by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady asked,
I recently came across an ad for The Hearing Loss Pill. Do you know anything about it?
The Hearing Loss Pill is one of several formulations out there that purport to make your ears healthy and restore some lost hearing.
In actual fact, most of us have sensorineural hearing loss caused by dead hair cells—and nothing doctors can do can bring dead cells back to life. So from that point of view, the Hearing Loss Pill cannot help you and restore your lost hearing.
However, these formulations do work to make your ears healthier and if your hearing loss (or some of it) is due to “sick” ears (to use a fancy medical term) rather than from dead hair cells and supporting structures, then restoring them to health can have a beneficial result to your ears (including the auditory processing parts of your brain) and hearing. Thus, some people do receive a benefit from taking such formulations.
In addition, a lot of people suffer from oxidative stress—a fancy way of saying that your body produces too many free radicals—and free radicals do indeed damage your ears and your hearing (among other things)—so anything that reduces the production of free radicals, or quickly zaps them after they are formed, is all to the good. Some of the ingredients in these formulations do just that. As a result, from this point of view, these formulations can prevent deteriorating hearing from free radicals. (Note: a lot of drugs produce free radicals, as do a lot of processed foods.)
If you look at the list of ingredients in these formulations, you’ll find that they have many of the same ingredients—it’s the amount of each that varies, plus a few unique to their formula. As a result, some may work better than others. These ingredients are basically not harmful, so the worst that can result is that your wallet gets a bit thinner.
IF your ear problems are the result of their being “sick”, then these formulations may help you. Don’t expect miraculous results overnight—normally you’ll notice results over several months so you have to take them for an extended period before you can tell whether they are doing good for your ears or not.
The ingredients in these formulations are not esoteric—they are readily available from health food stores and on-line.
Let’s look at the specific formula used in The Hearing Loss Pill. Below is a list of the ingredients from their website with my annotations regarding each item.
Notice the first thing is Vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is the most biologically active form and the desired form to take if you are taking Vitamin D. 2,000 IU may seem high, but the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) in this case is particularly low. I’ve seen figures that say it is safe to take up to 10,000 International Units (IU) a day. (You want your blood level to be between 50 and 70 nanograms/milliliter for optimal health according to Dr. Joe Mercola.) That’s much, much higher than the RDA figures. Most people’s Vitamin D blood levels are way down more like 15 ng/ml—well below the optimum level. Note that if you take high doses of Vitamin D3, you also need to take Vitamin K2 at the same time or you can cause major problems with how your body uses the Vitamin D3.
The second ingredient is Vitamin B12 in it’s recommended form of methylcobalamin. Most people are deficient in Vitamin B12, so supplementing it is not a bad thing either.
Magnesium is good for your ears. In fact, magnesium helps protect your ears from noise damage. If you are around loud noise, it depletes your ears of the magnesium it needs. So again, this is a good thing.
L-Glutathione is a natural antioxidant your body produces. In fact, it is the body’s most powerful antioxidant. It zaps free radicals. What they don’t say here is that L-Glutathione is not well absorbed when taken by mouth so you don’t get the benefit you think you are getting. As a result, it is better to take one of the major building blocks of glutathione, namely N-Acetyl-Cysteine and let your body synthesize its own glutathione from it.
Alpha lipoic acid is another natural antioxidant produced by your body.
Vinpocetine is a synthetic compound derived from the lesser Periwinkle plant (Vinca minor). It is supposed to increase blood circulation in your brain. (Not a bad thing to be sure.)
Quercetin is a plant-derived bioflavonoid antioxidant.
Acetyl L-Carnitine is derived from the amino acids Lysine and Methionine. It plays an important role in such things as energy production, enhancing cellular energy in the brain and improving mental performance (from which we could all benefit).
So that gives you a little bit of background on what you might expect from taking this Hearing Loss Pill. Whether you want to spend the money on it is up to you. Eating a healthy diet and taking quality supplements would give you basically the same thing.
