsules which are unproven and unregulated.  Refunds are difficult to come by – the location of sellers is frequently outside the UK, where consumer trading laws may be very different. 

The bottom line 

If tinnitus could be cured by supplements, or measurably affected, you would be offered this option by your GP.  If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.