Today I want to briefly discuss blood thinning medication (administered either orally or by means of infusion) which is frequently prescribed by doctors in case of tinnitus. The theory behind this is that tinnitus is caused by a lack of blood circulation in the inner ear, so the thinning of the blood is supposed to remedy this. However, it is well accepted now that tinnitus is a nervous condition and has, in the vast majority of cases, little if anything to do with problems in the inner ear. So for most people the blood thinning measures will have no effect. On the contrary, in some cases these drugs can, similar to caffeine, stimulate the nervous system and thus aggravate the tinnitus. In those cases where these measures appear to have some success, this is likely to be a placebo (i.e. a psychological) effect. In other cases (for instance for Ginkgo Biloba extract) the beneficial effect is likely to be due to chemical substances that act directly on the nervous system rather than a blood thinning effect.

Although I do not want do discourage anybody to try any of these measures (if just in order to have the peace of mind to have tried everything possible), you should be aware of the issues I mentioned, and not be disheartened if things don't work out as hoped. The path to a cure of tinnitus is very much one of trial and error, and negative experiences are just part of this path. The important point just is to learn the lessons from each bad experience and thus narrow down the options to find a remedy that actually works for you.

Thomas