I think my ears were “sick” because this has worked very well for me. I don’t think that anything is really louder, but sounds are much clearer and easier to distinguish from background noise.
I started noticing positive results after my first 45 or 50 days of taking the product. The difference has been quite noticeable.
Seems to work for me. I am a pilot and had some trouble with my last ear test. My tests show that I have improved. May be coincidence.
Hi Neal,
Thank you for the review!
I will try it. See you on Facebook!
Katherine
My son Krishna now 8 years is having sensory neural hearing loss since birth (moderate hearing loss) and is using hearing aid since last four years. Do you suggest use of this ?
Hi Himanshu:
Since he had a hearing loss from birth, I don’t think the Hearing Loss pill will help him at all. It won’t hurt him, but I think you’ll find it will prove to be a waste of money if you do try it. If he were my son, I wouldn’t bother with this pill.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr Neil,
I have bilateral sensorineural hearing loss since I was a baby due to high fever. I am 24 years old now and the hearing started to deteriorate 4 years ago. Do you think I should give this hearing pill a try?
Thanks.
Janet
Hi Janet:
I don’t think the Hearing Loss Pill will help your hearing loss from when you were a baby, but it might help slow or stop the deterioration of your hearing now, but I can’t say because I don’t have enough information about your current hearing loss.
For example, is your hearing loss hereditary (not much you can do about that), or from taking any drugs including such common ones as birth control pills, antibiotics of all kinds, pain killers such as Advil (Ibuprofen) or Tylenol (Acetaminophen), etc., etc., or have you exposed your ears to loud sounds (think nightclubs, concerts, listening to iPhones and iPods too loud, etc.)? There could be any number of factors that are causing your current hearing loss.
If you want to pursue this further, email me with more complete information and I’ll try to help you.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi dr Neil,
I have sensoneural hearing for the last 2 years. I had an ear infection (herpese zoster auticus) due to which I lost my hearing. Pressure therapy has shown some positive results of about 10-12%, but hasn’t helped me enough to restore my hearing. So wanted to ask if this hearing loss pill will be of any benefit to me.
Thanks
Shivam
Hi Shivam:
It may be of some benefit to you such as in clearer hearing, but don’t expect it to restore much (or any) of your lost hearing. I suspect that the Herpes virus killed your hair cells (and/or underlying support cells). If this is the case, then taking this pill won’t help you.
Cordially,
Neil
So is there any way by which I can find out whether ot killed the hair cells or if somthingelse is wrong with it.
Hi dr Neil,
I have sensorineural loss hearing . I lost my hearing when I was 3 years old, I had an ear infection in both ears . I have worn hearing aid for 25 years . Could the hearing loss help restore my lost hearing ?
Thanks.
Hi Iman:
Probably not. It would depend on the exact cause of your present hearing loss. If it is sensorineural, then not likely. If you have a conductive loss, a doctor may be able to help you.
Cordially,
Neil
Dear sir
I have got eardrum surgery 2 years ago in left ear and right ear problem is mederater sensoneural hearing loss . kindly advice me that does hearing loss pill work for better hearing to me
Hi Akash:
I doubt the hearing loss pill will help you with your hearing loss.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi
my son (3 years old) has had a sudden hearing losses diagnosed as “enlarged vestibular aqueduct”, he was treated with steroid recovering from total deafness to around 60db now.
my question is : is this drug suitable for my child age & case , reffering to the scientific articles in this page http://hearinglosspill.com/science
Hi Haitham:
If your son has LVAS I’m not sure that this hearing loss pill will help him. The standard treatment for LVAS is prednisone (steroids). Besides, right on the website, it says that it is not recommended for children as it has not been studied on them. So I’d err on the side of caution and not give this concoction to him at this time.
Note: the list of ingredients looks safe enough to me and can help people keep their ears in good condition, but you can get these ingredients in other formulations and in many multi-vitamins and by eating a good diet.
