Tinnitus is an all-too-common occurrence among revelers who frequent festivals and loud concerts. Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in ears that someone experiences when there is no noise to be heard. For concert goers, tinnitus occurs because the eardrum is being overworked and the little hairs in the ear, called cilia, are dying when listening to all that loud bass. Fortunately, a study done in New Zealand has come across a promising remedy.
For the past two years, the University of Aukland in New Zealand has been conducting trials for remedying tinnitus with MDMA. The idea to begin these trials was presented to Grant Searchfield, the leader of the research team, when his patients reported their tinnitus was lessened after taking ecstasy.
This gave Searchfield the idea to administer low doses of MDMA, between 30-70mg, to see if the patient’s tinnitus was reduced. This dosage of MDMA is far too little for any users to experience the euphoric effects of the drug, but enough to alter their experience of tinnitus. After conducting these trials for two years, the team must now analyze the data and come to a conclusion for the hypothesis, a process that could take months. Searchfield is hoping that this analysis will lead to some answers, stating, “Our goal is to try and find a medication for tinnitus. [Tinnitus] can have catastrophic effects. Whether MDMA is it or whether it’s a trial for us to identify what is going on in the brain is still an open question.” 
Check back with us when we have the results!
