Posted on 09/27/2004 1:18:43 PM PDT by Red Badger
St. Louis, Aug. 23, 2004 — Millions of people with severe tinnitus currently have little hope for quick relief from the unrelenting ringing or buzzing noises the disorder produces. But scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suspect a drug already approved for seizure disorders and chronic nerve pain also can help silence the noises that plague tinnitus patients.
The team is recruiting volunteers for the first large study of the potential treatment.
“This trial is very exciting because we are studying a drug that may have direct impact on tinnitus,” says principal investigator Jay F. Piccirillo, M.D., a Washington University otolaryngologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “All other medications currently used for this condition just work on the negative effects of tinnitus, like sleep disturbance and anxiety. But if this trial is successful, it could lead to a new type of treatment option.”
According to the American Tinnitus Association, more than 50 million Americans have tinnitus, about 2 million of whom are so severely affected that they cannot function properly. However, there currently is no direct pharmaceutical treatment for tinnitus approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Typically used for seizures and chronic nerve pain, gabapentin is known to have few drug interactions and to be well tolerated by most patients. Research on tinnitus suggests the condition may be similar to chronic nerve pain, so School of Medicine researchers hypothesized that gabapentin’s benefits might also mitigate symptoms of tinnitus.
According to their preliminary data, they were right: Gabapentin significantly reduced the symptoms of severe tinnitus in a small group of patients. The team now is recruiting participants so they can test the drug in a larger population.
Volunteers between 18 and 70 years old whose tinnitus has interfered with their daily activities for at least six months may be eligible. Participants will be randomly assigned to take either the drug gabapentin or an inactive, placebo pill for eight weeks. The medication and physical examination are free of charge.
For more information, call Joshua Finnell at (314) 362-4356. ###
Funding from the National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders.
Washington University School of Medicine’s full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked second in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
Affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital, Members of BJC HealthCare.sm
I'm glad I don't have tinnitus. One time I had ringing in my ears for 2 weeks then it went away.
I am plagued by tinnitus, but there's no way I will take a drug designed for "seizure disorders and chronic nerve pain".
I'll just put up with the tinnitus.
At this point in my life I'd Take cyanide if they told me it would help!.......
Why are you shouting? ;)
I suppose you have to go to St. Louis to do this?
I take Mirapex (a drug indicated to treat Parkinson's) for my sleep disorder. Works great.
Agreed. I'm legally deaf and suffer from moderate-severe tinnitus in my left ear. But taking prescription drugs often creates new problems for every old problem that they solve. I'll live with the ringing.
As a rock guitarist of over 30 years AND a former AF pilot (get around KC-135's, B-52's, T-37's and such.....you'll pay the price), I have tinnitus like ALL hell; have for years.
I thought it was from all the other FReepers pinging me?
Now, if it was tinnitush....
I'm a tryin!
Gabepentrin Ear Ring Ping
Eh? I can't hear you for all this racket!.....
ZZZZZZZZZZZZWHATZZZZZZZZZZZ????
I don't know, the article doesn't say. I believe most studies of this type contact your own doctor and the drugs are issued through them. The study is for eight weeks, so 56 pills wouldn't take much time.....
I've had it really bad for years. Reading this article is the first time I've noticed the ringing in about two weeks. Thanks a million. Now it's going to be like a song I can't get out of my head.
FYI
< Reading this article is the first time I've noticed the ringing in about two weeks. Thanks a million. Now it's going to be like a song I can't get out of my head. >
LOL...me too. The crickets are having a convention today.
Yeah, mine is somewhere between crickets and bees. I'd love to have just 5 minutes of total silence just to see what it is like.
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