Note 2: None of the studies referred to on their website refer specifically to the hearing loss pill–but to individual ingredients and how they affect ears.
Cordially,
Neil
My head injured 6 years back and observed tinnitus and hearing loss .
pl suggest me to take hearing loss pills .if any improvement will come once i take …
Hi Subramanyan:
I rather doubt that the Hearing Loss pill will help you since it would seem your hearing loss is permanent since 6 years have now passed. It may help with your tinnitus, but if your tinnitus resulted from the hearing loss, then I don’t think it will do much at all to help you. That’s may opinion, but feel to try it out and see if it helps if you so choose.
Cordially,
Neil
Buenas tardes Dr. Neil. Mi edad es de 57 años, con pérdida auditiva repentina en el 2005 en un oído y 2007 en el otro. Mi otorrino lo trató como sordera repentina al inicio, sin embargo no hubo resultados positivos. A la fecha uso ambos auxiliares auditivos desde el 2007. El diagnóstico que me dieron es de hipoacusia neurosensorial bilateral profunda. Me han hecho consciente que lo perdido no se recupera. Cree que ayude esta píldora a no perder más audición? Gracias.
Hi Rosa:
You wrote: “Good afternoon Dr. Neil. My age is 57, with sudden hearing loss in one ear 2005 and 2007 on the other. My audiologist treated him as sudden deafness at the start, however there was no positive results. To date use both hearing aids since 2007. The diagnosis they gave me is profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. I have become aware that it lost not recovered. He believes that this pill to help lose no more hearing? Thank you.”
As you probably know, the sudden hearing loss episodes you experienced resulted in a number of the hair cells dying in your inner ears. This cannot be fixed at this time–apart from wearing hearing aids as you are doing.
Taking the Hearing Loss Pill isn’t going to change this. And if your hearing has remained stable since 2007, you probably won’t see any changes to your hearing except as you get older and presbycusis kicks in.
Taking the Hearing Loss Pill may slow this down a bit, but you probably won’t notice much difference. You can take it if you wish. It certainly won’t hurt, but you may just be wasting your money.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Sir,
Good morning .
i ahve faced an accident in the year 2009 oct23 where my left leg broken and head injured blood came from right ear and then my company team took to CMC,vellore there for left leg operation carried out and almost i was in home for cure .while i have been in home observed small sound in right ear .from that day onwards i have been rotating to consult bestENT doctors.now i ahve been facing trinitius and hearing loss .if i take hearing loss pill will be improvement is there .pl help me suitable solution to avoid hearing aids and to get beter hearing …
Hi Pranav:
It’s been 7 years now since your accident. I doubt that the Hearing pill or anything else is going to help you much now. Your best bet for hearing better is hearing aids.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi sir, my son developed SNHL after Chemotherapy. Now he’s 18 years old. Will this pill work for him
Hi Ajay:
Unfortunately, I rather doubt it. Chemotherapy drugs can kill the hair cells so the hearing loss is permanent. You can always try it, but I wouldn’t expect it to do much (or anything). Trying it won’t hurt his ears.
Cordially,
Neil
hi.
I have a unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, slight hearing loss on my left ear and practical deafness on my right ear from 11 month when i was baby. My ears had damaged from chicken pox. Can Hearing loss pills help to improve my hearing?
Hi Manos:
Since you have a sensorineural hearing loss from a virus you got many years ago, the hearing loss pill almost certainly won’t help. One result of the virus is that it killed a number of hair cells. This leaves you with a permanent hearing loss. Taking the hearing loss pills, while they won’t hurt you, will very likely just be a waste of money.
Cordially,
Neil
Hello.
I have a conductive hearing loss and a unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in my both ears. My diagnosis is mixed hearing loss. My left ear has mixed hearing loss and my right great hearing loss. Could these pills help me to cure my hearing or to improve?
Hi Fisher:
You can try them. They won’t hurt you. But it really depends on the cause of your hearing loss as to whether they will help or not–and you have not told me anything about the cause of your hearing loss.
Often conductive losses can be remedied by ear doctors so it is worth looking into. Sensorineural hearing losses tend to be permanent if the damage is caused by drugs or loud noise or viruses.
Cordially,
Neil
my ears damaged from a virus when i was 2 years old.
Hi Fisher:
I’d say the Hearing Loss pill is very unlikely to help you.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi i have mild sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear 4000hz range and moderate to severe in the 4000hz range with tinnitus and recruitment for the last 20 years due to noise exposure i get regular hearing tests and it has not changed. I still work in industry but where custom hearing protection do you think the hearing loss pill will help
Hi Chris:
Probably not. The noise damage over the years probably killed some of your hair cells and other structures. But you can try. It won’t hurt you to try–but it may help your wallet reduce.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi.
My niece has severe hearing loss due to antibiotics she was given at 3 yrs old, she is now. 20 yrs old. She was told by her doctor that some of the hair have died but that the hair that is left needs to be stimulated & rejuvenated. Do you think these pills will help?
Regards,
Patricia
Hi Pat:
When the hair cells and the tiny hairs on them (technically called stereocilia) are exposed to ototoxic drugs, some of them die. The result is hearing loss. The ones that are left still work and allow her to hear the little that she does now.
Those hair cells are stimulated by wearing hearing aids. Unless they are “sick”, I don’t see that they need rejuvenation as such. But taking the hearing loss pill certainly won’t hurt them (and may do some good) if you want to try them. It’s up to you.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi., I have tinnitus probably caused by mp3 ear phones 1 year ago and a lost range of 4000 hz 50 db in both years.Can I recover at least 10 db and reduce tinnitus?
hhi Louis:
You can try it and see, but I rather doubt that you will get any hearing back. This is because when the hair cells die from being exposed to loud noise, dead is dead, they don’t come back to life.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi sir,
I have Moderate Sensoneural Hearing loss in both Hears and degree of loss is 40 to 55 decibels
sir which is better for me that you Recommend Hearing loss Pill drug or Hearing aids
Hi Srikanth:
If you’ve had a longstanding hearing loss, I doubt the Hearing Loss Pill will significantly help you. However, if you have reasonably good discrimination, hearing aids will almost certainly help you. I”d vote for trying hearing aids.
Cordially,
Neil
Hello, i have been suffering from mild/moderate sensoneural hearing lose for almost 1.5 year due to loud music exposure ,do you think these pills could help me get my hearing back?
Hi David:
Probably not. Loud noise typically kills hair cells and synapses in the spiral ganglion. These pills do not regenerate new hair cells. Thus the hearing loss is permanent. That is why it is so important to protect your ears from loud sounds.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi,doctor my son has a sensorinural hearing loss in both ears since birth its mild to moderate.. its due to auditory pathway dysfunction.. what ll u suggest me about pills! They ll be helpful in improving hearin? Thanks
Hi Sani:
I rather doubt the hearing loss pills will help your son, but you can try them an see if they do.
Cordially,
Neil
Hey doctor Neil.
I was listening to music with very high and loud sound then i went to sleep i woke up next day and i was almost deaf in 1 ear and pain was severe for few days,this happened to me few times in both ears and now i have sensorinural hearing lose ,can the hearing loss pills help me to improve my hearing?
Thanks
Hi Logan:
They may help, but all that loud noise certainly will have caused significant permanent ear damage so don’t expect miracles.
In the future, you need to protect your ears from loud sounds or you will end up almost deaf and with loud tinnitus.
Cordially,
Neil
Dear Dr Neil,
I underwent grommet surgery for left ear on 11 Nov, 2017 post glue ear and cold attack. Immediately after the surgery, I lost a great deal of hearing. ENT doc says the grommet looks fine, ear drums look fine and there’s no fluid behind the drums and was puzzled to hear about my hearing loss. However, my audiometry report showed a bit of nerve damage. I have been prescribed with multivitamin pills, folic acid pills, and mecobalamin injections. Do you think if my hearing will be back to what it was before surgery? Prior surgery, the audiometry results showed only a little hearing loss. But post surgery, it has gone down. I wear hearing aid now. I was given local anesthesia injections during surgery. Could that have caused any nerve damage? Looking forward to your answers and advice.
Thank you,
Ashwini
Hi Ashwini:
If the hearing loss you have is sensorineural as opposed to conductive, then probably your grommet surgery didn’t have anything to do with your hearing loss as such.
What I think likely happened is that the cold virus got into your inner ear and caused your hearing loss. Such hearing loss may come back in part or all, but this almost always happens in the first 30 days. Now it is two months later, and in my experience, the chances of any more hearing coming back are slim to nil no matter what treatment you take now.
I doubt the local anesthesia caused your hearing loss, although that is a possibility.
Cordially,
Neil
Thank you for the reply, Dr Neil. I guess I’ll have to just get used to wearing hearing aid. However, I read in a few online forums that after the grommet falls out and the hole heals, there are possibilities of getting a bit of hearing back. Have you come across any such case? The reason I ask is that before the surgery, my hearing was much better. But in the operation theater, as soon as they made the incision, I felt the loss of hearing to a great extent. I can’t come to think what possibly could have caused it. And even the ENT surgeon couldn’t find an answer. I’ve been a lot depressed because I underwent the surgery to get a bit of hearing back which was caused due to glue ear, but it turned out to be the other way, and I lost more hearing than back. And before the surgery, ENT surgeon did confirm that there was no infection, but just the fluid behind eardrums. What worries me more is that the doctors here are unable to reason out what could have been the problem. I’m at a loss.
Just to be a little more specific, I’m a 32 year old female. I smoke 2-3 cigarettes per day. Could smoking be causing the delay in healing? Or is it affecting my hearing altogether?
Thank you, however, for the insights, Dr Neil.
Regards,
Ashwini
Hi Ashwini:
Typically, the grommet causes a bit of conductive (middle ear) hearing loss. When the grommet falls out and the eardrum heals, you can get that bit of hearing back. That is true. You may not get it all back because of scar tissue on the eardrum.
However, if you have a sensorineural (inner ear) hearing loss, none of this will come back when the grommet falls out.
Assuming you did not have an active cold (or other) virus in your body, then your hearing loss should have been all conductive. In that case, all/most of your hearing could come back. The way to tell is to have another hearing test and compare the air conduction results to the bone conduction results. If they are the same, then you have an inner ear loss and it probably won’t come back. But if they are different, then the amount they are different can come back. This is what they call the “air-bone gap”.
It’s also possible that you got hearing loss from the anesthetic they used. So many drugs can cause hearing loss. I don’t know how likely that is in your case because I don’t know what drug they used.
Smoking is bad for your health, period. It is known to cause hearing loss in some people. But other people are heavy smokers and don’t seem to lose hearing, so again, it is an individual thing.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Dr. I was on my way to work one morning then all of a sudden in a split second I lost all hearing in my left ear. Then a few hours later vertigo hit me. 6 days later I was on steroids for 14 days . then one ear injection after the 14 days. my hearing has not come back and its been almost two months now . will hearing pill bring back some hearing or is it too late now.
Hi Manuel:
I doubt anything will bring your hearing back now. After two months, your hearing loss is almost certainly permanent barring a miracle.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Doctor,I have small problem.I have mild hearing loss.When a person speaks very slowly,i can hear it.However ,it sounds me like a rhyming words.This is effecting my social life and professional life.Please advise,in this case,does this pill help me to restore hearing loss ? Thank you very much in advance!!
hi Simon:
If your hearing loss affects you so much, I doubt that you just have a mild loss. I don’t understand what you mean that when a person speaks slowly you hear like rhyming words. What does it sound like if they speak faster?
I can’t tell you whether the hearing loss pill will help you were not because I don’t know why you lost hearing. You can always try it and see.
Cordially,
Neil